Straight Flushed (Hot Pursuit #1)(16)

I smiled up at him. “Thanks.”

Once we got back to Vance’s house, I sat at the kitchen table, and he threw a deck of cards at me.

“Shuffle ‘em up,” he said while he grabbed a couple beers from his fridge.

“Peroni?” I said, looking at the green bottle he handed me. “Were you entertaining someone high class last night?”

“I only entertain the high class, baby. You’re here, aren’t you?”

I shook my head and dumped the cards in my palm while he divvied out our poker chips.

“I hope you realize you deserve more, Di,” Vance said.

“Deserve more what? Aces are wild, by the way,” I said, splitting the deck in two. I shuffled the cards.

We were going to play a few simple rounds of basic poker. We each would be dealt five cards, and after a round of betting, we’d have an opportunity to get rid of up to three cards and get new ones dealt. As always, the best hand would win.

“Deserve more from a man. I don’t get what you see in Gabe. You guys are worlds apart.”

“I’m not sure you’re the best person to be taking relationship advice from, heartbreaker. When was the last time you were even in a serious relationship? All I ever see is you screwing anything with a pair of nice long legs and a perky set of boobs.”

“I choose to live my life like that right now. If I wanted to be in a relationship, I’d be in one.”

“That wasn’t my question. When was the last time?”

“I don’t know,” he said, shrinking back as if a foul scent had entered the room. He threw in his ante. “You going to ante up, or are you going to flap your gums all night long?”

I threw in my ante. “You started it,” I said and dealt our cards.

“I didn’t start anything. I only asked because I care and I want to understand it. Some rich guy who runs a company with his daddy’s money, I don’t get the attraction.” He hesitated. “Let me clarify, I get the attraction from most other girls, but I never would have pegged you for the type to go for ‘the rich guy.’”

“I don’t care that he’s rich, and honestly, I’m kind of offended that you would think that was a selling point for him.” I looked over my cards. “Your bet.”

Vance fanned out his cards and organized them in his hand. He threw a few chips in the pot. I threw in enough chips to match his bet. I was staring at a pair of aces and a king—I had three of a kind. Vance didn’t stand a chance this round.

“Then what was it? Gabe seems like an ass, if you asked me.”

“Um, I didn’t, and he’s far from an ass—except currently.” I rolled my eyes. “For one thing he’s very handsome.” I glared at him over my cards. “Even you can admit that.”

“Whatever.” He shrugged.

“But he gets me. He understands…” I cleared my throat to give myself a second to recover from a sudden pain in my chest. “…Understood what makes me tick.”

He hummed. “Okay.”

“He’s extremely smart and despite working with his dad and his brother, he was hardly handed his job. He had to work for it and earned his position. Did you know he graduated summa cud laude at Stanford?”

“Yeah, I bet his daddy paid for that too.”

I sighed. “He still studied and earned it. You can’t buy grades.”

“Eh, whatever. So he’s smart. So what?”

“A big brain on a guy is sexy as hell.”

“All right, all right. What else?”

“He follows rules and he understands that part about my personality more so than anyone else ever has.”

“Really?” He was taken aback. “I got that you were kind of narrow-minded when it came to bending the rules out there, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal with you.”

“I’m not narrow-minded, and that’s what I’m talking about. It’s the biggest deal with me and you always scoff, like you did in the park that day with Avery and after on the way home, but rules are what keep me sane and what keep me safe.”

He grunted and held me in his deep chocolate stare. “I’m sorry. I never knew you felt that strongly about it.”

I shrugged. “Well, now you do.” I glanced down at my cards. “And I’ll raise you.” I threw a few more chips in the pot.

“Raising me? Got something good in there?” he asked, studying me. He considered betting then arrived at his decision and threw enough chips in to match my bet.

Inside I smiled. I had to be careful with Vance, somehow he always knew when I had a good hand. I didn’t want to spook him.

“How many cards you want?” I asked.

Vance laid down two cards from his hand, and I dealt him two new ones. I discarded my two useless cards and replaced them. When I picked up the new cards, I got another king and a two. Four of a kind is a damn strong hand.

I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Your bet.”

He smirked and looked at me over his cards. “You’re holding something.”

I kept my face like a stone. He wasn’t going to get a read off me. “Maybe, maybe not. I could be bluffing.”

He studied my face then looked down at his cards. “I’m a gambling man, but I’m not stupid. I’m out.” He threw his cards down, folding.