Page 93 of Give Me Perfect Love

I hold up my hand, stopping her from interrupting me.

She clamps her mouth shut. Once I’m sure she isn’t going to start talking, I continue.

“Growing up, I used to go to the Kentucky Derby a lot. With Pops owning a horse ranch and all, and you know I have a few racehorses myself.

“I became fascinated with all of it. The rush and excitement. The gambling. People come there from all over and lose pounds of money.

“And some come and win more than they could have dreamed. I learned the ins and outs of all of it, and after Red started getting successful, I got an idea.

“I wanted the fun and excitement to be where I was.”

She narrows her eyes, not fully getting what I’m saying.

“I struck up a deal with the restaurant owner next door.”

“The one I went to on my birthday?” she asks.

I nod, thinking back on the memory of her there with another man. The feeling of wanting to rip his fucking throat out makes my digits twitch in my pockets.

I was jealous.

I took control of the situation pretty quickly, though. Finding out where she’d gone wasn’t that hard. I’d had Ben follow her as soon as she left the restaurant. Once I ditched my date and convinced my brother to do the same, we took off to the abandoned building turned into a rave club.

She was drunk, but so goddamn gorgeous, I could hardly stand it. She gave in to me so easily, because like me, she had it bad, too.

I look at her now. Even bruised and banged up, she still kills me. She clears her throat, possibly thinking back on the memory also. The look on her face when I took her back to Red and all my staff sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

I’ll never forget that look.

Not as long as I live.

She was mine then and didn’t even know it.

“So, you and the restaurant struck up a deal?” she asks, wondering where the hell I’m going with this.

Where was I?

Damn, she distracts me. How will I survive if she decides she doesn’t want to be involved in all of this?

I remove my hands from my pockets and run one over my head. “He would get forty percent. I’d take full blame if anything was to go down.

“Once the agreement was made, I turned his and the basement below Red into a casino. That’s how I met Bones. He and his crew were playing poker. The guy you saw on the news a while back, the one who got murdered, he was playing with Bones. He was cheating, and they don’t take too kindly to cheaters.”

I’m not sure why I’m telling her all of this. I mean, she doesn’t need to know every detail, but I don’t want it coming up later and give her a reason to call it quits.

“What?” she shakes her head like she’s trying to understand what I just said. “Are you kidding me?”

I slide my hands back into my pockets. “No.”

“You own a casino, and it’s been under my feet this whole time?”

“Yes.”

She stands up from the bed and starts pacing. “Bryce, you’re mixed up with mobsters and illegal gambling.” She pulls her fingers through her hair with wide eyes before she links them on top of her head. “You’ve been keeping this from me. You’ve been lying to me for how long now?”

“I haven’t lied to you.”

“Oh, excuse me. You just haven’t told me.”

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