Page 52 of A Lot Like Love
Chloe stretched and turned her neck from side to side, feeling stiff. They only had a few hours left before they were going to head back for a dinner booking, their last day in Vegas all mapped out, so she didn’t mind putting up with a sore neck for a little longer. She smiled to herself. Maybe Ryder could massage her later.
The cards were dealt and she started playing, on a roll, until there were just three of them left in the game. She curled up her toes as she took another glance at her cards, looking at the other two men. The one farthest away from her, the older guy with the cap, finally looked up, tipping his hat back, cards facedown on the table.
Chloe gasped as familiar hazel-brown eyes met hers. She clenched her cards, fighting the urge to get up and run or call out for Ryder. She glanced over her shoulder, checked he was close, saw that he was playing only a few tables over.
“You sure been having a good run today.”
The gravelly voice sent a shiver through her body, leaving her cold, skin like ice. It was him. It was her…She took a big, shaky breath as he took off his hat and ran his fingers through hair long enough to need a ponytail.Her father.It had been a while, but it wouldn’t matter how many years passed—she’d always know him.
Chloe stared at her cards, refused to acknowledge him. The other player was staring at her now and when he raised the bet she fumbled, raising too, but giving too much away with her body language, her confidence lost. She didn’t want to get up and walk away, wanted to win, didn’t want her father to be the reason she lost her winning streak, but…
Damn.Within five minutes she’d lost, her cards thrown on the table, money gone. She stood up and pushed back her seat, grabbing her purse and hurrying toward Ryder, but fingers caught tight around her wrist before she could get away, digging in hard.
“Is that any way to treat your daddy?”
She bristled, snatching her arm from his grip even though it hurt like hell. Chloe spun around to face him, knew from looking at him that things weren’t going his way right now. When things were rough, he didn’t bother to shave, let his hair grow out. If he was worth any kind of money he’d be wearing a nice shirt, showing off a fancy wristwatch with his sleeves pushed up, hair neatly combed.
“I said…”
“You’re not mydaddyanymore,” she said, fists clenched as she glared at him, heat rising in her cheeks from anger.
“You got any money, love?” His voice was softer now, his eyes pleading.Like an addict begging for a fix. “I just need a bit to tide me over, see me out of a bit of trouble.”
“I need you to leave me alone,” she told him, not backing down, staring him straight in the eye. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’ve already stolen everything I had.”
“You’re throwing ’round a bit of cash today. I’ve been watching you, Chloe.”
“Everything okay here?”
Chloe had to bite down hard on her bottom lip to stop from crying, the relief she felt at hearing Ryder’s deep, commanding voice hitting her with a power punch.
“Ryder, this is my father,” she muttered.
“Ah, so you got yourself a rich man, did you? Maybe he can pay up for the privilege. Or is a little bitch like you not worth a dowry?”
“You bastard,” she swore, keeping close to Ryder when his hands landed on her shoulders, her back pressed against him.
“Seems like you have a few debts to settle, and I’m not talking about what you owe your daughter,” Ryder said, eyeballing her father over her head.
He received a laugh in response. “Yeah? Well, Chloe was always pretty good at getting her old man out of trouble. Never liked the idea of me getting roughed up too much.”
The fury that built within Chloe was like an out-of-control storm, swirling inside her head until she couldn’t stand it any longer. Before she had time to think she was less than a foot away from the man she hated with every fiber in her body, her hand raised as she slapped him hard across the face.
Ryder grabbed her, his hand closing over hers as he drew her back, his hold firm yet gentle, guiding her away.
“I hate you,” she sobbed. “I hope they come looking for you. I hope they find you and make you pay, because I’m never settling your debts again.Never.”
She turned into Ryder, letting him hold her, face to his chest. She never lost control, never cried, but seeing her father, having to deal with the man who should have loved her more than anyone else in the world treating her like that… She sucked back her tears and took a deep breath. It broke her heart.
“You don’t contact Chloe again, you hear me?” Ryder said, the no-bullshit tone of his voice only making her hold on to him tighter. “She ever wants to see you, she’ll find you, but you so much as ask her for a dollar again and it’ll be my fist you’re facing. Got that?”
Ryder took her hand, walking her away from her father and out the door.
“You’re okay,” he soothed, keeping hold of her hand even when they stopped. “He’s not going to hurt you.”
“But he already did,” she admitted, wiping her eyes, hoping she didn’t look like a panda after bursting into tears. “I lost.”
“What? One game?”
