The Player

by Kresley Cole

  Shit. Good point. "What purpose did fighting him serve?"

  "None. I merely wanted to thrash him for being disloyal to you." Dmitri's fists clenched. "How could he, after he got to have all those memories with you? I envy him every one."

  Obviously, Dmitri had read all my private messages, all of Brett's recollections--but I couldn't talk; Pete and I had rued the missed opportunity to clone Dmitri's phone.

  "Ultimately, the blame for hurting you goes to your ex-fiance. He didn't appreciate what he had," Dmitri grated. "So yes, I made him my mark, because you deserve a faithful husband. And unlike him, I can keep my eyes on the queen!"

  Oh. My. God. Broad-tosser wordplay. This man could not be sexier.

  Gram, Mom, and Karin sighed.

  In a sly tone, Al murmured, "Checkmate."

  Not quite. "Was the cartel threat even real?"

  "Yes."

  My pacing ramped up. "Did you manipulate the kingpin for your own purposes?" I could never get over that. Not if he'd exposed my family to danger.

  Yet I couldn't believe Dmitri would do that.

  "I encouraged him to accept my money instead of harming Joseph." Dmitri waved to indicate my dad.

  I froze. "You what?"

  Dad appeared stunned; Mom looked at Dmitri as if he were a hero of old.

  "The threat was very real." Dmitri took another step closer to me. "I told you I mended fences with my brother. At first, I did it because you obviously revere family, and I wanted to show no rifts in mine." A united front is a powerful thing, no? "But Aleks was of great assistance in those cartel negotiations."

  Because Aleks was a mafiya vor. "The business matters that were crucial to you . . ." Dmitri had gone to his brother--hat in hand after decades of anger--to save my dad and my family.

  "I paid the kingpin off, promising even more would come, but I asked him not to inform you that your debt was satisfied."

  Pete said, "Creating a sense of urgency."

  Dmitri nodded to him, then turned back to me. "I confided to Aleks my plan to win you. He alone understood I couldn't learn charm and that courting you in a traditional fashion would end in failure. We both knew I could only hide my . . . limitations--and my obsession with you--for so long."

  His sexual limitations. Because people who dated had sex.

  "You knew I would pull a milk-cow." The first time I'd told him we couldn't sleep together, he'd seized on it.

  He inclined his head.

  "Did Maksim and the others know about me and my family?"

  "No, not until the morning after you met everyone. He and Vasili, his security head, ran a check on you over the night. Your efforts to hide your background would've been effective, but there is nothing those two can't find."

  Benji raised his hand. "Wrong time to ask if I could chat with them?"

  Dmitri looked receptive, but I glared at my brother, and he shut up.

  "Maksim came to me the next day," Dmitri said, "to break the news that you were a con artist, from a family of them. I admitted I was running my own con. He believed you would end any relationship we might have once you found out. To him, my hopes seemed doomed. My family has not visited us or called you because none of them wanted to lie to you--or reveal my plot before I could confess it to you."

  "How did Lucia take the news?" She'd been targeted by a man who'd used con tricks.

  "She was fearful I would lose you as well. She's been giving me tips this month."

  I worried my bottom lip. "Why not wait longer? You told me you weren't ready."

  "Your badger games accelerated my plans." He raked his fingers through his hair, even more tension stealing over him. "I didn't want you seducing other men! So I burned your marks. But investigating each one was time-consuming. Texting Nigel as his scorned wife was easy; discovering her private number in St. Barts was not."

  He'd investigated them all? I grasped for my sense of indignation. "Why let me agonize over asking you for money? You knew I considered fencing my ring." The one still comfortably parked on my finger.

  "And I was silently willing you to turn to me instead. You believe the ring is a symbol. When you decided to trust me, I had hope you were keeping me as well as the ring."

  I narrowed my eyes. "You were testing me? That's why you reminded me I could walk with the money at any time."

  Nod. "I was certain of you from the beginning, but I wanted proof for anyone who might doubt your intentions toward me."

  "Like your family."

  Slow shake of his head. "Like you."

  I swallowed. "Would you ever have come clean about everything you did?"

  Another step closer. When had he gotten within a few feet of me? "I told you I would reveal all my secrets once you revealed yours. Explaining what I'd done would have been a lot easier--after you disclosed what you and your family did for a living."

  Good point. Again.

  "I never lied, Vika."

  The grifter in me had to applaud his smoothness; it could be argued I simply hadn't been asking the right questions. I would try to now. "Is there anything else you haven't told us that I would like to know? Are there any more secrets?"

  "Da. Since I first learned your address, I've had one of my men watching over you. When I wasn't."

  I knew it! I couldn't decide what level of creepy that was.

  "You are the most precious thing to me in the world; how could I not protect you?"

  When he put it that way, creepy seemed a bit extreme.

  "In fact, each of you had a detail until I was satisfied the cartel danger had passed completely."

  I gazed over all of my family, lingering on little Cash. Dmitri had safeguarded each of us when we'd needed it most.

  As if he was already a member of our pack.

  He parted his lips to say more, then hesitated.

  I shook my head warningly. "Spit it out."

  "The cartel was embarrassed to have been swindled. They wanted to make an example of your father."

  My gaze shifted to my parents. Mom's nails dug into Dad's arm. How close she'd come to losing him . . . He covered her hand, expression grave.

  My lips moved wordlessly. Instead of having this conversation, I could be putting flowers by a tombstone right now, sick with the knowledge of how much my Dad had been tortured.

  That was the checkmate.

  Dmitri turned to Karin. "You should know the father of your child spies on you. Every Tuesday and Friday when you take Cash to the park."

  Karin clutched her son closer, her face lighting up.

  Dmitri added, "But also outside of the, uh, camera house."

  Her face fell. To Walker, it would look like she'd slept with tons of lechers.

  We would deal with that in time.

  Dmitri turned back to me. "Now you know everything. Vika, I have no secrets left."

  The anxiety I'd struggled with disappeared, because there was nothing left to ping my radar. He'd laid all his cards on the table.

  My grift sense was finally at ease.

  He took another step closer, his eyes solemn amber. "This past year was torture--I heard your voice and saw you, but I wasn't able to talk to you or touch you. Every day I tormented myself wondering if you could love me back. Yet I would do it all over again." His voice broke lower when he said, "Understand me, moya zhena, I would do the whole thirty-two years over again."

  My breath left me. The magnitude of what he was saying . . .

  I glanced around. Gram and Al raised glasses in approval. Karin nodded emphatically. Benji gave me a thumbs-up, and Pete mouthed, Duh.

  Mom and Dad held hands, looking so in love, a shining example that fairy tales did in fact exist. Well, when they were so perfectly matched. . . .

  It fully sank in that Dmitri Sevastyan hadn't just pulled a single con. He hadn't merely utilized tricks of confidence artistry. Grifting was a life choice, and he'd lived it for a year, learning our lingo and our ways to become a master. An aristocrat grifter. The con who p
layed cons.

  Getting played never felt so good.

  I crossed the short distance to my husband. "Dmitri, you're not a gull." Hadn't I called him a thrall from night one?

  "I . . . no, I don't suppose I am." Hope flared in his eyes. "Perhaps I'm starting to read people better. Because I think you're about to kiss me." He murmured, "Do it, Vika."

  Two tears in a bucket. Right now I didn't feel as if I'd be reaching for the stars; I felt as if I'd be claiming what was mine. My due. I clasped him close and rose up on my toes. Then I kissed my husband.

  A grifter for a grifter. . . .

  EPILOGUE

  ________________________________________

  ___________________________________

  One wedding dress later . . .

  You would think I'd given Dmitri the moon.

  From our bedroom balcony, I watched him showing off his ring to his groomsmen--Maksim, Aleks, Pete, and Benji--at our reception.

  Glorious did not begin to describe my husband in a tux.

  In fact, the five of them made quite a picture, all of them formally dressed, lit by the brilliant fire-red and gold sunset over the Pacific.

  Karin, my maid of honor, and bridesmaids Lucia and Nat had just helped me gather the train of my gown into a pleated bustle. Then they'd returned downstairs to give me a minute to decompress.

  Our home was inundated with family, all of our bungalows filled. Guests laughed on the dance floor, drank fine wines, and polished off sumptuous delicacies. Hey, free food awakened any grifter's appetite. My little cousins ran around on the beach with the dogs Maksim and Lucia had brought with them.

  How Jess--part bridesmaid, part coordinator--had planned the elaborate ceremony and reception in such a short time was beyond my comprehension.

  She'd even made all the arrangements for Dmitri and me to go to Paris for our honeymoon, advising me cryptically that there was one club in particular we'd want to visit. . . .

  Champagne glass in hand, I leaned on the balcony rail and watched Dmitri laughing with the others. Seeing him this happy made my heart feel too big for my chest. Over the last three weeks, he'd relaxed so much, radiating contentment now that he had nothing to hide.

  The day we'd cleared the air at my parents', I'd introduced him to in-laws who already adored him as my "hero husband," the man who'd saved Gentleman Joe's life. Dmitri had been less discomfited than usual, probably because he'd already bared his soul in front of everyone.

  That night, he'd taken me back to the Caly. After he'd made love to me until my toes curled and I'd promised him everything, he'd told me one last secret:

  "If I hadn't hit rock bottom, I never would have been in Las Vegas. I never would have found you. The pain of the past is so much easier to bear now that I feel it had purpose. It led me to you. Moya zhena, you are my reward for enduring. . . ."

  Today I'd pledged myself to Dmitri Sevastyan with no pressure and for only one reason: I loved him.

  As if he'd sensed my thoughts, he glanced up at me. His vivid eyes brightened even more, and his smile widened. He started for me at once.

  Judging by Pete and Benji's puzzled looks, I figured Dmitri had left the conversation midsentence. His brothers just appeared amused.

  Footsteps boomed as Dmitri bounded up the stairs to reach me. How fitting. Two months ago to the day, I'd climbed the stairs to reach his lair, hoping I could tempt a beast.

  I had. Then I'd made him part of my pack.

  And Lady Luck smiled. . . .

  Catching his breath, Dmitri joined me on the balcony. A healthy flush tinged his chiseled cheekbones, highlighting his golden eyes.

  The color always brought to mind blazing sunsets and new beginnings.

  "I've been waiting for you to come down," he said, as if I'd been gone ages. "How much time does it take to do a bustle? You made the dress quicker than this." The first garment created in my new studio.

  The strapless silk gown was a modified A-line with a straight-cut neckline, classic seams and no embellishment. The traditional-white skirt had a sweep train and ballroom bustle. So incredibly simple.

  Except the bodice was black.

  I called the look "edgy angelic." It'd turned out pretty snazzy, if I did say so myself. Like any great idea, the process of making it had been inspired, fast and furious.

  Dmitri had been there for every step. He'd made sure I ate and slept, and we'd nearly broken that poor couch.

  Well, he'd been there almost every step of the way. I'd surprised him with the final reveal, loving his brows-drawn expression when he'd first seen me on my dad's arm. As Dad had murmured, "He's bewildered by his good fortune. A man like that will never take it for granted. He'll never take you for granted. . . ."

  Now I gazed up at Dmitri. "I was just savoring the sunset and the music--and my husband showing off his ring."

  "You saw that, did you?" He held it up, unable to stop another grin. "At last, it's mine. Which means I'm yours."

  I'd had the band engraved on the inside with the words: Because I know you'll never take it off. Love, V.S.

  We'd decided to go with traditional vows today--his voice had been rumbling and proud as he'd repeated his--but last night, I'd asked him what he would say on the fly.

  He'd answered, "I want to protect you. I want to spoil you. I want to have children with you and spoil them too. I want to grow old with you. And at the end of our lives, you will have no doubt you were loved and adored by me for every second."

  Yep, I'd jumped him all the way up till midnight. . . .

  He put his arm around my shoulders, enveloping me with his heat and tantalizing scent. Together we watched our families celebrate.

  Among all the other things Dmitri had brought into my life, I'd gotten two new brothers and three sisters (with a long-suffering sigh, he'd finally claimed Jess as family). All of them were thrilled by this marriage.

  Before the ceremony, Lucia had teased me, "Make sure Vice has something old, something new, something stolen, and something blue."

  With no secrets, our families could be themselves and meld. We already saw signs of it.

  By the pool, Vasili and Al were deep in a game of chess, Gram spectating. When Al had first broken out the board, I'd murmured to Dmitri, "It's like Iceman versus Maverick, huh?" Zero recognition. "Top Gun?" My husband and I had a decade of movies to get through.

  And then there was melding with Benji and Jess.

  Reading my mind, Dmitri waved in their direction. "I never saw that coming."

  They were sitting together, both laughing at something Jess was saying. When they'd first met earlier, zany, ballsy Jess had gazed up at his face and blushed. And then she'd grown tongue-tied. As for Benji, he couldn't seem to take his eyes--or his camera lens--off her.

  I nodded. "I'd worried how Karin might take it, but she's happy for him. She admitted she's still lost for Cash's father." The fact that Walker was watching his son grow up, every Tuesday and Friday, was huge for her.

  Until she figured out what to do about their relationship, she'd decided to continue going to the park--without letting on that the ruse was up--so he could have that time.

  Down on the dance floor, she laughed with Cash in her arms, while he gurgled his delight. He looked very dapper in the tuxedo romper Mom had made him and seemed determined to flash everyone his pair of teeth.

  "I have an idea about Karin and Walker," Dmitri said, his eyes lively. "I think we should run a little con."

  "You grifter!" I said in mock indignation, before murmuring, "Tell."

  "We buy the remains of his company--in Karin's name. Yet then they'll learn they only have so much time to right the ship before it goes down. Perhaps a fake loan coming due?"

  My eyes widened. "Forcing them to work together! You brilliant man."

  He took my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. "Con artistry is what I do."

  I sighed. Being married to Dmitri trumped a royal flush.

  He was still a dream man;
he remained too good to be true. But when we reached for the stars together, they became ours.

  And he was right; why did dreams have to end?

  Laughter sounded from below, drawing our gazes.

  Maksim escorted Lucia to the dance floor, twirling her around. Natalie was even coaxing Aleks to dance.

  That Sevastyan devotion shone bright.

  Mom and Dad were already out on the floor, as flirtatious and excited as if this were their first date. They were living a happily-ever-after.

  I turned to Dmitri. "Do you think we'll be as happy together as my parents in thirty years?"

  He cradled my face in his hands, and our gazes locked. His eyes no longer held secrets, only promise. "Victoria Sevastyan, I will make sure of it."

  I laid my hand over his strong heart. "I'm going to want this for a lot longer than three decades. I'll want you forever."

  He leaned down to graze his lips over mine. "What my wife wants, she gets."

  Below us, cheers and wolf whistles sounded, and we grinned as we kissed.

  Dmitri Sevastyan had told me he would free me and give me the entire world.

  He does both, every single day. . . .

  The Master * The Professional

  Available now on Amazon

  About Kresley Cole

  Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Immortals After Dark paranormal series, the young adult Arcana Chronicles series, the erotic Game Maker series, and five award-winning historical romances. A master's grad and former athlete, she has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings. You can learn more about her and her work at KresleyCole.com. Sign up for Kresley's email newsletter to receive the latest book release updates, as well as info about contests and giveaways.

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  Also by Kresley Cole

  The Game Maker Series

  The Professional

  The Master

  The Player

  The Immortals After Dark Series

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