Prologue
I Hate Gambling
Carter
I was dealt a damn good hand in this life. Some might even consider it an unbeatable hand. But there are three things I wish I could put back in the toothpaste tube.
One, being orphaned at the tender age of fifteen.
Two, subsequently inheriting the responsibility for the family estate, all its related assets, and the mess my father left behind the moment I turned eighteen.
Three,I sure as hell never asked to fall madly, deeply, in love with my best friend’s little sister.
But here’s the thing with cards, you get what you get. And with toothpaste, you can’t put it back in the tube, no matter how hard you try.
Now, obviously, there’s nothing I can do about the first two problems. The third, however, isn’t so much a problem as a waking nightmare. Just so we’re clear, I’ve tried to ignore my feelings, but that’s basically like pretending to be a non-sentient sea slug. No eyes. No feelings. No problems.
Right?
Abso-fucking-lutely wrong.
To put it lightly, she is the gravity my world revolves around.
It’s like playing a constant game of tug-of-war that I’m never going to win. Like Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders—only I’m not an all-powerful Titan, and the force I’m fighting is way more powerful than gravity. It’s a mischievous ball of sunshine with a smile that pierces right through your very soul, and trying to stay out of her orbit is futile.
Some might say I have it all,power, status, wealth, but when it comes down to it, I can’t afford the most important thing of all. Because she’s not for sale.
So, it doesn’t matter that I was dealt a damn good hand because here’s the thing about playing cards, no matter how good your hand is—somebody’s always sitting on an ace.
CHAPTER 1
Cupcake or Bride
CARTER
I scrubbed a hand down my face and paced, knowing I was running out of time. Sara was already on the auction stage looking like a frosted cupcake—or a bride. I couldn’t decide which. Either way, it was only a matter of minutes before some schmuck was going to bid on her, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. Not officially, anyway.
It’d been months since she’d been home in Briar Rose, and I hadn’t had an actual conversation with her in even longer. Tonight, she looked devastatingly beautiful, dark curly hair, elegantly piled on top of her head, cheeks flushed, eyes wide—she always stole my breath, but tonight was different. Tonight was my last chance, and I was quickly losing my window.
Across the ballroom, every rich old bastard was busy eye-fucking her like a frosted dessert they wanted to take a bite out of. So I paced, reminding myself why it was an incredibly bad idea to go on a neck-breaking spree, and why it was an even worse idea to place a bid on her.
“Carter Kensington.” A reporter shoved a tape recorder in my face. “It seems like you have your eyes on a special someone.” Shit. I wasn’t even supposed to be here tonight, and I definitely didnotneed this hitting the news cycle and causing yetanotherfrenzy. “Tell us, who will the city’s most eligible bachelor be taking home tonight?” She touched my arm, her sultry expression speaking volumes.
I smiled thinly. “Excuse me, I’m not taking press interviews tonight.” I slipped out of her grip and quickly headed through the crowd towards the bar for a desperately needed drink, but I didn’t make it that far because I spotted one of my late father’s associates heading my way.Perfect.
Everywhere I looked,someonewas blocking my path, and it resulted in me cutting through the crowd like a bat out of hell.
I felt my skin prickle, and I did a double take—still on stage, Sara was making her best attempt to stifle a laugh and regain composure, watching my predicament down in the shark pit.
Of course, she would find this funny.
Feeling far too brazen, I shot her a wink, watching her cheeks turn a satisfying shade of red before she quickly looked away.
I nearly crashed into Liam when he appeared out of seemingly nowhere. “You bid on a date yet?” My best friend asked.
“What?” I startled, ripping my gaze away from his very off-limits little sister. “Uh, no.” I recovered quickly. “I wasn’t planning on bidding tonight.”
“Come on, you know it’s for a good cause.” Liam prodded with a smirk. “You’re not feelingcharitable?”
