Casey Jones had very sensitive skin.
Silky, and smooth and warm and so tender I wanted to lick every inch of it. I thought she might let me. Hell, if I kept teasing her like this, she might even beg me.
I would have given every damn thing I owned to hear her beg.
But not tonight. I was not an animal. I would control myself tonight. I groaned as her foot brushed my cock. I knew she didn’t mean to do it but it nearly snapped my last thread of control.
The fact that she wanted me too… well that was only making it harder. The girl was clearly inexperienced and not good at hiding her response to me. And damn if I didn’t like that about her.
Still, it didn’t seem right to take advantage of the situation.
She was drunk and horny and might well be a virgin. I grinned to myself as I noticed how hard her nipples were. I might be taking the moral high ground but I sure did like making her horny.
If I was going to be pent up and frustrated, well then, so was she.
“I have all night. Pay up, Jones.”
I pulled my fingers away, dragging them down her gracefully curved calf. Her skin was so juicy and plump. I felt like a big, bad wolf, thinking about eating a lamb.
And what a sweet little lamb she was.
Her eyes lifted to mine and I froze at the raw honesty reflected there. Raw and painful. She exhaled shakily.
“You know that’s not my real name.”
I nodded slowly, putting the deck of cards aside. I had been about to deal again, or try to with one hand. But she deserved my full attention.
Both hands slid to her leg, making comforting circles. No teasing now. I wanted to soothe her.
I wanted to know.
She looked away and shrugged.
“I was born near Charlotte. I had a nice family. Not rich, but nice.”
Had. She said ‘had.’ I felt my stomach clench up.
And then I realized that was all she was going to say.
“How did they die?”
Her eyes shot to mine and I regretted the question immediately.
“Sorry.”
She shook her head.
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”
I felt something inside me crack open. She was so real. There was no artifice in her. She was so strong to have survived everything she’d been through.
And yet in that moment, she looked like a broken-hearted little girl.
“How did you end up with Mason?”
She raised an eyebrow at me, looking playful again. But I could tell she was putting on a brave face.
“Is that your stake?”
I shook my head slowly. I wanted her jeans off. It was stupid and dangerous and wrong. But I was battling with the inner caveman inside me.
And I was losing.
“No. I want these.”
I tugged on her jeans and she blushed.
“Fine. We play for pants.”
I smiled slowly and picked the cards up.
“Pants it is.”
Cassandra
He’d taken my damn pants.
I tugged my knees up and then put them back down again as he smiled at his cards. His smile widened as I tried to find a way to arrange my legs that was somewhat ladylike.
I’d caught him looking me over twice already. Even now he was peeking at my legs over the top of his cards. I could practically feel them as they slid up and down my thighs.
He wasn’t even trying to hide it! He hadn’t stared between my legs but I knew the cotton of my panties was thin.
I knew he could see more than he should!
And he still had his damn pants.
He raised a lazy eyebrow and the smile dropped as he looked at my face. My face! Instead of my body.
“Stakes?”
I grit my teeth.
“Pants!”
He shook his head.
“You really are a glutton for punishment.”
I crossed my arms.
“What do you want?”
He grinned at me and this time he did look between my legs. I gasped as his eyes flitted up to my breasts next, like he was considering… dammit, there was no way I was going to get actually naked!
He sighed and shook his head. He opened his mouth, as if he was going to speak and sighed again.
“Don’t you dare!”
His eyes snapped to mine and I braced myself.
“I want to know about Dante.”
“What about him?”
He smiled.
“Everything.”
I lifted my chin. I wasn’t going to tell him about the murder no matter what. But I could tell him other stuff.
“You’ll have to win the hand first.”
He won.
He tossed his cards down and leaned back, his hand on his waist band. I’d noticed his bulge before but now it was different.
It was… bulgier.
The man looked like that part of him was oversized too. Like his damn ego! I bristled as he grinned at me.
“So. Dante.”
He waited, his eyes on my body. He started at my feet and travelled up. I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest.
“He comes in.”