The Sextet Presents... Bound by Voodoo [Legends] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Online Free Page B

his mouth suggested he was far more troubled by the conversation in the kitchen than smug about the invitation from Rory. “Okay.”
    “They told you I’m a card shark, didn’t they?” She rolled her eyes at Winston, sending a wave of guilt through his conscience. Leading her to believe they’d discussed her card-playing abilities was too damn close to lying.
    Barrett shook his head as he picked up a piece of chicken. “Nope.”
    Winston waited for the bomb to drop. Obviously, the newcomer was going to reveal the real topic.
    Lifting her wineglass, she raised her eyebrows as if to encourage a detailed answer.
    “We talked about knowing when to fold and when to stay in.” The explanation could apply to the true subject as well as cards. “I tend to make a decision and stick with it unless I’m sure the odds of winning are zero.”
    She pursed her lips. “I prefer to wait for a sure thing before going all in.”
    Why hadn’t he ratted out Winston and Miles to her?
    “Sometimes the prize is worth the risk.” Barrett tipped up his beer and took a long pull. “Do you play Stud or Texas Hold ’Em?”
    “Seven Card Stud. Usually penny ante, quarter high bet. We don’t want to keep anybody from making the mortgage payment.” Anticipation of the night’s game seemed to brighten her blue eyes.
    “Sounds fair.”
    No one spoke as they finished eating, and Winston emptied his bottle in a single gulp standing at the kitchen sink after rinsing the plates. His stomach was in knots. Barrett had all but claimed Rory. Miles hadn’t even hinted at whether or not he planned to stay when the others left. They could’ve shared every night together while Rory had been in New Orleans, but he seemed to be distancing himself from Winston—as if he had no use for their encounters anymore. They hadn’t made love in over a week. That spoke a hell of a lot louder than any words Miles might’ve said.
    Grabbing three more beers and the bottle of wine, Winston returned to the living room, not really in the mood to socialize.
    Barrett, Rory, and Miles had settled at the poker table, and she set the deck in front of Winston. “Cut?”
    Frustration urged him to sweep his hand across the cards, sending them flying. Then he’d get up and leave, go for a run, burn off the anger simmering in his gut. Maybe he was the one who should sell out.
    He slid off the top half and then picked up the remainder of the pile to place it on top without speaking. Tossing a penny to the center of the table, he leaned back in his chair to wait for the deal. Three more coins clinked onto the first. Cards glided across the felt to land in front of each player, a reminder of Rory’s experience at the game.
    With a four showing, Miles started the betting by dropping a dime in the pot. Barrett added another dime, as did Rory, and then Winston. She dealt the fourth round, snapping the jack of hearts onto Winston’s queen of hearts. With the jack of spades and a two of clubs hiding, he had a chance of winning the hand or at least bluffing enough to make everybody fold.
    He flipped another dime onto the growing pile of change. “Call.”
    Miles shook his head. “I’m out.”
    Peeking at his pair of facedown cards, Barrett snagged two nickels from his stash for a bet. “Still in, Rory?”
    Without looking down at the four-card hand, she counted out ten pennies and shoved them to the center of the table. Then she dealt another face-up addition to the three players still in the game.
    A shot of adrenaline sent Winston’s heart thumping, but he ignored the excitement of getting the ace of hearts. The likelihood of the king and ten showing up for him in the next two rounds was miniscule. He threw in a quarter anyway. His opponents couldn’t know what lay hidden unless one or the other had already gotten the cards he needed for the royal flush.
    Barrett glanced toward Rory and then stared across the table at Winston. The newcomer’s expression revealed