Ronan didn’t press me for an agreement, knowing exactly what my silence meant. “So are you gonna make me lunch or what?”
I rolled my eyes and stood up. “How’s salmon?”
“As long as it’s food, I’ll eat it.”
When Carmen came home, the first thing we did was hit the bedroom. I took her from behind, holding on to her hips as I thrust into her so hard she screamed. I grabbed her by the back of the neck and pressed her into the sheets, her ass high in the air and her back curved at the sexiest angle. I liked fucking her slow and easy, but I also liked fucking her like this—like I owned her.
We had dinner afterward then watched TV on the couch. She was in my t-shirt with the remote in her hand.
I was reading a book.
“I didn’t know you liked to read.”
I shut the book and set it on the table, knowing I had to get ready for work. “It’s a hobby I picked up late in life.”
“Pretty sexy.”
I turned to her, the corner of my mouth raised in a smile. “Really?”
“Definitely. But then again, I think you look sexy no matter what you do.”
Good answer.
She smiled at me as she leaned against the couch, her eyes lit up and the most beautiful green color.
I rose to my feet and stretched my arms.
Her smile immediately dropped. “You’re going to work, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” She dreaded these nights because it affected her sleep. She wasn’t afraid that something would happen to me and I wouldn’t come home. She just hated not having me in her bed. “But I want you to come with me.”
“Tonight?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes. I’m playing in a high-stakes game tonight.”
“What does that mean?” She looked so sexy in my shirt that I wished she could wear that to the casino tonight.
“The buy-in is twenty-five million.”
Her jaw instantly fell open. “Jesus Christ, that’s insane.”
That was nothing to a man like me. “I want you at my side.”
“Won’t I distract you?”
“Not at all.” Feeling her hands on me calmed me, made me feel more alive. Her affection would only heighten my senses—and inflate my ego. Increased confidence led to better decisions. Better decisions led to better wins. “Come on.”
“I feel like I don’t have a choice in the matter.”
The context of our relationship hadn’t changed. She was mine for three months. She did what I asked—because she had to. I didn’t say that to her, letting my intense stare do it for me. “You won’t be sleeping while I’m gone, so you might as well.” She would lie on this couch with a blanket draped over her legs, listening for the sound of the elevator.
She couldn’t deny my reasoning. “I guess you’re right…”
My arm hugged her waist as we walked through the casino together. She was in a short dress with a slit up the side. There was a cut in the fabric over her hip, showing her gorgeous bare skin. She wore the diamond necklace her father gave her, but the rest of her diamonds were from me. Her hair was curled and pinned to one side, showing her slender neck and the earrings that hung from her lobe.
She was stunning.
Smoke filled the room, and the sound of the moving chips reached our ears. It was loud enough to be audible above the music. Dancers moved in the cages that hung from the ceiling, most of them in just their thongs.
Carmen stuck tight to my side, moving in a little closer once we were surrounded by the criminals that roamed the streets at night. Thieves, murderers, and gang members were everywhere—but no one would fuck with me. Not just because I was surrounded by men who could kill them in less than a second, but because they would be ejected from the casino. That was the last thing they wanted, lack of access to a place to gamble their killing money. It was the only thing strong enough to bring peace to a group of the most volatile men in the country.
I didn’t look at her when I spoke. “You never have to be scared, Beautiful. You’re just as invincible here as you are anywhere else.” My fingers rested on her bare skin, feeling the warm softness of her flesh.
She turned her face toward mine. “I know.”
At any point in time, my men had eyes trained on me. Every inch of the casino was covered, and there was nowhere I could stand without at least ten men guarding me. I walked to the corner table, moving through the smoke and the low lights to the green table. It was stationed away from everyone else, having a bit of privacy. The other players were already there.
Including The Butcher.
After I gave him my warning, he seemed to have toned down his behavior. There hadn’t been another incident of harassment since. The worst thing he did was stare, and I couldn’t punish him for enjoying the sight of a naked woman. With six scars along his face, he was a grotesque man. Beefy and covered in tattoos, he looked as threatening as he seemed.