Read Online All In by Aleah Barley - Free Book Online Page A

heart-shaped charm hanging in the middle. Her skin was silky. Her breasts were full and firm—the perfect size to fit a man’s hand—and her waist was toned. When she took a deep breath, everything jiggled nicely.
    “Your turn,” she said.
    Ryan scrambled out of his shirt as fast as humanly possible. He tossed the Henley onto the bed beside her T-shirt.
    “The scar on your shoulder,” Daisy said. “Where’d you get that?”
    “I was attacked by a rhino,” Ryan lied. He’d already told Daisy too much about the investigation. He wasn’t going to tell her about the shooting, too. “Those horns are sharp.”
    Then he finally picked up his cards. Nothing much.
    He glanced over at Daisy.
    She was holding her cards and smiling. Her free hand curved protectively across her bare belly. Her breath came a little faster, as if she could smell blood in the water. “I’ve got nothing.”
    Worst. Liar. Ever.
    “Deep breath,” Ryan counseled. “Concentrate on your opponent, not the cards.”
    “Fuck you.” Daisy glared. “You’ve got nothing.”
    “Good guess. You’ve got a pair at least.” Her brow slammed together in surprise, but her lips twitched. Better than a pair. “Make that three of a kind.”
    Her expression fell. “How’d you know?”
    “Because I know you. I know how you look when you’re excited. I want to know how you look when you come.” She was staring at him, all tense disbelief. Obviously no one had ever talked to her that way before. Too damn bad. Before the night was over, he was going to do a lot more than talk.
    “You’ve got a dirty mind.”
    “You love it.”
    “Maybe.” She nodded toward the cards. “Go.”
    They played out the rest of the hand. Daisy won. She looked damned relieved when she took both pieces of clothing and pulled her shirt back on over her messy black curls.
    Then Ryan took off his pants.
    The worn denim stuck to his thighs and he had to shimmy to get them off without standing up. It wasn’t the most graceful move he’d ever made, but from the expression on Daisy’s face, it was more than adequate. Her eyes were wide. Her mouth hung open.
    “Wha—what are you doing?” she stammered.
    “I’ve got to be able to make my bet.” Ryan placed his pants between them. If he’d known they were going to be playing strip poker, he might have dressed differently. He definitely would have layered. As it was, he had three pieces of clothing to throw into the pot: shirt, pants, and skivvies.
    And he’d already lost his shirt.
    Daisy had taken off her shoes and socks when she got back from the tournament, but she’d still started off with a competitive advantage: shirt, pants, panties, and bra. She’d had four pieces of clothing to his three. Now she had five and he had two.
    Ryan wasn’t worried. The way Daisy was looking at his chest—and swallowing hard as she did it—he knew he had the advantage. Even if she’d learned how to lie in the last two minutes, his near nakedness would still throw her.
    That really shouldn’t make Ryan happy.
    “You’re really not interested?” He took the cards and shuffled.
    “I’m not—” Daisy started. “I—I don’t do relationships.”
    Ryan blinked in surprise. “You’re saying you’ve never—” He swallowed hard against the thought. A virgin in the wild. A twenty-four-year-old innocent. It was like seeing a strange and mythical creature. Next, he’d spot a unicorn. “Okay, I respect that.”
    “What?” Daisy shook her head. “No, no. I’m not some untouched flower. For fuck’s sake! I went to college.”
    “Oh.” He frowned. “Right. So you just don’t do…relationships?”
    “True love, breakfast, all that nonsense.” Daisy waved a hand as the cards were dealt. “I don’t fall in love. I don’t do relationships.”
    It was kind of sad. Daisy looked like a Disney princess. She deserved true love and flowers. She deserved a dashing prince who would join her in a stunning duet before the