Page 274 of Phobia

Instead, she studies the men at the table.Their reactions, more specifically. I give her a few minutes to get comfortable and then make my way over, ignoring Frank's grumbling about how he’s in for a long night. Grabbing a free chair, I place it between Treacle and the player to her right.

Green eyes land on me, widening slightly as they assess my face.Green eyes—I assumed they’d be brown. They’re dazzling, like emeralds, but every queen needs her jewels.

Still, as observant as she is, she’s not the only one good at studying people. I take in every detail, from the quickening of her breathing to the slight blush creeping up her exposed chest.

She’s good, though, and she regains control in seconds, turning her attention to the card that’s just been passed to her. She looks at it, switches her hand up and drops a card while giving nothing away. Then she watches as the player to her left does the same, his slight reaction reflecting the truth he’s desperate to conceal. I saw it, and so did she. She’s mentally storing all their tells.

A few more hands are dealt, she wins some and folds in others, but all the while, she remains unreadable.

“Are you joining us?” she asks, staring directly at me. Those precious gems that keep her secrets hidden, holding me captive.

Like her, I don’t show my cards, appearing unaffected. “Not right now.”

I catch a hint of her perfume—soft musk with a touch of something sharper. She smells divine, and I can’t wait until her scent is blended with our combined cum and sweat.

Resisting the urge to rearrange my stirring cock, I maintain eye contact.

She smiles softly and closes the space between us, causing my pulse to race.

“Then could you fuck off, please?” She leans away and calmly continues her game like she’s not just knocked the wind out of me.

My Treacle comes with a dash of spice, and I’m sold on her flavour. My lips curl in appreciation. “I’m fine where I am, thanks.”

She stares again but falters—possibly due to the fear radiating from everyone at the table who caught her words. “Stop watching me.”

This time, I lean closer, my breath brushing her cheek. “Am I distracting you?”

Turning, her lips are centimetres from mine, their warmth just out of reach. “No. You’re annoying me.”

The grin stretches across my face, and I lean back to admire her.This night is officially going to be fun.Taking my phone from my pocket, I fire a message to Frank:Get me details.

He doesn’t need more than that, and within seconds, he’s walking over to the group she arrived with. I glance over, giving them my attention for the first time in a while. The silver-haired woman shares a resemblance with Dumb Fuck. Her hair comes from a bottle, but their eyes are the same shade of brown. The other bloke… He-Man—that’s who he reminds me of—hiseyes keep flicking between me and the beauty by my side.

I smirk and turn my attention back to her, and fifteen minutes later, my phone vibrates with a reply from Frank.

Naomi Mitchell. 26. Single.

A name fit for a queen, nice age, and it wouldn’t matter either way.

Tonight. She’s mine.

Chapter 6

Thank fuck, that’s over.

I walked away from the table with everyone else’s winnings, and then Kelly marched Ant over to the kiosk, where he handed it all back to clear the debts he’d racked up.I just hope it covered it all.

I rushed straight to the toilets, and that’s where I still am. Hiding.

Dark, sexy, chiselled, and dangerous has turned me into a bag of nerves. At first, his presence and the fact that he’s incredibly gorgeous put me on high alert. Some people with tokophobia practise celibacy. It’s the best way to avoid pregnancy, but my libido never got the message. I like sex—a lot.

It scares the shit out of me, but I love an orgasm as much as the next woman, even though my fear always lurks in the background.

That man, though… those blue eyes, such a contrast to his dark skin, made my ovaries ache as they seared through my soul, and that’s the last thing I want. They’d have been removed years ago if the doctor had let me.

The second thing that has me shaking is how everyone turned silent when I told him to fuck off. I didn’t even think. I just acted on impulse and my desire to keep him away. It didn’t work, but I heard the gasps and saw the widening of eyes as soon as I’d spoken.

Every man at the table was petrified of him.