Page 62 of Queen Of WildCards

Hardto tell.

Joker'sstrangled whimper of defeat when she tossed her hair and accepted my arm was damn near a victory bell at ringside, sending a jolt of pride at my obvious victory through these thick veins.Ismiled all the way to his car and took the backseat withMalloryasJokerresignedly slid into the driver's seat.

Heknew where we were going.Hedidn't need my instructions to get there.

Ilaid a palm on the doc's leg, my eyes straight ahead asIfelt her tense below my fingertips.Iwouldn't push her too far, not yet.I'dwait tilIhad her someplace she couldn't run away, then have my way with her.She'dcome around onceIwas knuckle-deep in that pussy.

* * *

Kaz'sKitchenwas a hole-in-the-wall fine dining spot owned by a man who'd lost one too many fights to me in the past.Ialso happened to throw a fight against him to help pay for it, so nowIhad a standing invitation to stop in for food any time on the house.Ididn't take advantage of it often, but today was special.

Shewas special.

Ihadn't toldMalloryyet thatI'ddecided to keep her, come hell or high water.Shedidn't deserve to die, we all knew it, butAcewas still on the fence, andIwasn't the only one who'd noticed how fast she seemed to worm her way into our routine, our minds, our fucking hearts.Hell, three days in, andIcaught myself fantasizing about her clothes on a hanger next to mine.Sharingmy bed.

ThingsIknewAcewould have my ass for even dreaming about.

Andyet,Ididn't care.Mallorywas fun, she was a fighter, and she didn't give in to me out of ease or comfort.Iliked a girl who struggled against the very fabric of human need in an effort to keep herself on some imagined moral high ground.

Weboth knew she was no saint.

Notthe way she wielded that butterfly knife.

Iheld out my hand to help her from the car, earning myself the briefest flash of bright red panties beneath that too-short skirt.Shetugged up on the top and sighed when her thighs snuck out of the bottom, taunting me with their creamy sight.

Ireached down again and tugged on the hem for her, pleased when she shot me a grateful grin instead of a scowl, and even let her hand linger on my cheek with a soft pat of appreciation.

Who'sthe little puppy now?

Jokeroffered her an arm to escort her in the doors, but she smugly refused any help, choosing instead to strut her stuff and give us both a look of what she thought was hers to deny as we followed dutifully behind.

Thehost stopped her with a frown, taking in her dress, no doubt assuming she was a paid floozie, an escort for two wealthy patrons who were themselves underdressed a little by his standards. "Excuseme, miss, but we have a strict dress code here—"

Ishoved in front of her and crowded the little shit who dared to look down on her, staring his lanky ass down like he'd insulted my mother. "You'dbest hold your tongue, bud, orI'llrip it out for you."Myeyes roamed the room over his shaking shoulder, andIfrowned whenIdidn't spot the familiar face of my old nemesis, theCandlestick. "Where'syour boss?"

"Uhhhh, h-he's not here, si-sir," he sputtered, his eyes locking in on a well-dressed floor manager across the room.Thewoman he'd sought out started a quick path to us, desperate to diffuse the obviously tense situation.

Shewas a new face.

Thatwasn't somethingI'danticipated.

"Whatseems to be the problem, sirs?" she queried, tipping her head to the side as if a shot of her at an angle, her tits on full display, might placate us. "AnythingIcan help with?"

"Yeah,"Igrowled, already at my limit of stupidity. "Yourlittle host here insulted my date and held us up—where'sCan—Lumiere?"

Shebatted her eyelashes at me and then turned toJoker, offering him the same flirtatious smile she had thrown at me a second ago. "Ah, the owner is out with his wife tonight—reservations at another wonderful establishment.Ifyou have some arrangement with him, mightIsuggest coming back at a later—"

Ihad stopped listening atout with his wifeand had already pulled my phone from the pocket of my pants, dialingKazherself from memory.Whenshe picked up,Irecognized the familiar growl of her husband, an ex-MMAlegend, in the background of whatIknew to be the hardest place in town to get reservations at.

Cinco.

"Tyson, how nice to hear from you.Wewere beginning to wonder if you'd ever come up for air."

Inthe distance of the call,Candlestickmade his displeasure at their interrupted date known. "Wewere not worried; she was.Iknow you're sturdy like a roach—no getting rid of you, eh, old friend?"

Ismiled at their banter, something that made their brand of love an appealing future for myself. "Istopped in with the crew and my date for dinner, but your regular employees are all out, it appears."

Kazsighed. "Ah, yes, the flu's going around.Welost six servers this week on the schedule, and things are tight.Lenny'sfrom the kitchen, he's not a good host, but he's all we had in a pinch."

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