“Are you finished eating?”
Annie looked down, completely disinterested in her food. “Yeah.”
Tessa glanced at the expensive-looking new watch on her wrist. “It’s still pretty early. I don’t have any plans between now and the cocktail thing tonight. What do you say we hit the tables and play a few hands? I think that would be fun. I haven’t gotten to actually play with you in almost forever.”
Annie reached for her purse, nodding absently into it. She’d forgotten about the cocktail party, worrying about everything else. Tonight would prove interesting, she had no doubt. Every eye in the room would be on her and her royal-blue dress.
Including Nate’s.
Five
“Her sister sucks.”
Nate winced at Gabe’s sudden observation as they watched Annie and Tessa play from the security room. He’d noticed that, too. He didn’t know much about Tessa, but he’d thought the Barracuda’s younger sister would be a better player. Had Annie taught her anything about poker, or was she just throwing away her tournament registration fees? Maybe she was having an off night. A very off night. She hadn’t won a single hand yet. Another round and she’d be out of chips.
“On a good day, I think Annie could make the Captain look like a novice.” Nate spoke the words with a touch of pride. He could appreciate the skill it took for Annie to get this far in her career. Few women did in a field dominated by men like the Captain.
He was famous around the poker circuit for his faded white officer’s cap and tacky Hawaiian shirts. He wanted everyone to believe he was some retired Navy officer, but he’d once secretly admitted to Nate’s grandfather that he’d bought the hat in a thrift store in 1979.
The Captain was eccentric and annoying as hell to play against, but very, very good. Over the past thirty years, he’d won four championship bracelets, almost always making it to the final table in the main events. He was known for talking his opponents to death. He rambled on with old tales about his so-called Navy days, making crude comments about where he docked his ship in a storm and pestering people with inane nautical trivia.
His plan worked like a charm. His fellow players’ concentration crumbled when they went up against the Captain. It was just like when men found themselves face-to-face with the Barracuda, although for very different reasons. With Annie, a man’s pulse quickened, his groin stirred and he came close to forgetting how to play poker at all.
Nate could understand that. She was a hard woman to resist. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to go this long with nothing more than a kiss. This week might be torture for them both.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and shifted in his seat to disguise the uncomfortable development the mere thought of her had brought on. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take of looking but not touching. His ability to feign indifference to Annie’s allure was eroding away.
He wanted her. Badly. He didn’t want to stay married to her or play house with her. He didn’t want to have feelings for her. He just needed to touch her and soothe the raging beast inside of him. Perhaps a little indulgence wasn’t as dangerous as Gabe seemed to think. It was just sex. The last time they were together the sex was incredible, tainted only by their marriage. Why couldn’t they have that physical connection again before they went their separate ways? Certainly he could have sex with Annie and not completely lose his perspective.
Tonight was the tournament kickoff, with a cocktail reception for the competitors. Nate wanted the Sapphire to put a little old-school Vegas class into it, the way his grandfather would’ve done it. Tonight there would be flowing drinks, low lighting and sultry music to set the tone for the week.
Of course, having Annie on his arm made it that much more interesting. The thought of her in some slinky dress that clung to each voluptuous curve...the music of her laughter as she sipped a drink... Maybe he would be able to slip an arm around her waist and take her for a spin around the dance floor. Then he could press himself against her stomach and dip down to leave a searing kiss on the soft curve of her neck.
Nate swallowed a groan, shifting in his chair and returning his attention to the monitors. That line of thought really wasn’t helping at all.
He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Tessa really was a horrible player. Her instincts were all off. He could tell that Annie knew it, too. She wasn’t going in for the kill. Wasn’t trying to lure her sister to bet more when she should.