Callused fingers brushed over my thigh, slipping under the slit of my dress and palming my leg. The electrifying touch snapped me from my musing, my heart galloping.
“Deep breath, Willow. You’re safe with me. I promise,” Kaelen murmured, stroking the sensitive skin, sending a jolt of pleasure to my center. “Have you ever been to a casino before?”
“Are you trying to distract me?”
“Is it working?”
“Yes,” I said, secretly loving that he was already attuned with my needs. “And no, I’ve never been gambling. Do people usually get this dressed up to throw away their money?”
“At my casino, yes. It is exclusive and underground. Every person who steps foot through the door is vetted before being allowed in.”
The car stopped in front of a rowdy pub lined with patrons in Sox gear. My eyes flicked to Kaelen, my confusion apparently evident on my face.
“Not everything is as it seems.”
Without another word, he threaded his fingers through mine, helping me out of the sedan as Torin opened the door. He stroked the gland on the inside of my wrist, making me shiver.
The streets were loud with the sounds of blaring car horns and distant shouts. Kalen tucked me into his side like I was something precious to be hidden away from the world.
And for a minute, I actually believed it.
Inside the pub, cheers erupted at our entrance. Beer sloshed over overfilled glasses as a sea of people clad in Red Sox garb shouted at the TVs mounted on the walls. Somebody had hit a walk-off home run, and the pub was devolving into chaos around them.
Kaelen hugged me tighter, his massive palm splayed across the span of my ribs as he maneuvered us toward an unassuming door behind the bar. A bleached-blonde beta with long, tanned legs and perky tits slung drinks across the bar, easily fending off handsy, drunk men.
“Mr. Finnegan,” she said with a thick Irish lilt, her eyes widening when she caught me tucked under his arm. “And who is this pretty thing?”
A possessive flare overpowered him, even if any real malice was lacking in his gaze. This woman either had a death wish or knew how to push Kaelen’s buttons without going too far.
“Carmen,” he grumbled, annoyed by her amusement. “This is Willow.”
“Pleasure,” she said, dipping her chin before cursing at a guy trying to climb the bar. “Maybe you can keep him in line. Have fun tonight, Willow.”
Before I could talk to her, Kaelen steered me out of the way of a group of screaming men.
“Who was that?”
“Carmen. She runs all our legitimate pubs throughout the city. Even on her best days, she’s bothersome.”
“Then why does she work for you?”
“Because she’s tough as nails. Doesn’t take any bullshite from anyone, and above all, is discreet. She knows how to balance the front of house with the silent businesses in the background. She is also my cousin on my ma’s side. So I’m stuck with her, like it or not.”
While he rubbed a slow circle on my hip, he pressed his other hand to a scanner by the door. It lit up in a bright shade of green as the sound of a lock clicking echoed over the din of the bar. Kaelen escorted me over the threshold into a dimly lit hallway that eerily reminded me of those last walks I saw death row inmates take in movies.
My pulse jumped. My fingers grew cold, and I hated how quickly I was plunged into a fake reality. Anxiety knotted in my chest, making me believe things that weren’t true. I trusted Kaelen as much as I worried it was a mistake. I felt the thrum of it in my heart. Unfortunately, my mind played tricks on me, not allowing me to have joy.
It had to be too good to be true.
At least that’s what my traitorous thoughts said. I didn’t deserve happiness or peace. So something must have been wrong.
“Willow?” he said, his rich Irish lilt cutting through my insidious musings. “Speak to me.”
The command in his voice teetered on the edge of a bark. It should have made the hairs on my skin prickle, but it didn’t. His scent thickened around us. The blend immediately calmed the tingling in my fingers.
“It’s dark here,” I muttered, trying to make sense of what about the space unnerved me.
It was hard to articulate. I wasn’t exactly sure, but I had a feeling it was an intended consequence, and that the entrance to his casino was designed to do exactly that.
