“I go by Fox,” he exhales. “Viper paid me a few million to watch over you. He wanted to make sure the bookstore is a safe place for you.”
A few million?He says it so casually, as if it’s not a lot of money.
“You know, I work hard to pick out new books for you. The least you could have done was told me you were friends with m—Viper,” I say playfully.
I stop myself from calling him my boyfriend. We didn’t agree on anything or make things official, and I’m not going to set myself up with high hopes thinking he wants something long-term.
He laughs. “I enjoyed reading them too, but my work schedule became hectic, so I couldn’t do it. But all the books you recommended, I did download them on e-book.”
My eyes avert to the wooden floor, then back to his. “Sorry if I was a bitch toward you when I first met you. I had no idea who you were—I thought you were a creep who kept checking me out and would eventually ask me out.”
“You are gorgeous.” He smiles but in a friendly way, placing his hand on my leg. “But you’re not worth me dying over.”
What exactly does he mean by dying over?
“Yes, she’s gorgeous, and she’s mine, so keep your hands off of her,” Viper says, looking adorable in his white T-shirt and basketball shorts. His cinnamon bodywash scent lingers in the air, and my heart picks up speed and butterflies flop inside of my belly.
Fox throws his hands in the air. Viper kisses me on the lips and yanks me into his arms.
“I can’t believe you found someone to put up with your crap. I thought you were going to die an old man,” Amelia says with amusement in her eyes.
“I’m not the one who has a dozen cats,” Viper says.
“I have only two cats.”
Viper nods toward the other guy, who is watching the exchange. He doesn’t say anything to me, and I’m sensing some tension between him and Viper.
“Leo, how’s it going?” Viper asks, sliding his hands to my ass, and I slap his hand away.
“It’s going.” His eyes slither to my body quickly, and he looks away.
“You ready to get your ass beat in poker?” Viper says to Fox and Amelia.
“You aren’t going to do shit,” Fox says, punching him in the arm.
“Last time we played, I took both of your money,” Amelia says, placing her arms on my shoulders. “Do you know how to play poker?”
I have only one thousand dollars in my bank account, so I can’t afford to lose money. “I do, but I’m going to sit the game out,” I tell her.
We go into the gaming room, where the poker chips are set up, chairs around the table. A flat-screen TV is mounted on the black wall, and there is a wide window overlooking the city. The sky is clear as the sun sets, and I inhale deeply at the view.
“The chef is going to bring in the snacks,” Viper says.
I stand off to the corner while everyone takes their seats. Fox sits next to Viper, and Amelia sits next to Leo.
“Why are you standing up, angel?” Viper asks curiously, patting his thigh. “Come sit on my lap.”
I ease onto his lap and wrap my arms around his shoulders, and he kisses my cheek.
“You’re going to be my good luck charm tonight, angel.”
My cheeks warm when I feel everyone’s eyes on me. I’m not keen on public displays of affection, but if Viper likes it, then I guess I’ll do it.
Several minutes later, Chef Louis brings in a tray of finger food and a bottle of red wine. I grab a carrot and dip it into the ranch dressing, and I eat.
As the game starts, they go over their rules and talk about betting over seven million dollars. I could do a lot with that type of money—feed the poor, do research for cancer and other diseases—but they gamble it like it’s nothing.
They play poker for a few hours, and they laugh, joke, and the atmosphere feels homey and like they are a real family.
