“I’ll send my coach for you.”Then he bent and took one more slow taste of her lips.With a groan, he pulled away.“I’ll see myself out.”
The walk back to the club helped to cool his blood somewhat, but he knew he would be thinking of her delectable body nonstop until he could have her again.Damnation, he had really let his cock lead him straight into an impossible situation.Taking his hat off, he ran a hand through his hair.If he was honest with himself, it wasn’t his cock that was the problem.He had enjoyed one night with lovers in the past and walked away without thinking of them again.But this time, his heart had taken an unfortunate dive.After hearing about her past and meeting her son, he couldn’t admire her more.And dammit, good things didn’t just happen to people like him; he certainly planned to keep her as long as she would have him.
The club was crowded when he arrived.“How’s it been tonight, Chris?”he asked his man at the door.
“Busy, boss.Val’s been looking for you.”
Matthew nodded and headed into the main room.A good crowd circled the hazard table and plenty more were bellied up to the bar.Ben caught his eye.Matthew crossed to where Ben stood next to a table of men playing loo.When he was next to him, Ben tilted his head fractionally toward the far side of the table where Lord Gerling played, his pile of chips large and his smile wide.
Matthew watched the play for several hands.Then he saw it—Gerling’s gaze slid to the man across from him, who tapped three times with his middle finger at the edge of the table.Gerling flipped one of his mother-of-pearl chips over and under the knuckles of his left hand.But it was the flick of the lace cuff on his right sleeve that caught Matthew’s attention.Gerling fumbled the chip, and suddenly, a card slid into his set.He placed down a black king, giving him the winning trick.
“Evening, lads.”Matthew approached the table with a smile.Laying a firm grip on Gerling’s shoulder, he squeezed hard.“You’re done, my lord.I need you to come and chat with me.Now.”
The man’s partner shot to his feet and scurried away.Matthew tipped his head to Ben, who strode after him, easily catching him by the collar of his jacket.“Fresh deck, John,” he said to the dealer.Then he grasped Lord Gerling’s arm and hauled him up.“We can make a scene, if you like.”
“No, no.”Gerling smiled and held his hands up.“I will come.”Then the man had the gall to reach for his winnings.
Matthew growled low and gave him a small shove, directing him away from the table and toward a door to the back rooms.Once they were down at the end of the corridor, he pushed Gerling up against the wall and pinned him with a forearm to his throat.“Haven’t you heard the phrase, ‘cheaters never prosper’?”
Gerling’s eyes began to water.“I-I wasn’t cheating.”
“Really?”Matthew grasped the man’s right arm and shoved his sleeve upward, revealing a small band around his wrist, which held two more aces.He threw them to the floor in disgust.
Ben appeared through the door with the man who’d tried to run.Holding him by his scruff with one of his giant hands, he gave the man a little shake.“Name.”
“Holbrook, B-Bob Holbrook,” the man stuttered.
Matthew slammed Gerling’s hand against the wall next to his head.“Now, normally, I take a finger off for cheating.”
A sob came from Holbrook, and Gerling tried to speak but couldn’t draw a breath.
“But tonight, I am in a good mood, and I don’t feel like getting blood on my clothes.So, instead, you two are going to get gone.And you are banned for life.Don’t even think of showing your faces in my part of town again.”
He let off the pressure on Gerling’s throat.The man slumped forward as he gulped in air.They pulled both men to the exit door and pushed them out into the alley.Back inside, Ben turned to him and chuckled.“Have you ever taken off someone’s finger?”
“No, but they don’t know that.”Matthew straightened his sleeves.
“Been missing this evening.Is the newspaper lady the reason for your good mood?”
“Yes, well, the night has had its ups and downs.Do me a favor and tell Val to put those two on the banned list.I am going to go upstairs and have a drink.Come get me if you need anything down here.”
“Sure, boss.”
Matthew climbed the back stairs to his wing.At the doors, he nodded to Frank, who leaned against the wall.“Stella go to bed?”
Frank nodded.“She came through here about an hour ago.Seaton is in your study.”
Seaton was back?“Thanks, Frank.”
He made his way down the hall to the study.Inside, Seaton sat across the table from Stella, playing cards.They both looked up when he came through the door.
“Matthew, where have you been?”Stella asked.
“Out.”He walked over and kissed the top of her head.“What are you doing still up?”
“Keep Rhys company since you were missing.He is teaching me how to catch when someone is cheating at cards.”
He turned to raise an eyebrow at his friend.“Is he?”
