Page 98 of High Roller

“If it helps you sleep, please help yourself.”

“How’s Grace?” she asks, turning the mug in her hand.

I go to the cabinet and pull out a glass. “Sleeping soundly.”

Lili grins. “Good job.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Stop. This is strange for me to have two women in my house. Especially two women I’m attracted to. I don’t usually bring women here.”

“I consider it a privilege, then. Are you really attracted to me?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Choose Grace. It’s not that complicated. I’m married to your enemy, and while we can’t predict how this will resolve itself, I have no doubt that the resolution ends with me not being in Las Vegas anymore.”

The observation surprises me. “Why would you have to leave town?”

“Unless you put a bullet in Finn’s head, I’m always going to be looking over my shoulder. There is no scenario now where I walk away from him unscathed.”

I don’t think she’s entirely wrong, and I have every intention of killing her bastard husband, but I don’t voice that. It’s one thing to say you want your husband dead and another entirely to hear someone say they’ll make that wish come true.

“Grace is important to me. I won’t do anything to put her in danger or hurt her.”

It’s the closest I can bring myself to telling Lili I won’t give in to my attraction to her. Then again, Grace kissed her, so there is attraction on that end too. I shake my head. There’s no way something like what Owen has with Tobias and Bellamy could work a second time. They have a unique situation, and the circumstances are right for them.

My feelings for Grace and Lili are not the same thing.

Lili doesn’t say anything else, and for a few minutes we exist quietly together. But as she slips off the barstool and heads for the stairs with her tea, she stops and puts a slender hand on my bare chest. “You and Grace belong together. I’ve known that since the first time I saw you in the same room. Don’t let infatuation mess that up.”

“Thank you, Spitfire.”

I should stop using that nickname for her. Nicknames are for best friends and lovers. Not women I’ve kidnapped.

Her smile almost makes me forget all of that, but I don’t stop her. Instead, I let her go while I finish my water.

Sleep still doesn’t come when I return to bed, so I get up again and quietly pull on sweats and a t-shirt and head to my office to see if Owen or Luke discovered anything else after I went to bed.

I must fall asleep at my desk because Grace nudges me awake sometime later.

“Are you OK? I woke up alone.”

She’s dressed in one of my t-shirts, and I pull her into my lap and try to tame her wild hair with my fingers.

“It’s useless until I get it wet,” she says in a tone that makes me laugh.

“Are you OK?” she asks again.

“I’m fine, butterfly. It was just difficult to sleep with you all naked and warm next to me.”

“Victor, you should have sent me to another bed or asked me for more than just sleep. I don’t want to keep you from the rest that you need.”

Her desire to take care of me is too much sometimes. Letting others care for me is hard. I can do it in a kink setting because that fills other needs I have.

“I’m sorry I left you alone, butterfly. Let’s go back to bed.”

“It’s late. We need to get to the club if I’m going to open the shop.”

I brush hair back from her face. “Bellamy is covering for you today.”

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