Page 124 of Theirs to Ruin

My heart raced faster. I had to remind myself to breathe.

And remind myself that Dante had tossed me away.

“You sure about this, Camille?” he asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yes. And I don’t need you to look out for me.”

Dante obviously caught my double meaning. He studied me for a moment then slowly grinned. “In that case, I’ll deal.”

Twenty minutes later, the six of us sat at a different table in a small, private room off the main event. I’d agreed to strip poker, but only on the condition it was limited to six players and the dealer.

After one prolonged look at me, Dante began to deal, distributing cards with fluid grace. I glanced at my hand—a pair of queens. Not bad. Across the table, Ty looked at his own hand, his expression revealing nothing.

As the rest of the cards were dealt, Kage leaned over, placed his hand on my thigh, and kissed my shoulder before murmuring, “No matter how this game ends, I expect to see you completely naked by the end of the night, Rebel.”

I choked on a breath, my cheeks flaming. Everyone’s eyes were on us. Boldly, I reached up and cupped Kage’s cheek. And even though my voice shook a little, I said, “You can have me any way you want me, Kage.”

“Lordy, lord.”

I glanced up to see Simone grinning and fanning herself. Everyone else at the table was smiling except Dante and Ty. Ty glared at us, while Dante just looked thoughtful.

Kage won the hand. He leaned back in his chair and grinned at me but kept his hand on my thigh. Smiling back at him, I reached up to unfasten the tiny hoop of one of my earrings, while the others removed items just as innocuous.

Ty snorted as he removed his jacket. “What a bold move, Camille.”

I glared at him, refusing to rise to his bait, tossing my earring onto the table.

I won the next round.

Kage removed his cufflinks and so did Ty.

As the game progressed, Kage became more brazen with his touches. His hand slid higher and higher up my thigh, his fingers playing a daring dance on my skin.

Every touch was tracked by Ty. Every touch made his expression darker.

A half hour later, I’d lost my necklace and shoes, which surprisingly left me more clothed than most. Kage had stripped off his tie, socks and shirt, his rippling muscles distracting me and every other girl there. Ethan was down to his underwear and Mia was in her bra and panties. Simone had worn multiple bracelets so her clothes were fully intact.

On the next hand, Simone folded, then Kage, Ethan, and Mia.

It was just me and Ty left.

Dante dealt the next card, his eyes meeting mine for a moment that lasted a heartbeat too long. He flipped the card over. An ace of hearts.

A game-changer.

“Well, well, well,” Ty murmured. “Seems like the stakes just got higher.”

“Yeah? How much higher are you thinking?” I challenged him.

“How about we face off elimination style, one on one. No folding. Game ends when one of us is naked.” Ty didn’t take his gaze away from me. “How confident are you with your hand, Camille?”

His challenge hung in the air like a loaded gun, and my poker face was seriously wavering.

“She’s very confident,” Kage said. “Aren’t you, Rebel?”

My eyes flashed to Kage, his gaze piercing mine.

My cards weren’t bad, but they weren’t the best, either. But Kage filled me with confidence with his words and presence. I’d snagged the school’s hottest fuckboy. Of course, he meant a lot more to me than that, just like I hoped I meant more to him than just sex. I’d taken a leap of faith with Kage. What was a hand of poker and possibly getting naked in front of a grumpy ex? It was Ty’s war cry, and I wasn’t backing down.

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