THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance)

THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance) by Alisha Basso Read Free Book Online

Book: THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance) by Alisha Basso Read Free Book Online
Authors: Alisha Basso
dangerous. “I
want to show you how incredible life with me can be. Come.”
    I followed
in his wake. He was a man possessed. When we reached the roulette table, all
eyes were on him. After the second win, markers followed his along the table.
Lu was a force to be reckoned with. He moved with a preternatural grace that
hypnotized. His eyes flashed and my gut screamed that he was not who he claimed
to be. He was so much more than merely dangerous. He occupied a level of menace
so far beyond my comprehension, it was staggering.
    The crowd
cheered, jerking me to my senses.
    He won
again .
    I closed
my eyes, opening them to scan the crowded floor. My eyes fell on an elderly
woman sitting at a slot machine, her orthopedic shoes nesting around a battered
oxygen tank.
    My heart
broke as she coughed and wheezed. The poor thing was so lost. I frowned, it was
so unfair. So many people in this den of lost hopes. Betting their savings,
their paychecks and who knew what else. And here was Lu, already astonishingly
wealthy if the American Express Black in my wallet was any indication.
An immensely powerful man, and he was only getting richer. I moved around the
table, watching the man that was supposed to be my husband.
    The
feelings I had didn’t fit with that of a happily married woman. I gazed at his
astonishing perfection, my heart battling with my senses. He was everything
sensual, beautiful and powerful. Women were shoving their breasts at him, their
hands running along his arms, his back, yet I felt nothing.
    Was it
because he felt he was above them all? The coos and provocative looks simply
slid off of him. I shook my head. It didn’t matter to any of them that the man
wore a wedding ring. I watched as a woman slid her hand into the space between
the buttons in his shirt. He allowed it, and still I felt nothing.
     He looked
up, as if sensing my scrutiny. He met my eyes and slowly drew his bottom lip into
his mouth. Drawing it out, his even teeth pulled at the plump flesh. It was a
move so sensual that my body instantly responded. My knees turned to putty and
I stiffened. I was hot. A fine sweat broke out along the back of my neck as if
he were actually physically touching me.
    I closed
my eyes, collecting myself.
    He’s my
husband and he loves me. I whispered to myself, then opened my eyes as he placed his
marker. I felt a tickle begin in my belly and I smiled, my eyes following the
little white ball as it spun.
    Red
twelve, he’d predicted.
    It bounced
about as it had the last several wins, landing as predicted on the red twelve,
until inexplicably, at the last second, it shifted and hopped into the space
for the black thirty five.
    Shock and
disappointment filled the air around us. That fast, they no longer trusted him.
I stood in a sea of bodies as they flowed past, no longer pinning their hopes
on Lu. No longer clamoring or crowding him. The women were gone, it was over.
    I felt his
eyes watching me. I looked up and stepped back. His brows were drawn close, his
mouth a tight line. Anger beat off of him as he glared, unblinking, at me. I
shifted as the danger I had sensed in him screamed a warning in my head.  
    He took a
small step toward me and I spun, immediately finding myself covered in
schnapps.
     
    FIVE
     
     
    “Oh, my
God! Adam, get her some napkins!” A tall woman screeched as she tried to pat me
dry with her bare hands. “I am so sorry.” She gushed as I gaped at her.
    “It’s
really alright.” I pulled the wet fabric away from my stomach. It made a
sucking sound and I curled my lip at the feeling. It was cold and sticky and
smelled like almonds. I tried to smile as I shivered. She was frantic as she ripped
several handfuls of paper napkins out of the silver dispenser her boyfriend had
set on top of the bar.
    I looked
around, searching for Lu. I couldn’t imagine he would be happy about any of
this.
    “Is the
garment damaged?” a man’s voice spoke close to me.
    I felt a
chill and looked up into the

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