“Hey, wait, Jose.” Tanner went after him while peeling off another ten. “Will you tell someone to send up a bottle of wine and charge it to the room?”
“My pleasure, sir.” He accepted the tip. “Would that be white or red?”
Tanner blinked, and turned toward the bedroom. “Honey, what do you drink, white or red?”
Lexy appeared at the door and gave him a look. “Red.”
Well, shit.
Her chilly glare warned him he’d done something wrong. And here he’d hoped the wine would loosen her up and she wouldn’t hand him his balls once he told her about the change in plan.
He almost shrugged when he looked at Jose, but he was smart enough to know that would piss her off. The man gave a discreet, understanding nod and left.
She’d disappeared into the room, and Tanner went after her. Coming up behind her, he wrapped her in his arms.
“What?” he murmured, his lips pressed to the side of her neck.
She turned around to face him with a laugh. “Honey, what do you drink?” she mimicked.
“Ah, right. I’m not supposed to call you honey.”
“No. You shouldn’t have made it sound as if you’d just picked me up on a street corner.”
Tanner thought on it a moment, then smiled. “You might have a point.”
“Might?” She wiggled out of his arms and headed toward the bathroom. “And what’s with the ten-dollar tip? Twice! Whoever called you a cheapskate the other day is crazy.”
He followed her, caught her hand and swung her around to face him. “If you weren’t with me, I would’ve given him three,” he said, trying not to laugh at her mock glare.
“You would’ve carried your own bag.”
“I’d be sleeping in the trailer.”
Lexy smiled, slipped her arms around his neck and gestured with a tilt of her head. “Look.”
“Nice,” he said, eyeing the big, deep tub. “We can both fit in there, and then some.”
“Who’d you have in mind?”
He took a nip of her lower lip. “I told you, Alexis.” He ran the tip of his tongue over the spot where he’d used his teeth. “I’m a one-woman man.”
She sighed against his mouth. “I like you, Tanner. I really do, and I didn’t mean to give you a hard time about the tips. It’s your money. I’ve heard enough of your conversation with Doug to know you’re dealing with a cash-flow problem and I don’t need you to impress me with expensive hotel rooms or hot tubs or anything else.” She brushed her lips across his. “Anyway, it’s too late. You’ve already impressed me.”
He moved back, too abruptly, he realized when he saw the alarm in her eyes, then watched it fade as he unbuckled her belt and drew up the hem of her T-shirt. The timing was perfect to tell her about the poker game, the back taxes, the auction. Explain why Houston wasn’t his first priority. She knew so much about his predicament already. It would be easy to slide in between the half-truths and prey on her sympathy.
But he just couldn’t bring it up. Not right now. He’d done the math and accounted for the new twist. They could still make it to Houston, but it would be damn tight. He could blame her brother’s unexpected schedule change, along with the fact that Harrison had yet to officially inform Lexy about it. The last-minute switch gave Tanner reason to throw up his hands, tell her this wasn’t his fault and the auction came first.
But he’d seen the nervous peeks at her phone, the hurt in her eyes growing every minute there was no ring. No way he’d throw logs on the fire. Whatever had strained her relationship with her brother, Tanner wouldn’t heap on more pain. It would kill him to lose Doug’s trust and respect, and he felt confident the reverse was true, as well. Even with their being opposites, the bond was strong.
Ironically, whether she wanted it or not, Lexy had Tanner’s sympathy. She sure had his attention, too. He brought the T-shirt up over her head, tossed it and unfastened her bra. She let it slide off then tugged his T-shirt free of his jeans. They seemed to realize at the same time there was a faster way to get naked. Boots, shoes and socks first, then they were each stripping off their own jeans.
“Did you bring in the condoms?” she asked, eyes widening.
“Are you kidding? I’d sooner forget my Stetson.”
She laughed, familiar with how he felt about that poor, worn hat. It was kind of odd how many little things she knew about him in such a short period of time. Things that had taken Doreen months to get. Or maybe she’d never made the connections Lexy had.
He stopped her from pulling down her panties. He wanted that pleasure to be his. Starting with a kiss on her lips, he slid down to roll his tongue over her beaded nipple. With a soft moan, she arched into his mouth and clutched at his hair. He would’ve lingered if he hadn’t wanted those panties off so badly.
Pressing his lips to the silky skin under her ribs, he slid his palm up the back of her thighs and cupped her bottom. When he withdrew, she protested with a frustrated groan and a tug of his hair. Smiling, he reached behind and started the tub water before turning back to yank down her panties.
She let out a small yelp of surprise, then held on to his shoulder and slipped one foot free. “You sneaky little— Oh.”
He’d spread her freed leg wide and kissed between her thighs. She was warm and moist and smelled so good that he could’ve spent an hour right there. Lexy quivered and pushed him away.
“First, we get rid of these,” she said, and worked her splayed hands under the waistband of his boxers.
She molded her palms to his hips, her fingers lightly digging into his ass, before she moved to grip his hard cock.
He sucked in a shuddering breath. “Easy or we won’t make it into the tub.”
“We will eventually.” She stroked upward, thumbing the crown.
The knock on the door made them both groan. “The wine,” they said in unison.
She picked up his jeans and handed them to him. “You can do the honors since it was your great idea.”
“Don’t you fret.” He leaned in for a kiss. “We have all night.” Except they didn’t. How the hell could he have forgotten? “After you bring me luck at poker.” Coward that he was, he ducked his head to pull up his jeans.
“Poker? Is that a joke?”
“There’s a high-stakes game tonight,” he said, glancing up. “If I’m lucky, a big win could take care of that cash-flow problem.”
“And if you’re not?”
“Hell, I’m already screwed.”
She studied his face, probably looking for a reason not to haul off and smack him. Whatever she saw there must’ve satisfied her, because she slowly nodded, and turned to test the water filling the tub.
Or maybe it had nothing to do with being satisfied, and everything to do with being resigned.
Maybe she’d just decided to cut her losses.
15
THE WESTERN-THEMED RESTAURANT with its rustic tables and chairs, red-gingham curtains and matching vinyl tablecloths looked as though it could be a family place. Though Lexy couldn’t imagine any parents in their right minds bringing kids here. The bar in the back needed more than swinging doors to keep the raucous laughter and ripe language contained.
But then it was after ten, and it appeared they’d stopped serving food already. The older woman standing at the register had looked up when they entered, smiled and went back to counting money as they passed her to go through the swinging doors.
Their entry into the bar met with momentary silence. The couple throwing darts gave them a fleeting look before returning to their game. The men crowding the bar were drinking beer, eating peanuts from a large bowl and tossing shells on the wooden floor. A cowboy sitting at the end apparently recognized Tanner and nodded, the surprise on his face quite clear.
The bea
rded bartender looked out of place, more like a biker with his long, graying hair pulled back in a ponytail. He squinted at Tanner then motioned with his eyes at a door marked Private.
Even though Tanner had explained the place was a favorite watering hole for rodeo riders, and that the owner hosted a monthly high-stakes game, everything felt surreal. As if they’d slipped through a portal back in time. She imagined a speakeasy may have looked like this. It didn’t help that Tanner’s plan was completely crazy and went against everything she thought she knew about him.
“What? No password or secret handshake?” she whispered, trying to lighten the mood, hers mostly.
Smiling thinly, he squeezed her hand, the one he’d held for the entire three-block walk. “You sure you’re okay with being here? I can still take you back to the hotel.”
“No, I want to watch.” What she really wanted was for them to both be in the room with a Do-Not-Disturb sign hanging from their door. “Anyway, I’m supposed to be your amulet.”
She wondered if her confusion and a bad case of nerves could somehow cancel out any luck she might bring him. Perhaps the thought had occurred to him, too. He released her hand the second they entered the well-lit room.
Four older men playing cards at the table stopped briefly to check out the newcomers. So did the pair standing in the corner talking. Both of them acknowledged Tanner as if they knew him. At the opposite side of the room, a tall, slim, blonde woman mixing drinks gave him a big smile.
“Hey, cowboy, long time no see.” She set down a bottle of whiskey, wiped her hands on a towel and came around the portable bar to throw her arms around him. “I was shocked to hear you were coming.” She kissed his cheek, leaving behind a smear of pink lipstick.
Well, not really his cheek, more like the side of his mouth. Lexy was fairly certain the woman had only missed his lips because Tanner turned his face at the last second.
“How you doing, Sherry?” He yanked his hat off. “Besides getting prettier while the rest of us are just getting older.”
She laughed and swatted his arm. “My kids would tell you I’m getting crankier. But they’re teenagers, so what do they know? Other than everything.” Sherry smiled at Lexy. “Will you be joining the fellas tonight?”
“She’s with me,” Tanner said, and introduced them.
He stayed close, but didn’t take her hand again. Or touch her or introduce her to any of the men. Anyone watching would think they were casual friends, which was the truth. If she thought otherwise she’d be foolish. Once they arrived in Houston and she handed him over, she’d return to Oklahoma City, and Tanner would be off doing...she had no idea what he would do next.
The thought didn’t sit well. Though frankly, she doubted she knew him at all. None of what he was doing made sense. Until a few hours ago, he’d seemed like the most steady, stable, secure man she’d ever met.
But in the short time since they’d arrived, he’d had money wired to him, drawn a sizeable cash advance against his only credit card, arranged for a marker with whoever was in charge of the game and was ready to pretty much “bet the farm.” All this, when a few days ago, he’d claimed he never had and never would play high-stakes poker. Yes, of course she knew he needed fast cash, but that he was willing to lose everything on the chance he could win didn’t fall in sync with his character.
Sherry left to finish making drinks, but before Lexy could say anything to Tanner, a short, wiry man about his age approached them. He politely nodded to her when Tanner introduced them, then Colby said in a low voice, “I’m already wiped out for the night. Can you believe it?”
Tanner frowned. “How long you been playing?”
“Me? A couple hours at best.” He removed his hat and scratched his head. “J.D. cleaned my clock. The bastard’s been hot for six days straight. Unreal. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
They were both staring at the dark-haired cowboy with the graying temples, leaning back in his chair and focusing on the cards fanned out in his hand. His weathered face made his age indiscernible, but Lexy would guess he was around sixty.
“Why are you even here?” Colby’s eyes narrowed on Tanner. “You never play for this kind of scratch, and tell you what...now ain’t the time to start.” He darted a look at the table, then turned his head and spoke close to Tanner’s ear. “Second day in he won a Caddy off some poor slob who’d run out of money and markers.”
“I heard,” Tanner said, his gaze trained on J.D.
“Hey...” With a bewildered expression, Colby studied Tanner. “You’ve never gone up against him, have you?”
“Nope. Any idea how much he’s up?”
“Sherry thinks it’s close to eighty grand. And that’s after buying everyone drinks and chow all week. Rocky might as well put a revolving door out front. Guys have been coming outta the woodwork hoping to break his streak. Everyone’s been betting big.”
“How big?”
“Don’t be stupid, Tanner.”
Lexy wanted to give Colby a hug for saying what she couldn’t. Not that Tanner was paying any attention. He seemed transfixed by what was happening at the table. She bumped him slightly with her shoulder, hoping to snap him out of his trance. He didn’t budge. Just kept studying the older man in the brown plaid shirt.
Colby glanced at her as if Tanner’s being here was somehow her fault. “Remember Bob Samuels two years ago?” he said to Tanner. “He ran hot for ten days, won over a hundred grand and ended up going home flat broke. So did a lot of other guys.”
She couldn’t stand it another minute and touched his arm. “Tanner? Please think about this.” She spoke quietly so that no one heard except for Colby.
At least Tanner broke eye contact with the game to look at her. “I don’t want to be here, believe me,” he said, and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek.
Colby cleared his throat. “I’m outta here,” he said. “Good luck. Better yet, listen to the lady and get.”
Tanner watched Colby claim his hat from a wall peg behind Sherry, then nodded to him as he left.
When he brought his gaze back to her, Lexy lifted a hand to his face. “Lipstick,” she said, rubbing the pink smear off with her thumb.
He caught her fisted hand. “Relax,” he said, forcing her fingers open. “I know what I’m doing.” He kissed her palm, his eyes locked with hers.
She wasn’t so sure he did. People had seemed shocked to see Tanner, so she hadn’t been too far off the mark about him. But what was going on with his family that would make him desperate enough to step out of character?
“Your hand’s cold.” He kissed the back this time, and then sandwiched it between his warm, calloused palms. He seemed calm and steady, no sign of nerves, but of course that wasn’t so surprising. His job was riding powerful broncs determined to buck him to high heaven.
She swallowed, but it didn’t help the lump in her throat. “He’s watching us.” Her gaze had flickered away for a second. “The man in the plaid shirt. J.D.?”
“I’m sure he is.”
Noise erupted from the players. Two of them cussed viciously. J.D. grinned and started raking in piles of different-colored chips from the center of the table.
The man in the black T-shirt just shook his head and threw down his cards. “That’s it for me.” He scraped his chair back from the table, stood and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. “Your goddamn luck is gonna run out sooner or later, J.D.”
A husky, balding man, his arms folded over his paunch, leaned sideways to whisper something to Sherry. She nodded, pulled a notebook from behind the bar and held it out to him.
“Hey, Tanner, we need to get you squared away,” the man said. “The guys are taking ten while we wait for a fifth player. Joe should be here any minute.”
“Be right there.” Tanner continued to rub her hand. “Don’t look so
worried. Everything’s gonna be fine, Lexy. I promise.”
“Don’t.” She looked into his eyes, not caring if her disappointment showed. “You can’t make that promise because there’s no guarantee you’ll win.”
“Technically, you’re right. But this isn’t as crazy as it seems. Consider this a calculated risk.”
She stared helplessly at him. “I don’t understand any of it, but it’s your business.”
He searched her face for a moment, looking as if he wanted to tell her something more. But all he said was, “You can still wait at the hotel.”
“No, I’ll be too nervous.”
He gave her a faint smile. “How about a kiss for luck?” Without waiting for an answer, he lowered his head and brushed a soft kiss across her lips.
She had a feeling everyone was watching them, and she didn’t care. She wound her arms around him and hugged him close. “I do wish you luck,” she whispered. “But I hope you understand gambling can never be considered a calculated risk.”
“You’re right,” he said, moving back. “My bet is on J.D. I know him, and I know I can beat him.” Tanner glanced at J.D. just as he looked up.
Staring into the older man’s face, Lexy finally saw the resemblance.
J.D. was his father.
* * *
TWO HOURS LATER, Tanner was up by three thousand dollars. On a normal poker night, he’d be as pleased as a flea in a doghouse. In fact, he’d have cashed out by now. But there was nothing ordinary about this game, and with Lexy anxiously watching, he had to really narrow his focus so he wouldn’t feel like such a chump.
He knew she disapproved, and he didn’t blame her. This wasn’t one of his finer moments. He’d sworn years ago he’d never sit across a poker table from his father. It wouldn’t be a fair match. J.D.’s guilt would trip him up. And though Tanner wasn’t proud of it, that’s exactly what he was counting on.
The player who’d shown up late, Joe Baker, was a saddle bronc rider Tanner knew fairly well. The other two men sitting at the table had quit rodeoing shortly after he’d started competing professionally. While he was familiar with their reputations as World Champion Team Ropers, he didn’t personally know Chet and Larry. Sherry had warned him that both men now owned large cattle operations in Wyoming, were good players and had deep pockets.
Alone with You Page 17