Page 16 of A Lot Like Love
Chloe sighed. Maybe she should have invited him to her place. At least there she wouldn’t feel like she’d been trapped in the lion’s own den.
“So,boyfriend,” she said, squaring her shoulders and deciding it wasn’t the most stupid plan she’d ever heard. “What do you say to a trip to Vegas?”
“Vegas?”
“If I’m gonna win your ranch back, I need to get some practice in. Which means I need your cash.A lot of your cash.”
If Ryder was surprised, he didn’t show it. He dropped down onto the sofa, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and smiled. “Does this mean we’re dating?”
She ignored his question. “I want to start with some small games, we can both play, then I want you to hang back and watch, keep an eye on things for me,” Chloe told him. “There are some people I don’t want to run into and I need you to keep track of all my plays, which means I need your help.”
Ryder nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Any questions?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “When do we leave?”
“Depends on whether we’re taking a road trip or flying.”
Ryder grinned and turned around, grabbing a soda from the fridge and passing it to her. She took it, popping the top and taking a sip.
“So car or plane?” she asked again.
He spun back around, closing the fridge door. “I thought you were kidding.”
Now it was her pausing, eyebrows raised as she watched him. “You’ve lost me.” She had no idea why he’d found her question so weird.
“Sweetheart, my family has a jet. We can be wheels up whenever you want to be.”
She stared at him, waiting for him to laugh and tell her he was joking. But he just opened his soda, checked his phone, then looked back up at her.
“What?”
“A plane? You’re telling me you have a freaking plane at your disposal?” Unbelievable. If she had that kind of money she’d be so damn grateful that she’d never waste a penny, and she sure as hell wouldn’t go out gambling.
“Well, I have to share it with my brothers,” he said, a smirk on his face that made him look so cocky she wanted to slap him just to bring him back to reality. “And my granddad.”
“I almost want to drive just to punish you.”
He moved closer to her again, leaning back against the counter and stretching his long jean-clad legs out in front of him. “Twenty-two hours in a car with you wouldn’t be half bad.”
Heat flushed through her entire body, warmth spreading through her belly. Ryder was pure sex appeal, and no matter how hard she tried to think otherwise, she wanted him. And no matter what happened, he didn’t seem able to turn it off.
“I think you’ll find it’s twenty-four hours.” It was the only thing she could think of to say.
He shook his head. “Darlin’, you obviously haven’t hit the road in a Lamborghini before.”
“And you’ve obviously forgotten that you might have a private plane and flash cars, but unless you do something damn fast you won’t have a garage to park them in.”
His smile died, mouth setting in a straight line. “I haven’t forgotten. Don’t mistake me having fun with you for me forgetting, not for a second.”
“Then start acting like it.” She was being snappy and she knew it, but the way he was so cavalier with his money, when he’d lost so much already, was starting to piss her off.
“Are you decent?”
A deep voice echoed down the hall and Chloe forgot all about how annoyed she was when Ryder jumped up, slamming down his soda can.
“Dammit. It’s Chase.” Ryder ran his hands through his hair, eyes darting to her then toward the door. “In here,” he called back.
