Page 16 of Illicit Heir

It's still a risk.

He declares, "Let's not take all night. It's decision time. Do we have a bet or not?"

My jitters increase. I don't answer him.

"If I walk out that door, you're going to kick yourself for not attempting to earn 10,000 euros," he warns.

He's right.

I can do this!

I take a deep breath and lift my chin, holding my hand out for the cards and asserting, "I'm dealing."

His lips twitch. "Ya don't trust me?"

I scoff, admitting, "Nope!"

"But I said I don't even know how to play."

"Doesn't matter."

He chuckles and places the deck into my palm. He leans closer and asks, "How do I know ya aren't a cheater?"

"She's not!" Jessica insists.

For the first time all night, I'm not annoyed with her. I keep my eyes on Devin and state, "See. Even your buddy Jessica can vouch for my honest playing skills."

His eyes dart to my lips, and he states, "Well, if my buddy Jessica says it, then it must be true." He once again pins his gaze full of mischief on mine.

Zings fly to my core. I reprimand myself for reacting to his sexy, dirty expression and squeeze my thighs tighter. I sit back in my chair and shuffle the cards.

He asks, "What are the rules?"

"Don't worry. It's easy and doesn't require a ton of brainpower, so ya should be good," I tease.

"Are ya saying ya don't think I'm smart?"

I tilt my head, smile, and bat my eyes, declaring, "I never spoke those words."

"Hmmm," Devin replies with a deep, grumbling sound.

It intensifies all the sensations inside me that I wish would go away. I ignore the heat creeping up my neck and smirk. "What does hmm mean?"

He points to the cards. "Are ya going to let me cut the deck at least?"

I slap it on the table.

He puts his palm over the top card and fans the deck. Then he slowly drags his finger over them, stopping three-quarters of the way. He divides it into two piles and puts the bottom on the top.

I arch my eyebrows. "Was that a magic trick?"

He grazes his knuckles over the side of my thigh, answering, "Nah. I keep those for private times."

Tingles explode under his touch, racing to places inconvenient when he's a stranger I need to only be thinking about beating.

Tense silence builds between us, and more arrogance grows in his expression.

Why do I think his cockiness is so hot?

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