by Soraya Lane
“Here’s knowing,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”
Chloe didn’t turn to watch him. Instead she walked slowly across the room, deciding to get a drink so she could choose which table to join first. She’d thought about doing a few lower-limit rounds, then changed her mind. They were only here a short time and the faster she won the ranch back the better. If she couldn’t keep up with the big players now she never would—she’d either lost her touch or she hadn’t.
“A club soda with lime,” she ordered at the bar, smiling her thanks. She turned and took a sip for something to do, the tiny straw resting between her teeth. Ryder was walking back in no time and she waved so he could see her.
“You decide yet?”
She nodded. “Let’s hit that table first. You keep an eye out on the others. I want to play the biggest and meanest guys around, okay? If they’re winning big I want to play them.”
Ryder nodded. “You have any idea how fucking hot you are talking all poker dirty at me?”
She laughed at him. “Wait till I’ve won a ton of money. Then you can be impressed.”
“Good luck, baby,” he said, running a hand down her arm and passing her the chips.
“Let’s hope I don’t need it.”
She joined a table playing no-limit Hold ’Em and put her five grand in chips on the table. There were no other women playing and all the men glanced at her, a couple nodding in her direction. The dealer smiled and said hello as she settled herself back into the leather chair. Ryder was still leaning against the bar and looking around, and she was happy to be on her own for now.
As the cards were dealt the familiar old rush of adrenaline was like a shot to her veins, excitement pumping as she flicked the edge of her cards to see her hand. Chloe remembered what her dad had taught her, counted her timings, and kept her breathing calm and even as she surveyed the table. Every man here would have a tell, no matter how subtle, and she needed to pick them apart player by player. Here she was playing Hold ’Em, and when she played Parker she’d probably be playing straight, but it didn’t matter what the game was. Her strength was bluffing, and that rusty feeling she’d worried about was long gone now that she was seated, players to her left and right, cards brushing her fingertips.
Chloe had an average two cards but she wasn’t going to show it and she sure as hell wasn’t going to glance at her cards again, her hand committed to memory. She called when it was her turn, putting up more money, watching as one of the guys folded. The others were all hanging in there.
Eventually the dealer put two cards faceup on the table and Chloe kept her face straight, still counting her breaths, refusing to give anything away. Her focus was always on the other players, and she could tell one of the men was screwed, one of his eyes flickering constantly to his cards. Technically she wasn’t in the best position yet either, but there was no way in hell anyone else was going to know that.
Chloe sank deeper into her seat, practicing a self-assured smile, just a hint of a grin to make her look confident. When it was her turn she chuckled and raised the bet, one hand resting over her two cards but still never looking at them, never even toying with the edge of them.
By the time they were in the final round of betting with five community cards faceup on the table, Chloe had them all sussed out. There were only three of them left in the game and she’d half expected to be the last one standing. Her hand was good enough, she had a solid chance of winning, but she was starting to realize that she needed to lay it on more if she wanted to get the men playing here to bail out of the game completely before the final round. She was finding her groove, and it had only taken her one game to do it.
Her blood pumped hard as the player to her left revealed his cards first. Chloe clenched her toes, her only regular tell, which no one could ever see. If that was the best hand at the table right now, then she had it. But it wasn’t all skill this time, luck had played a solid part, too.
Chloe nodded to the other two players when she won, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. She liked to be understated, to not draw any more attention to herself than she had to, and she was back playing the table again within minutes.
She fought a smile as she received a few looks from the other men, hearing a grumble from across the table. The fact that she was a woman winning made her stand out enough, which meant she had to make even more of an effort to stay completely under the radar. She clenched her toes again and gave herself a mental high five. She was back on the horse and it felt damn good.
* * *
Ryder sipped his beer. It was the only one he’d had in the entire time he’d been watching Chloe—there was only so long he could be content drinking club sodas. He’d kept his distance but he’d never taken his eyes off of her table, except to scan the room like she’d asked. And now she was heading in his direction, a smug smile on her face.
“How you doin’, baby?” he asked, opening his arms and drawing her in.
Her laugh was for his ears only as she slipped her hands around his waist and leaned in for a kiss.
“We’re loaded,” she murmured. “And I think I’ve got the bug back.”
Ryder stroked her hair and kissed her back. “You’re fucking awesome. Playing those guys like that is amazing.”
“It was hit and miss with the first game but after that I got my rhythm.”
“So you wanna split or play another table?” he asked. Ryder had liked watching her but he was starting to get bored—he either wanted to play himself or take her back to their suite. Not that he wasn’t grateful to have Chloe on his side, but still.
“Any tables you think I should hit?” she asked, waving the bartender over and ordering a soda.
“The guys over there,” he said, pointing, “have been betting big. The fat guy to the dealer’s left is cleaning up. You might want to join for a game or two, and I can go find some old ladies to play somewhere else so I at least have half a chance of winning.”
“Play at the next table over. You’ll have fun.” She downed her drink, touching the corners of her mouth with the back of one finger. “I’m going to the restroom for a second, then when I come back I’ll wait for an opening.”
Ryder tugged his chair closer to hers and nudged her knees apart so their thighs were pressed tight. “You sure you don’t want to go back to bed?”
Chloe laughed but there was heat in her gaze. She was high on winning and he was high on watching her. “Don’t forget what I’m practicing for, Ryder.”
He sighed, leaning forward to touch foreheads with her, staring into her eyes. “Never. You’re just so fucking hot right now.”
She giggled and jumped down from her chair. “And I’ll be even hotter tonight when we’re rolling in hundred dollar bills on our bed.”
“Don’t get too cocky, darlin’.”
Chloe pressed a wet, slow kiss to his lips, not talking until she pulled back, her lips still almost brushing his. “I won’t.”
“If it isn’t Chloe goddamn Rivers.”
Ryder felt Chloe freeze, her fingers digging into his thigh where before they’d been resting softly. Her eyes met his, panic obvious as she stared at him and didn’t look away.
Ryder took charge, slipping a hand around her waist and glancing over his shoulder. “Can I help you?” No one was going to intimidate Chloe, not if he had anything to do with it.
He locked eyes with an older man, his greasy hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Ryder stayed seated, not wanting to make a big deal out of someone recognizing her until he had to. It wasn’t his style to make a scene.
“I was talking to the lady.”
Ryder changed his mind real quick, springing to his feet. “And I was talking to you.”
Chloe turned then, leaning back against the bar but staying tight to him. “Long time no see,” she said, the terror gone from her gaze and replaced with a steely determination that he recognized from her time at the tables. She sure knew how to put her game face on.
>
“I could say the same about you, sweetheart.”
Ryder bristled but he bunched a fist and kept it at his side. If Chloe could put on a poker face, then so could he. At least until he needed to act.
“You here to pay off some of your daddy’s debts?”
She laughed, but it was a fake kind of trill that Ryder hadn’t heard before. He instinctively moved even closer to her, staring daggers at the stranger.
“I’m not responsible for my old man’s debts now, and I wasn’t back then either.”
The guy laughed, folding his arms across his chest. He leaned forward and Ryder stood up straighter.
“Not how I remember it, sweetheart,” he said. “How about we have a drink and talk about what he owes me, shall we? I’m sure I could find a few more of the old crew who’d like to know you’re here, too. There’s been a lot of guys keeping an eye out for him.”
When he came closer again Ryder moved to stand in front of Chloe. “Back the fuck up,” he seethed, blood pumping like liquid fire through his body. “You heard what she said, now you can fuck off.”
“Settle down, boyfriend. Chloe knows how things work here.”
Ryder laughed, a deep kind of laugh that sounded more like a roar. “No, I know how things work, asshole. Get out of my face and don’t come looking for Chloe again. You hear me?”
Chloe moved to stand in front of Ryder, keeping a hand on him. “You heard him, Jim. I don’t want to see you or anyone else my dad owes money to. He’s dead to me, okay? I haven’t seen him in a long time.”
Jim sniggered and held up his hands. “Oh, I’ll come looking for you, sweetheart. You bailed him out last time and you’ll do it again if you know what’s good for you. And for him.”
Ryder lunged forward, ready to deck the guy to hell with the consequences, but Chloe’s hand closed over his.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “You’re better than him.”
He clenched her hand and ground his teeth. “No one threatens you and gets away with it,” he muttered. “No one.”
She shook her head. “Can we just go, Ryder?”
“What about playing the other table?” he asked. “Don’t let that idiot scare you, Chloe. He’s not going to touch you, no one is. Not while I’m here.”
She tucked her body up against his, holding on to him tight. “I just want to go, okay? That was enough of a blast from the past for me. We can go somewhere else tomorrow or later tonight.”
Ryder downed the rest of his beer and held her close. “I’ll walk you to the restroom, then cash in our chips,” he said. “Then I’m taking you out for an early dinner.”
The flicker of excitement came back into her eyes, a light there that had so quickly been extinguished only a moment earlier. “That’d be great. I want to forget all about what just happened.” She sighed. “But thank you. I’m not used to having someone in my corner like that.”
He squeezed her hand, fingers interlinked. “You don’t have to thank me. I like you Chloe, a lot, and I look after people I like. Even after all this is over I’ll still be in your corner if you ever need me.”
The look on her face surprised him, because she looked genuinely dumbfounded. “My instincts are screaming at me right now not to let you come riding in like a knight in shining armor even though I know it’s stupid.”
He cleared his throat, giving her fingers another squeeze. He didn’t know what to say. He did like Chloe a lot, more than just wanting to get her into bed, and it pissed him off to know that she’d never had anyone look after her before.
Ryder waited until she’d disappeared into the restroom and then headed for the cashier. He changed the chips and turned around to find the same guy lined up behind him.
“I thought I told you to fuck off,” Ryder snarled.
“Chloe knows how things work when it comes to her old man,” the guy said. “Her dad’s debts are her debts. She knew it back then and she knows it now.”
Ryder shook his head, glancing over to see Chloe waiting for him outside the restrooms. He turned his attention back to the man standing in front of him.
“It was Jim, right?” he asked.
Jim nodded. “Yeah. You ready to tell her what her old man owes?”
“No,” Ryder said, stepping up into the guy’s face and fighting the urge to growl at him. “I’m just making sure I have my facts straight. Because if anyone so much as comes near Chloe while we’re here and tries to settle your bogus debt, I want to make sure I know who to blame for it. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you even think about her again. You got me? No one fucks with a King, and that means no one fucks with me.”
Jim stared at him, clearly not intimidated by threats.
“You so much as mention her old man again and I’ll personally make sure you can’t make the same mistake twice,” Ryder threatened. “I don’t want to see your face again, Jim, and I don’t make idle threats when it comes to my girl.”
He didn’t wait for Jim to respond, just marched over to Chloe and held her tight to his body as they made for the exit.
“We’re out of here,” he told her.
“What did he say?” Chloe asked, hurrying to keep up with his longer stride.
Ryder slowed, not meaning to rush her. “Nothing. And he won’t be bothering you again so don’t waste any time worrying about him.”
She nodded and tugged his hand, forcing him to stop when she moved her body slightly in front of his. “Ryder.”
He looked down at her, possessiveness rippling through him as he considered her big brown eyes and beautiful face.
“It feels nice to be protected.”
Ryder shrugged. “Like I said, it’s no big deal.”
“Yeah, maybe not for you,” she said, grazing her lips across his, “but it does mean a lot to me. Makes me realize you’re not just some rich kid asshole.”
Ryder could see tears shining in her eyes, knew the whole run-in had shaken her up even though she was trying to joke with him now. “No one will ever get away with threatening you when I’m around, Chloe, and that’s a promise I can keep. He so much as looks at you again there will be hell to pay.”
She rested her head against his shoulder as they walked, less self-assured gambler and more damsel in distress now, and he knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe after seeing that scared deer-in-the-headlights look on her face before. Something about her pulled at heartstrings he didn’t even know he had.
“Come on. It’s time I taught you how to ride a bull.”
Chapter 11
Chloe was starting to get used to Ryder’s arm slung low around her hips and being hard up against his body. There was something comforting about having a man as commanding as Ryder by her side—he was big enough to be intimidating to other men and the look in his eyes when he made a threat made it obvious that he’d follow through. She’d had to be tough all her life to get out of certain situations, and it was nice to know that someone actually had her back for once. Although she wasn’t sure if it was just because she was the one capable of winning his ranch back for him, or if he really gave a damn. Or maybe that was just the way he was with women, going into alpha protective mode at the drop of a hat. But the way he’d looked at her before … She stamped the thought away. She knew better than to get carried away with some fantasy idea of what they had turning into something more.
They stopped outside a bar that had music thumping loud. Ryder unhooked his arm and took her hand, pausing before they entered.
“You know, this place seemed like a good idea in my head, but now that we’re here I’m not so sure.”
A woman in teeny-tiny cutoff shorts and a ripped low T-shirt burst out the door and stumbled past them and Chloe watched as Ryder cringed.
“It’ll be fine,” she said. “So long as we can drink I’ll be happy.”
Ryder pushed open the door. “When I said this was my favorite dive hangout, I didn’t really think it through. I usually come h
ere with my brothers, and we’re kind of drunk before we get here half the time.”
“So in other words it’s not the right place to bring a girlfriend?” she asked with a chuckle. “I don’t care, Ryder. Seriously, I’m not going to be offended by a heap of scantily clad girls and cheap drinks.”
He grinned and slung his arms across her shoulders, tugging her head closer when he closed his arms into a V and kissed her cheek. “That’s my girl.” Ryder laughed. “Welcome to Rockhouse Las Vegas.”
Chloe tried not to bristle, but it was hard. Having fun with Ryder was one thing, but she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about what was happening between them. She liked him more than she wanted to admit, but she wasn’t going to let herself think about this being anything more than fun. Falling for Ryder would end in her heart being splintered into pieces, and the last thing she needed was to be dependent on anyone in this life other than herself. Seeing her dad’s old deadbeat gambling buddy had made that crystal clear.
“For all you know I used to come here all the time,” Chloe said as she leaned into Ryder on their way to the bar.
He glanced at her, eyebrows raised. “Seriously?”
She laughed. “Not a chance. But hey, you didn’t tell me it was Taco Tuesday! This place is looking better by the second.”
“Hey, it’s the strip’s ultra dive bar, what did you expect?”
“So, tacos?” she asked, wiggling out of his grasp and leaning forward on the bar, waving a bartender over to take their orders.
“Damn right I want tacos,” Ryder said, pulling out his wallet.
Chloe put her hand over his and shook her head. “This one’s on me. After the way you handled Jim back there I owe you.”
“It was nothing.” Ryder’s jaw was set hard again, his eyes stormy when she brought up what had happened. “I told you I’d look after you while we were here and I meant it.”
“Still,” she said, opening her purse and shaking her head, “it meant a lot to me and I want to at least get the tacos. And the shots.”
“Shots?” he asked, one eyebrow raised again, his dimple reminding her of the fun they’d had in the bedroom, the way he’d looked at her when it had been just the two of them. That’s what she needed to focus on—it was about fun not love. She wasn’t going to fall for him no matter how sweet he was, and he wasn’t going to fall for her.