Page 35 of Baby for the Bratva

She shrugs. “My room is too hot, anyway. I’m pretty sure the ventilation isn’t working properly.”

“Ah, I think you mentioned that before, but you declined to let me fix it.”

She flicks her hair over her shoulder again. “How foolish of me. I’m ready to be pampered now. You can come over tomorrow and fix it.”

I come back to her, sitting down and testing a hand on her knee. The warmth of her skin and the incredible softness of it make blood rush to my ears. If I wasn’t already sitting down, I wouldn’t trust my legs not to buckle underneath me.

Some people would find that dramatic, but they’ve never met Stella. Her energy is like the sweetest poison, tempting me to drink, only to kill me moments later.

As far as I can tell, she’s unaware of her power over me. It’s maddening, but if it stays unknown to her, then I’m safe. The moment she figures out what she can do to me, however…

I move my hand an inch up her leg, hoping to gain confidence. Her cheeks are pink, but her eyes are sharp and determined. She still has the upper hand, even if she doesn’t realize it.

“We’re heading to Jamaica, right?” she asks, breaking the tender silence.

“Yes, that’s the first stop, the day after tomorrow.”

She nods. “I’ve never been there. In fact, I’ve never been to any of the places we’re stopping. It’ll be nice to spend a few days exploring.”

“It certainly will. Jamaica is a beautiful country. I have a few friends there.”

“Will we meet them?” she asks, looking at me with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

How could I say no to her? I couldn’t, and it’s going to get me in trouble. Javell gives off such a strong drug lord vibe that she would know instantly that I’m operating on the wrong side of the law.

I clear my throat. “Maybe when I’m done with business.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize this was a business trip for you,” she says, leaning back. “What are you up to in Jamaica?”

“Logistics,” I reply with a thin smile, hurrying to change the subject. “But that’s not nearly as exciting as what I have prepared for tonight. Do you know how to play poker?”

Her eyes narrow. “Sounds like a trick.”

“Because it is,” I reply, moving my hand another inch up her thigh.

She looks down at my hand, then directly into my eyes. “It’s not that easy to trick me. What’s the deal?”

“Strip poker,” I reply, moving my hand up another inch. “Are you prepared to gamble?”

“I’ve already seen you naked. How about we up the ante a bit?”

I cock my head to the side, curious as to what she has in mind. I wasn’t expecting something like this from her, but she’s proven to be unpredictable.

“You win, and I’m naked for the rest of the night,” she says, putting her hand on mine and pulling it off her thigh. She squeezes my fingers. “But if you lose, I want you to pay for my cruise. The whole thing, including food and anything I want, anywhere we stop.”

I raise an eyebrow at her proposal, but I’d be a fool not to take her up on it. I’ve played poker with cheaters and still managed to win, so beating her won’t be difficult.

I pull my hand away and snap my fingers. “Done. I’ll even give you my credit card, darling, and you can buy yourself the entire country of Jamaica if you see fit.”

She tosses her head back and laughs. “Oh, what, does it have a thousand dollar limit on it or something?”

I reach into my back pocket, retrieving my wallet and opening it. The cocky smile drops from her face as I pull out a black metal card. “Recognize this?”

She tries to bluff, but her poker face is terrible. It’s just one more reason why winning tonight is going to be easy, but maybe that was her plan all along.

“Is that a starter card or something?” she asks, wrinkling her nose.

“Believe what you want to, darling, but if you want something, it’s nothing for me to buy it for you. You have to win first, of course,” I say.

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