Let it Ride (Casino Nights #1) (6 page)

She used Remy’s bedroom to make her
calls in private. Jimmy was unhappy, but thankful that she was safe. He asked
that Remy call his cell. Lucky Remy, he was going to be questioned, and then
cautioned by Jimmy
O’Haire
at his protective best.

She then called Rico, who answered
on the fourth ring.

“’Lo,” he mumbled.

“Hey Rico, it’s Francesca. I’m sorry
to have to wake you, but I need your help.” She let that sink in.

“What happened?” He was now wide
awake.

“Steven Blake lost his shit during
our panel and was escorted out by security.” When she had confirmed that Blake
was physically in attendance, Rico had pushed to send a team. She had held him
off, but now she had no choice.

“Did he touch you?” His voice had
gone ice cold.

“No.
God Rico, no.
I didn’t go near him. I’m not stupid. ” She told him angrily.

“I know that. I just don’t like the
idea that he was in the same room as you.”

She gripped her phone tightly. “He
did make some threats and I’m calling because I’m going to need a team.”

“What type of threats?” Rico’s anger
pulsed through the phone.

“Vague ones. He’s going to get me.”
She paused, trying to decide how much to tell. “Remy hustled me off of the
stage and he’s going to hang around until the team gets here.”

There was silence from Rico. “I’ll
put a team together and I’ll be on the next plane out. The others might have to
follow.”

“Rico, you don’t have to come.”
Shit, she needed him at the Red Rose.

“
Chica
,
it’s either me or Jimmy. You decide.” Damn him, he was right.

“Then I’ll see you later. Thanks,
Rico.” He was doing his job and she had to accept it.

“I’ll text you the details.”

“See you soon. I’ll work on getting
rooms.” She added that to her list.

“Frankie, have your Marine call me.”

“Jimmy wants to speak with him, I
think that’s enough,” she told him bluntly.

 
“No, it isn’t. I want to go over a few
things in the interim. So give him my number and I’ll expect a call within
twenty.” Rico ended the call.

She let out a low groan. “I don’t
want to pile all of this baggage on him. It’s overwhelming. Just perfect, first
Jimmy and now Rico demanding a phone call.” And now she was talking to herself.
She tapped her foot in frustration. At some point she would need to warn Remy
about Rico’s flirtatious ways. It is going to be a problem, especially if Remy
reacted. Rico couldn’t help himself, he flirted as easily as he breathed and he
could turn possessive. She dropped her head into her hands as she did a ten
count. “Fuck,” she grumbled as she stood and squared her shoulders, itemizing
all that she needed to do.

When she finished with her calls and
reserving three rooms for her team, she ran a brush through her hair and joined
Remy on the sofa.

“How’re you doing?” he asked, as his
eyes scanned her body from head to toe. She could see him cataloging every
detail. It made her stupidly happy that she had brushed her hair before joining
him.
 

“This wasn’t unexpected. I mean, I
heard a rumor that Blake was planning to attend the conference and then that he
was actually here, but I really didn’t expect a personal attack during a packed
panel.”

“The man’s lost everything. That
makes him unpredictable, and he has a hard on for you. I know you don’t like
the hassle, but a security team is the smart way to go.”
 

She liked that he gave it to her
straight. “You’re right. My security specialist is catching the first plane out
and his people will be right behind him. I made arrangements for rooms, and as
soon as he knows the flight info, he’ll text.”

“Rico Ochoa?” Remy’s body stiffened
and he frowned.

“Yes. He’s my security specialist.
Have you heard of him?” She tried to interpret what was going on with Remy.

“Only by reputation.”

“He has that and he’s really good at
his job.” She defended her employee and friend.

“He’s also known to fuck anything
that moves.” Remy bit out the words.

Ah, problem identified. “Rico is,
um, active.” She didn’t know how much to say.

“How active, Frankie?” The muscle at
the side of his jaw pulsed.

“Not with me. Never.” She watched
him absorb her answer.
 

“Good to know.” His eyes still
burned with intensity.

“Glad we got that clarified, because
Rico would like for you to call him.” Inwardly she flinched. She’d slept with
Remy one night and now the three biggest alpha males in her life would be
interacting. Jimmy would be calm, almost cold, and Rico could be hot, issuing
orders and threats. She had no idea how Remy would react.

His eyes sparkled as he fought a
grin.

“Jimmy also wants you to call him,”
she said. She watched his eyes turn serious as the humor disappeared.
Uh oh
. She rushed to smooth things. “I’m
sorry to drag you into this, but I told them that you were going to hang with
me until the team arrived. I’m so sorry.”

He grabbed his phone from the coffee
table and waited.

She gave him the number. “That’s
Jimmy’s private cell.”

He nodded and then his entire body
stiffened. “Mr.
O’Haire
? This is Remington Cooper.
Francesca said you wanted to speak with me.”

She couldn’t make out Jimmy’s words
as Remy stood and headed to his bedroom.

She kicked off her shoes. At some
point she had stopped noticing how badly her feet hurt. She rolled her ankles a
few times and flexed her feet. Feeling better, she got a beer from the fridge
as she waited for Remy to finish his conversations with the very protective men
in her life.

About ten minutes later Remy
returned. He had pulled out his shirt and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

“I grabbed a beer,” she called out
as he passed the kitchen area.

He paused and switched directions,
heading to the kitchen. “Want another?”

“No, but thank you.”

Remy returned to the sofa. He
watched her as he took a few drinks from his beer bottle. “Come here.”

“Why?” She didn’t have a lock on his
mood and she couldn’t read his expression.

“
Here.
” He
patted the space next to him. “Francesca, I want to hold you. I had to watch a
crazy man threaten you today. I want to feel you next to me.”

She quickly put her empty beer
bottle on the table and scooted against his large body. “Better?” She couldn’t
help smiling up at him.

He pulled her underneath his arm and
let it rest on her shoulders. “Yeah.” He took another drink.

“Your
talk with
Jimmy go
OK?” She was curious about what her father had to say to him.
She studied him while she waited for his answer.

“He’s worried about you. He knows
that he can’t make you come home, but he wants you safe. We discussed how we
are going to make sure that happens.” Remy killed his beer.

She took the bottle from his hand
and leaned forward to put it on the table. “Jimmy can be, well, he can be many
things. Bossy, controlling, demanding, and fiercely protective just to name a
few.”

“He knows that you would rather
travel solo, but he also knows that you aren’t so foolish that you would
overlook a threat.”

She knew that too. “I’ll have to
endure Rico’s twenty minutes of ‘I told you so’ attitude. He’ll be thrilled to
get to be in charge on this trip.”

His arm tightened around her
shoulders. “I told Jimmy and Ochoa, and now I’m going to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Her heart started
pounding.

“When Ochoa gets here, he’s point.
He’s your guy and you handpicked him, if what your father says is correct…but
I’m not getting pushed to the side. I’m telling you that right now Francesca.
You can have watchdogs trailing you, but your ass is still in my bed and I am
still going to be with you, publically and privately, by your side.”

Holy Shit.

“Now’s the time to discuss if you
have a problem with that.” She could feel the tension roll off of him.

Wow,
the man didn’t wrap his feelings in
romantic words, but the thought was there. “So what you’re saying is that you
like me.” She shoved her elbow into his playfully.

He smiled and made a happy grunt
sound. “Yeah, I do. If I didn’t make that clear several times last night, then
I’ll work harder at it tonight.”

She could feel the heat travel
across her cheeks. “I’m clear.” She bit her lip to fight her own smile as her
heart leapt in her chest with happiness.

“This going to be a problem with
Ochoa?” He pointed his finger back and forth between the two of them.

“Maybe, but I’ll set him straight.”
Rico could be possessive and these circumstances would most likely trigger that
behavior. “It’ll help if you make it clear that he has point.”

“So you don’t want him. But is he
waiting for you to change your mind?” Remy watched her closely.

“Rico’s going to flirt with me and
he might even be a little possessive. He’ll try to get a reaction from you.”
She paused for a beat. “But he’s a good friend and we’re both good with it
staying that way,” she answered him honestly.

Remy nodded. They stayed quiet for a
few moments and then Remy switched gears. “Are you getting hungry?”

“Yeah, I am.” Strong emotions always
made her want to eat.

“It’s just us for dinner. What are
you hungry for?”

“I want to get out of here for a
while. I don’t want to face anybody that was at the panel. I don’t want to
answer questions.”

“We can do that.”

“I’d like to change though, and maybe
go someplace casual. How about some Chicago style pizza?”

“Sounds perfect, babe. I’ll change
and then we’ll go to your room for you.” Remy’s big hand gently cupped her jaw
and he kissed her.

She moved closer against his body,
responding to his touch. He dropped his forehead to hers. “Like it that you’re
here, Francesca.”

She whispered, “Me too.”

A few minutes later, Remy had
changed into a black polo style knit shirt that looked faded from many
washings
. She wanted to run her hands along his chest to see
if it felt as soft as it looked. His jeans fit his body perfectly, tight in all
the right places, and God help her, well-worn motorcycle boots. No sane person
would mess with him. He had that badass vibe flowing.

“Ready Frankie?” He checked his
phone before shoving it into his pocket.

She stood and headed to the door.
The first thing she was going to do was to ditch these shoes.

He held the door open for her and
after they had walked through, he paused to pull it shut, making sure it was
secure.

 
“So what’s with this Frankie thing?” She
poked him in the side.

“What, you don’t like it?” One side
of his lips stretched upward in a teasing grin.

“I didn’t say that. It’s just that
everybody calls me Francesca.” Team 2 members and a few close friends used the
nickname. It felt intimate that he used it.

“Francesca was sitting on the stage
earlier, professional, brilliant, and in control. Frankie was in my bed,
relaxed after we made love last night. When she’s with me, she’s going to learn
that she can relax. She can allow me to take care of her. She doesn’t have to
be in charge and responsible all of the time.”

Francesca stopped. It felt like she
couldn’t get any air into her lungs. “Remy, it’s been two days.”

“It’s been two years.” He corrected
her.

She didn’t know what to say to this.

“I know that I am way ahead of you
in this. I don’t really want to lay it out in the hotel hallway, but since we
are here I will. This isn’t a fling for me.” He held her by both arms. “After I
had you last night, I knew for sure this is more.”

Her mind raced—maybe because
her heart was pounding and her blood wasn’t circulating correctly. “I don’t
know what to say to that.” He was moving so fast and sounded so sure of his
feelings. She hadn’t thought about what was to
come,
she’d been enjoying the moment too much. She felt her brow furrow as she worked
through his declaration.

“I’m good with that. Just don’t say
no
Frankie. Don’t shut me out, because this thing, it’s
good.” He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose.

She didn’t really take in the rest
of the walk to her door as she tried to process all that he had said.

At the door to her room, they
stopped and she pulled the key card from the pocket in her purse. She held it
out for Remy to take. Suddenly he was pushing her backward against the wall
opposite her door.