Page 40 of Casino King

Chapter 13

Tessa

Rolling over, my hand splays out in the spot next to me, but all I come up with is cool sheets where I thought I’d find Alec’s warm body.

I reluctantly open one of my eyes and look around the room. The light of pre-dawn illuminates the horizon of the sky and I wonder if Alec ever even came to bed. I was so spent, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep for the rest of the day and into the night, that still has my brain a little hazy.

Wrapping the sheet around my body, I use the bathroom and then peek my head out the door. I hear low murmuring voices down the hall and realize there’s someone other than Alec here. At this time of night? Or, morning?

I wouldn’t want to intrude on anything, but my stomach is growling. I hadn’t eaten much of anything today since I left my shift early, and my mouth is as dry as a desert.

I search Alec’s closet for something to put on, but I only find suits.

Sighing, I wrap the top sheet from his bed tightly around me and sneak out into the hall, dashing into the room next door without making a sound or being seen.

I throw on yoga pants, a bra, and a loose t-shirt that falls off my shoulder. I braid my hair so it wraps around my shoulder, and then I take a few deep breaths to ready myself. I don’t know who’s out there with Alec, but I guess I’m about to find out. I don’t know if the other person knows I’m here, and I have the sudden rush of fear that maybe Alec wouldn’t want me to be seen. But I shake the thought from my mind and pad quietly down the hall. I’m not a secret.

I see the back of Alec’s head first, as he’s seated in the leather chair facing the wall of windows. His guest, however, is on the couch where I sat last week with the doctor, and he looks up to see me standing there.

He’s the man from this morning when I ran out of here in a panic, needing some space. He looks like Alec, but not really. A relative, maybe. He’s handsome, of course, but he lacks that aura of raw power and darkness that Alec has.

He raises his chin to me and Alec turns his head, his dark eyes meeting mine and then raking down my body, sending a chill through me.

“Come here,” he says, and I take small steps until I reach him. He pulls me onto his lap. “You smell good,” he whispers in my ear. “What are you doing up?”

“I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. I’m hungry,” I admit regretfully.

“Well, we can’t have that,” he says against my neck, kissing me there and then biting gently. I close my eyes and force myself to swallow the moan that threatens to escape me.

Gripping my hips, he stands with me and turns to the other man who’s been watching our exchange with speculative eyes.

“Tessa, this is my cousin Vincenzo.”

“Vinny,” the man says, holding his hand out for me to shake. When I do, though, Alec makes a little grunt of disapproval and I smile.

“Nice to meet you, Vinny.”

“You, too. I don’t count this morning as a meeting,” he says playfully, and I feel Alec giving him a look of disapproval before walking me into the kitchen.

“What’re you hungry for?” he asks, handing me a bottle of water from the fridge like he knew I was thirsty. “I can order you anything you want. Breakfast? Dinner?”

“Breakfast. French toast?” I suggest, and he nods, pulling out his phone and sending a quick text.

“It’ll be here shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Pulling me against him, he kisses the spot right below my ear that makes my core clench, and I sigh when he licks the shell of my ear. “I just have some more business to discuss with Vin in my office,” he tells me.

“Okay,” I reply, breathless.

Leaving me, he nods at Vinny to follow him in the opposite direction, past the dining room to the hallway on the other side.

I wait on the couch, and maybe ten or fifteen minutes later, Alec comes back to answer the door and hand me my plate of food.

“The remote is there,” he points at the coffee table. “If you want to watch something.”

“I’m fine. I promise.” I give him a reassuring smile and take the lid off of the plate, the heavenly scent of French toast and bacon wafting up to my nose. “This is perfect. Thank you.”

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