Page 70 of A Lot Like Love
“Would you rather it be thirty?” she asked, not breaking eye contact with him for a second, smiling to herself when he glanced down at his cards in a panic. He never turned them over, he wouldn’t have needed to, but she’d fast learned that his tell was the glance down.
“You little bitch,” he sneered, slamming his fist into the table and standing, leaning forward in an obvious attempt to intimidate her.
“It’s just a card game, isn’t that right, fellas?” she said with a giggle.
No one laughed, Parker’s anger tangible in the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ryder move away from the bar and come toward her. She was still staring at Parker but her heart was starting to pound—there was nothing harmless about the man she’d just swindled. To him, she doubted it’d be losing the ranch that was the problem, it was being humiliated and beaten by a woman in front of his gambling buddies.
“Fuck you,” he yelled, throwing his cards down before his hands moved fast, cupping the table and hurling it over.
Chloe jumped up but she didn’t move fast enough, stumbling back on her heels as glasses came flying in her direction, smashing around her, the table hitting her leg as she went sailing across the floor. She fell back, arms flailing out to break her fall, anticipating the thud of her head, but her fall was broken by someone else. Ryder was on his knees, big arms catching her as fast as she’d gone down.
“Chloe?”
She leaned back into Ryder, sighed as he peered down at her like she was broken. The room was spinning a little but she was fine—thank god she hadn’t had more than one drink otherwise she’d really be tripping.
“It’s no big deal,” she muttered, tugging at her dress to make sure she wasn’t showing off more than she’d intended on.
“He’s dead,” Ryder snarled, setting her on her feet and running a hand down her back.
“Leave him,” Chloe murmured, slipping an arm around Ryder’s waist to pull him closer. “We did it, I won the game, so let’s just go. The ranch is yours.”
In the seconds between the table being flipped and Ryder coming to her rescue, she’d forgotten about the hothead who’d sent her flying, but now he was coming at them like a furious bull about to charge.
“You watch your back,” Parker snarled. “No one makes a fool of me and gets away with it.”
Chloe grasped Ryder’s hand, as much to settle him as to hold him back.
“Get out of my face, Parker. She beat you far and square, her hand was better than yours. You knew what you were playing for.”
She relaxed at the tone of Ryder’s voice. She’d expected him to be all fists blazing, but he was staying calm.
“Come on, baby, let’s go,” Chloe said, bending down to gather up their money while Ryder and Parker squared off, neither moving an inch. She stuffed it all in her purse, wanting to get out as fast as she could.
Once she’d finished, Chloe stood and looped her hand through Ryder’s arm, playing the part of dumb blonde one last time as she winked at Parker.
“Thanks for the game,” she said, her tone as sweet as pie. “Now why don’t y’all hurry off home and stop making empty threats.”
Her leg hurt from the fall, but she squared her shoulders and walked on her heels as effortlessly as she could, not wanting him to take any satisfaction in what he’d done. She’d beaten him, it was over, she’d bluffed and he’d folded. Now she just wanted to get the hell out of dodge.
“I don’t make empty threats, darlin’.”
Chloe paused when Ryder did, but she didn’t bother looking back. She let him do the talking—she’d won his ranch back, the rest was up to him.
“Oh, they’re empty,” Ryder said, his voice low and menacing. “Because if you even think about hurting this girl? It’ll be the last thing you ever think.Or do.”
Ryder didn’t waste time hanging around. He tugged her tight to his body and they walked out of the room, through the bar, and out into the parking lot. Once they were finally outside, the cool night air shocked her back to reality.
“We did it,” she whispered, spinning in Ryder’s arms and looping hers around his neck. “We actually did it. I was so worried I’d ruined my winning streak in Vegas, but we did it.”
He shook his head, dipped down to press a slow, lingering kiss to her lips. “No, Chloe, you did it,” he murmured against her mouth. “And I never doubted you for a second.”
She sighed as he kissed her again, arching her body so she was pressed tight to him all the way from her pelvis to her breasts. For once she didn’t have to stand on tiptoe, her heels making up most of their height difference.
“I’m so pleased you have your ranch back,” Chloe told him. To start with she’d thought he was an idiot, a guy with too much trust fund money to appreciate what he had. Now she realized that he’d just made a stupid mistake, and she doubted he’d ever do anything so reckless again.
“You’ve got no idea,” he muttered. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.”
Chloe stepped back and held her purse out to him. “Here’s your money,” she said.
