Cherish Me Forever: A Fake Relationship Romance (The Maxwell Brothers)

My heart beats as quickly as the shuffling of cards. The bells on the slot machines go off every other second, and I never thought I’d wish to be at a doctor’s appointment, but I’d much rather be in Dr. Gibson’s office, getting stuck with a needle, than beside Kane’s older brother, who is the most selfish person I’ve ever met.

“Well?” I glance to Miles, who swings his gaze around the smoky room. “Where are they?”

I hope they left, thinking that Miles stood them up. After taking the train because neither of us has a car, we’re way later than expected.

Casinos have a way of shutting out the real world. There are no windows or easy exits. Clocks are nonexistent, making reality so far out of touch you forget that it exists. I can see why Miles is sucked into this lifestyle, as the casinos don’t necessarily make it easy to climb out.

“There.” He nods up ahead, angling his lean jaw toward a group of men smoking cigarettes. They’re staring directly at us, shuffling their attention between Miles and me.

My head pounds with each step we take toward them, the smoke clouding my lungs, making it hard to breathe.

“Where is it?” one of them asks, not bothering to stand up from their chair.

A card game is unfolding behind the man’s back, the dealer glancing at us a few times before putting his attention back on the table.

“And who is this?” A tall man with a sleek, black mustache slides around in his chair and eyes me up and down.

I cut right to the chase. “How much does he owe?”

“More than you can offer,” the large one muses. His belly hangs over his high-end belt buckle, but I bet if I look hard enough, I can see the utter disgust on my face within its glossy reflection. “But I’ll take some off what he owes me if you come back to my room with me.”

“Not a fucking chance, Al.”

I’m surprised when Miles steps forward to defend me. I gape at him from the side, wondering if he dug down deep to find a smidge of guilt for what he’s done to Kane.

“Oh, possessive, are we?” Al’s lip curves, his round cheeks rising with amusement.

Runs in the family, I think to myself.

“How much does he owe?” I repeat, wanting to get this show on the road.

I don’t have a ton of money saved, but since I’ve been working, money has been accumulating in my account, especially since River has refunded my rent both times I’ve tried to pay it. Being the Blue Devils mascot pays more than one would think, and although I was going to put it toward getting my own place and maybe, possibly, opening my own plant cart one day with soil, plants, and composting materials, this is more important.

“Seventy-five thousand.”

My lips part.

Oh.

Al cackles, throwing his head back with loud laughter.

Attention is drawn to us, Miles and I catching each other’s eye immediately.

“How much do you have?” he whispers.

“Not that much.” Not even close.

Panic sets in. This was a terrible idea.

I glance to the table behind the men.

I’ve played poker before. Kane taught me, and Miles taught him.

It’s a gamble—no pun intended—but I don’t see any other option.

“My offer still stands,” Al says. “Let me have you for a while, and I’ll take some money off the table.”

Miles’s jaw clenches, and he looks eerily similar to his brother, despite him taking after his mother’s features as opposed to Kane, who must’ve taken after his father.noveldrama

Miles stands in front of me, blocking me from their view. “You’re not touching her, Allen.”

All of a sudden, two hands wrap around my waist from behind, and my back straightens. A breath rushes past my lips until Kane’s voice hits my ear. “And you’re not gambling with anything else today, little devil.”

I peer back at Kane, relief rushing my veins like a waterfall.

“I haven’t gambled yet,” I whisper.

He chuckles deeply while spinning us around. I stare up into his eyes and zero in on the bruise forming on his cheek bone. River is standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets, and it doesn’t take his brains to know what happened.

“You have too,” he argues.

His hands cup my cheeks, and he shakes his head back and forth. “You’ve been gambling with my heart from the moment I met you, Daisy. Today is no exception.”

My eyebrows furrow.

“Risking your safety to protect me? Are you crazy?” A touch of anger flickers within Kane’s blue eyes.

I shrug, and he clenches his jaw.

“You make me crazy.” He shakes his head. “But I love you.”

My heart flies behind my ribs.

“Even more now, knowing how much you’ve done for me over the years without ever letting me find out.”

My eyes gloss over, my bottom lip trembling. “I did it because I love you. Not because I wanted you to love me.”

Kane crushes me to his chest and places a kiss to the top of my head. “Go with your brother,” he urges, pulling away from me. “I’m going to handle this once and for all.”

“How?” I ask, watching him head toward Miles, who is pleading his case with the men behind us.

“Exactly like you said. Pay off his debt and then take him home.”

“Home?” I ask.

“Not our home.”

Our home?

“I’m taking him back to Lakeview, Daisy. Where it all began.”

I try to hide a smile because Lakeview is where it all began. It’s where I fell in love with him, despite the silent warnings not to.

As if he can read my mind, a slow smile spreads on his face. “Me too, Daisy-Petal. Me too.”