by Sarah Curtis
Her eyes shot back to Alec and saw he was watching the guy just as intently. Alec upped the stakes, betting one hundred and twenty-five thousand. Yeah, she shouldn't have worried that he wouldn't catch on. Ryan grabbed chips from his stack, making a show of counting them out but not immediately calling the bet. Hollywooding. And River knew he would more than likely fold. Sure enough, a minute later, that's exactly what he did, winning Alec the pot. This time when their eyes locked, he gave her a small wink.
River was never more happy than when she saw the tournament director approaching the table to announce their ninety-minute break.
Alec took her hand as they stood from the table. "Come on, let's get you some food. Maybe a shot of tequila."
River laughed, appreciating the fact Alec knew how she was feeling. Instead of pussy-footing around the subject of her incredibly bad day, he'd made a joke to lighten the mood and try to raise her spirits.
"That sounds perfect. I'm just going to pop into the ladies' room."
Brushing his lips across her forehead, he said, "I'll wait right here."
When River emerged a few minutes later, she spotted Alec right away in the promised location, but he wasn't alone. Standing at his side was a tall, model-perfect blonde, holding a microphone. Halting in her tracks, she slowly sidestepped, hoping not to draw attention to herself while escaping the room. Of course, Mr. Eyes-Like-a-Hawk spoiled her plan.
She ignored his head tilt, silently summoning her to his side, giving him a small head shake in return. She wanted no part of the press. Being such an important competition, she knew there would be updates, photos, and player's stats listed all over the Internet. But if one didn't closely follow the poker world, attention paid to her would be small. Not so if the media got a hold of her.
River had stayed out of the limelight for a reason. Growing up, she'd been surrounded by press. Her father had been a poker icon in his time, and after the death of her mother, the press had been relentless. Staying out of the limelight was one of the main reasons she'd never pursued a professional poker career, even though she loved the game.
Though their byplay was discreet, it still caught the attention of the reporter. Even from a distance, River could see the furrow of contemplation wrinkle the woman's brow before recollection clicked into place, giving her a name—a juicy, gossipy name—to go with River's face.
River looked over the reporter's shoulder at Alec, her eyes widening in panic, silently pleading for him to do something.
Drawing the reporter's attention, Alec covered and pushed down on the microphone, fiercely saying something River couldn't hear. The woman forced a fake smile as she finished Alec's interview. Then, giving River one last brief look, she turned and walked away.
"What did you say to her?" River asked, reaching Alec's side.
His gaze stayed on the reporter until she'd attached herself to her next victim and was sufficiently occupied. His gaze dropped to hers, and he trailed a finger down her cheek, stopping to caress her bottom lip. A move he seemed quite fond of doing. He was deep in thought, but she hadn't the first clue what he was thinking.
"Alec?" she murmured to gain his attention.
He blinked, his thick, black lashes fanning his cheeks before a small smirk appeared on his lips. "I stressed that if she ever wanted another exclusive interview with me, she should pretend she hadn't recognized you."
River had a feeling stressed was too mild a word, judging from the look he'd had on his face when stressing his point to the reporter. Not to mention, from her experience, if a journalist had a juicy piece of gossip, they were like a dog with a bone, never giving it up. Both facts led her to believe she probably didn't want to know what Alec had truly said.
Raising on her tiptoes, she gave his jaw a kiss, the long stubble tickling her lips. "Thanks," she spoke softly and sincerely. "Now feed me. I'm starved and need the energy to kick some ass when I get back to the poker table."
River carefully scanned the faces of the last three men sitting at the table, wondering at their hands and debating if she should go all-in. She was fearfully low on chips, and if she didn't double up soon, she knew she wouldn't stay in the game much longer. Her hand was good. The best starting hand you can have in No-Limit Hold 'em—a pair of aces. They didn't guarantee her a win, but the odds were damn good.
Too good to pass up.
"I'm all-in." She slid the last of her chips forward, pushing them as far as her arms would reach.
Alec was the next to act. She watched him as she sat completely still, her face devoid of all expression, not wanting to give any of her thoughts away. Back straight, her spine perfectly aligned with the center of her chair, she barely breathed as her heart beat a mile a minute in her chest, waiting for him to take action. He was sizing her up, deciding whether to make the call.
She eyed his chips stacked before him, mentally calculating how much money he had. He had her beat by a mile. If he called her bet and won, she'd be out of the game.
The fingers of his right hand deftly shuffled two small stacks of chips. The slight tinkling sound they made, a lullaby to Rivers ears. The repetitious action not a distraction but a soothing reminder of where she was.
"I call." He moved a stack of chips forward then trained his eyes on Tommy Trung.
Trung and Warren Jasper both folded not wanting to get involved in an all-in hand with the chip leader.
Alec flipped over his cards. A pair of fives.
Internal elation was her first reaction as she slowly released the breath she'd been holding with a soft sigh. Flipping over her own cards, she revealed her aces. But once she got past the initial relief, she couldn't help but speculate why Alec would call with such a weak pair. She knew her paltry one hundred and eighty grand was nothing compared to his two-million-plus in chips. If she won the hand, he would barely feel the loss, but still, why take the risk with such a poor hand? Was he throwing it on purpose, hoping to double her up?
Pulling her eyes from his pair of fives, she caught him giving her a small smile. Her stomach flipped, unsure how she felt about the strange turn of events. On the one hand, she was pleased to have this chance to maybe double up and stay in the game long enough to last through one more player, giving her the third-place finish she needed. But on the other hand, the independent competitiveness instilled in her from birth left her mind kicking and screaming, wanting her to lash out at Alec's sacrifice.
She watched Alec's smile slip and realized her emotions were on display. Duty to her family overriding all else, she concealed her inner conflict and forced a grateful smile his direction.
"All-in, called," the dealer announced then dealt the flop—ten of clubs, six of spades, three of diamonds—no help to either of them.
River's heart picked up speed as long seconds passed before the next card was turned over—eight of clubs. Again, no help to her, but more importantly, no help to Alec. One card to go and Alec left with only two outs—the five of hearts or the five of spades—made the odds greatly increase in River's favor.
Feeling like the events were happening in slow motion, River held her breath as the dealer patted the table with her right palm before moving her hand to the deck held in her left. River's heart was pounding so hard she was sure the others at the table could hear it as the dealer slowly lowered the river card to the table.
A whooshing sounded in her ears, and it took her a moment to comprehend what she was seeing. Silence descended for a few beats before chatter erupted at the table, white noise her brain refused to translate into words as she sat and stared down at the card lying on the felt. The image started to blur, and she quickly blinked back the moisture.
Gaining her feet, she saw the tournament director standing nearby, re
ady to usher her to the sign-out desk. In a daze, she congratulated Alec and wished luck to her fellow players, not comprehending or remembering a single word she'd spoken. As she stepped away, she took one last look at the river card as the dealer swept it away, forever concealing the five of hearts from her view.
* * * * *
Disbelief then shock were the first things Alec felt when he saw the five of hearts flip over. His eyes quickly found River. Each emotion that flashed upon her face brought a stab of pain to his chest. But it was her look of total defeat that he would never forget. Sure he'd seen that look countless times on the faces of his various competitors, but seeing it on the face of the woman he loved, cut him deep.
Yeah, he'd finally figured out what the unfamiliar emotions twisting at his heart meant. His need to protect her. The craving to possess her. The emptiness he felt when she wasn't near, and his complete sense of peacefulness when she was. And though he'd never been in love before, all that could only add up to one thing.
He was in love with River Kingston.
Unfortunately, having never been in a relationship, he hadn't the first clue what he was doing. He was just doing what felt right. What felt natural. And what would finally lead him to his ultimate goal—River loving him in return and never wanting to let him go. If sometimes he needed to prod, bully, or cajole River to attain that goal, then those were the consequences of getting what he wanted. He would freely admit he was selfish when it came to her, and he would do anything it took to make her his, even if that meant doing things a bit unethically.
He watched as she stood from the table. It took everything in him not to follow suit and go to her. But he knew if he did that, he wouldn't want to go back to the table and finish the tournament. He wasn't supposed to have won that hand. He'd wanted River to double up, maybe survive long enough to outlast her losing streak. He'd wanted it to be the two of them at the end, going head-to-head.
Eyes glazed and unfocused, she impassively congratulated him on his hand and wished the table luck before being led away by the tournament director. His hands gripped the arms of his chair as he forced himself to stay planted in his seat. He might not be able to go to her right then, but he could knock the next two fuckers out quickly, thereby ending the game and getting to her that much faster. Looking at his last two opponents, he gave them a tight smile.
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Chapter Eighteen
An undeniable feeling of pride overtook River as she watched Alec play. By the time she'd gotten control of herself after having a nice long pity cry in the bathroom and realizing that all was not lost as she'd still won enough money to negotiate with, Alec had already knocked out Warren Jasper. He was now heads up with Tommy Trung. She sat amongst the small group of spectators expectantly watching the game unfold from the sidelines.
Every few minutes, she would get Alec's eyes silently asking her if she were okay. She would give him a small smile, waving her hand, silently telling him to pay attention to the game and not worry about her. And he would listen, at least for a few minutes, until she got his eyes again.
It wasn't too much longer until Tommy was pushing his chips all-in with Alec being quick to call. Alec got to his feet, tossing his cards face up on the felt.
"All-in, called," the dealer announced, gaining the tournament director's attention.
River stood from her seat as Alec approached her. He took her hand, pulling her into his side, and she gave his hand a squeeze. "Good luck."
He leaned down and kissed her smiling lips. "I haven't had a chance to tell you how sorry—"
River silenced him with her fingers. "I know. I also know what you tried to do. But let's not talk about it. I can only deal with one emotion at a time and right now, that's anxiety."
Alec chuckled, giving her another light kiss on her lips. "Okay, we'll talk later."
"No, we're getting drunk later."
Their conversation was interrupted by the tournament director's booming voice. "Tommy Trung went all-in with a pair of queens. Alec Throne called with ace-queen suited, putting Trung at risk."
"You have one of his queens," River said, giving Alec's hand another squeeze. The odds of winning the hand were still in Trung's favor though, at sixty-five percent to Alec's thirty-five.
The dealer dealt the flop.
"Ace of diamonds, ten of spades, and jack of clubs on the flop."
River's heart nearly stopped when she heard the director call out the ace. She looked up at Alec. His jaw was tense as he stared unblinkingly at the table. The odds had just drastically flipped, making Trung the underdog. Trung needed either the last queen in the deck to win or any king to chop, giving both men straights and a split pot.
"Four of diamonds on the turn. No help to Trung. He needs a queen or king to stay alive."
River could feel her anticipation building to an almost uncontrollable level. Her heart raced in the desperate hope that Alec would win. She wanted that for him more than anything. And it was then she realized maybe that's where she'd gone wrong. She hadn't approached the tournament with a passion for winning it all. She'd only ever aimed to win third place. She hadn't been excited to win because she'd looked upon it as a chore or duty. Maybe subconsciously her heart hadn't been in it the way it should've been.
"And a seven of spades on the river. Tommy Trung is out. Alec Throne is the new Omega One champion."
River ejected a squeaky shout, jumping in place until Alec corralled her in his arms, lifting her off her feet, and spinning her in a circle.
"You did it," she yelled not three inches away from his face.
Alec laughed, his eyes alight, and his beautiful face alive with happiness. God, he'd never looked sexier. In an uncharacteristic display of PDA beyond her control, she found her lips crashing down on his. She felt him hesitate for just a second before his arms grew tighter around her, and he deepened the kiss, taking full advantage of her momentary lapse in discretion.
Dropping her back to her feet, she felt his body stiffen before his lips found her ear. "I know you don't like publicity. Go wait for me at the restaurant where we met the first night. Order a bottle of champagne, and I'll meet you as soon as I can."
River turned her head to see the tournament director accompanied by a few reporters bearing down on them. She gave him a small nod, and he kissed her forehead before she quickly made her escape.
River giggled as she tripped through the threshold of Alec's suite. After three glasses of champagne, she wasn't drunk, but she was tipsy. A hand materialized on her upper arm, steadying her. Her gaze traveled up, locking on and then becoming mesmerized by the face in front of her. Alcohol enhanced emotions bubbled to the surface. "Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?" Her body swayed forward as if pulled by an invisible tether.
"I can't tell if you're a happy or an emotional drunk."
His words were teasingly light, and she smiled while pressing into his chest. "I'm an emotionally happy drunk." She let her fingers skim up his arm, over his shoulder, to tangle in his hair at the nape of his neck.
"Are you trying to seduce me?" His lips curled into a sexy smirk.
"Well, now that depends."
"On what?" His hand found her ass, pulling her even closer.
"On if it's working."
"Sweetheart, all you need to do is breathe, and I'm seduced."
He picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and carried her to the bedroom.
"How drunk are you?"
He untangled her legs, and she flopped down backward onto the bed. "Just tipsy." At his questioning look, she asked, "What? Do you want to give me a sobriety quiz?"
He chuckled. "Like
ask you to touch a finger to your nose?"
She sat up, scooting to the edge of the bed, and spreading her legs to accommodate Alec's. She reached for his waistband with one hand and the button on his slacks with the other. "Or... see whether I can touch the tip of my tongue to the head of your cock."
He grabbed her ponytail, tipping her head back, so she was looking up at him. His eyes sparked as she smiled and slid down his zipper. "I think I like your test better."
She laughed as she tugged down his pants just past his hips. "I thought you might. But what happens if I miss?"
"Don't worry, sweetheart, I won't let you miss."
She heard his breath hitch as her lips surrounded him, getting a thrill as she felt him swell impossibly larger under the teasing ministrations of her tongue.
"Fuck, sweetheart, you're killing me."
The hand in her hair became more demanding, controlling more than guiding her movements. She wrapped an arm around his hip, her hand grabbing his ass for support, her other fisting him at the root with her hand pumping in time to his thrusts. He made another noise—a combination of a grunt and a hiss—turning her on, and she doubled her efforts to hear it again.
He abruptly pulled away, but she wasn't left disappointed for long as he fell to his knees, his lips covering hers, and his tongue demanding and gaining entrance. His hands slipped under her shirt, finding and palming her breasts before squeezing and kneading them in his large hands.
"Fuck, I can't get enough of you. Can't get close enough to you."
He whipped off her top and bra then had his face buried in her cleavage within a matter of seconds. She arched into his touch, completely agreeing—she couldn't get close enough either.
His teeth found her right nipple as his fingers found her left, and the double stimulus had her back arching off the bed. "Alec, " she panted, hips jutting to seek any form of relief.
