Chapter 18

If I didn't know any better, I'd believe Annika to be a plant from my father. The way she wiggles around my lap as she watches each flip makes it impossible to focus on a goddamn thing, outside of the way her luscious ass cheeks cup my cock.

Not to mention, she's drinking all my whiskey.

Ward stands along the wall, watching everything with a bored look on his face. He started out as one of my father's men, but he was assigned to my security detail when I was a teenager. I took him with me when I left the nest, and he's more like a brother to me now than my two younger half brothers.

"You're really good at this, Mr. Forbes," Annika says, giggling as she rests her elbows on the table.

My head tilts as I frown, realizing she's speaking to my father. I'm not sure where she got the idea she's supposed to flirt with my dad, but it's driving my instincts half feral.

"How very astute of you," he says condescendingly. He stares directly at her tits that escape the top of her dress as he taps the top of the deck of cards. "I'm afraid I'm done for the night." He shoves his chair back, gesturing for his security team lining the wall. "Goodnight, Cassian." He nods at Ward, heading out without a word to acknowledge Annika.

She glances over her shoulder, waiting for him to exit fully.

Once the door to the parlor closes, she snatches up the deck. She flips it over but doesn't change the order of the cards.

"Well, I think you're screwed," she says softly, tilting her head to meet my eyes. "I don't know how he's doing it. I'm good at picking up cheats, but I couldn't get a solid bead on how he's pulling it off. It doesn't change the fact he is."

I nod, studying how sincere she looks. "Can you explain to me exactly what he's doing?"

"Yeah, I mean, I can walk you through my thought process. The last three or four games is when it became glaringly obvious." Her hand slides over the cards that are now face up, and she focuses on the bottom of the deck. "Every game, at least two face cards have been missing from play. And I know you're going to say they were buried in the pile, but look at this." She taps the last two cards. "The queen of hearts and the queen of spades. It's unusual, but not impossible that they would end up next to each other. Only, moving to the left, we see your hand and then your father's. He didn't shuffle after the last hand, so where did the queens come from?"

My hand tightens on her stomach as my jaw tenses. That is a very good question. "So, you're saying he's cheating."

"I don't want to use that word until I can figure out how he's getting the cards out of play and then back into the deck, following each hand. If he is, then he's one of the best I've ever seen."

I sigh. "It's essentially impossible—I'm never going to beat him."

"I'm not saying that." Her head shakes. "He's blocking your ability to get a royal flush. You play aggressively. You lose more frequently but win bigger when you do. You can beat him with a straight flush, possibly. That's your backup favorite, and we all know why. But, at least tonight, he was only pulling face cards. Your father almost always wins with two pairs or a full house because your flush never fully comes together."

She's not telling me anything I didn't know, but with the added information of the cards being taken out of play, it's like a kick to the gut.

"I mean, you play pairs if you have them, but it's clear they aren't your favorite hand. Even when you have them, you're less likely to raise the bet, and you never seem to bluff with them," she purrs in her husky tone. It seems velvety now that she's been drinking. "The main problem is he knows when you're bluffing, but you often fall prey to his bluffs. You have to change the way you play. If you do, I think you'll have a chance, but honestly, if he's cheating, then he isn't above playing dirty. I just don't see how you'll be able to take his stacks if you don't adapt. I'm not sure why winning is so important to you, but?—"

"Thank you," I say, exhaling heavily.

She nods, leaning back against my chest. "No problem. I'm sorry I couldn't pick up exactly how he's doing it."

"No, you did plenty," I assure her. Beating my father at poker has never been about winning a single hand. I need to take his entire stack. We play with a set amount of chips, and once those are gone, that's it. Any time I get close, he calls an end to gameplay or bluffs on a bullshit hand.

Ward comes over, stopping in front of her. "How about we get you something to eat? You soaked up quite a bit of alcohol but barely picked at dinner."

Annika kind of sways in my grasp until she's got her face in Ward's neck. "Dear God, you smell delicious."

My arm moves with her, cradling her stomach to keep her from tumbling out of the chair.

Ward chuckles. "Thanks, lass, but I'm pretty sure you're seven kinds of wasted."

"Maybe a little tipsy. Not wasted," she mumbles, moving to lick his throat. "It's still true. You smell fantastic."

Ward groans as his eyes fall shut, and he shakes his head. "It's a damn shame you didn't pace yourself better."

She tosses herself back into my lap, and I pull up the opposite arm to keep her from flying off the chair in the other direction. "It's hot in here. Don't you ever turn on the AC? It's Vegas. I'm sure you can afford it."

She bumps into the table in her haste to stand up, and somehow, her ass grinds perfectly over my cock as she bends down to grab the bottom of her dress. She struggles to yank it over her head as my hands land on her thick hips.

Ward watches her carefully. "Perhaps it's time we take Annika up to the nest?"

Annika lets out an adorable little coo as she claps and falls into my lap. "Oh God, that made me ridiculously happy. My heat is coming really fast." She twists around while I'm still watching her like a completely besotted fool. "You always smell like that same expensive cologne. I thought maybe you used it to mask your scent, but then I realized, it's just you."

"Thank you." I clear my throat, ignoring her bare tits. "Let's get you to the nest. You do feel warm."

Where the fuck are Grady and Kane?

Ward chuckles, standing. "Come on, princess."

"That still throws me off," she says, nuzzling her face to my dress shirt.

That move would normally annoy me. Makeup leaves the worst stains, and Colette ensured her gifts included a wide variety of products in various shades and colors. Half of which are likely all over my white shirt.

I distract myself by standing, and Annika immediately circles my ass with her legs. Glancing back at the table, it's clear she kicked off her heels at some point during the night.

That's a two-thousand-dollar pair of shoes, and I got the feeling she would have been happier in the flats Ward picked out.

The bastard.

We've known each other the exact same amount of time. There's no reason he should be so far ahead in getting to know her.

I stride toward the door, trying to understand where I went wrong. The door pops open right as I'm reaching for the handle.

My hand tightens on Annika's ass as Grady's head tilts.

"Dammit. Did I miss strip poker?" He laughs. "Anni Girl, did you purposely lose? That's not your style."

Her head tilts as her feet tighten on my ass. "They're just going to show us to the nest."

"Well, by all means." He steps into the room, but Kane blocks the doorway. "You do smell sweet." He leans over, breathing deeply. I have to fight the urge to turn away. He's not allowed to steal her from me when I've just gotten my hands on her. Not that anything can truly happen tonight, considering she's been drinking. "No one is getting through if you don't move." He nods to Kane. "Oh, by the way, we met your pops when he was heading out."

My head falls back as it shakes. "Jesus Christ."

That's the last thing I need.

Kane finally moves, and I stomp my way through the house toward the nest. I barely make it to the top of the stairs before Annika shakes her head.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I think I'll just go to bed instead."

"You don't want the nest?" I frown, tilting my head to try to see her face.

"No, but thanks for offering."

Grady steps around me, holding his arms out.

I exhale heavily as she stretches toward him. It's the last thing I want to do, but I still make it easier for him to grab her from my hold.

"I'm still upset with you," she whispers to Grady.

"I know, baby," he coos, walking off toward the room they were given.

My jaw hangs open. I'm still flabbergasted by what changed so quickly. More than that, I'm baffled by why I care at all.

I'm going to need a fuck of a lot more alcohol before I can sleep.

It's never a good sign when my office phone rings after eleven p.m. Dropping my glass, I snatch up the phone.

"Cassian, how's my sister?" Ranger asks.

Beautiful. Infuriating. Confusing at the best of times.

"She's fine," I say, trying to sound considerably less intoxicated. "I believe she's sleeping."

"Right," Ranger hums. "It's time we discuss your marker."

My teeth grind together as my hand tightens around the phone. "I've honored my portion of our agreement. Annika is in my home, and she's safe."

"Cassian." My name sounds especially taunting slipping from his lips. "I explained that housing them was the first step in repaying the debt you owe me. Our marker will not be fully resolved until Sparrow is safely in Virginia, where I can keep an eye on her."

"Okay, so how much longer do I need to house her before I can put her on a private flight to the East Coast?" I grind out.

"Do you remember how many lives I had to take to ensure your father's enemies didn't attempt to punish you for his crimes?" Ranger asks conversationally. "Because I do. Seventeen men. It was supposed to be less than five. Take out the ones at the top, and there would be no one left to carry on that vendetta. Do you remember that conversation, Cassian?"

"I do."

"Perfect," Ranger purrs. There's something about his tone that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Now, to ensure Sparrow's safety, you're going to repeat those words in front of the minister who will arrive early tomorrow morning."

I'm on my feet before the thought even crosses my mind. "What the fuck are you saying?"

"I thought my instructions were fairly cut and dry. Your last name carries weight. It provides a fair amount of protection?—"

"And enemies that aren't even my own," I remind him.

"You let me worry about that. Your job is to marry my sister. Do not let her escape, bring her back to me in one piece, and we can discuss your possible divorce sometime in the future." Ranger chuckles. "Make sure she takes your last name."

He hangs up while my jaw hangs open. It's incredibly satisfying to slam the receiver into the base on my desk. Unfortunately, it takes two tries with how drunk I am.

I'm fairly sure Annika will try to remove my nuts when I inform her of this new development.

With a ragged sigh, I aim for the kitchen. I'm going to need to chug water and several Tylenol if I don't want to wake up with a hangover.

I slam my office door behind me, chuckling to myself. The absurdity of my life at the current moment isn't something I ever could have anticipated. This is why Ward is always preaching at me not to accept favors from anyone.

I can practically hear him now. "These things should be handled in-house. You don't want to pay back something you can't afford to give."

He's fucking right about that. I was too headstrong to listen to a word of it. I'm clearly three sheets to the wind. There's no other reason for me to be slightly intrigued by the prospect of calling Annika my wife.

I come around the corner into the kitchen, and my head tilts.

My wife-to-be sits on the kitchen counter in a white nightgown. That must be one of the clothing items Ward picked out. It's soft but practically see-through in places. Her dark tan nipples poke through the thin fabric. She's twisted to the side, cutting an apple with a paring knife.

"Hey," she says, taking a bite of the apple slice.

My hand flies to run over my face. I'm entirely too intoxicated for this.