Admit You Love Me: A Secret Baby Romance (Irresistible Billionaires Book 2)

I had terrible luck in places like this and I was about to see the worst of it.
Of course, I lost the game. Good thing I hadn’t bet that much. I sighed and shrugged, trying to look gracious as I gave up the equivalent of one of our monthly bills. “I should have known.”
“Are you playing again?” he asked me. I looked at him. I was studiously avoiding eye contact the whole game. Now that he had initiated, I felt like it was almost an invitation. Of course, his voice after all these years sent prickles over my skin. The good kind.
“I should have learned my lesson from the first time. I'm rubbish at poker.”
“I reckon anyone can learn.”
“It's just not my game.”
“Then what is your game?” he asked. I smiled at him. He still had that knack to make me feel comfortable, even in the most uncomfortable, ridiculous circumstances.
“Hearts,” I said.
He frowned suddenly looking around at the table, and then he stood up.
“Would you like to join me for a drink?” he asked. Oh, so suddenly? I stood. Any excuse to get out of there.
“Yeah, I'd love that.”
Amazing. He wasn't even going to make me work for it. With any luck, this was going to be easier than I thought.
It was still too early to count my chickens. I needed to keep my guard up. I couldn’t let go the way he or I really wanted to. The closer I got to him, the closer he would get to my secret. I needed him though. This wasn't the first time that I was in front of him with a bruised pride. I followed him out of the main room and into one of the smaller rooms. It seemed like a little bar for people to come take breaks between their games. There was a small bar and few tables scattered around the room. He told me to sit while he got us some drinks.
I sighed and felt a wash of relief when he left, grateful for the few moments away from him. Being in his presence again was having an unexpected effect on me. I never thought it would happen. Never thought I would be so lucky. In the mess that followed my husband dying, the financial struggle and uncertainty, he just never really crossed my mind anymore. I could not fuck this up. I needed to get him to buy me out. I have never asked him for anything before, surely, with our history, he would give this to me.
He walked up to our little booth with two drinks. I smiled when I saw his selection.
“Scotch,” I said.
He grinned, handing me my tumbler. “You seemed to like it enough last time we were together.”
The last time we were together I was drinking to calm my nerves because I was with the stranger who had won me in a card game. It had worked though. Truth be told I didn’t need that much convincing to go to bed with him. I smiled at the memory.
“You saw how quickly I got drunk that time. Are you hoping for a repeat performance?”
“Hoping? No. But I will welcome one.”
We laughed. I didn't know what it was. It was just so easy with him. I didn’t have to think. There was no pretense to him. I didn't have to act like someone else to try and impress him. He took a swig of his drink.
“So, is the Baron about?”
I took a larger, more deliberate pull of mine. “No, he isn't.”
“I'm glad to hear that.”
I chuckled. He didn't know the half of it. “Why do you say that?”
“I don't have to remind you what happened the last time the two of you were at a casino together, do I?”
You could cut the sexual tension with a knife. He remembered just as well as I did what happened between us last time we were both at a casino. I couldn't believe the attraction was this strong even after all this time. We didn't even need my husband around to get us in the same room together this time. I was here on official business, but this man was distracting me.
“No, you don't.” Because he's dead, I didn't add. It was clear that he didn’t know already, otherwise, he would have offered condolences. On the other hand, I really didn’t want to discuss my husband when I was talking to Mr. Enigmatic again for the first time in five years. The man was dead and even though he was the source of all my problems, he didn’t deserve half the attention he was still getting from me. I was here to ask for something specific, but I was actually having fun; something I had deprived myself of because of the money issues for such a long time now that I almost forgot what it felt like. Talking about Russell would ruin the mood immediately.
“If I was you, I wouldn't be caught dead in a casino.”
“Oh, come on. You have one bad night and you never come back?”
“I know you did not just refer to what happened between us as a bad night,” he said.
I laughed and blushed. “You know what I mean. Can’t I just enjoy the games like everyone else here?”
“He raised a brow looking at me. If you're here to play, then why don't you play with me? Hearts, wasn't it?”

3
Niall
I watched her throw back the rest of her drink, and then she smiled at me.
“Absolutely. Why not?”
Perfect. I told her to stay put and went to the bar and asked for a deck of cards.
“Shall we?” I asked her, walking back to our little table with the cards. She raised an eyebrow. I motioned to a table that was off to the corner, dimly lit, semi-private where we could pretend it was just the two of us.
“We don't have to play here. I can beat you at any one of these tables,” she said with a grin. I laughed