Poker Face: A Small Town Romance (The Beaufort Poker Club Book 1)

by Maggie Gates

  I melted into his touch and closed my eyes. “Good.”

  “Just good?”

  I laughed nervously, “I think that was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.” And it was. I felt tingly and light. I was exhausted in the best way. I had never been used and manipulated in quite that way and I wanted more of it.

  He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his chest. I closed my eyes and relaxed in his embrace. Luca dropped a kiss on top of my head and the simplicity of it made me smile. Angry red lines streaked around my wrists from his tie. Luca reached down and lifted my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the center of my palm before lavishing the red marks with tender kisses. He repeated the process on the other wrist. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you did I?”

  “No—No, I’m fine. I’m good.”

  “You sure, Tesoro?”

  I craned my head up and pecked his lips. “Promise.” I did my best to put out the worries I had of our evolving situation out of my mind. So I was sleeping with my boss and my sworn enemy—there had to be worse things people did. After all, I still wasn’t as bad as the jackasses who left grocery carts strewn in the middle of the parking lot. I always returned my buggy come hell or highwater. I peeled my hair away from my chest and giggled, “I’m a little sticky.”

  “Don’t go anywhere,” he said as he hopped up from the bed. Not even a minute later, I heard the shower squeak on and then he was back. Luca stood at the bedside table, reached into the lampshade, and twisted the lightbulb back in. Sneaky.

  Light filled the room, and he offered his hand and a kind smile. He led me to the bathroom where steam was billowing out of the walk-in shower. I twisted my hair up into a bun to keep it from getting wet. He led me under the spray of water and slid the glass door behind us. Luca turned me so that I was facing the showerhead and he was at my back. The stickiness left from the ganache, mousse, and whipped cream were quickly washed away. His big hands started on my shoulders, gently massaging away the soreness from being tied up. He worked his way down to my biceps, leaning down to kiss the side of my neck and across my shoulder.

  I’d never been with someone who took it upon himself to make me feel, well, everything. Being with Luca was like riding a rollercoaster I never wanted to end. Everything he did was with the sole purpose of making me feel good. Maybe it was a little selfish, but part of me loved relinquishing that control and trusting someone else with my pleasure. Maybe I wouldn’t need my vibrator back after all. The only reason I had gotten the damn thing in the first place was because I was sick and tired of being jackhammered for a minute flat during a hookup and never getting off because some dumbfuck I stupidly said yes to was more concerned with a one and done than making sure my needs were taken care of too. Not Luca.

  He had soaped up a washcloth and was in the process of washing away the sweat and sugar. He knelt in front of me and washed between my thighs with a gentle touch. I placed my hands on either side of his jaw and smiled when he looked up at me. His grin had butterflies fluttering in my belly.

  He stepped out of the shower first and offered me his hand to help me out. Wrapping a towel around my shoulders, he gave my arms a gentle squeeze before wrapping one low around his waist. I watched him walk out of the bathroom, sneaking a peek at those two dimples on either side of his spine—just above his fine, fine ass.

  When Luca returned to the room with the other bag I’d brought from the restaurant, he found me sliding back into my dress. The lingerie was unsalvageable, so I didn’t even bother. “Nuh-uh. Take it off,” he commanded.

  I laughed, “If Steve or Chase arrest me for driving home naked, I’ll never live it down.”

  “Get back in bed, Madeline.”

  “Luca, I have to work tomorrow.”

  “And? So do I.”

  I raised my eyebrows and cocked my hip. “Are you forgetting about the conversation we had where you agreed to keep whatever this is out of the restaurant? Showing up to work wearing last night’s dress isn’t exactly subtle. I didn’t bring clothes to change into and—what are you doing?”

  Luca had pulled the covers back on the bed and was flinging decorative throw pillows left and right. “Doing this right.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Get in the bed, Maddie.”

  “Not until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

  Luca whirled around and pinned me up against the wall. “Don’t make me rip this dress too.”

  “Don’t you dare. It’s Hannah’s and she’ll never forgive me.”

  “Then you better do as I say, Tesoro.”

  “Tell me what’s going to happen if I do.”

  Luca’s touch turned gentle and he tucked his fingers into my hair and massaged my scalp again. God, the things this man could do with his hands. “We’re going to eat the crème brûlée you brought while snuggled up in this big ass bed because I fucking love cuddling and crème brûlée. Tomorrow, I’ll wake you up early enough so you can go home and change before work.” He worked his way down to my shoulders, taking his time with the knots that plagued me incessantly. “And because I know that you stop at Queen’s Coffee every morning, I’ll swing by and get you your usual so that you don’t have to worry about it.”

  “How do you know what my usual is?”

  “Because the other morning when I kissed you in my office, you still tasted like coffee and cinnamon. I’m thinking you get a vanilla latte with an extra shot and a sprinkle of cinnamon.”

  “Dirty chai, but you were close,” I said. I bit down on my lip and asked, “And if I want to go home?”

  He stopped massaging my body and pinched my chin, drawing my lips to his and kissing me softly. “Do what you want, but just know that the second I see you at Revanche, I’ll kiss you and I don’t care who sees.”

  My lips curved up in a smile. “You play dirty.”

  He grinned and lowered his eyelids, kissing me again. “I’m just getting started.”

  ✽✽✽

  The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when I pulled up in front of my houseboat. Getting out of Luca’s bed was an act of sheer will I never wanted to have to face again. Waking up in his arms was the best feeling in the world and I kind of hated myself for liking it so much.

  The orgasm he woke me up with was a big point in his favor.

  Part of me knew that I should have packed an overnight bag, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous, and I sure as hell didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking I was already his.

  “Look who’s walk-of-shaming this morning,” Steve grunted as he hooked the claw of his hammer into a nail and pulled until it broke free from the splintered board. “If you’re still tipsy, watch your step.”

  “What the hell are you doing to my dock?”

  “My dock,” he corrected. “Fixing some of the loose boards before the summer storms roll in and rip it up.” He gave me a once over. “Looks like you had a good night.”

  “Bite me,” I hissed as I stepped over the gaping hole in the dock and walked to my door. My lack of bra and panties was hidden by wearing one of Luca’s t-shirts over my dress, tied off at the waist like a shirt and skirt. It kind of worked in a boyfriend-chic sort of way, but Steve knew me too well to know that that wasn’t the case.

  “You stayed over at his place last night?” Steve hollered from the dock.

  I left the door open so I could hear him while I got ready for work. “So what if I did?”

  “Not like you, Mad.”

  “Um, have you met me? Besides, you didn’t get this bitchy when I hooked up with Dillon Sanders before California. I don’t see why this is any different.”

  Steve popped his head in just as I pulled my t-shirt over my bra. “You eat guys like Dillon Fucking Sanders for lunch. You’re not yourself when you’re around DeRossi.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  Steve shrugged. “Be careful, Mad. A zebra can’t change its stripes. You’ve always been goo
d at reading people and you pegged him as a jackass from day one.”

  I pulled on my last clean chef’s coat and cursed the fact that I needed to do laundry again. “Look, as chivalrous as the big brother act is, it’s getting real old, Steve.”

  He stomped back out to the dock that didn’t really need repairing. I slipped on my clogs and grabbed my keys, phone, and wallet. I walked back out to my Jeep and paused. “Steve,” I called out. “I miss her too. Don’t worry about taking care of me. I’m a handful. Take care of yourself right now.”

  Steve offered a sad kind of half-smile and looked down at his tools. “You let me know if he needs his ass kicked.”

  I opened the driver’s side door and grinned. “If he needs an ass kicking, I get first dibs, but you’ll be next in line.”

  My good mood was short lived. By the time I made the last turn onto Front Street, I’d gotten two calls and a text about all the problems that were already popping up in the pastry kitchen. Exhausted and under-caffeinated, I cursed the fact that I was depending on Luca to remember to pick up my coffee. I felt a little guilty about that when I opened my locker and found a coffee cup with a brown Queen’s sleeve. It was waiting for me on top of a box tied with a pink satin ribbon.

  Looking left and right to make sure no one was watching, I untied the bow and popped the top off the box. Pulling back the tissue paper, I fingered the luxurious nightie. The dark blue silk looked almost liquid and I couldn’t wait to try it on. There was a matching lace bra and panty set hidden underneath that was just as lavish. The small, handwritten card had me stifling a smile as I closed the box and spun the lock on my locker for safekeeping.

  I will never take more from you than I give.

  -L

  25

  ———

  LUCA

  It took two weeks to convince Maddie to let me have a seat at poker night. Two weeks of her playing hard to get. Two weeks of her teasing the hell out of me. Two weeks of dirty texts and late-night phone calls.

  The woman had a mouth on her that made my head spin. She was a temptress of the workaholic variety which made for an infuriating combination. The restaurant kept us busy. Well—it kept her busy. Scott, Maddie, and Carol ran a tight ship which didn’t leave a whole lot for me to do. I was using Rob’s old office at Revanche as a base to oversee all my establishments. Sure, I could have been doing that from my actual office in Brooklyn, but this was better. Did I miss having nightlife options that were open past nine PM? Sure. Was seeing Maddie everyday worth it? Bar none.

  I didn’t mind the change of pace. Something about the slower lifestyle made my brain kick into overdrive. For the first time in a long time, I’d been able to make clear decisions about new investments and acquisitions that would have usually stressed me out. I had stepped back from being Luca DeRossi and it was a breath of fresh fucking air. No late night clubbing, no public appearances—hell, I hadn’t even been on social media since the baking competition aired. I had put up a “Congratulations, Maddie” post on my Instagram and hyped up the restaurant now that it was under the DeRossi Hospitality Group. After that? Nothing.

  Apparently, my absence from the public eye was creating a problem—a public relations hellscape. Or so Astrid said. Frankly, I didn’t give a damn. That was her problem to deal with. I wasn’t in my early twenties anymore. Or late twenties.

  Or early thirties.

  Forty was looking closer than I liked to admit, and the appealing shine of the party boy lifestyle had begun to dull.

  My sisters were constantly on my case about when I was going to settle down. Even after agreeing to go to the James Beard Awards with me, Maddie still seemed skittish about the New York trip. I wasn’t sure if it was the idea of making a public appearance or if there was something else going on. Beaufort, North Carolina was a popular little tourist spot. We weren’t cut off from the rest of the country, but it felt like we’d been living in our own little world for the past two months.

  Since I cooked her dinner and she stayed the night, Maddie hadn’t been back to my place. Hell—the two of us hadn’t been alone since then. Part of me wondered if she was avoiding me on purpose. I knew I was taking a chance when I threw a toothbrush and a change of clothes in a bag and tossed it in the back of my BMW.

  She had even avoided talking to me in person. Maddie would text me if she had a break in her day or late at night when she got home, but rarely would she stop in my office. If I went down to the pastry kitchen, she was always busy. I started to wonder just how much of her packed schedule was self-inflicted.

  The drive from my rental on Atlantic Beach to her houseboat on Davis Bay wasn’t long, but I managed to hit every damn stop light coming through Morehead City. I thought back to the house listings I’d looked at. I liked living on the beach, but part of me wondered if a little place inland would be just as relaxing. It would definitely be more secluded.

  I let out a nervous breath as I pulled up beside Maddie’s Jeep. Steve Pelham had his garage door open and was in the process of putting down some rubber flooring for the barbells and weight plates he had pushed off to the side. I offered a quick wave and hopped over the lip of the dock to Maddie’s houseboat.

  “Knock, knock,” I called out as I let myself in. “Mad? You here?” I heard a panicked squeal and a hard thud come from her bedroom. “Maddie? You alright?”

  “I’m fine! I’m fine! I’m good—don’t come in!”

  Not a chance. I cracked the door open to make sure she was okay, but I ended up laughing uncontrollably. Maddie was on the floor with her foot caught in a pair of shorts. “Damn pockets,” she groaned.

  I knelt beside her and helped her pull her foot out of the giant hole on the front where half of her shorts should have been. The threads were snagged on her sandals and the more she tried to get out, the more tangled it became. “Looks like we only have one option, Mad.”

  “I swear if you tear up another piece of my clothing, I’ll kill you.”

  I chuckled, “I was talking about your sandals. Take your shoe off.” I supported her ankle while she pulled the leather strap out of the buckle and wiggled her foot out. Maddie let out an adorable sigh of relief when she was able to slide the shorts off and untangle her shoe.

  “You can’t wear those tonight, you know.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Her indignant southern drawl made me smile. “You wear those little things around me all night and I’ll be sporting a hard-on the whole time your friends are here.”

  Maddie pursed her lips to stifle a laugh. “So, what do you suggest I wear then?”

  “You got like… sweatpants that are three sizes too big? A big sweatshirt?”

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s over ninety degrees outside. That sounds like a you problem and not a me problem. You’re just gonna have to think about something that’ll keep that dick of yours in check.”

  My eyes trailed up her long, tan legs to where a skimpy pair of familiar lacy blue panties were peeking out from under her I Ain’t Here for a Long Time, I’m Here for a Good Time tank top. I slid my hand up her leg and dug my fingers into her ass cheek. “Every time I see you, you look like a fucking wet dream.” I scooped her up in my arms and threw her down onto the bed. She let out a giggle as I crawled over her legs until I straddled her waist.

  She writhed underneath me, trying her best to escape.

  “One night together and you’ve been avoiding me for weeks,” I said as I grabbed her wrists and shackled them above her head with one hand. “Wanna tell me what the fuck that’s about?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” she smirked.

  I leaned down and nibbled the curve of her ear. “You’re a tease.”

  Maddie sucked in a short breath before smiling and moaning as she arched her back and ground her hips into mine.

  “I haven’t kissed you in fourteen fucking days, Madeline. I’m going out of my mind.”

  She tilted her chin up, inviting me in. “Maybe yo
u should put us both out of our misery and kiss me.”

  I let go of her wrists and cradled her face in my hands like the priceless treasure that she was. Maddie tasted like the summer. Her lips were warm and soft. They were just a little bit citrusy like lime, but still sweet. She smelled like vanilla. It was one of the first things I’d noticed about her when we met at the gym in Los Angeles. At first, I just thought she liked that kind of perfume, but now I knew it was because she was always covered in buttercream and surrounded by desserts.

  “I missed you,” she whispered, moaning as she grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up. Her fingertips ran over the ridges of my abs.

  I thrusted my hips against the thin strip of lace between her legs and ground my erection into her core. She let out a little whimper and pushed up against me to get a little relief. “Why have you been missing me when you could’ve just had me?” I grunted.

  “Just busy.”

  “Bullshit.”

  Maddie wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me in closer. As much as I wanted to rip her fucking clothes off like a caveman, I knew I needed to cool things off before they got hot and heavy, and all her friends showed up and heard me fucking her stupid. Reluctantly, I stilled my pelvis and sat up.

  “Luca,” she whined.

  “So, it’s Luca now, is it?” I teased. The rare times I cornered her at work, she called me boss or Chef DeRossi. Like I hadn’t been the one to tie her to my bed and fuck her six ways from Sunday.

  “You’re in my bed, aren’t you?” She teased as she tugged on my shirt, trying to pull me back down.

  I reached down to grab her shorts off the floor, tossed them to her, and said, “Talk to me, Mad.”