you playing, Nora?” Tristan asked as he shuffled the deck of cards.
“She doesn’t want to play,” Enzo said, and I bristled.
“What’s the buy in?”
“One hundred dollars.”
“Nor,” Ari warned.
“Deal me in.” I tapped the table.
“We don’t have time to explain the rules to you, Abato.”
Ouch.
Reducing me to my surname hurt but I refused to let Enzo chase me away. Arianne was my best friend and Tristan, Nicco, and Matteo were my friends by proxy. We had to find a way to be around each other.
“Are we playing Hold ‘em, Omaha, or seven card stud?” I asked with a hint of smugness.
“Holy shit, Nora, I think I just came in my pants. You know poker?”
“I know a little bit.” I shrugged, graciously accepting a stack of colored chips off Nicco.
“Straight up Texas Hold ‘em, yeehaw,” Matteo grinned. “But we like to spice things up with a little tequila.” He grabbed a bottle off the floor and shook it in front of me. “Lose a hand and you gotta drink.”
“Matt, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Arianne protested.
“Don’t worry, bambolina,” he smirked, “Nic won’t drink while you’re here. But me and Tristan have some unsettled business.”
“You do?” Ari asked. “That’s news to me.”
“Cocky fucker reckons he can drink me under the table.”
“I’d put money on it.” Tristan snorted.
“I’ve got twenty on Tristan.”
“Seriously, Nora, you wound me.” Matteo pouted at me, his huge puppy dog eyes almost too much to resist. But I stuck by my guns. “Sorry, Matt, but I’ve seen Tristan drink and you’re going down.”
“Oh, it’s on, Capizola.” He slapped his hand down on the table. “It’s so on.”
Matteo uncapped the tequila and poured us each a shot.
“Lose your hand, you drink. Fold, you drink. Go bust… drink. Got it?”
“Just deal the cards, already,” Enzo grumbled. I could only just see his big hands from my position which given the stakes had just risen, was probably a good thing.
“Everyone in,” Tristan asked, waiting for us to throw our chips in the pot. “Okay, let’s play some poker.”
Chapter 21
Enzo
Nora was kicking our asses at poker.
I’d sucked in a sharp breath when she and Arianne had emerged from the bedroom and sat with us as if they had any business joining our game. But it had turned out she knew exactly what she was doing.
She’d played it cool to start with, folding on a number of early hands and taking tequila shot after tequila shot like a champ. Part of me wondered if she wanted to end up wasted. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. The tension between us was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. Everyone felt it, glancing between us as we went head-to-head in yet another round.
I studied my cards, relieved I could barely see her around Matteo’s frame. But as if he felt me staring, the fucker leaned back and gave me a clear view of Nora. Her brows were knitted in deep concentration, the soft lines of her face taut. She was completely invested in the game, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen anything so sexy as a girl who knew her way around a game of poker.
“Shit, man, she’s going to wipe the floor with you.” Matteo cackled, his head rolling slightly. We were almost a bottle and half of tequila in, between the four of us. Matteo and Tristan had lost the most rounds, with me coming in third. But Nora was tiny compared to the three of us, so every shot she took was at least two for us.
“How’s it looking, Nor?” Arianne asked her. Nicco had bowed out three rounds in, unable to keep his hands off his wife. But they’d stayed to watch the show.
“It’s okay.” she pushed a stack of chips into the pot.
“Okay?” Matteo exploded with laughter. “Kick his ass, Nora. Fuck knows he deserves it.”
A low growl rumbled in my chest as Tristan waited for me to make my play. “Call,” I said confidently, matching her bet.
“Both players call.” Tristan discarded the top card and slid off the next card, flipping it over and adding it to the table, followed by two more cards.
Silence echoed through the cabin as we checked our cards. I had a three of a kind. Nora’s poker face gave nothing away as she glanced at me to the stack of chips and back to her cards.
“Bet,” she said, pushing another stack of chips toward the pot.
I scrubbed a hand down my face. I needed to win this round.