Chapter Six

Saul: I deposited twenty-four thousand into your account, compliments of Lonnie.

Case: You got twenty-four thousand from Lonnie? How is that possible?

Saul: It's amazing how easily people find money when properly motivated.

Case: I guess this gives me the funds I need to find a place.

Saul: Don't.

Case: Okay.

Case: I asked your assistant to slip something into your office for you.

Saul: Headed there now.

Saul: LOL! Thank goodness it was wrapped.

Case: Why? Are you ashamed of anyone seeing the dildo I plan to ride for your entertainment?

Saul: Not at all. But other people aren't allowed to fantasize about what's mine.

Case: Yours? Mhmm. You know I like it when you turn possessive.

Saul: I'll be home in ten.

Case: I'll be ready.

Saul: Send me a naughty video. I miss you.

Case: Lock your office door. I don't want anyone seeing you touching what's mine.

Saul: Done.

Case: I woke up missing you.

Saul: Maybe I should take some vacation time. It's summer after all.

Case: I would love that.

Saul: I'll see what I can do.

Case: I'm working on your favorite dinner. Do you want to pick up some wine on your way home?

Saul: Feel free to choose whatever you want from the wine cellar.

Case: There's a wine cellar!?

Saul: On the side of the kitchen island, facing the window, there's a lever. Push down.

Case: Holy shit! The whole thing slides away.

Case: You have a whole-ass panic room?

Saul: In my business, it's important.

Case: I'm blown away.

Saul: Can I convince you to meet me at Oliver's by the Sea for lunch?

Case: I'd love that. Just tell me a time.

Oliver's by the Sea was a gorgeous spot. The outdoor seating felt private, with the wide table spacing and the ocean for a view. Case got them a table, only to learn Saul had gotten held up and was still about twenty minutes away from joining him. That was fine. The restaurant was attached to one hotel Saul ran. He could wait. Case sat with his wine and watched the waves. It was peaceful. In fact, everything had been peaceful since meeting Saul.

For years, Case had been on the move, doing one thing or another. With Saul, he just sat quietly and breathed. He felt settled. Saul made everything so damn easy. Then there was their nights. Case sipped his wine to hide his smile. Saul kept his world rocked. He couldn't wait for Saul's upcoming vacation time. Since he had real responsibilities, he had to wait until he had everything covered for his time away. Case was more than willing to wait. In fact, he wasn't going anywhere. For the first time in a long time, Case was in love with life. He no longer thought about all he had lost. All his thoughts were focused on the future.

"So, he asked you to wait for him at my favorite restaurant. Typical. He'll never be over me." Emory materialized from nowhere and claimed a chair at the table.

Case fought his temper. "Are you stalking me?"

Emory's green eyes flashed with humor. "Don't flatter yourself. I eat here all the time. Maybe Saul is stalking me, making you the fool in the process."

"Now who's flattering themselves? This is his hotel."

"Oh, honey." Emory gave him a side-eyed look that screamed he thought Case was an idiot. "I don't have to fluff my own ego. Saul does that every time I see him and he's still wearing the engagement ring he gave me on his pinky. In the end, I know who'll he choose. He'll never be done with me."

Case rolled his eyes. "I wish I had an ounce of your delusion." Inside, a seed of doubt planted, and the roots dug deep. Saul did wear a platinum ring on his pinky. He never took it off. Case had always thought it was just a stylistic choice. Fuck.

Emory stood. "No need for delusions. I have the history records to back me up. He always comes back to me. You'll see." Emory walked away, smirking.

Case hated conceding Emory had won that round. He didn't know why he hadn't considered Emory likely lived here in Atlantic City. Just because they had seen him in Vegas, he shouldn't have thought he would never see the guy again. Of course, Emory would live where Saul did. Had he also lived under Saul's roof? Had Saul truly asked that bastard to marry him? There was a very real possibility Saul wasn't over Emory. If they had been that serious, then Case might not stand much of a chance. Maybe Case was just a rebound.

A warm hand cupped his throat and swept upward. Case's eyes fell closed at the familiar sensation of Saul controlling him. Saul forced Case's chin up so he could take the sexy kiss he always wanted. He bit Case's bottom lip and sucked. A moan vibrated from Case, making a soft and deadly-sounding chuckle rumble from Saul.

"Hello, my gorgeous angel. I've missed you today."

All doubts and pressure lifted from Case's chest. "Hey." He sounded breathless and couldn't stop it. "I've been missing you too. When you asked me to meet you for lunch, I practically bolted from the house."

The way Saul smiled brought chill bumps to Case's skin. "I saw that on the cameras. You jogged to the car. I hate that I kept you waiting."

"You're always worth it. How's your day been?"

"Not bad. I got a visit from an old friend." Case's shoulders stiffened, especially when Saul toyed with the ring on his pinky. "Jericho Wrath." Case's shoulders somewhat relaxed at the name. He had completely expected it to be Emory. "He runs Zander's charity on the east coast. It seems he plans to start a different event on this side of the country, but he'd like to try something other than the usual dinner gala. We were brainstorming ideas."

"Did you come up with anything?" Case wanted to rip the ring from Saul's finger. The guy wouldn't stop playing with it. Before that moment, Case hadn't realized how often Saul did that.

"Not yet. Thinking about you had me briefly considering something I've seen professional sports teams do countless times. They auction dates with players. Unfortunately, considering the nature of the charity, that seemed in poor taste."

"That makes sense. Is your ring bothering you?" Case heard the hint of snap in his voice. It was out of his control.

Saul went still. "Is everything okay?"

Case took a breath. He needed to move past Emory. Case wouldn't let him win. "I'm good. Sorry. I didn't mean for my question to come out sounding like that. You seem nervous. I just worry about you."

"Sorry. I'm a bit of a fidgeter when I have a lot on my mind. It's a lot running so many hotels. Having another thing thrown my way makes me long for that vacation even more. Maybe we should go somewhere instead of keeping it as a staycation. If I'm here, someone might track me down to work."

Case leaned forward. He linked fingers with Saul. Saul was here with him. He chose Case every day. Case wouldn't let Emory ruin this. "Where would you like to go? I still have the money from Lonnie. I could take you anywhere."

"That's your money, baby." The sweet smile on his lips let Case know—no matter what Saul said—he still adored that Case offered. "How do you feel about a quiet cabin in the woods?"

"Where no one can hear you scream," Case added.

Saul's smile grew. "Exactly."

"Sounds like heaven."

At his agreement, Saul kissed his hand before leaning back in his seat. He unbuttoned his jacket, revealing the gun beneath. God, it was so wrong that a dangerous man turned him on. Case wanted to jump him.

"You have to stop looking at me like that. I have to go back to work after this."

Case's mouth lifted in one corner. He felt his expression turn wicked. "Looking at you like what?"

Heat flashed in Saul's eyes. "We could skip this and lock my office door."

Case tossed back his wine and stood.

With his silent agreement, Saul dropped a few bills on the table. Together, they cut through the restaurant and into the hotel. Saul held his hand. People tried stopping him, but Saul barreled past them. Case fought a smile over the idea of Saul wanting him this badly. Emory definitely wasn't on his mind right now.

It felt like it took forever to get to Saul's office. As Saul opened the door, Case molded against his back, prepared to do whatever it took to please Saul. Two huge men stood over a smaller man seated in the office. Case felt the defeat wash over Saul.

"Mr. Gabris. We have a bit of a problem."

Saul sighed.

Case immediately knew they wouldn't get their lunchtime tryst.

Saul removed his jacket and passed it Case's way. The man's eyes dropped to Saul's gun. Weapons weren't allowed in casinos. The only people who didn't fear the law were people the law feared. Saul rolled up the sleeves on his dress shirt, showing off the sexy muscular forearms his business-style clothing hid. Case wanted to lick him.

"You're ruining my plans. I don't like having my time interrupted."

The guards smirked.

The guy in the chair shifted nervously.

Saul looked Case's way. "We'll pick this up when I get home."

With a nod, Case hung the jacket on the back of Saul's chair. Without a word, he headed for the door. This didn't seem like something he should interrupt in any way. Before he got away, Saul snagged his shirt and stole a kiss. When he pulled away, he held Case's stare. "We will pick this up."

Damn. Case couldn't wait.

Saul waited until he was certain Case was gone before he focused on the man waiting for his attention.

"There's only one way you end up in this office."

"I swear I didn't do anything. I'd just bought chips to play poker when these guys grabbed me."

Saul's gaze moved toward the guards. He already knew what the story would be. It was always the same story these days. It amazed Saul people still didn't realize how common this scam was. This guy wasn't special.

"He bought five hundred in chips with five fake one hundred bills. You know the drill. He immediately took the chips to a different window to cash it out."

Saul's gaze moved back to the rapidly paling man. "Well, that was dumb. What do you think I should do with someone trying to steal from me?"

"I don't know."

Saul eyed the guy. He had dark hair with no sign of gray. There were no wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but Saul didn't believe he was young enough to be in his twenties. He was probably thirty. Way too old to be running schemes. That meant he knew he should work like everyone else and chose to be scum.

"What would you do if you caught someone robbing your home?"

The man's gaze dropped to Saul's gun. He was right to be scared. This guy had interrupted a very nice afternoon with Saul's man. He had ruined the mood. There was a very good chance this guy would never steal again after today. Saul would make sure of that.

A knock landed on the office door. With a loud sigh, Saul's head swung that way. "Come."

Saul's assistant, Shaun, bustled inside carrying an iPad. He didn't spare a glance for the man on the edge of losing his life. "There's something you should see." He handed the tablet to Saul and hit play.

An image of Case waiting at the restaurant appeared on the screen. He sipped his wine and stared at the ocean. Emory came onto the screen. He claimed the seat across from Case. Saul couldn't hear anything or see Emory's face. All he had to go by was Case's expression. "Do we have audio of this?"

Shaun shook his head. "There was too much background noise in the recording."

Saul kept watching. Emory left pretty quickly. Case's expression had Saul holding his breath. He looked shattered. Unsure. Saul wanted to drag Emory to his office and make this day a two for one special. It seemed Emory still intended to drive Case away, and that was a level of thievery Saul wouldn't tolerate. Then Saul came onto the screen. Case's entire demeanor changed. His expression when Saul cupped his throat weakened Saul's knees.

He handed the tablet back. "Send this to my email. I might need it for a restraining order. This is getting out of control."

"Yes, sir."

Saul focused on the guards. "Take care of this. You know what to do. I have something more important to handle."

"Yes, sir," both guards said simultaneously.

Saul grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. He had a sexy man at home who needed reassurance. That was Saul's top priority.

He made it home mere minutes after Case. Case's car still made the popping sounds of cooling down inside the garage. Saul listened for any signs of Case as he toed off his shoes inside the mudroom. He headed for the living room first. It was empty. Saul made his way toward the bedroom. He found Case gathering laundry. Case didn't notice him right away. His expression mirrored the way he had looked when Emory walked away from him. There was a deep, angry-looking line between his eyebrows. Saul desperately wanted to ask what Emory had said, but then Case would know he was watched at Saul's businesses.

"You know we have a cleaning service."

Case startled. He dropped the laundry basket. "Holy shit. I didn't hear you come in."

Saul nodded. "You looked a little lost in thought."

A sweet smile touched Case's lips. "I thought you had something important to handle."

For a moment, Saul eyed Case, trying to decide what the man needed from him the most before responding. "Nothing is more important than you. The moment you were gone, I realized the only place I want to be is with you today. We missed lunch. I'd love to take you on a picnic on the beach. Then, maybe, we could pick up where we left off earlier."

The sweet happiness on Case's face made everything better. "I'd love that."

Saul breathed easier. For the first time in his life, Saul had found something he didn't think he could survive losing. He would erase whatever Emory had done. Saul would make him happy. Case couldn't leave.