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Andrea
FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT Liar was going to pounce on me as I sat on the edge of his bed in my casual wear. It was not lost on me how tightly he clenched his fists at his side. I wasn’t sure why he was doing that, but it seemed clear it was a restraining mechanism on his part. Or so I thought until he stalked to where I was sitting on the bed, then he wrapped his arms around my waist, and he laid me on the bed with his body on top of mine.
I gave him an irritated look, but he was impervious. “You’re certain you wanna work the poker room during the holidays?”
My eyes bulged even as I thinned my lips. “Well, I already did a short stint with them to get the lay of the land so to speak. Besides, it isn’t like there aren’t cameras there and an entire security team, Liar.”
He nuzzled his face into my neck, and I had to bite back the gleeful giggle coming from my belly. A surge of warmth rolled through my torso, as his lips started working at my neck, and my head tilted reflexively. When I felt his mouth begin to suck on my neck I tried to pull away, but his arms tightened, and he sucked harder.
“Liar, it’s not exactly professional if clients see me with a damn hickey on my neck.”
He squeezed me and lifted his head from my neck. “That’s exactly my intention. Should be back on Friday, but that could change. This way, some schmuck thinks to get the nerve up to talk to you, he’ll think again.”
I glared at him. “Or they might think just anyone can suck on my neck.”
His lips tilted into a small grin. “No, they won’t. ’Cause I’m not done.”
I tried to push him away, but he showed me just how strong he was, and I didn’t get angry because he gave up the hickey in order to kiss his way back up my neck to my mouth. In the back of my mind, I could swear he said he had things to do today, so I was surprised this seemed to be going somewhere, but then he broke the kiss. My eyes opened to see him smiling softly at me.
“What’re you doin’ on this day off of yours?” he asked as he stood up and held his hand out to help me off the bed.
Once I was standing, I shrugged. “Depends on what Janie’s got going on. We’ll probably do lunch or something.”
I could see he was debating something. After a deep breath, he said, “Don’t care if this sounds crazy, but I’m either droppin’ you at her house or she needs to meet us somewhere. Better yet, I’d love it if she’d come here.”
My hands went to my hips. “Craziness aside, what are you talkin’ about, Liar?”
He slid his hands onto my hips right above where mine were. “I told you someone followed us yesterday. They left a note, and while that threat seems directed at me, I am not takin’ any chances with the safety of the woman I’m fallin’ for.”
He was falling for me? Holy cannolis! I told myself to school my features, but I knew that was not gonna happen. Him saying that made me so damn happy I felt like I could go dance on the moon! I looked back to him, and I knew my thoughts were written all over my face.
“I see you like that.”
I grinned. “Well, of course, I like that! I never get the guy I want, so this is a first for me, and it thrills me. Though, it also surprises me to no end—”
His eyebrows shot together. “Why the hell would it surprise you? Except the ones that are taken, there ain’t one of my brothers who wouldn’t give his left arm to be where I am with you right now.”
I put my hands on his shoulders. “That’s just physical, Jim. It doesn’t count.”
His hips tilted into mine. “It counts for quite a bit, babe. Don’t try to downplay it. Now, you think your girl will come here to pick you up? I won’t leave until she does, so I don’t want to cramp her style, but I need her to get on that.”
I went up on my toes to kiss his stubbled jaw. “I’m sure she can come get me.”
***
FOUR DAYS LATER...
It used to be that Shayla, Paula and I worked seven-hour shifts at the poker room. I had always pushed for just six hours with a single break in the middle, but they outvoted me, so we worked seven hours with three breaks. Our time began at five, and we left at midnight. None of that was ideal in my eyes back then or now. I’d rather work five to eleven. It made little to no sense, but something about leaving the poker room parking lot at midnight never sat well with me, and it still didn’t. Since this was temporary, I kept my unease to myself.
It was five minutes to seven and Shayla, and I were taking our first break. We were even with the small bar area for players waiting for tables or taking a break when I saw Martin talking to one of his security staff. He caught our eyes and gave us a nod. I broke away from Shayla and went downstairs. I didn’t think there would be so many people at the poker room on Black Friday, but boy was I ever wrong. It was a crush upstairs, and the greyhounds were racing tonight, so things were pretty busy downstairs too.
The night races were actually a good thing for me because it meant the concession stand with the more affordable eats was open. Crazy as it might sound, this particular stand had some of the best fried chicken I had ever had, and it was under five dollars. I was placing my order and fishing in my pocket for some cash when Martin sidled up next to me.
“She’s working upstairs, Betty. She doesn’t pay.”
I shot Martin a slightly annoyed glance, but muttered, “Thanks, Martin. You know I didn’t mind paying for my food.”
“Appreciate that, Andrea, but you can pay for your food when you come back to gamble. While you’re working for Best Bet, your meal’s comped.”
I knew better than to argue with him, and he quickly moved away toward a corridor where some local deputies were standing watch.
Once I had my food, I turned to find a table but found Liar standing right in front of me instead.
“Hey! I didn’t think you were gonna make it.”
Liar took the paper plate with my chicken from me and found a nearby table. He put it down, grabbed my soda and put it on the table too. Then, he wrapped one arm around my waist and a hand wrapped around my neck so he could kiss me very thoroughly.
When he was done, it took me a moment to open my eyes, and when I did, he was smirking at me. “Hey, to you too, baby.”
I squeezed his waist. “I must say, your greeting is much better than mine.”
“Two-way street, Andi. Missed you.”
A strange sensation rippled from my belly up through my chest. “You were only gone for two days, Li.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Still woulda preferred havin’ you on the back of my bike with me for this trip. Fuckin’ Beast wouldn’t shut up about you and me, so now Gran is chompin’ at the bit to meet you.”
I chuckled. “Well, that feeling is mutual. The way you talk about her, I’d love to meet your Gran. You want some chicken? I’m on a short dinner-break, so if you—”
“Sit. I’m good. Just happy I caught you in between clients. Sorry, I didn’t call you yesterday. You have a good Thanksgiving?”
I nodded as I swallowed a bite of juicy leg meat. “Yeah. Volt and Jackie had me over along with Cal and Mallory. I felt a little fifth wheel-ish, but not too bad.”
His hand darted out and his swiped a bit of crispy crust from the corner of my mouth. “Glad to hear that, honey.”
I wasn’t sure if he’d called me honey before or not, but for some crazy reason, I liked that even better than him calling me baby or babe. Before I could contemplate that any further, Beast joined us.
“Okay, lover boy, you’ve seen your woman. Let’s go. This place is pretty sad. It makes me miss Biloxi because this is nothing like bein’ back there in a real casino, and it makes me hate bein’ a degenerate gambler all at the same time.”
I looked at him askance. “Don’t you play poker? Cal and Volt are up there right now.”
A puzzled expression crossed Beast’s face. “Up where?”
I had finished my chicken and stood up with my soda in hand. “Upstairs. C’mon. You might approve of the poker room, or maybe not. Who knows?”
Liar
Liar watched the globes of Andrea’s sweet tush lead the way up the stairs to the poker room. He couldn’t wait for her to be done with this shift so he could follow her back to her place. It had been a while since he had a regular woman in his life. He craved her almost all the time, and that scared the hell out of him.
When they cleared the last of the stairs, Liar noticed Cal and Mallory standing off to the far side near a door marked “Employees Only.” He was making out with her as if they were in the clubhouse or even their own home if the roving of his hand on her ass was any indicator. Seeing them like that made Liar happy because after all the bullshit those two went through, they deserved every bit of happiness they could get.
Andrea turned to him, and there was a light blush on her cheeks. “Well, um, I gotta get back to it. I know you’re a biker like Cal and everything, but I don’t think I have it in me to get into a carnal display like that with you in public. Especially not when I’m technically working.”
He chuckled but pulled Andrea to him with an arm hooked behind her neck. Her lustrous brown eyes gazed up at him with apprehension. Rather than tell her he wasn’t going to do that to her, he leaned down and gave her a short, sweet, but chaste kiss.
“Believe it or not, I understand, babe. Go do your thing. I’m gonna get my name on a list for a table.”
Fifteen minutes later, Liar had his name on a wait list that was seven players long. It wasn’t likely he would get called for another hour at a minimum. He and Beast were seated at the small bar area having a beer. They were the only two men in the area, and it was no wonder because it was decorated in garish hot pink with neon lights running through the soffits. After four hours on the road back to Jacksonville, Liar already had a mild headache working, and this area wasn’t helping. The problem was there wasn’t anywhere else to hang and hear your name called.
“You think Gran’ll beat it this time?” Beast muttered his question.
He sighed because he didn’t want to say his thoughts out loud. It was hard enough just to have those thoughts while he was visiting for the holiday.
Liar meant to answer gently, but his voice was gruff. “You really gotta ask me that? Your dad wasn’t supposed to come down for another week and a half, but he was there on Wednesday. Surprised the fuck outta me, and you didn’t seem to be aware of his travel plans any more than I was. Think that tells us everything we need to know.”
Beast turned his beer bottle on the cardboard coaster. “Sucks, man. I really wanted to make her into a Great Grandmere, but that ship sunk faster than the Titanic years ago.”
Liar snorted. “Let’s not go there, man. Both of us haven’t had the best luck with women.”
Beast took a healthy swallow of beer. “Yeah. Probably learned that shit from our fathers.”
Liar pinned him with a harsh glance, and Beast added, “Sorry, man. I know your dad didn’t choose a bad woman, but he got the losing hand in love regardless.”
The bartender checked on them, and both men ordered another round. Liar swiveled on his barstool. He’d been keeping an eye on Andi off and on while they waited. It was doing a number on him to watch the fuckers at tables watch her massage other players. She was wearing black scrubs and hadn’t made any effort to hide the hickey he gave her. The problem was it was fading because he left the mark on Monday.
Leaning his back against the bar, he realized Blood, Vamp, and Rage were sitting at a table too. It solidified his love for the Riot MC. He couldn’t imagine any other scenario where five other men who weren’t related to him would step up to help Liar keep his woman safe. He was focused on Cal and Volt at their Texas Hold ‘Em table. Volt going stiff at the table could not be missed. When Cal followed Volt’s line of sight, Liar did the same. Gilbert Grant had entered the poker room, and his gaze was fixed on Andrea. She was standing in profile working on an older man at a table toward the back.
Vamp was moving toward Gil, and Liar had no idea how Vamp knew the man was there until he noticed Volt and Cal were also stalking that way.
“Fuckin’ fuck. Where in the hell is the so-called security in this fuckin’ place,” Liar muttered as he slammed his beer bottle on the bar.
He moved away from the bar and felt Andrea’s gaze on him. He looked at her, and the beaming smile she was shooting his way faltered. Her eyes slid to the side, and when she saw Gil, he could swear she paled.
“Oh, fuck no,” Liar muttered under his breath to himself. He moved closer to his brothers who were surrounding Grant, but he was keeping his eyes peeled for anyone in charge or one of the deputies from downstairs. None of those people were around, so Liar joined the semi-circle closing in on Grant.
Volt stepped close to Gil. “You lookin’ for a trip to jail tonight?”
Gil Grant had dark black hair and narrow-set brown eyes. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talkin’ about. Now get outta my way, you thug.”
“You callin’ my President a thug, Grant?” Liar shoved his way to stand in front of Grant.
He looked disdainfully at Liar. “How do you even know who I am?”
“There’s a restraining order in effect against you.”
Grant’s eyes darted away, and he made sounds as though he was going to argue. “Don’t try to fuckin’ argue. I saw your eyes when you caught sight of her. Before you leave, answer one question. You put Blake up to fuckin’ with me last Saturday?”
Grant’s bushy eyebrows furrowed immediately. “Who in the hell are you people?”
Liar didn’t know how many minutes they had Grant surrounded, but finally, a stocky man approached their huddle.
“There a problem here?”
Volt moved before Grant could. “Andrea Paglia is working the floor, and she has a standing restraining order on this man. He’s in violation. We’re making sure he’s going to vacate the premises.”
The security man lifted his chin at Volt. “Know about that.” He turned to Grant. “You’re gonna have to leave, bub. Two other locations you can visit. Otherwise—”
Liar cut the man off before he could give out too much info about Andrea’s arrangement. “Otherwise, he’s SOL.” When he stopped speaking, he gave the security guard a meaningful look.
“Right. You’re gonna have to leave. If not, a Clay County Sheriff’s Deputy will escort you out.”
Gil Grant didn’t say anything, but he did turn around and leave the room. The security man made moves to leave, but then stopped. “No need for causing a scene, fellas, all right?”
Liar wanted to argue with the man, but Volt lifted his chin and said, “Right, sir. Thanks.”
Something about this seemed too damned easy. However, Liar didn’t need to borrow trouble, so he turned to head back to the bar, but Beast was standing right behind him.
“Cal’s old lady took your girl to the bathroom on the far end of the room. Know you’re pissed, didn’t want you to freak out.”
“Thanks, Beast,” Liar muttered. He walked over to grab his beer just as his name was called for a table.
***
OVER AN HOUR LATER, Liar was up by nearly two hundred dollars. The table he landed at was full of men who were what professional poker players called “ATMs” because they played until their chips ran out, only to re-buy without leaving the table. It was so easy to win off these men; Liar almost felt guilty. Keyword was almost. He watched Andrea digging her elbow into the fleshy shoulder of a black man at the table across from his. If he wasn’t trying to guard his chip-stack, she’d be damn cute. She kept looking to him and throwing flirty smiles his way. It was making his dick twitch, which required him to focus on not getting hard. All of that meant he wasn’t as focused on his cards and betting strategies.
The dealer shoved a pot to a young woman sitting directly to the dealer’s right. She was a force to reckon with because being in the ten-seat meant she had to keep a closer eye on her cards and her chips. It was the seat at the table Liar liked the least because it was so easy for the dealer to misinterpret your actions or whether your cards were yours or part of an earlier fold. The cards were flying around the table for the next hand when a bad feeling crept over Liar’s neck. He checked his hand, two non-connecting non-suited cards. It was an insta-fold. Not his normal behavior, but it didn’t matter because he was out of his seat and then he saw him.
Gil Grant had returned to the room. Not just returned, he had his sights set on Andrea, and Liar was pissed. Not pissed, fucking livid. Clenching his fists, he felt the bite of his fingernails in his palms, and he forced himself to relax his hands.
Earlier Liar noticed he had a good five inches and probably fifty extra pounds on Grant. Since Grant was closing in on Andrea, Liar lengthened his strides. He butted his chest against Grant before the man could round a nearby table to get to Andrea.
Liar noticed two things simultaneously. One, Gil Grant reeked of a unique mustiness Liar had never smelled before. Two, Cal was at his back and quickly helped Liar shove Grant backward without being too obvious about it.
The man’s beady eyes narrowed, and Liar knew he was going to try to fight back, but Volt and Blood had joined them. Blood grinned and let loose a loud laugh. In a fluid move, he managed to turn Gil while landing his bulky arm on the scrawny man’s shoulder. They all moved forward looking like a group of guys who were all buddies.
Liar hadn’t been able to look back to Andrea during this elaborate maneuver they were executing. He prayed she kept at the client she was working with because Liar couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t follow them out of the poker room.
His thoughts must’ve been written all over his face because Cal nudged him with a fist. “Don’t worry, man. Mallory got her to the bathroom earlier. I told her to keep Andrea from followin’ us out here if the asshole did somethin’ stupid like this.”
Liar’s lips thinned. “No offense, Sarge, but your woman ain’t renowned for doin’ whatever you tell her to do.”
Feeling Cal’s vicious look, Liar looked to him. Cal said, “She’s learned her lesson. Between her bein’ abducted, the shit that happened to Frankie and then Neil’s ordeal just last month. Mal’s on board, Li.”
By this time, they not only had Grant out of the building, they had him cornered near Blood, Volt and Vamp’s bikes. Liar almost thought Cal was wringing his hands, but then realized he was situating his brass knuckles on his hand.
“No disrespect, but can I borrow your other set, Sarge?”
Cal’s hazel eyes danced over Liar’s face. “If you’re sure you wanna take point on this, you can borrow both sets.”
At this point, Grant clued into the mess he was in with the Riot MC.
“What the fuck is y’all’s problem. I ain’t seen her since last winter. It was a misunderstanding. I just want to—”
With brass knuckles on both hands, Liar shouldered his way past Blood and Volt. “A misunderstanding isn’t resolved with a fuckin’ massage chair to your goddamned head,” he said through clenched teeth.
Someone in the huddle hissed. In the recess of his mind, Liar thought all of his brothers knew about that, but maybe someone forgot. His mind cleared as he focused his energy on putting as much force as he could behind his punch to Grant’s stomach.
The man folded in half as he gasped while gripping his sizable belly. For a fleeting moment, Liar felt bad for knocking the wind out of the man, but the excessive rage he had for what this man tried to do to Andrea consumed him. Adrenaline surged through his system, and he knew it would take more than two men to pull him off Grant. He kept his blows to the soft areas of Grant’s body, even though Liar was itching to inflict maximum damage on the man’s ugly face.
His brain registered a remote voice chiding Cal. “Looks like Li might want your position, Cal. You ready to give up your position as the SAA?”
His focus sharpened on Grant because he could see the man was probably going to charge Liar. It would be an asinine move, but men who were losing physical fights didn’t typically make logical decisions. Throwing a harsh punch to what should have been the man’s kidney, the resulting howl pleased Liar in a sick way. No, not sick. Men like Grant needed a lesson beyond the financial burden associated with a restraining order. Over the last month, it was clear Andi didn’t have a man in her life to teach that sort of lesson to Grant. Now she had Liar, and that definitely pleased him.
