Holiday Home: A Harem Fantasy (Book One) by Jenna Albright

Author:Jenna Albright [Albright, Jenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

The Mechanic

S ettled in, the sun’s light already mostly diminished outdoors, they had a few hours still before the expected nasty blizzard was due to arrive. Man, he hated the winter. But he loved cards, so he could at least worry about spending the next several days cooped up in his home—or in Tess’s home, potentially, which soothed his issues with the ensuing wintry storm—later. Assuming they could get started.

Before Liam could even reach for the unopened pack of cards and begin shuffling, an expected speedbump arose from the redhead sitting between Tess, who was the furthest left of the four of them, and Anna, who owned the third seat from the left. Victoria claimed the rightmost seat.

“So, what are we betting?”

Liam put the pack of cards back on the table and sent his gaze toward Avril.

“We don’t have to bet anything,” Tess answered. “It can just be a friendly game among friends.”

Anna nodded, but Avril dismissed them both with a headshake. “Come on, we’ve got to bet something. It doesn’t have to be money or anything, but stakes make everything more interesting.”

“I’d rather everyone not bet anything valuable,” Liam said. “I don’t know how well all of you know Blackjack, but I was planning to keep things pretty streamlined. Meaning no stuff like splitting, insurance on my face-up card, or doubling down.”

Anna and Tess both informed him of their newness to the game by the response of vacancy their expressions gave to the terms he mentioned. Avril nodded along as if she already knew about everything he was saying, and Victoria remained as unfazed and unreadable as usual.

“How about this?” the scheming redhead said. “Whichever of us does the best gets a reward, which we can hash out right now?” Avril pursed her lips, thinking swiftly. A maverick glint appeared in her eyes, and before anyone could stop her, she leveled a finger his way.

“So, if I win the most hands, Liam here has to rank the four of us in terms of hotness.”

He really shouldn’t have been surprised. None of them should have been.

Nonetheless, his jaw dropped like someone had yanked it down with ropes attached to his teeth. Anna’s did something similar, and Tess immediately frowned. Only Victoria, a woman who’d almost joined Avril’s family, sat unperturbed by the ridiculous request. Perhaps she’d known to expect something of its variety.

“Avril, that’s not funny,” Anna said.

“Who’s laughing?”

“I don’t think that would be an appropriate reward,” Tess added, having recollected herself quickly.

“Come on, you three, live a little!”

Avril glanced his way. It was subtle, and no one else seemed to notice it, or at least not make anything of it. But to the guy who’d spent half an hour learning that it was best to let her have her way and go along for the ride, it signaled in his mind with the blare of an air horn.

Unfortunately for her plans, he already knew who was going to win tonight. However, he could still play along with this part.

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