Luck of the Devil (The Forge Trilogy #2)(34)

“Holly.” I say her name like some kind of idiot and then snap my mouth shut as her husband extends his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Indy. I’m Creighton. Or Crey, if you prefer. We can be informal since you helped me win a bet with a friend of ours.”

“A bet?” I wheeze out the word.

“Forge swore off marriage at one of our meetings, so of course, a friend and I wagered on how long it would be before he took the plunge.”

I glance at Forge, whose brows seem to lift in amusement, which is the opposite of what I would expect from him when faced with a friendly jab of that nature.

“I didn’t know what the world had in store for me yet.” He curves the hand on the small of my back around to settle on my hip. “But you also didn’t tell me about the bet. I can’t believe Riscoff was willing to take you up on it.”

“He was the one who came up with the idea.”

Forge’s body vibrates with his chuckle. “Of course he was. I’ll have to make sure to let him know how happy I was to prove him wrong.”

“Your table is ready, Mr. Karas. Would you like me to bring over a bottle of champagne? It would be my pleasure,” a server says as he waves toward the private area screened off on three sides with modular bamboo walls, just to the side of the pool.

“I’ve never turned down champagne, except when I was pregnant,” Holly says, her accent growing stronger. “I’m sure not going to turn it down now.”

Forge’s hand tightens on my hip as we follow the server toward the table. “Champagne is perfect. Indy’s ready to celebrate her win last night at a game in Mallorca. Over two million. Kicked every man’s ass at the table.”

For some reason, hearing Forge brag about me sends a shock wave of surprise through me.

We all settle into our chairs, and Creighton’s attention is on me. “Impressive. Although not surprising, considering that your reputation precedes you.”

Wait, is he saying he’s heard of me? Like beyond what Forge told him?

“You follow poker, Mr. Karas?”

“Creighton.” He corrects me, lifting a glass of water to his lips. “And not regularly, but even I remember hearing tales of a woman they called Queen Midas when I spent some time working on a project in Vegas.”

Whoa. Not what I expected to hear. But it sets me at ease and makes me feel like I’m not the odd one out at the table.

The server returns with a bottle of champagne, and after Creighton approves it, he pours each of us a glass.

“I didn’t play in Vegas long. Too many Americans with chips on their shoulders and something to prove.”

Holly bursts into laughter, nearly knocking over the champagne as she reaches for it. “That sounds about right. There’s nothing like good old-fashioned arrogance. I imagine you’re just as well acquainted with it as I am.”

I cut my gaze to Forge over the top of my champagne flute. “I’m getting there.”

“You can’t put me in the same category as him.” Creighton waves at Forge as he protests to his wife. “He’s barely civilized. I couldn’t even get him to leave his damn boats and come to land to discuss my first proposal.”

“They’re ships, not boats, dammit. And what can I say? I prefer the ocean to most people,” Forge says with a lazy lift of his chin.

“So, how did you end up in business together?” I ask before taking a sip of champagne.

Creighton snorts and looks at me. “I badgered him. Threatened to land on the deck of his ship whether he gave me permission or not. And when he finally said he’d give me an hour of his time, the man barely spoke two words during the meeting.”

The server returns, and Forge and Creighton both order whiskey.

“And then what happened?” I ask as soon as the server disappears beyond the bamboo wall.

“I got to the technical part of my proposal, and he proceeded to point out every single assumption I had wrong and explained why I would lose every penny I invested if I stuck to my original strategy, because I didn’t know shit about shipping.”

I look between the two men, and Forge’s posture is more relaxed than I’ve ever seen before.

“And was he right?” I ask Creighton, already guessing the answer. Forge doesn’t strike me as the kind of man to speak on a subject when he’s not certain.

“Completely. He didn’t even rub my face in it. He just told me how to do it correctly, and we made a shit-ton of money.”

“Cheers to that!” Holly lifts her champagne in the air, and the rest of us follow suit.

I like them, I decide. But I like my husband even more.





35





Forge





If there’s one thing I’ll never have to worry about, it’s whether Indy can hold her own in a social situation. She’s a brilliant conversationalist, witty, self-deprecating, and just generally fascinating.

She’s charmed Holly and Karas. I know it wasn’t something she set out to do, but she did it all the same.

Dinner has been cleared away, and we’re nursing the remainder of our drinks. I should be thinking about how quickly I can get Indy home and naked, but I don’t want to cut this short. She’s enjoying it too much to bring the night to a close, even if the sun is setting behind us and the breeze off the Mediterranean cools with each passing hour.