Free Primal Pleasure: Pendragon Gargoyles, Book 3 by Sydney Somers Page A

middle of nowhere. Leah had stopped to offer them a ride, and although Emma had half-expected her twin to charm the woman out of her vehicle and whatever cash she had, they ended up hitting it off. Probably had something to do with both Leah and Elena being free spirits.
    When Leah had offered them a place to stay, they’d quickly agreed, wanting to stay off their father’s radar for a while. Since then, they’d both made a habit of dropping in on Leah whenever they were in Vegas. Which was a lot.
    Leah had eventually recognized them as something more than human—Emma was convinced there was Fae blood in her family line somewhere—but not until a pissed-off sorcerer cornered them did they tell her the truth. In true Leah fashion, the revelation rolled right off her back and they carried on with their evening as though nothing had changed.
    “It’s a man, isn’t it?” Leah stood and scooped up her chips.
    Emma kept her attention on the table, setting her initial bet and waiting for the dealer to come back to her.
    What in the hell had she been thinking when Leah asked her to tag along this afternoon? She would have been better off staying at Leah’s, curled up with a stack of DVDs and enough fudge to pave the Las Vegas Strip.
    But no, she hadn’t wanted Leah to think she was moping—which had turned out beautifully —so she’d come along. She’d assumed Leah would vanish within the first twenty minutes, right around the time she inevitably spotted a potential candidate for her next husband.
    As far as Emma knew, they were only ever candidates. As much as Leah adored men in general, she had never really gotten over her first husband.
    “You’ll tell me eventually, you know.” Leah sent another flirtatious smile to the man two seats down from Emma. “Does Elena know you had your heart broken?”
    “I did not have my heart broken,” she hissed, sending the dealer an apologetic look for Leah’s constant distractions.
    He stared back at her. She frowned, then realized he was waiting for her. Doing the math, she doubled down and motioned to stand when he laid down an eight of hearts.
    “Trampled a bit, then.” Leah shrugged as though it was all the same.
    “Hardly.” She might have been foolish enough to give in to the gargoyle but there was a world of difference between love and lust. Hardcore, hot-all-the-way-to-her-toes lust. The kind she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about—whenever she wasn’t looking over her shoulder for him, or imagining him dangling over the catacomb fire pits.
    “Good,” Leah murmured. “Get right back up on the horse, I say.”
    Since she’d been on a roll for a while and caught the dealer glancing in the direction of the pit boss a couple of times, she pulled her next bet back and intentionally busted. Counting cards wasn’t illegal, but casinos were well known for banning suspected card counters from the premises.
    “And if there was ever a stallion in need of mounting, it’s him.”
    Emma choked on her drink, afraid to look at whatever male specimen had caught Leah’s attention. Instead, she checked the time on her cell phone, ignoring the lingering redness on her wrist from the cuff it had taken her a week to get off, and only with a Fae’s help. She now owed Dolan and didn’t look forward to him collecting any time soon.
    “Oh,” Leah added a moment later, sounding disappointed.
    “What, spot a wedding ring?”
    Setting up for the next hand, the dealer cracked a smile.
    “No, but I’d say he’s off the market.”
    Assuming the guy in question had just been joined by his wife or girlfriend, Emma debated whether or not to give up her seat after the next hand.
    “Room for one more?” a familiar voice said to her right.
    Emma froze, afraid to look. Awareness licked up her spine, and she slowly lifted her head. Her gaze collided with Cian’s.
    “Giddy up,” Leah quipped.
    “Where are you going?” Without taking her eyes off Cian, she reached her hand