The Connection (The Exception #1.5)

“No. But I think I’d be good at it.”


“It’s just luck, Jada,” Max says. “You can’t be good at gambling unless you know how to count cards.”

“Well, she is lucky. She’s got me.” Cane wraps his arm around my waist. I giggle and lean against him.

“Yeah. She got you. Good point,” Kari says, taking Max’s hand and leading him towards the table. “Let’s see if we can change her luck and save her before it’s too late.”

“Better watch your girl, Quinn,” Cane mumbles.

Max snorts. “She’s your sister-in-law. You deal with her.”

Kari shoves Max’s arm. “You’re not going to defend me?”

“Nah, it might be good for you two to just have at it. One of you is going to have to establish dominance eventually.”

“Dominance? Really? If he even thinks he’ll dominate me, he’s crazy!” She turns to look at Cane. “You’re stuck with me and my mouth.”

“Yeah, but I,” Cane grins over her head at Max, “don’t have to live with ya.”

“I don’t either,” Max mutters and places his chip on the eight. “But on the bright side, I can think of numerous ways to occupy her mouth.”

“I’m not even going to honor that with a response,” Kari says, taking a chip out of Max’s hand.

Cane hands me a few tokens, studying the table. I place mine on the red seven next to Max’s eight. Kari studies the table before placing hers on the black thirty-three. Just as the dealer calls for all bets to be placed, Cane places his on the black twenty.

Cane kisses my neck as we watch the ball roll around. It bounces and rolls before landing on the twenty.

“We have a winner!” The dealer says, nodding at Cane.

The crowd cheers. Cane grins and takes his winnings and follows Max and Kari back to the aisle. He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles.

“Good ‘ol twenty,” he says, chuckling.

I do a quick run-through of all the dates I know and I can’t find a reason to like that number.

“Lucky for you?”

He shrugs. “I hope so.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well,” he says, pausing mid-step to allow a scantily-clad waitress to pass by. She makes eyes at Cane and he ignores her, much to my delight. “I met you on the twentieth day of the month. So it’s lucky to me.”

I can’t help the ridiculous smile on my face. I didn’t realize he knew the date we met. I knew the date he brought me pizza and wine at my office, but not the date we met at Blanca’s.

“Aw, Cane. I can’t believe you knew that!”

He grins sheepishly. “Yeah. And today’s the nineteenth. So you should be extra good to me tomorrow and keep it lucky for me.”

“Want to watch a show?” Max asks, looking at Cane, as we approach.

“Nah. I think we are going to turn in early.”

“We are?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

I shrug. “Okay, then. We’ll see you guys at breakfast.”

Kari grins at Cane and I catch him winking at her.

“Yup,” Kari smiles at me. “See you at breakfast.”



CANE

“Have you had a good time so far?”

I can’t take my eyes off Jada. She’s sitting at a small table in the bedroom with a large mirror in front of it, brushing her long dark hair. Her small body is covered by a pinkish gown that is so her. It’s long, touching the floor . . . it’s classy and elegant. She looks like a lady.

My lady.

“I have,” she says, glancing at me in the glass. “It’s been fun. Exactly what we needed.”

I nod, a small ball of nerves starting to amass in my stomach. “I think so, too.”

“I’m really glad Kari was so adamant about it.”

“Me, too.”

She stands, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Her large breasts fill out the lacy cups, the material clinging to the curve of her hips. She’s a fuckin’ goddess.

She gets to the side of the bed and my hands find her hips. Before she knows it, I’m lifting her up and laying her next to me.

“We only have two days left,” she says, tracing some unknown design onto my abs with her fingertip. “What do you want to do?”

I swallow hard, hoping she doesn’t notice my chest suddenly rising and falling a little quicker. “I don’t know. Nothing in particular. You have anything in mind?”

“Not really. Just relax.”

I laugh, my voice bouncing a little more than usual.

She raises her eyebrows at me. “What?”

I gotta divert. Fast.

“You’re gorgeous.”

She snorts. “That wasn’t what you were just thinking.”

I grab her hand and place it on my cock. Her eyes grow wide as soon as she feels how hard I am for her already.

“Tell me that wasn’t what I was thinking.”

“Okay,” she giggles, stroking my length, “maybe you were.”

“Maybe I was,” I say, bending forward and kissing her. “Maybe I always am.”





JADA


“Are you sure?” I look at Cane, still lying in bed. His chest and one leg are sticking out of the white sheets and all I want to do is climb back in with him. “I’d really like to just jump back in there with you.”