The Big Gamble Read online

  Gambling on Love Series

  Book One

  M. Andrews

  The Big Gamble

  Gambling on Love Series Book One

  By M. Andrews

  Copyright 2015 M. Andrews

  This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this eBook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Book design and formatted by Swish Design & Editing

  Editing by Swish Design & Editing

  Cover design by Kari March Designs

  Cover Image Copyright 2015

  Two years ago Brooke McCoy had it all. A successful writing career, a gorgeous fiancé and a beautiful New York penthouse apartment that overlooked Central Park. She was on top of the world. But that all came crashing down when she received a phone call that changed her life forever.

  After losing her fiancé Jake to an aneurysm, Brooke was still struggling with moving on. The overwhelming feeling of emptiness only growing bigger with her still living in the home she once shared with Jake. Ready to start afresh, Brooke decides to move to Seattle away from the only family she has left for a change of scenery, hoping this will be the start she needs to finally let go of her past and begin living again.

  Brian Gamble is a cocky, womanizing cop from Seattle. After being burned by love once before, Brian now enjoys the sweeter things in life like blondes, redheads, and brunettes. Winning them over with his jaw droopingly good looks and charm, only to leave them in the wind the moment the condom hits the trash. But as much as he tries to deny it he wants more, and all the women in the world can’t fill the void that his ex left in his heart.

  But one fateful night Brooke and Brian’s worlds collide, sparking a hot game of cat and mouse leading them to question their theories on love. Can two people broken by love, find happiness again? And what happens when love becomes the ultimate gamble?

  This is for all the people who have taken a gamble on love and won.

  First off I would like to thank my husband for all his love and support through this journey. You are my best friend and the love of my life. And you inspire me every day. I never would have made it through this journey without your love and support. I love you with all my heart.

  A big thank you goes to my best friend, Amy. There are not enough words to express how much your love and support has meant to me. You are my cheerleader and driving force behind this book. You’ve been there since the day these characters came along and have loved them just as much I have. This book never would have happened without your encouragement, and for that I will always love you.

  To Liz, you are the one that kicked my ass into stepping outside my comfort zone and to go after my dreams, no matter how crazy they were. You are a dear friend and I’m so lucky to have you in my life.

  A special thanks goes out to my Instagram girls Teri, Alicia, Sam, and Mary. Thank you for supporting me, promoting me and loving me. You ladies have become some of my dearest friends and I’m so damn lucky to have you all on this incredible journey with me. Love you all so much.

  And one last thank you goes to the man who will probably never really know the influence he’s had in my life. Jeremy Renner, your never let fear keep you from following your dreams attitude is the driving force in helping me to take this leap in pursuing my dream of writing. You’re a true inspiration whether you know it or not.

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  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

  Connect With Me Online

  About the Author – M. Andrews

  The beads of rain trickled down my bedroom window as I watched the world below me, slowly realizing this would be the last time I’d look out at the New York skyline I called home. Fitting how today it was raining, something I’d need to get used to now that I was moving to one of the rainiest cities in the country, Seattle.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” I looked up spotting my big brother Hunter’s reflection in the glass. “You could always move in with me if it’s just a change of scenery that you’re looking for.”

  Hunter was sweet to offer, but as much as I would love to move to Brooklyn, it wasn’t going to help me feel any better.

  “I wish it were that easy Hunter. I can’t go anywhere in this city without it sparking some memory of Jake and me. And it’s killing me.”

  My fiancé Jake passed away two years ago. We’d met three years before that when I was still finding myself. I’d moved to New York after dropping out of Harvard Medical School. I had big dreams of becoming a doctor when I was a kid, but once I got into the program I quickly realized being a doctor wasn’t for me. So I hopped on a train to New York to find myself. I was working at one of the three jobs I maintained to keep myself afloat—a barista in a coffee shop in the financial district—when Jake walked in. He was handsome and charming and he had me the moment his fingers grazed my hand as I was handing him his coffee.

  Our relationship was a whirlwind of lavish parties and private jets to Paris and Milan. He introduced me to a world that a girl raised by a single dad, who worked as a police detective could only have dreamt about. Besides showing me how the other half lived, he also helped me find who I really was. I’d a secret dream of becoming a writer, but it had been drilled into my head by my grandmother that I had to grow up and get a real job, like being a doctor. But the idea of writing books and giving the stories that were always rolling around in my head a voice, still haunted me. After meeting Jake, my muse was awakened and I found my voice. And Jake gave me the support I needed to pursue my dream.

  For three years, we were so happy. I wrote my books and started making a name for myself while Jake became a wolf on Wall Street. We had everything. That was until that fateful day when one phone call would throw my world on its head.

  As soon as I woke up that morning I was plagued with an uneasy feeling like something was off and it only got worse after Jake left for his morning run. I paced through our apartment trying to shake this feeling that was now like a bowling ball in the pit of my stomach.

  Did I forget to pay a bill? Did I miss a deadline?

  I ran through my entire schedule. Even tried yoga, but nothing was helping. By the time seven-thirty rolled around and Jake still hadn’t returned from his run, I started to panic.

  Jake was a creature of habit, rarely ever straying too far from his daily routine. Up and out the door by five for his run then home and making love to me in the sh
ower by six. So I knew something wasn’t right. When my phone rang at eight, I didn’t have to answer it to know something had happened to Jake. The nurse on the other line tried her best to convince me that Jake was going to be just fine, he was in the hands of the best neurosurgeon in the country. I’d gone through enough medical training in med school to know that a ruptured aneurysm was a death sentence.

  The moment I saw the sympathetic look in the doctor’s eyes I knew Jake was gone. He explained that he did everything in his power to stop the bleeding but the rupture was too big and Jake had passed away on the operating table.

  A part of me died with Jake that day, and now all I feel is numb and empty. My feeling of emptiness only growing worse by me staying in New York, which is why I’ve decided to move to Seattle for a change of scenery and a fresh start.

  Hunter walked up behind me, spinning me around and pulled me into his arms. “I know this has been hard for you kiddo. I’m just going to miss you so damn much.”

  I wouldn’t have survived all of this it wasn’t for Hunter. After the funeral, he took a leave of absence from his job as a photojournalist to take care of me. He kept me from sliding deep into the depths of hell. For which, I will never be able to pay him back.

  “I’m going to miss you too, Hunter. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. It really means a lot, more than you’ll ever know.” I buried my face in his chest, my tears soaking into his shirt. He hugged me tighter, strumming his fingers through my hair like he did when I was a kid after I’d had a nightmare. I softly cried as we stood in my empty apartment. Hunter and my dad were all the family I had left, and it pained me to move so far away from them. But I needed this, I needed a fresh start. I couldn’t spend my life living in the past anymore. It was time for me to start living again.

  “You lookin’ for a little trouble, sweetheart?”

  “Maybe.” The shy redhead giggles, her face flush with nervous excitement as her eyes trail down my body, her thighs clenching together when she spots the bulge hiding behind my jeans. I know you want to meet him, sweetheart.

  I lean in nice and close, resting my hands on the bar behind her, framing her petite body between my arms. “I think you are,” I whisper in her ear. A sly smirk tugging at my lips when I hear her breathing grow ragged. “Do you have a name to go along with that pretty face?”

  Her cheeks burn red, making the freckles that dot her face pop. She introduces herself as Tiffany or Tara. Something with a T but like it really matters, Red wasn’t going to be seeing much of me after tonight. And I know what you’re thinking, but I make these women no promise other than to give them a night they will look back on, probably while in bed with their bloated, balding, Viagra-fueled husbands while they flop on top of them. As I see it, I’m doing these girls a great service while also taking care of my own needs.

  “And what’s your name handsome?”

  “It’s Brian,” I reply

  “Well Brian, just so you know, I’ve never done anything like this before.” She pulls her lip nervously between her teeth and all I can think is how good her full ruby red lips will look wrapped around my cock.

  “And what’s that darlin’?” I breathe in her sweet cherry blossom scent, lips barely grazing her soft, creamy skin. I can’t wait to get her back to my place and taste every inch of her beautiful body.

  “Gone home with a guy I just met,” she says in a breathy whisper.

  I could believe that. Being a trained police officer it’s my job to assess any situation, so the moment I saw her eyeing me by the pool tables—the way she teased the straw in her drink with her tongue and her shy little grins when I would flash her a wink—I could tell she was here looking to be a little bad with someone who knew how to please a woman. She probably had a boyfriend who only liked to fuck in the missionary position with all the lights off. I could smell her need for a good fuck all over her and I was more than happy to provide my services.

  “Let me show you how good it can be to be a little bad.”

  Her whole body shuddered at the idea, and I feel the heat radiating from her and that’s when I knew I had her. She slides off her bar stool then leaves to tell her friends she’s leaving. I wave at the group of giggling woman when they all look over at me. I have to stop myself from asking Red to bring along her hot friends, figuring coming home with me was about as adventurous as she was going to get.

  I slide my arm around her tiny waist and lead us out of the bar and down the two blocks to my apartment. As we step into the elevator, an image of my ex Jillian flashes through my mind. Her bright auburn hair and wicked grin punching me in the gut, and I can’t help but feel slightly sorry this chick was a redhead, but only a little. I guess I should feel bad for dicking these women over, but after having your heart ripped out by one it’s hard to feel anything at all.

  “Spank me, Daddy. I’ve been such a bad wittle girl.”

  Seriously, baby talk? Talk about a wood killer. Not that Red was doing that great of a job keeping me hard since we got back to my place. Don’t get me wrong she has a hot body, a tiny waist and a decent pair of tits, but I prefer more curves on a girl. I like having something to grab onto. Between her small frame and her sloppy attempt at a blowjob, it was taking everything I had to keep it up.

  As I reared my hand back, I could hear a loud pounding on my apartment door.

  “Open up asshole, I know you’re in there.” A muffled woman’s voice echoes through my apartment.

  Red looks back at me with daggers in her eyes. “Is that your girlfriend?”

  “Fuck no. I don’t do girlfriends.” It’s three in the damn morning, who the fuck would have the balls to come knocking on my door at this hour? Then again that blonde, stage five clinger, I booted out of my place the other night might have cause for retaliation. I barely let her put her clothes on before I was shoving her out the door.

  I climb out of bed, wrapping a sheet around my waist. The knocking growing louder and angrier as I walk through the living room to the front door.

  “You gotta lot of fucking nerve…”

  I fumble opening the locks and fling open the door. My mouth drops open and my anger quickly subsides when I spot the curvy brunette standing at my door. My eyes immediately focus on her body, making no attempt to hide the fact that I’m making a mental map of every curve of her banging figure. She’s dressed in a tight pair of curve-hugging yoga pants and a see-through pink lace bra that barely contains her gorgeous full tits. Her perfect pink nipples standing at attention, almost saying, “Please come suck on us.”

  I finally meet her gaze, her big blue doe eyes hitting me right in the dick. I’ve only just seen her and she’s already making me harder than Red had done all night. God damn, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she’s making me forget that she’s taken me away from the naked woman in my bed.

  “So sweetheart are you here to join the party?” I flash her a wink, but it only seems to piss her off even more.

  “In your fucking dreams,” she hisses. “Look, this is the third night in a row that you’ve kept me awake. I’m cool with you being a permanent stop for the skank train, but could you at least keep the noise down to a dull roar?”

  I watch as her eyes dart from my mine down to my waist then back up to my face then down again. Eyes widening when she notices how hard she’s got me under the sheet. She stumbles over her words as she continues to rip me a new one about the noise.

  “Just calm down darlin’. The noise can’t be that bad.”

  “Not that bad…my ass. I almost got a concussion from one the pictures above my bed crashing down on top of me.”

  I can’t help but smile proudly about that statement. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, but we could have settled this in the morning. You didn’t need to come over here banging on my door like a crazy person, trying to tell me what I can and cannot do in the privacy of my own home.” Now I’m starting to get pissed off. Who’s she to tell me wh
at I could do in my own home. She doesn’t see me coming over to her apartment at three in the damn morning screaming at her to keep the noise down. Oh wait, now I can see what this is really about.

  “I don’t give a shit what you do in your apartment. You can swing off the rafters for all I care, but what I do care about is when it keeps me from sleeping. Shove the bitches face in a pillow or strap a ball gag on her for all I care. Just keep the bitch fucking quiet!”

  Ball gag, I like that one. Damn, one minute she’s pissing me off then the next she’s making me laugh. She’s a fun one, I’ll give her that. “I can see what’s really got your panties in a twist. You’re not mad about the noise. You’re jealous that it’s not you I’m banging into the wall.” I take a step toward her, resting an arm on the door frame I lean in close. “Do you want to take a ride on this train?”

  An angry fire explodes in her eyes before her hand cracks hard across my face. “Asshole,” she screams then storms off in a huff, slamming her door behind her.

  “Crazy bitch.” I rub my burning cheek and shut the door with a loud thud. That crazy bitch has some nerve, she’s lucky I don’t arrest her ass for assaulting a police officer. Red appears in the doorway of my bedroom, a concerned look painted across her face.

  “Who was that?”

  “Just my crazy bitch neighbor. Come on, we’re moving the fun out here.” I grab her arm and pull her over to the kitchen table, bending her over and spreading her legs wider with my knee. I pause for a moment when her fucking words ring in my head, “just keep the bitch quiet.” What am I doing? Generally, I wouldn’t give a shit about what other people think about what I’m doing, but here I am going out of my way not to piss off some woman I don’t even know.

  Red looks back at me asking if I was okay with her eyes, and all I can see is that crazy bitch’s face taunting me, those damn blue eyes burning into my soul. I take a step back. My eyes closing tightly, trying to get her out of my head. I jump when I feel a hand slide down my arm, it’s Red asking me again if I’m okay. I open my mouth to speak and the only words that come out are, “Get the fuck out.”