Page 10 of Wild Ace

“Yes. My wife is his granddaughter.” Jesus fuck, did I just say that? It came out before I could stop myself. I don’t even know her name and I’m calling her my wife. “I need the name of his doctor and his room number. Please,” I add at the end as a second thought, forcing a smile which has her blinking, staring at me, and then she starts typing something into her computer.

“He’s getting a CT scan right now, so it’ll be a little while before he’s brought back to his room.”

“What room?”

“205.”

“Who’s his doctor?”

“Dr. Weiss.”

“Thank you.” I flash her a smile that, without fail, leaves her with a flustered and confused look despite being so brisk with her a moment before. It works every time.

“This way,” I say to my girl, leading the way.

I feel her eyes on me again, and the quick clicking of her heels on the linoleum has me slowing my stride so she doesn’t have to work so hard to keep up. I can’t imagine how hard it is to walk in those sexy fucking heels, but I’m grateful to the feminine gods for blessing her with the ability to do it with ease.

Approaching room 205, I slow further, and step to the side so she’s the one to walk inside first, but the room is empty. She walks to the windows and turns around, huffing out a deep breath. “How long do CT scans take?”

“Just have a seat and try to relax,” Cassie says to her.

“I’ll find out,” I tell her, needing something to do and knowing I can get answers from anyone. “Nico, stay here with them.”

I manage to track down a nurse that I have no problem charming into telling me everything I need to know, and I return to tell my girl, “He’ll be here in a minute. He’s awake and alert.”

“He is?” Her eyes fill with tears, and when I give her a nod of assurance, she sucks in a sharp breath and quickly swipes away a few tears that escaped her gorgeous blue eyes and started to roll down her cheeks.

“I promise you he’s going to get the best care.”

“Thank you, Vinny.”

“You’re welcome…” I trail off, the corners of my mouth tipping up in a slight grin, waiting for her to finish my statement.

“Alexis. Lexi.” She finally gives me her name and my smile is instant.

“Lexi Manzato,” I say, more to myself than her, and her name rolls off my tongue like it was waiting for me to say it my entire life.

Chapter 4

Lexi

Vinny says my name low and to himself, and my heart rate kicks up. He says my name with this Italian lilt I want to hear murmured in my ear the next time he’s pressed up against me like he was on the dance floor.

Wait, next time?

Who said he’s going to be pressed up against me again?

I shouldn’t, knowing who he is.

I should run in the opposite direction and never should’ve left the club with him in the first place. The club was a safe bubble. But out here? That’s a different story with a different ending.

In the club, we were two people who were inexplicitly attracted to one another and were allowed to get lost in a haze of lust and need. Out here though, I’m just the girl from town who grew up learning to play blackjack and poker before I even kissed a boy. Vinny is the guy who more than likely grew up learning to threaten, kill, and help run a family organization that spans I don’t know how far and wide, or into how many various illegal activities.

We’re too different.

I need to remind myself of our divide. I’m not for him and he’s not for me.

“Thank you,” I tell him, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You don’t have to stay.”

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