All or Nothing
Wicked Games, #1
by
C.C. Wood
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Copyright Crystal W. Wilson 2015
Kindle Edition
Cover by
Jena Brignola, Bibliophile Productions
Editing by
Libros Evolution
The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademarked owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Mi Cocina, Starbucks
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Part One: The First Move
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Part Two: Dirty Trick
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Part Three: The End Game
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Contact C.C.
About C.C.
Titles by C.C. Wood
Part One
The First Move
Chapter One
Three Years Ago
‡
Girls Night Out was my favorite night of the week. Ashley, Katie, and I had a standing date every Thursday night at a local bar. We’d indulge in $4 margaritas then call for an Uber ride home before the bar turned into an overcrowded meat market.
Tonight began no differently than any of the others, but the end of the evening would change the course of my life.
We’d been in the bar for a little over an hour when Katie began glancing over my shoulder. Then she prodded Ashley with her elbow and they both stared at something behind me.
“What are you two looking at?” I asked, turning to take a look at whatever had captured their attention.
They grabbed at my arm. “No, no, don’t look,” Katie exclaimed.
“What’s going on?” I asked, already tipsy from two exceptionally strong cocktails.
Ashley leaned forward. “There’s a guy at the bar and he’s staring at you. And I mean, staring. He’s also hot. Like, really, really hot.”
My eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really?”
Katie nodded. “Oh yeah.” Then she shook her head at me. “Girl, if I didn’t love you so much, we’d have a bitch smack down for that tall drink of water. Seriously.”
I couldn’t prevent the laugh from escaping me. “As if you’d win,” I scoffed.
She shrugged. “I may not win, but you’d feel me tomorrow.”
I giggled harder. “Well, maybe he isn’t staring at me. Maybe he’s staring at one of you.”
“Oh, no, Jena. He’s staring at you,” Ashley insisted.
“Are you sure?”
Men might take one look at me, but few approached. I knew I wasn’t ugly, but I also wasn’t anything special. My dad always described me as striking. I figured that was a nice way of saying I wasn’t a supermodel, but I also wasn’t hard to look at. My long brown hair was wavy and thick and I always liked my dark brown eyes. I did my best to keep my naturally curvy figure in shape. I worked out a few times a week and watched my diet most of the time.
“Oh yeah,” Ashley drawled. “Don’t turn around either, because he’s headed this way.”
My eyes bugged out. “What?”
“Oh, that man has some balls,” Katie murmured. “He’s approaching you with both of us sitting here.” Her eyes flicked to me. “I mean it, Jena. If you don’t want this one, I’m taking him. Any man with that kind of gumption is the man for me. At least for tonight, anyway.”
I laughed at her words, still doing so when the man in question stepped up to our table. I looked over and then up, and up. He was tall, broad shouldered, narrow hipped, and packed with lean muscle. When my eyes hit his face, I swallowed a gasp.
My friends weren’t exaggerating when they said he was gorgeous. He was. Totally. Utterly. Golden blond hair, honey brown eyes, and bronzed skin. He looked as if he’d been gilded. A golden boy.
He grinned down at me, a small dimple adding an irresistible charm to his gorgeous face. “Hey, my name’s Justin.”
I blinked up at him, my mind completely blanked by his male beauty. One of the girls kicked my ankle lightly, bringing me out of my hot guy stupor. “Hey. I’m Jena,” I answered, holding out a hand.
Justin took my palm in his, squeezing gently. “It’s nice to meet you, Jena,” he said softly.
I smiled up at him, entranced by the sound of his voice. The timbre was as honeyed as his hair, smooth, sweet, and Oh-so-Southern. Very sexy.
Still holding my hand, he inched closer. “Beautiful Jena, can I buy you a drink?”
When he said it like that, in that deep drawl, I believed him absolutely when he said I was beautiful. I liked hearing it when he said it.
I didn’t realize that I was staring up at him, not speaking, until one of the girls kicked me again.
Jumping, I answered, “I’d like that.” Belatedly, I realized I was being rude by not introducing my friends. “These are my friends, Katie and Ashley.”
Justin looked over at them, still smiling and holding my hand. “Ladies,” he said with a nod.
They murmured a greeting back, but didn’t say much else.
He studied us for a moment. “I’ll tell you what, how about I buy you all a round?”
This offer was immediately and enthusiastically accepted. Ashley even grabbed a chair and pulled it up to our table.