Sassy Ever After: Cover Your Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

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  Cover Your Sass

  Liv Brywood

  Description

  Professional poker player Riley Cooper lives a high stakes lifestyle full of fun, freedom… and loneliness. As one of the only women on the tournament circuit, she’s surrounded by horny men who would love to get in her pants. But she’s not interested. She only has eyes for one man: Jax Devlin. He’s panty-melting hot, and totally wrong for her. But one night of careless fun could change everything between them.

  Wolf shifter Jax Devlin has feral blood coursing through his veins. He’s only interested in two things: poker and sex. Although he’s vowed never to cross the line with his best friend Riley, her scent drives him wild. But she’s completely off limits. She’s the kind of woman who deserves more than just one night of scorching hot sex. But when the chips are down, he might not be able to ignore his wolf’s animalistic instinct.

  Excerpt

  He brushed a strand of golden hair from her cheek. The rough pad of his thumb grazed her flesh long enough to make her burn for him. How many times had she fantasized about him touching her like this? It wasn’t even sexual, but she was already slick with need. She bit back a whimper. She couldn’t let him know what effect he was having on her.

  When she bit the edge of her lip, his gaze dropped to her mouth. Specks of gold glistened in his eyes. Unmistakable lust flared in his expression. And before she could take another breath, he dipped to brush his lips across hers. She froze. This was her best friend. Her comrade at the tables. And he’d just crossed the ultimate line between them.

  She swallowed as he pulled away. He regarded her as if asking for permission to kiss her again. But before she could move, he returned to crush his lips against hers. She moaned and reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair. The floor seemed to fall out from under her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

  Spicy heat invaded her mouth as his tongue slipped between her lips. The taste of whiskey and forbidden passion incinerated any last bastion of hesitation. Incredibly wet and shivering with desire, she threw her head back to expose her throat. Jax dragged his lips along the curve of her jaw before devouring her neck with sultry kisses.

  When he dipped lower, she gasped. His hands slid up from her waist to pull her shirt out of her jeans. He slowed to caress her trembling belly before reaching up to cup her breasts. She lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it across the room. Cool air coaxed each nipple into a taut peak. They rubbed against her lacy white bra with each rapid breath. She almost hyperventilated when he leaned down to lick her nipple through the cloth. But she lost it when he sucked the other nipple between his lips.

  In the back of her mind, she knew this was wrong, but that made it even more erotic. She shouldn’t be unbuttoning his shirt or pulling it down over his broad, muscular shoulders. And she definitely shouldn’t be raking her nails down his chest. But she was, and the freedom was incredible. She’d been holding back for years. Maybe tonight would be the biggest mistake of her life, but she couldn’t stop now.

  Cover Your Sass

  Liv Brywood

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  A ripple of excitement rolled through Riley’s belly as she approached the tournament desk in the casino’s poker room. As she walked past a long line of people waiting to register, she smiled and nodded at the other players. She knew most of them from the circuit, but a few were local shifters who were part of the Wolfe pack. She wasn’t looking for anyone in particular, but if she happened to run into her best friend Jax, then she wouldn’t complain.

  “Are you ready to be felted?” a growly voice whispered from behind her.

  “Jax! You know I hate it when you sneak up on me.”

  “But it’s so fun to watch you jump.” He flashed a wicked smile as he stepped into line in front of her.

  “Wait your turn, buddy,” a man grumbled.

  Jax turned and glared at the grizzled gambler. “She was holding a spot for me.”

  “You can’t do that. Everyone has to wait their turn,” the man said.

  Darkness clouded Jax’s features. His wolf glowered just under the surface, its feral rage barely contained. When he took a step toward the man, Riley laid her hand on his forearm.

  “I’ve got this,” she said as she turned to the disgruntled guy. “I was saving a spot for him, but if you’re in a hurry to get felted, then we’ll let you go first. The game doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes, but at least you’ll get to sit at the table for a few extra minutes.”

  “You’re such a bitch,” the man muttered.

  “What did you say?” Jax asked as he moved to stand beside her.

  “I said your woman’s a bitch.”

  Jax growled. He balled his fists and took a step forward. She quickly grabbed his arm.

  “Let it go. He’s not worth it,” she said.

  “You want to take it outside?” the man taunted.

  “Let go, Riley,” Jax said.

  “Let’s handle it at the table,” she said. “It will be much more satisfying to watch him get his ass kicked on the felt. Besides, I don’t want to miss this tourney because I have to go bail you out of jail.”

  Jax lowered his fists.

  “And you,” she narrowed her eyes at the man. “You need to learn some fucking manners. I’m a lady, goddammit. So you’d better start treating me like one.”

  The man held up his hands. “Whatever you say, baby.”

  She rolled her eyes and turned away from him.

  “What a dick,” she muttered.

  “You should let me kick his ass,” Jax said.

  “But then we’d miss the tourney, and I want to play this one. They overlay’s going to be incredible. These promotional games are the best.”

  “The overlay is pretty sick,” Jax said.

  “Don’t worry about that guy. I’ll felt him with deuces if I have to.”

  “God, I love it when you talk poker.”

  His golden-brown eyes shimmered with otherworldly light. Captivated by them, it took a moment before she could tear her eyes away. Unfortunately, her gaze dropped to his shoulders. Covered with tribal tattoos over taut muscle, she’d often pictured what it might be like to be held by someone like him. Not him specifically, because that would be totally weird. But someone like him.

  In addition to unbelievably ripped arms, his tight black tank top clung to every inch of his washboard abs. A pair of worn jeans hung dangerously low on his trim waist. Although the skin on his belly was covered, she’d practiced undressing him with her eyes long enough to imagine a thin thatch of hair from his bellybutton to his enormous—

  “You okay?” Jax asked.

  “What? Oh, yeah. No. Good. Fine.”

  She bit the edge of her lip. What the hell was wrong with her? She shouldn’t be checking him out. So what if he was a walking wet dream? He was her fr
iend, so she had to keep her hands to herself. They’d known each other for years and had an unspoken pact not to fuck up their friendship. Being a professional poker player could be a lonely job, so she cherished their camaraderie.

  When she looked up, she caught him studying her. Every once in a while, she’d catch him looking and wonder what he was thinking. But she never let her mind wander out of the friend zone. It was too dangerous, and she didn’t want to ruin what they had together.

  She cleared her throat. “So… what’s the buy-in again?”

  “Three hundred,” he said. “Are you sure you’re good? If you’re still thinking about that guy, I can go kick his ass for you.”

  “No,” she laughed nervously. “I was just thinking about the game.”

  “Don’t worry, we’re going to take top two again. We took down Atlantic City and Paris. I’ve been running good all year, so I’m not worried.”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “There are a lot of shifters here today. I feel like I’m at a disadvantage because I can’t scent fear.”

  “But you’re a better player than the other humans. You’ve been kicking shifters all over the felt and scooping up their chips for years. You’ll take second, no problem.”

  “Second?” She raised a brow.

  “Well I’m not going to let you win.” He gave her a wolfish grin.

  “Funny,” she said.

  After registering and claiming their seat cards, she followed him past rows of mostly empty tables. A few players sat in their seats, but most of them milled around chatting with their friends.

  “I got table five, seat seven,” Jax said.

  “Ugh! Again? I’m also at five, but seat three.”

  “Good. I’ll be able to keep an eye on you,” he said.

  “You won’t be able to see me over my chip stack,” she teased.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  As the game started, she glanced around the table. Jax was easily her biggest competitor, but there were a few other notable players in the mix. She decided to play tight the first few orbits so she could study the competition.

  Four hands into the game, she looked down at pocket kings. Well hot damn, come to momma. She raised. Everyone folded to Jax, who re-raised.

  “Really?” She arched a brow.

  “When you’ve got it…”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  The flop came with a king of clubs, ten of clubs, and five of hearts. Trips were pretty good, but there was a flush draw on the board. She checked. When Jax bet, she called. A five of clubs hit the turn. It was all she could do to keep from jumping out of the chair. A full house! And the third card to the flush. So if he made his flush, then he was in a world of hurt. But how to play it?

  She decided to check. When he bet, she raised half her stack. Normally she didn’t bet this big this early in the game, but she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she turned up her cards.

  A meaningless two of hearts hit the turn. She considered checking, but Jax was too smart to fall for that trick. If she raised all-in, he might think she was sitting on a smaller flush.

  Jax sat back in his chair and studied her. She kept her breathing level and her eyes down so that he wouldn’t spot any tells. He raised all-in.

  “Damn,” someone murmured.

  “Call!”

  She flipped up her cards triumphantly only to be completely horrified when he tabled pocket fives. Four of a kind. Oh, hell.

  “Nice hand,” she grumbled as she pushed back from the table.

  “Thanks,” Jax said. He almost looked apologetic…almost. But they would never patronize each other.

  “Wow, and she’s your friend,” someone said.

  “There’s no friends in poker,” she and Jax responded simultaneously.

  She grinned at him. Even though they were friends off the felt, the minute the cards were in the air, it was war.

  “Good luck,” she said.

  “I’ll win this one for you.”

  Warmth flooded her core. Sometimes he could say the sweetest things to her. But that’s what friends did, right? She really shouldn’t try to read anything more into it. Nothing would ever change between them. She’d always be his poker buddy and he’d always be Jax. Scorching hot, and totally off-limits.

  ***

  Jax watched the sway of Riley’s hips until she disappeared behind a slot machine. Her pink shirt with a dangerously low-cut V had almost killed him. The edges of the fabric had barely covered the curve of her breasts. She tended to favor that cut for tournaments because it put the other guys on tilt. But not him. He knew better than to look at her with anything other than friendship in mind.

  Over the years, she’d become his best friend and he refused to let his dick ruin it. There were plenty of women lined up, ready and willing to drop to their knees at a moment’s notice. Several of them hung out along the rail at the edge of the tournament area. They made no secret that they’d be happy to take him back up to their room for a few hours of sex.

  Normally he’d be making his choice right about now, but none of the groupies appealed to him today. He’d never admit it to anyone, but sometimes he just wanted to cuddle. At thirty years old, he should have chosen a mate by now. But he’d never met anyone who held his interest for longer than a night or two. One day, he’d find the perfect woman. Someone like Riley, who was sweet, gorgeous, and viciously competitive.

  An hour passed, during which he built his chip stack up to a healthy level. When the jerk who’d harassed Riley took a seat across from him, Jax narrowed his eyes. He was itching to get into a pot with the jackass.

  A few minutes later, he looked down to find a pair of aces. Well hello, boys. If he could pick up a good-sized pot, he could cruise all the way to the final table. He decided to slow play the hand and called. Jackass also called. Now things were getting interesting.

  Everything went according to plan as the board ran out: two of clubs, jack of clubs, four of diamonds, five of hearts. An ace on the river to give him trips. Only a three for a straight could beat him. There was no way Jackass would have limped in with a three, so Jax pushed all-in. To his surprise, Jackass called with pocket threes.

  “Dammit!”

  “I’ve got you covered,” Jackass said. “Now run along so that the real men can play.”

  “You sonofa—” Jax lunged across the table and grabbed the man by the throat.

  Pandemonium broke out as the other players moved to cover their chips. The dealer yelled for security. Jax dragged the man across the table and threw him to the floor. His wolf surged to the surface and before he could stop it, he shifted.

  Fur sprouted on his hands and arms. His bones cracked and muscles tore to reform his body into that of a deadly predator. On all fours, he stalked toward his prey. The scent of fear rolled off of the man in waves. Jax bared his teeth and snarled as he drew closer. The rest of the room faded into the background as he fixated on the jackass’s throat. But before he could rip it out, a collar looped around his neck.

  He howled as security dragged him away from the man. He snapped and thrashed in an attempt to gain freedom. But it was no use. In a shifter casino, security was always prepared for fights, whether they be in human or animal form.

  As security pulled him into a back room, he growled. He’d been locked in the gray, lifeless holding room before on more than one occasion. It wasn’t his fault that other shifters had tried to fuck with him. The minute they sensed his alpha status, they’d verbally attack him until he snapped. The young wolves in particular were always trying to improve their status within their own packs. As if kicking his ass would help. Damn juveniles.

  Security would keep him for a couple of hours until he could cool off and shift back into his human form. He knew the drill, so when they moved to slam the door shut, he didn’t attempt to escape. He couldn’t afford to be permanently banned from this casino. Their cash games were too good.

  To pass the time, he let his
mind drift back to Riley. She was going to be pissed when security called her to come get him. After the last time, she’d read him the riot act about staying calm and not getting into fights. But she didn’t know what it was like to be a shifter, to be a half-beast, to struggle to keep the animal contained. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

  Riley arrived before he’d calmed down enough to shift back. His wolf perked up and stalked toward her.

  “Are you going to be okay in here, ma’am?” a security guard asked.

  “I’ll be fine. It’s the mutt you should be worried about,” she said.

  “I’ll be right outside if you need anything. The walls are thick, but I’ll be able to hear you if you scream loud enough,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  After the door closed, Riley strolled across the room with an exasperated expression on her face.

  “How many times have I told you to stay calm?” she asked.

  He hung his head.

  “Bad wolfie!”

  If anyone else called him that, he’d eviscerate them. But coming from her luscious pink lips, he enjoyed the nickname.

  When she took another step closer, the scent of her sweet, erotic musk curled into his nose. It had been months since he’d sniffed her in his wolf form. The intoxicating scent drove him crazy with lust. He trotted toward her and shoved his nose into her crotch.

  “Oh my God, what are you doing?”

  She swatted at his head and tried to push him away. He growled in response. She scrambled back a couple of steps before tripping and falling onto her butt. He moved to cage her with his paws. He licked the curve of her neck before nuzzling the valley between her breasts.

  Her chest heaved as her breath caught. He wanted to tear her shirt off and expose her voluptuous breasts. He wanted to rip off her jeans and push her panties to the side. There was so much he wanted to do to her right now. Every instinct he’d managed to suppress in his human form exploded to the surface. The wolf wanted to claim her immediately, but Jax was able to hang onto one last thread of control.