Going All In

by Jess Dee

  The higher the stakes, the harder they fall—in love.

  Julia Savage’s weekly poker games are tearing her apart. She’s in love with two of her fellow card players, and much as she’d like to pick and confess her true feelings to one man, she won’t. Not if it means risking the love of the other.

  Hunter Miles has wanted Julia for four months, and he’s about to deal a hand she couldn’t see coming. He’s determined to give her a New Year’s Eve celebration she never expected. He’s going to seduce her—in front of his friend and rival for her affections, Jay Baxter. But Jay’s not willing to lay down his cards. He’s going after Julia too, and he’s not above bluffing to get what he wants. Either way, one of them is going to win her over.

  Unless they change the rules of the game. If they double up, there’s a chance they can split the pot…

  Warning: This book contains two hunky heroes, a heroine worth betting on, sizzling hot three-way action (m/f/m and m/m/f), a whole lot of unexpected fireworks and a New Year’s Eve to remember.

  eBooks are not transferable.

  They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520

  Macon GA 31201

  Going All In

  Copyright © 2009 by Jess Dee

  ISBN: 978-1-60504-852-9

  Edited by Jennifer Miller

  Cover by Scott Carpenter

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: December 2009

  www.samhainpublishing.com

  Going All In

  Jess Dee

  Dedication

  With special thanks to Viv Arend and Valerie Tibbs, whose sharp eyes, wise comments and wonderful friendship help more than they could know.

  Jennifer Miller—your unfailing guidance and advice make me a better writer. Thank you for taking a chance on this book.

  And my boys—you know I love you.

  Chapter One

  “I call, and I raise you twenty dollars.” Julia Savage placed her bet. The evening was drawing to a close, and she figured she might as well take a bit of a chance before leaving Jay Baxter’s flat.

  Jay gave her a look that scorched all the way through to her toes. “Raising the stakes, are we?” He checked his cards and winked, stirring up every dirty fantasy she’d ever had about him—and she’d had her fair share. “Cool. I see your twenty.”

  Hunter Miles laid down his hand. Serious as ever, he shook his head, making his blond hair glisten like wheat under the lights. “Too rich for me. I fold.”

  Julia resisted the overwhelming urge to run her hand through his silky locks. She nodded at Hunter instead, making sure her expression was blank. “Okay, Jay. Deal the turn.”

  Jay burned a card then flipped one. Queen of Hearts.

  This time Julia let a smile play on the corner of her mouth. Sometimes a little bluff went a long way in a game of poker. Real life, on the other hand, was a different story. “I bet another ten.” She added more chips to the growing pile in the center of the table.

  Jay grinned and matched her bet.

  Her heart lurched. “River card?”

  “At your command.” Jay looked at her a second too long, then burned another card and showed her the river.

  It took a moment to comprehend what the card was. Her brain couldn’t compute much besides the men on either side of her. They left her mind reeling and her heart thumping.

  Ten of Spades.

  Hunter whistled, his lips pulling into a sexy pout, and Julia made sure her gaze stayed on the cards. No point in examining his delectable mouth now. She had to focus on her game.

  Two tens, a queen, a jack and a nine lay on the table.

  Julia narrowed her eyes then opened them wide. She held a lousy Three of Hearts and Six of Diamonds. In other words—nothing. “Thirty dollars.”

  Jay looked at her with a frown. Then he looked some more, after which he glanced at his cards one last time. “Pot’s yours,” he conceded with his charming Jay smile and laid down his hand.

  Julia gave a satisfied nod, handed in her cards and helped herself to the winnings. She suppressed the snicker that fought for release. She’d played them both like a pro. No way would she show them her piddly hand. Bluffing was her forte and damned if she wasn’t good at it.

  Heck, she’d been bluffing them both for months, pretending her interest in the two men ran no further than their weekly Friday-night poker games. Pretending she wasn’t head-over-heels in love with both of them, and she didn’t lie awake at night wondering which one would make a better boyfriend or lover.

  God knew she wanted one as a boyfriend or lover. The question was, who would she choose?

  Damn it, she couldn’t answer. That was her whole problem. She wanted them both equally. There was no way she could opt for Jay over Hunter, or Hunter over Jay. Not if being with one man meant never having the other.

  The guys had no clue how often she dreamed of them or how each dream drove her insane with its lack of clarity. She’d see herself making love with one of them, and then midvision, that man would morph into the other. Hunter would become Jay, or Jay would become Hunter.

  It was odd that she couldn’t separate them in her dreams, because the men were so different in real life. Jay was a loveable clown, and Hunter an earnest, focused go-getter.

  Her affection for Jay had crept up on her over the last year or so. Like her, Jay was a pharmaceutical rep. They worked the same territory, Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, and had made it a habit to meet up often for lunch. Over salads and sandwiches he’d regale her with stories of doctor calls, keeping her in stitches of laughter. It was Jay who’d invited her—the only woman ever—to join his poker club after he’d learned about her passion for the game. Which was where she’d met Hunter, a product manager from another pharmaceutical company. She’d taken one look at the solemn, intense blond hunk and lost her heart to him too.

  Julia glanced at her watch. Eleven-forty-five. The rest of their poker club had gone home already, leaving just the three of them.

  Hunter took the pack and shuffled. “Up for another round?”

  “Always,” Jay answered.

  “You bet,” Julia chimed in. “But last one for me.” It was a good idea to leave before the night got too late. Before the idea of propositioning one of them became too appealing to refuse.

  Jay poured her another glass of red wine and topped up his and Hunter’s scotch. “Should we up the stakes?”

  Julia scowled at him, determined to hide the fact that the very idea sent shivers of desire racing up her spine. “Shit, Jay. How many times do I have to say it? I’m not playing strip poker.”

  Jay grinned, once again sending flames shooting through her belly. “Chill, Jules. I’m talking about opening bets. Fifty bucks too high for you?”

  God, the man was insufferable. Tall, smug, funny, gorgeous, sexy and way too confident for his own good. Julia would give her right arm to sleep with him.

  “Make it sixty,” she dared.

  Hunter gave a low chuckle. “You’ve got style, Jules. I’ll give you that.”

  “You in then, Blondie?” She shot him a challenging look, and her heart skipped a beat. Men didn’t come m
uch better looking than Hunter. With his square jaw, bottomless brown eyes and straight nose, he epitomized handsome. She’d give her left arm to sleep with him.

  Hunter harrumphed. “So much for having style.” He counted out a pile of chips and pushed them forward. “I’m in, Four Eyes.”

  It was Julia’s turn to harrumph at the nickname, but she didn’t. Hunter had been calling her Four Eyes for so long, she knew it was his affectionate way of referring to her. She simply pushed her glasses up on her nose and chanted, “‘They say men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses. But do girls who wear glasses make passes at men?’”

  His smoldering gaze made her toes curl. “Don’t know about other men,” he said, “but this girl’s never made a pass at me.”

  Damn the man. He was too sexy for his own good. And she would have made a pass at him months ago—when she’d met him at her first poker game—if she hadn’t had such strong feelings about Jay.

  “Me neither.” Jay stared at her speculatively, his beautiful blue eyes sparkling with humor. “Think that’s because she’s not interested, or because she wears glasses?”

  Oh, she was interested all right. How could she not be? Jay could make her heart sing as easily as he could bring a smile to her face. And Hunter’s eyes seemed to see more than she ever showed him. His serious nature inspired soul-deep conversations. She adored talking to him, adored comparing their views of the world and discovering his opinions weren’t so different from hers. Heck she adored him. Which brought her back to her original problem—how could she choose one guy over the other?

  Damn it! Why couldn’t she just be in love with one of them? It would make life so simple.

  “There’s only one way to find out if she’s interested,” Hunter said. “Lose the specs, Four Eyes.”

  When would she learn to keep her mouth shut? They’d take any opportunity to tease her mercilessly. She shoved forward sixty dollars’ worth of chips. “Deal the cards, Blondie.”

  Jay added his bet to the pile. “It’s cool, mate,” he reassured Hunter. “Let her wear the glasses ’til the hand’s been played. She can’t see a thing without them.”

  Again Hunter flashed his smoldering look. “It’s a deal. One more round…and then all bets are off.” He doled out the cards.

  “You boys are full of it,” Julia told them as she inspected her hand. King and Ace of Spades. “There’s so much hot air in this room, I’m surprised the glasses in question haven’t fogged up yet.” She took a sip of wine to moisten her dry mouth. The three of them fooled around like this often, and the lighthearted banter, heavy with sexual undertones, got to Julia every time.

  It was Jay who answered as he picked up his hand. “They will fog up,” he said, “just not from hot air.”

  The corner of Hunter’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t give in to a full-blown smile as he dealt the flop. A four, a king and an ace.

  Julia’s heart jumped into her throat—and it had nothing to do with the cards in front of her.

  They all checked.

  She tapped her glasses. “Still clear as crystal,” she observed.

  Hunter flipped a seven.

  Jay grinned at her and bet twenty dollars. She and Hunter matched the bet.

  Hunter flipped the river. Another ace.

  Jay bet thirty.

  Julia went all in.

  Hunter paused for a moment. “Things are heating up,” he said to his cards. “Get ready for the fog, Four Eyes.” He pushed all his chips into the center of the table. “I call your bet.”

  Julia raised an eyebrow.

  Jay folded. “Want me to get you a serviette?” he offered her. “To wipe off the glasses?”

  “I’m good, thanks.” She grinned at him then looked at Hunter. “What are you holding?”

  “Read ’em and weep.” Hunter showed his hand with smug look. A pair of kings. “Full house.” He leaned forward to gather the chips together.

  “Not so fast, Blondie.” She laid out her cards. “Another full house. Ace high.”

  Hunter stared in astonishment.

  Julia turned to Jay. “Better give Hunter that serviette. It looks like he’s going to cry.” She polished off her wine. “And on that note, gentlemen, I believe I will take my leave. With my glasses still on and clear as crystal.”

  “It’s because she can’t see well enough without them to drive home,” Hunter told Jay knowingly.

  “Take them off, Jules.” Jay winked at her. “You can spend the night here.”

  Julia’s stomach did a three-point turn. “And where will I sleep?” She eyed the couch dubiously.

  “Spend the night with me, Four Eyes. You won’t sleep at all.” Hunter’s voice was a little lower than usual, and its timbre caught her between the legs and tugged.

  Julia studiously ignored him. She packed away the cards and counted her chips, hoping her hand wasn’t shaking hard enough to knock everything over. “Two hundred and seventy dollars.” She smiled a haughty smile. Her highest winnings to date.

  “Keep it. I won’t charge you for staying over,” Jay told her, deliberately misunderstanding.

  “Cash ’em in please, Blondie. I need to get home.”

  Jay threw his arms up in surrender. “Fine. This week you get to leave. Don’t count on it next Friday.” Before she could respond, he stood. “I’m going to make some coffee. Want some?”

  “Love some,” Hunter said at the same time Julia refused. She had to go, before temptation overwhelmed her. The only thing stopping her from doing something dumb, like tackling one of the guys to the floor and throwing herself on top of him—naked—was her inability to choose which one she’d tackle.

  Jay went into the kitchen, and Hunter walked over to Julia. He offered her the money, and she accepted it, keeping her arm stiff to hide her trembling. Before she could pull away, Hunter caught her hand in his.

  “Take off the glasses, Jules.” This time there was not a hint of a smile playing on the corner of his mouth.

  Julia looked at him, startled. Her heart began to beat in an irregular pattern.

  He ran a thumb over the back of her hand, sending streaks of delight whizzing up her arm. “Take them off,” he said again, his voice a mere whisper.

  “Hunter…”

  He took the money and placed it on the table. Then he leaned over until his mouth was close to hers. “You said it, sweetheart. Men don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.” His brown eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

  She gaped at him. Quick comebacks had always been her strong point. So why, in the face of Hunter’s physical proximity, did she struggle to put together the simplest of sentences? Never mind coherent speech, why did she struggle to breathe?

  His gaze was on her lips now. “Okay,” he conceded huskily, “maybe they do.” With that, he closed the space between her mouth and his.

  Julia would have gasped out loud, but her lips—and her voice—were possessed by Hunter. His lips weaved their magic across hers, nibbling, stroking, caressing.

  Her breath hitched in her throat. Oh, Lord. She’d spent months lusting after him, months fantasizing about him, and now Hunter was finally kissing her.

  With a soft groan, he touched the tip of his tongue to her lips. Her mouth drew open as if by will of its own. Her acceptance of his silent appeal was all he needed. Hunter took control of the kiss with an expertise that wiped thought from her mind. All she could focus on were the exquisite sensations he evoked within. The warmth that suffused her body, the tingles that raced over her skin and the shivers that crept up her spine.

  Sweet heaven, the man could kiss. Not that she’d expected anything less, but melting on a chair in Jay’s dining room was a most startling turn of events. One she’d craved for four months. One she’d only dreamed would transpire.

  Hunter pulled away, inhaled and licked his lips. “Mmm. You taste as decadent as the wine you’ve been drinking.” He licked his lips again.

  With his tongue engendering all sorts
of wicked thoughts, Julia didn’t stop to think about her answer. She’d wanted him to kiss her since that first poker game. Since she’d looked at him and stars had exploded. “You taste like sex.”

  With a groan he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with an ardor that made her pussy clench. Her dreams had never been this good—in her fantasies his lips had never been as thorough. Lord, he only need say the word and she’d strip naked for him.

  But then, Jay need only say the word, and she’d strip naked for him too.

  The thought of the brown-haired hunk in the kitchen brought a whimper to her throat. Hunter’s kiss was exquisite. Out-of-this-world amazing. But how could she kiss him back knowing she loved Jay too?

  How could she not?

  A rush of heat pooled between her legs. Her nipples tightened into hard beads. Damn! The man could kiss.

  Without releasing her mouth, Hunter pulled her up and backed her across the room. Blinded by passion, she tagged along, her trust in him absolute. Besides, she wasn’t about to end the kiss just so she could see where he led her.

  When her back touched the wall, he sighed and crowded into her, pressing his body against hers. Every inch of him was hard, from his muscular thighs to his powerful arms. From the solid wall of his chest down to the thick erection in his jeans.

  “Miles,” a voice sounded behind Hunter. A low male voice that made her shiver.

  God. Jay was here. Watching her with Hunter.

  “Go ’way, Baxter,” Hunter mumbled against her lips.

  “Not on your life,” Jay said. “I want me a taste of that.”

  He did?

  Hunter resumed the kiss, his mouth filling hers with delicious promises.

  “Shift over, Blondie,” Jay said with quiet determination.

  What the…? That hadn’t sounded like the chilled-out, laid-back Jay at all.

  Hunter sighed and began to pull away. His lips clung to hers as his tongue gave a final sweep of her mouth. He pressed his rigid cock against her groin before taking a deep breath and stepping aside.