Stroke of Luck - Opal Carew Page 0,29

intensely conscious of her breasts pressed tightly against his hard chest and his thick, muscular arms tight around her.

Austin released her, but their gazes caught, and she saw heat blazing in his teal eyes. Her cheeks flushed, and she turned to the table again.

Then she realized Quinn was watching her, his expression unreadable.

“I won, too, you know,” he murmured, then pulled her into his arms in a hug that was less energetic, but far more intense. In his embrace, she felt completely owned by him. And not in a bad way.

Her heart stammered, and all she could think of was him kissing her. Taking her lips with his confident, possessive mouth. Then him dragging her to his bed and stripping off her clothes …

He drew back, and she eased away, tugging her gaze from his before he could see the need in her eyes.

Then it landed straight on Sarah Piner’s, who was standing in the crowd watching the excitement around their table. Her disapproving stare cut right through April. April’s cheeks blazed with a fiery heat.

She felt Austin’s hand rest on her lower back, then he leaned in close.

“Don’t worry about her,” Austin murmured. “Just finish rolling, and we’ll get out of here.”

April nodded and lifted the dice, tearing her gaze from Sarah’s. April rolled three more times before getting a seven, then the dice moved to someone else.

“What’s going on?” Quinn asked as Austin led April from the table.

“Just an old friend of her fiancé’s that has her spooked.” Austin led her to the bar along the side of the room and ordered her a drink.

Quinn glanced around. “We saw that woman after we left the manager’s office this afternoon.”

April grasped the drink the bartender handed her and took a deep sip. She hadn’t realized Quinn had even noticed.

The crowd dispersed from around the table they’d just left, and Sarah was nowhere to be seen. April sucked in a deep breath, then took another sip of her drink. She didn’t know what it was, but it was cold, fruity … and strong. Just what she needed.

Austin guided her to some armchairs circling a round table, and the three of them sat down.

“Why does this woman have you so agitated?” Quinn asked.

“It’s just … her husband is Maurice’s best friend, and I know that she’ll tell Maurice everything she saw.”

“So what? The guy cheated on you,” Quinn said. “What do you care what she tells him?”

“She’ll also tell all my friends and…” She shook her head as she stared at the glittering droplets of condensation on the side of her glass, misery seeping through every part of her.

Austin rested his hand on her arm. “Forget about it, sweetheart. None of that matters. You’re moving on.”

She nodded, but it was hard to hold back the tears threatening to spill.

She set down her drink. “It looks like there’s an outdoor patio over there,” she said, spotting a glass door leading outside. “I’m going out to get a breath of fresh air.”

* * *

Quinn watched April walk away, her delightful ass swaying.

“I’m going with her,” he said. “She’s pretty shaky right now.”

“That’s a good idea,” Austin agreed.

Quinn stood up and followed her to the door. As he stepped out into the warm night air, he glanced around to see where April had gone. There were several people outside, but the foliage from the large flowering plants offered a level of privacy to the sitting areas scattered around the outdoor garden.

He caught sight of April’s back as she strolled to the far corner. He followed. As he approached, he saw her sit in one of the comfortable upholstered chairs.

“Did you see that slut?” a woman said, her voice carrying from beyond the thick plants beside April.

April’s eyes widened, and she turned her head in the direction of the voice. She must have seen him approashing, but she didn’t acknowledge it.

“She was throwing herself at not one but two men. And I saw her with one of them earlier today, too.”

“I was a little surprised,” said another woman, “when Maurice told us that the wedding was off. And it was because she cheated on him. And on the night before their wedding. That’s so awful.”

Quinn stopped dead. What the hell?

April had said the asshole had cheated on her, but was she lying?

That would explain why the guy was being so vindictive. If Quinn caught the woman he loved cheating on him, especially right before their wedding, his heart would be torn in two. He didn’t