Kemper, who had been napping on an oversized chair, rose to a seated position. “He has a point, Colt. We might as well call Brock up and tell him what happened.”
“If I lose tonight, we will.” Colt clasped his hands under his chin and said, “But don’t expect me to make that call. When it comes to poker, I don’t lose. When it comes to Kelly, I always win.”
“You’re sounding like a lunatic,” Crue said, stalking him. Grabbing the bottle of liquor from the table, he secured the lid and let the bottle dangle at his side. “Sober up. Go to bed. I’ll set up the game. Be ready to go by nine o’clock, but it will likely be around midnight before Lorenzo will play. He’s a night owl.”
“I’d rather take this game to another casino.”
“No way,” Crue said. “We don’t have enough intelligence to determine where Lorenzo has his planted pawns.”
“I think it would be for the best,” Colt said. “We know he has a few here.”
Crue stroked his chin in deep thought.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Kemper asked, studying Crue.
“Yeah,” Crue mumbled. “He had eyes in the sky last night. In my opinion, he had some help at that card game. He cheated.”
“Probably not,” Colt told them. “Kemper and Brand can’t play poker. They’d lose at Crazy Eights if they were playing for a first kiss.”
Everyone snickered.
“They are pretty bad,” Crue agreed. “Still, there were numerous hands played that didn’t make sense. Lorenzo would turn up a two-seven off suit and pull three of a kind off the flop and the river card would bring him four of a kind.”
“Yeah and this kind of thing happened all night long,” Brand added.
Colt used his forefinger and thumb and massaged his tight jaw. “So he has someone upstairs.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Crue muttered.
“How the hell would we know what you’ve been saying, let alone thinking? We haven’t seen you since we arrived here,” Colt said. “You don’t call. You don’t e-mail. You don’t have my back. What kind of shadow are you anyway?”
Crue scowled. “I’ve always got your back. Trust me. I may not tell you when I’m watching your ass, but I’m always there, changing your diapers, mainly because no one else wants to do my dirty job.”
“Then tell me something, little brother,” Colt said, slowly turning his head to look him square in the eye. “If you’re our go-to guy who cleans up after us, how could you stand by and watch while Kelly took a beating like that? How could you do it when you know the dangers Lorenzo represents?”
“Apparently, you didn’t pay attention when you saw him in the hallway this morning. Kelly gave better than she took. That I can promise you.” He paused for a minute. “Just so you know, I care about Kelly. She means the world to me. She always has and you know it. Standing by and watching that bastard strike her while my hands were tied wasn’t easy. It’s been pure hell and I don’t wish that on anybody.”
* * * *
Lorenzo awoke with a start. He’d only been asleep a few hours, but he’d slept restlessly since his confrontation with Colt a few hours earlier. Kelly had tried to tiptoe around him, pursuing her closet in an effort to retrieve a few of her personal belongings and escape without consequence. No such luck.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, grabbing her arm as she passed him.
“I have to go away for a few days,” she replied, afraid he wouldn’t buy her story.
Lorenzo shot her an evil smile. “Are you going away with him?”
“Him, who, Lorenzo?”
“The big guy, the one with long blond hair. The pretty boy.”
“No,” she said, thinking Colt would singe Lorenzo’s eyebrows for calling him out as a pretty boy.
“Where are you going?”
“I have a meeting with my father. It’s family business. We discussed this six months ago—when you became so domineering and possessive—and I told you then and I’ll tell you now. When my father calls, I go, and it’s not often that he requires I leave on short notice, but when he makes that call, it’s crucial that I pack up and go. We have family businesses just like you.”
“Why don’t you tell me about these so-called businesses,” Lorenzo drawled, not at all buying her story and making his disbelief apparent when he arched a brow and smirked. “Are they as profitable as Poker Cristal Palace?”
About that time, the bedside phone jingled.
“Hello?” Lorenzo answered on the second ring. “Yes. Yes. This is her suite. What can I do for you?” He paused. His gaze narrowed. He held the phone away from his ear, cradling the receiver on his shoulder. “It’s your driver. What time will you be downstairs?”
“Fifteen minutes,” she replied, hoping it would be more along the lines of five to ten.
Lorenzo looked at her with lust in his eyes. He moistened his lips. Then, in a husky voice, he said, “She’ll be down in a half hour or so.”
Slamming down the phone, he motioned for her. “If you’re going away, the least you can do is give me something to think about while we’re apart.”
Her stomach lurched. The last thing she wanted was his cock inside her. For the past three months, she’d somehow avoided sex with him. Amazing what a few sleeping pills would do to a man.
“I want you, Kelly,” he said, the tented sheet supporting his statement.
“I thought we agreed to keep our distance sexually until after the wedding. According to you, that’s why oral sex was more gratifying.” The dumb fuck always went first, too, which greatly helped her in ways he’d never begin to understand. The pills she’d slip in his drink often left him passed out between her legs.
The phone rang again. He glared at the interruption as she hurried around the room gathering the rest of her things, shoving her clothes, shoes, and toiletry items all in one bag. She didn’t take any special care in organizing her belongings. She was in a hurry. She needed out.
Frantic, she glanced at the bedside table. “Will you get that?”
Their gazes held and a silent struggle began. Lorenzo suspected she was up to something, and she could sense those corrupt wheels turning in his head.
“Corrupt” was an understatement. After Larry Bates, her director of security, told her about a poker game gone wrong, she was well aware of how Lorenzo had infiltrated her business. The casino was crawling with his people. She suspected he had long since been preparing for a takeover.
“Yes?” Lorenzo snapped the phone against his ear. He held up his forefinger.
She shook her head. “There’s no time, Lorenzo. I have a plane to catch.”
He grabbed her wrist and held her arm against his leg. Whoever was speaking on the other end of the phone held his undivided attention. His grip loosened. “When and where?”
“Tonight? Here?” His smile widened. “Tell Mr. Candy he has a poker game and an opponent. I hope he has very deep pockets.”
Kelly shuddered at the mention of Colt’s name. What was Colt thinking? Where did he think he could come up with the money to play at the same table with Lorenzo? Better still, did he realize what was at stake? Didn’t he know that Lorenzo had given Kemper and Brand a real spanking the night before? A million-dollar whipping, to be exact.
“Yes, tell Mr. Candy I’ll meet him at ten o’clock in the poker room. On second thought, my fiancée will be out of town tonight. Yes, that’s right. I’ll arrange to have a table brought to my room. Advise the candyman of the change of venue. He’s welcome to invite one player to join us. Maybe he’ll bring one of the players from the game last night.” A guttural laugh fell from his lips. “I never tire of entertaining losers.” Immediately, his gaze worked over her. “Even the pathetic have something to offer when the stakes are high enough.” He slammed down the phone.
She shivered under the evil scrutiny more so than from the ramifications of the implied remark. She’d endured his insults in the past and his t
hreats were often empty.
“So maybe you tell me the truth,” he said thoughtfully.
“I always tell you the truth, Lorenzo,” she whispered, keeping a careful eye on him.
“Good, love,” he said. “Because if those close to me betray me, I’m forced to retaliate, and I don’t like harming those I love, the women I cherish.”
“I know,” she said, forcing herself to kiss the inside of his palm when he touched the cheek he’d previously bruised. “You’re so thoughtful to the women you cherish.”
Kelly wondered then if he’d ever really cared for anyone. When she’d first met him, she’d mistakenly believed he was a kind and compassionate man. How quickly things had changed.
“I try to take care of those who are important—”
Before he could finish his statement, the phone rang once more.
“What is it?” he bellowed, picking up the receiver. Immediately, he paled. He handed the phone to her. “It’s your father.”
She snatched the receiver. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Are you almost ready to leave?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ll be downstairs in a minute.”
“Come alone. I’ll see you at the house.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Her father sounded suspicious. Did he think she was in danger? Had he been in touch with Colt? Was this trip a deliberate ploy, an orchestrated plan, to lure her away from Lorenzo?
“Something has happened. Dad says we need to go now. We’re taking his private plane.” She didn’t leave anything to chance. Suggesting she and her father were departing right away insured Lorenzo wouldn’t accompany her to the airport.
Always cautious, Lorenzo asked, “What is this about, Kelly?”
“It’s business.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“It’s Daddy’s business,” she said, picking up her luggage and swinging her purse over her shoulder. “And no, Lorenzo, he doesn’t trust you.”
Chapter Eight
As Kelly stormed out of the casino, she couldn’t help but wonder if Colt had arranged this little trip with her father. She balked at the thought of Colt determining how her father ran his organization. If he had anything to do with this unscheduled trip, she’d—well, she would cross that bridge when she arrived at the river.
Her father’s metallic royal-blue limousine pulled curbside. The driver exited the car and met the bellhop at the rear of the vehicle.
“Is this all you have?” he asked, arching a brow.
“Yes, Steadman,” she replied. “I’ll only be away for a few days.”
“Of course,” he said, wearing a funny little grin.
She studied the smirk on his face. Hesitating, he opened the car door and stepped behind her, an obvious attempt to block the view. Taking a deep breath, she entered the car and the door immediately slammed behind her.
Her gaze shifted right, to the far end of the limousine, right behind the driver’s seat. “Why am I not surprised?”
Colt’s long legs stretched forward. Wearing faded denim jeans and a red button-down shirt partially opened down the front, he looked like the kind of man who always knew what he wanted and how to take it.
She reached for the door handle.
“Not advisable,” Colt growled.
By this time, the driver was behind the wheel and the locks were automatically secured. She knew better than to try and escape now. Unless Steadman unlocked the doors from the front, there was no means of exiting the car.
The dark glass partition separated them from Steadman. Conceding, Kelly sat across from Colt. “So you asked Dad to pull me out?”
“Damn straight I did.”
She thinned her lips. Oh, she was mad. She couldn’t think of the words to say or how to express her anger, but raging fury bolted through her veins.
In spite of herself, she glanced down. Perhaps the action was instinctual, or maybe a woman’s curiosity. Either way, she still looked, checking for evidence. Her cheeks heated when she caught a glimpse of Colt’s hard-on, the thick bulge between his thighs.
The proof was in the man’s pants. He couldn’t have been any more satisfied with his skillful manipulation of their current situation.
A devilish smile tilted his lips. “So what do ya say?” He ran his hand over his cock. “Do you want some of this?”
“No,” she grated out. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Your choice.”
“Yes, it is,” she assured him, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
His hot gaze held at her finger. “I thought I told you to ditch the diamond.”
“And I thought I could trust you when I told you I was working on the inside.”
“I haven’t said anything to anyone. Although I think Crue and Gabe may be on to you.”
“Crue and Gabe?” she asked, arching a brow and playing Colt’s game. “Oh. Well, how about that. The dynamic duo is here in Vegas? When did they arrive?”
He chuckled. “Are you really gonna sit there and act like you don’t know that they’ve been staying in your casino for the past few months?”
“Have they?” she drawled, her voice elevated. “Well do tell. Where have they been staying?”
“Two doors down from you,” he replied, shifting in his seat. He bent his right knee and turned toward her, resting his arm against the back of the bench seat.
“Well I’ll be damned. Small world and all that,” she said, plastering a smile on her face.
“You expect me to believe you didn’t know my brother and his sidekick were occupying one of your high-priced suites?”
“I didn’t.”
“You’re a bad liar, Kelly. You always were.”
“And you’re a cocky ass. It must be a new characteristic you’ve picked up since you’ve been on the dating scene.”
“You always were a jealous little thing.”
When the envy involved him? Damn right.
“I haven’t been on the dating scene,” he informed her.
“No?” Her voice pitched too high once more. “So these new habits of yours, are they hereditary or simply signs of age catching up with you?”
“You have no idea what I’m capable of now,” he said, staring outside. “Especially when it comes to you.”
Her heart took off at a high rate of speed. She became jittery, extremely nervous. Her hands trembled as she folded them in her lap. Why was her breathing labored? Why did he always have this effect on her?
“Come here, Kelly,” he said, holding his hand out to her.
Her body went numb and her pulse quickened. Tears flooded her eyes and she tried to blink them away. Why was she so sentimental? Without warning, the first tear fell, and she swiped it away.
“He hurt you,” Colt pointed out, sliding over to sit beside her. “And I promise you…” He wiped her cheek. “I will make him pay.”
As his arms went around her, she rested her head on his shoulder and breathed deeply. Her tears had nothing to do with Lorenzo. Her tears were for him, the man she’d always loved, the lover she’d been unable to claim as her own.
His rich and spicy masculine scent filled her senses. Colt always wore expensive cologne and there wasn’t a man alive who smelled any better than Colt Candy, except maybe his brother, Crue.
Colt’s fingers knotted in her hair and he held her head between his hands, forcing her to look at him. His lips skimmed across hers. Nice and easy, his mouth smoothly possessed hers as if he were savoring their kiss, cherishing their moment.
“Colt,” she whispered, clutching his collar and bringing him forward. “Please don’t work me over like before. I want you. I need more.”
She held him closer, longing to feel him thrusting inside her, taking and claiming her, loving her the way only he could love her after all this time. He was strong enough to be her rock, warm enough to make her feel secure, and compassionate in ways she needed right then. Through him, she could eventually feel whole again.
Her hands went to his shirt. He arched a brow and lowered his eyes, studying her fingers as she unbuttoned the material.
“This is what you want?” he asked. “This is where you want me to love you, sweet thing?”
“Yes,” she replied, straddling him. “As if you didn’t plan for this.”
“Right down to the letter.”
“Don’t talk,” she said, shaking her head and dropping her hands to his waist. With a nervousness she tried to ignore, she loosened his belt and unsnapped his jeans. A second later, she felt the rise of his cock against her hand as her fingers locked around the head of his penis and glided down his enormous size.
“Hmm.” A throaty sound of satisfaction resounded. “That feels nice, baby.”
Driven by the lingering lust in his voice, she greedily kissed him, suckling his tongue as she entered his mouth. Her nerve endings sizzled as he touched her face. He caressed her with his fingertips as their heated connection blazed with a more passionate kiss.
He ate at her lips, nibbling the texture as he lifted her shirt. His arms went behind her back, and he quickly released her breasts, discarding her shirt and camisole.
Kelly stuffed her hand inside the parted denim and pulled his cock, jerking him up and down, forward and back until she was crazy with desire. She wanted to taste him. She needed his cock swelling inside her mouth, sliding across her tongue, and tapping at the base of her throat.
As he squeezed her breast and looked at her with complete adoration, she knew she’d never make it that far. Too much time had lapsed. They’d been away from one another for far too long.
“You’re still so beautiful,” he rasped, his lips taunting an extended nipple. He lapped at the point, drawing the firm bead between his giving lips.
When he lifted his head again, his eyes were hooded with new lust, a forbidden desire she fully recognized, one she’d seen many times before. Without additional foreplay, he lifted her over him, nuzzling the fullness of her breasts.
He quickly discarded her panties and slipped his fingers between her folds. Fucking her wet pussy with skilled fingers, he watched her as he deliberately impaled her with an intense manual stroke.
Cowboy Boots and Unadulterated Pleasures [Cowboy Boots 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7
