All In by Aleah Barley Read Free Book Online Page B

breakfast.”
    The old man’s laughter was warm and familiar. “You talk to a waitress. Someone will bring you something to eat.”
    “You shouldn’t be talking to me,” she mumbled. “I’m supposed to be incognito.”
    “Sure thing, doll.” He patted her arm. “Don’t worry, I’m talking to all the players this morning. Figured it was a good idea to remind them who’s in charge. Besides…” His gaze flicked to Ryan—standing behind her—and back again. “I wanted to ask you a question. How’d you two meet?”
    “Us?” Daisy fumbled. “Ryan and me?”
    “Yeah, I know you don’t date a lot—”
    “I date plenty. I just don’t tell you.”
    Bullet shrugged. “Maybe. I was just wondering how you became all connected at the mouth with Mr. Wilson here.”
    “Sch—school,” she stammered. “We met at school.”
    “Harvard or UCLA?”
    Daisy’s heart was slamming against her chest. Her lungs felt tight. Why hadn’t she worked out a story ahead of time? She licked her lips. “Harvard.”
    “UCLA,” Ryan said at the exact same time. He took a step closer so they were standing side to side. “Harvard first and then UCLA off and on. I travel for work.”
    “And what do you do?” Bullet asked.
    Ryan didn’t miss a beat. He started talking about his job as an account executive, complaining about the hours and making jokes about his clients. It was fake, all of it. He wasn’t a salesman. He didn’t spend his days pitching contracts at well-dressed men. He’d never accidentally mistaken a CEO for a secretary.
    Still, he made her believe every word he was saying. No wonder the FBI wanted him undercover. The man could lie with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.
    Daisy’s stomach churned. Was he lying to her? Telling her exactly what she wanted to hear and nothing else? She wanted to talk to him, needed him to tell her the truth, but at the same time…she couldn’t trust him.
    Not really.
    The man was a gambler and a professional liar. He could tell her that water was dry and the sky was green, and if he smiled at her and stroked her hair at the same time, she’d probably believe him.
    Her stomach clenched until it hurt. Not knowing when Ryan was telling the truth was like standing in front of the ocean waiting for a tsunami to hit, knowing any minute she’d have the sand knocked out from under her.
    Then his hand curled around hers and she forgot to listen to what he was saying. All she could think about was the way he’d looked at her when they were kissing. Like he’d been looking for something and finally found it.
    Bullet said a few more pleasant words, then wandered off to look for more victims to chat up.
    “I’m so sorry about that,” Daisy said.
    “He’s protective,” Ryan murmured in her ear. “I understand. There’s a lot of bad stuff in this world—a lot that’s not right—and when you finally find something good, it’s worth putting yourself out there.” He squeezed her hand tight. “You’re lucky to have someone like that watching your back. Someone you can depend on.”
    His shoulders slumped forward slightly, and when Daisy glanced up, he was staring off into space. Thinking about something a million miles away.
    “The first round’s about to start,” Daisy finally said, breaking through Ryan’s reverie. “You should go find your table.”
    “Of course.” He took his hand back, jamming his long fingers into his pockets as if he was afraid of where they might go if he left them free too long. There was a long pause. “That kiss was just a show, right? For Bullet.”
    Daisy’s tongue darted out to moisten her lips, giving her time to get her expression under control.
    The kiss had started out as a show, but somewhere along the line, she’d forgotten all about their audience. The only thing she’d been thinking about was Ryan’s body, so close she could feel his heart beating.
    He didn’t need to know that.
    She crossed her arms in front of