Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
I’ve already crossed a line and lost something important.
What happens if I cross another?
What’s waiting on the other side?
I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, just to say something. “Your mother sat at my table this morning.”
And immediately regret it.
He stops his lovely kissing and pulls back, eyebrows knit. “She did—what?”
“Just sat down and we played some hands.” I’m talking fast, rushing it out. “She wasn’t happy that you didn’t talk to her about our marriage, and she was sort of annoyed, I guess, and she mentioned introducing me to your brothers—”
He retreats to his pillow.
Oh, crap, what the heck am I doing? I want to find out how he was planning to touch me tonight, not talk about his freaking mother.
“What else did she say?” His tone is flat now, all the teasing and flirtation totally gone.
Well, my big mouth just ruined the evening apparently.
I relate to him the full meeting, trying to tell him as much as I can remember. Most of our short interaction is a blur—I can only remember being very sweaty and nervous.
He seems contemplative. “She’s right, I should have spoken to her first. Though I think my brothers will be less of a problem.”
“Where are they, anyway?”
“Scattered,” he says, making a gesture in the air. “LA. London. Vegas. They come and go as they please, the lucky bastards. While I’m at the Sunrise managing the family from a central location, they’re traveling all over visiting our various properties.”
“The Costa family has more hotels?”
He glances at me. “Several more under multiple different holding companies. Including a few other casinos. We like to keep a healthy distance between our organizations, which is why they’re managed by various other entities, but they all answer to me.”
“Oh.” I pull the sheets to my chin. I can’t forget what they really are, despite the air of legitimacy. They manage hotels and casinos, but they also have other operations, darker jobs. “What are you going to do?”
“Invite my mother to dinner. Present you to my siblings. What else is there?” He closes his eyes and releases a long sigh. “It will be… unpleasant.”
“They’re your family. How bad could it get?”
He says nothing, and soon I figure out that the exploration isn’t happening tonight as I find myself drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 20
Adler
I wake early the next morning. Casey’s still asleep beside me, breathing rhythmically, wearing that crop top again. She’s sprawled, twisted toward my side of the bed, and I can see the bottoms of her breasts each time her chest expands.
There are too many complications. Tony, my mother, my siblings, my business, everything conspiring. I want to keep it all together, but it’s forcing me to make compromises, and I don’t like doing anything halfway.
Casey’s a mistake.
She’s been a mistake for a long time.
A good mistake, one that feels good—but drawing her into my world like this was an error.
Tony thinks I’m using her against him.
That much was obvious.
Which only paints an enormous target on her back and makes him more desperate.
Fucking hell, what a mess. I went into this thinking it was the best move for everyone, but the more I step back, the more I understand how completely foolish I’ve been.
Making decisions based on my heart and not on my head.
I get out of bed, brush my teeth, and shower. When I come back out, Casey’s awake and half sitting up in bed.
I stand in the doorway staring at her. I’m shirtless, wearing only a pair of thin workout shorts, and her eyes widen at the sight of me.
She’s gorgeous. Her hair’s spilling down around her shoulders. Her eyes meet mine as she bites her lip. Her gaze travels down to my chest, to my stacked abs, down to my crotch and back up again, not trying to hide it. Her breasts are pressed together, and one leg’s out from under the sheets showing off her lovely, shapely thigh.
My shy little mouse is getting very bold.
And her sleepy confidence is beyond sexy right now.
I step toward her, heart racing. This is a bad idea. Getting closer to her right now will only end in disaster. Not until I introduce her to my family. Not until this Tony bullshit is over with.
I need distance to think. I’ve already taken wrong turns because of my clouded judgment.
Everything is murky when it comes to her.
Except I can’t help myself, and that’s the problem.
Maybe she thinks it’s a good thing that I can’t keep my hands off her—but she’s wrong.
So very wrong.
“I promised you something,” I say, moving closer to the bed.
“What’s that?” She doesn’t seem surprised when I pull the sheets away. Instead, she lies on her back, looking at me like she wants me to spread her wide.
“I told you I’d make you comfortable around me.” I bend over, shivering with need, and kiss her throat. Fuck. She makes this little whimper that drives me absolutely insane as her arms wrap around my neck.