Jack of Spades (Vegas Underground 2)

It’s not because I want to be on a first name basis with him.

I definitely don’t.

Why would I even think that? Especially after all my concerns for Sondra?

But something about that man has me squeezing my knees together every time he winks. Which is far too often.

I drive home to my small apartment. For the first time since Sondra moved into the casino and Tacone made Dean disappear, it feels too small. Even lonely.

But I’m not looking for company. I don’t need to jump into another relationship.

Of course no one’s chasing me for one, either. Stefano appears to be the polar opposite of my cousin’s possessive and single-minded lover, Nico. He’s definitely a player.

Which means sex—just once to get him out of my system—might be on the table.

Chapter 2

Stefano

I walk through the Bellissimo like I’m king of the castle, fucking proud of the place and what Nico’s built here.

I was with Nico when he talked our father into investing 1.2 million dollars to open a casino in Vegas. It wasn’t enough. Hell, the gambling license alone cost over thirty grand. But Nico was smart. He knew better than to involve any investors who weren’t family. Only Tacones were allowed to kick in and hold shares of the Bellissimo. And they did. He scraped together enough to get it open and built it from there.

Nico had the architects design the massive structure so it could be added onto in sections and he went classy right from the start: Italian tile, marble statues, beautiful rooms.

The first version of the Bellissimo was small, a boutique casino. Nothing cheesy about it—ever. And so it attracted high-end customers right from the start. Especially when word got out about the private games.

Nico had a business plan and a vision, and he convinced our family to invest. Still, I don’t think anyone expected it would turn out like this. Now, it’s a behemoth of a building—five different wings, twenty-eight stories high. Eight restaurants serve all kinds of food and it’s still the classiest joint in Vegas. And the money? It fucking overflows.

Speaking of my stronzo brother, I’ve been in the Bellissimo for thirty-six hours and haven’t seen the bastard. First he was out of hand looking for his woman. Now he’s gone home to fix things. We’ve talked on the phone and already texted a dozen times, but he’s too irritable to give me any good direction.

I dial his phone and he answers with the same impatience. “What is it?”

“Nice to hear from you, too. Did you get things straightened out?”

“I’m working on it.”

Of course he’s not going to tell me anything. He’s not exactly a let’s talk about our feelings kind of guy.

“You talk to Dad?”

“On my way now. Sondra’s with me.”

Sondra. The woman I want to meet. “Ah yes. I had to find out her name from a lovely red haired croupier last night.”

“You met Corey.”

“Yes. I enticed her to cheat and she tried to slap my face.”

Nico snorts. “Sounds about right.”

“What about Corey?” I hear the pleasant timbre of a female voice.

“Are you in the car? Put me on speaker.”

“No—fuck off.”

“Sondra,” I raise my voice so she might hear me. “I met your cousin last night,” I tell her. “I’m in love.”

Her laugh is light and sweet. Nico must have put her on speaker because I hear her voice clearly. “I’m definitely hearing the Italian in you.”

“No, it’s true,” I insist, but she’s right—even before my six-month stint in Sicily with my great uncle, I’d adopted the over-the-top aggressive courting style of my parents’ country of origin.

“He already got himself slapped,” Nico fills in.

“Uh oh.”

“Almost slapped,” I correct. “She tried. I didn’t allow it. We came to an understanding.”

“She’s under my protection,” Nico grumbles, but he knows I don’t hurt women.

“Nothing to worry about. I told you—I’m already in love.” As in, I can’t wait to get those long legs wrapped around my waist so I can pound into her hard and dirty.

Would she like it that way?

Somehow I think she would. But she’s not the type to go down without a fight, and I don’t have the time or attention to spare. I’m already up to my ears in work. I can see why Nico needed help running things.

“Listen, Stefano.” Nico takes the phone off speaker. He’s got a serious tone to his voice.

“Yeah?”

“If things go sideways, I need you to take care of…”

I understand what he’s saying—all too well. I think chances are slim he’ll die, but you never know. Our father’s in prison and Junior, our oldest brother, is a dick.

“I will protect what you love,” I say quietly, making the vow of it ring in my voice. I know that’s what he’s asking; he wants to know Sondra will be safe.

“Thank you.” Nico’s voice is gruff.

“Good luck, Nico. Let me know how it goes.”