Page 44 of Playing with Forever (Players Club Sinners #1)

Andrea

I couldn’t believe six months had already passed.

Chase and I had fun tackling his place as a couple.

We painted the walls, and redid the kitchen, giving both color.

My art prints hung on the walls as well as some new art that Chase had bought me.

New furniture filled the living room, and I was putting some sexy touches on our bedroom décor, opting for a black and deep purple palette.

We’d even had his mother and father over for dinner when they’d been out visiting—his father checking on things at the Las Vegas division of Noble and Associates, and his mother doing some interior decorating for The Players Club.

Jillian and Dean Noble had raised a fine man. An honorable man. And I made sure they both knew it during their visit.

I wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to be constantly spoiled, but I understood what Chase was doing by letting me transform his place.

It was his way of taking care of me. Letting me know that we had enough money for things like art, and redecorating, and really, anything my heart desired.

I wasn’t ever going to worry about going hungry or being evicted. Chase would always be there.

Work had been busy, but we’d still found time for each other.

I had gotten a promotion after Brandon’s arrest, my bosses telling me that my campaigns had been successful and they wanted me in a position to provide more oversight to the others in my department.

Especially since it was clear that I had always done more work than Brandon did on our joint projects.

Brandon… thank God that was all over. When news of his arrest got out, a few other women had come forward, testifying as his victims. He’d never done anything that the police could pin on him and so any reports made had just…

sat there. Nobody had ever followed up, nobody had bothered to do anything.

These women had been forced to change their names and move to new cities, to live in fear that one day he would come back.

Now, they would finally get justice and see him behind bars for a good long time.

It felt so good to be able to walk around freely and go anywhere I wanted, all on my own, and not worry that someone was following me. Even six months later I still felt incredibly grateful for that freedom every time it happened.

I entered the casino and made my way over to Violet’s table, watching her from the side as she dealt a hand to the players sitting in front of her. I didn’t want to distract her while she focused on her job.

Casinos never made me very comfortable. Between my lack of poker face if I played and the memories of my father’s behavior and gambling addiction, it put me on edge. But Violet was in her element here, in full command of her table, and I loved watching her work.

When she wrapped up her shift, another dealer came up behind her as the players left and tapped her on the shoulder. Violet stepped back, the other dealer stepped forward, and the next round began.

Violet saw me and grinned, walking over. “Hey! You made it!”

“Why do you say it like that?” I teased, hugging her hello.

“Because you’re always so busy with that hot man of yours,” Violet teased me right back. “C’mon, I get to eat at the buffet for free.”

We made our way over to the casino’s buffet, one of the many insanely delicious restaurants that Vegas was famous for. We filled up our plates, and I waited for Violet to notice the new accessory on my left hand.

By the time we’d sat down, she still hadn’t.

I was right-handed but I did my best to eat with my left hand so she could see the two carat diamond ring catching the light, but Violet was too busy talking about her day. I kept trying to hold back my laughter.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore. “Notice anything different about me?”

Violet frowned, examining my face. “If he knocked you up and I’m supposed to notice because your boobs are getting bigger or you’re glowing or something…”

“Oh my God.” I rolled my eyes and thrust out my left hand. “ Look .”

Violet’s eyes went wide. She dropped her fork and grabbed my hand. “Oh my God!” she squealed in excitement.

I grinned so hard it hurt my cheeks. My heart felt like it might float out of my chest. “He proposed last night.”

“That’s amazing!” She pressed a hand to her heart, smiling. “I’m so happy for you. What did he do?”

“He made dinner and set it on top of my dessert,” I said, laughing.

Violet’s brows rose. “He’s really getting into cooking, huh?”

I shrugged, but my heart did a little flutter when I thought of him in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, brow furrowed in concentration. “He likes to cook, and it’s one of the ways he enjoys taking care of me. And I think it’s therapeutic for him.”

“Putting the ring on top of a dessert?” she asked, shaking her head. “Kind of cheesy. But of course you loved it.”

“Of course I did. And it’s not cheesy if it’s the right person. Then it’s just… earnest and sweet.”

Violet feigned a gag, but she was grinning. “God save me.”

“Someday, you’re going to eat those words. Just you watch.”

“I don’t need a boyfriend.”

“But you could use some fun, right?” I asked, reaching into my purse. My fingers brushed the invitation I’d brought for her, and pulled it out with a flourish. “Ta da.”

Violet took the invitation, her face lighting up like I’d handed her the keys to her own private fantasy, and I guess in a way, I had. “Thank you thank you thank you, did I mention you’re the best sister ever?”

“So, is this sufficient bribery for being my maid of honor?” I teased.

“Oh, well… I suppose…” Violet leaned over and hugged me tight. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve this.”

And for once, I didn’t argue. I didn’t deflect or downplay it. I just…accepted it. Because the truth was, I did deserve this. I’d fought hard for my happiness, for my life. And Chase was the best part of it.

When Violet went back to her shift, I floated out of the casino on a cloud of joy, eager to get home. My body still ached in the best possible way from last night’s celebration—hot, desperate, passionate sex—and I couldn’t wait to spend the night in Chase’s arms again.

But when I walked through the door, Chase was fully dressed, shoes on, jacket in hand, tension written across every line of his body.

“What’s up?” I asked curiously.

“You didn’t answer my texts,” he said, glaring at me. “I didn’t know where you were.”

I blinked. “Oh, please. Just because you put a ring on my finger doesn’t mean you get to use it as a leash. You should’ve just put a tracking device in the damn thing if that’s the case.”

He didn’t laugh.

Okay, I’d gone too far.

I softened. “We talked about this. You can ask where I am. You can even tell me you’re worried. But don’t go dark and broody and possessive on me. Not without context.”

He arched a brow at me, looking very…dom like. “I don’t think you’re taking this very seriously.”

“Of course I’m not,” I replied, my tone light and playful. “But I can say I’m sorry and pretend I care if it’ll make you feel better.”

His lips twitched. There it was. The slight crack in the armor. “I had a feeling you’d say something like that. You might want to go and get ready. And dress nicely.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re going to the club tonight,” he said, dropping the act and letting his grin finally break through. A sly, wicked grin that made my pulse quicken.

I laughed, stepping into his arms and rising on my toes to kiss him. “I can’t wait to see how you punish me, sir . I’ve been very bad, haven’t I? And not very apologetic at all.”

His hand smacked my ass, just hard enough to sting. “I guess you’ll just have to wait to find out what kind of punishment you’ve earned.”

God, I loved this man. I loved the way he balanced darkness and light, pain and tenderness, control and chaos.

Tonight, I’d walk into The Players Club wearing his ring. Letting everyone see it. Letting everyone know who I belonged to, in every sense of the word.

My dom. My partner. My future.

This wasn’t just the start of our new life together. It was the start of our forever.