by S. E. Kloos
Xander snorted. “Better not.”
Rick glared at him. “Glad to hear it, Dolly.” Looking back at her, “I would really hate to have to stomp his ass, too.”
Xander rolled his eyes. “Like ya fuckin’ could. I’ve been kickin’ your ass for twenty years Ricky, and that shit ain’t ‘bout to change.”
Looking at his best friend out of the corner of his eye, Rick cocked a brow. “You ain’t tried in seven years Steele. A lot can change over that much time.”
Xander smirked at him. “Not that much.”
Before the two could really get into it, as they were prone to doing, Wyatt whistled. “Yo, knock it off you two. I ain’t really in the mood to play referee tonight. Y'all can fuck each other up tomorrow.” Once the two youngest settled back down, Wyatt looked at Xander. “So what’s the plan then?”
Xander shrugged. “Fuck if I know at this point. I got a competition comin’ up, and I would really like to not have a repeat of the last time he showed up at one. Kyle got some serious shit goin’ on right now, so he ain’t gonna be able to fly out here for at least two weeks...”
Lee cut in at that point. “And it too late for ya to back out, right?”
Xander shook his head. “Actually it’s not, but if I back out, I lose my slot in the Nationals. The one I got comin’ up is a qualifier for it. I don’t ride in it, I don’t ride in that; already a title holder or not.”
Every single person, Elizabeth included, grimaced at that. They all knew just how important that shit was to him. They were also all aware the only thing that would stop him from riding in this competition was his mama, something not even Elizabeth would fault him for. Xander had been riding long before she came along, and she wouldn’t ever expect him -or even want him- to stop doing it. It was such a large part of not just his life, but he himself, that his knuckles boasted a ‘RIDE HARD’ tattoo across them. Even with it being a spur the moment idea, it meant enough to him to brand himself for life without thought.
Over the last few months, she even fell in love with the scene. She would never try to come between him and an arena, never mind the fact that she knew she would never win that fight.
What none of them had any way of knowing was, Xander would drop it in a heartbeat if she asked him to.
Dom hummed, cocking his head a bit. “When and where?”
Glancing his way, Xander tsked. “Starts Saturday in Vegas. I’m scheduled for Sunday since I am otherwise occupied Saturday. Because I am a title holder, they gave me the preferred time slot I wanted.”
“Whatcha got goin’ on Saturday?”
Xander nodded his head toward Elizabeth. “My lady’s birthday is Saturday, and I promised her my time for the day. ‘Course that was made before the qualifyin’ dates came out, but since I hold five of six gold or silver titles this year, I got to keep it.”
Nik snorted. “Only five of six? Losin’ your touch there, Steele.”
Xander growled in his throat and glared at him. “I have a title in all six, Asshole. The sixth, however, is only the bronze.” Then he glared at the floor. “Fuckin’ bull.”
Nik dropped his face in his hand, sighing hard. Like five of six is the most horrible thing ever. He couldn’t understand why Xander got so pissed off about that one third place ranking, when there isn’t a rider in recent history to have that many national championships at once. There ain’t a single person amongst them that could do half of what that boy could do on a horse. He could ride circles around the lot of them blindfolded, yet he’s pissed off over a third place ranking in bull riding. He kinda wanted to punch his youngest friend at the moment.
“That wasn’t what the fuck I meant you jackoff, and you know it.” Looking back up at Xander, he crossed his arms. “Anyway, I ain’t got shit goin’ on for a while. You wantin’ some extra protection for your lady, I got no problems taggin’ ‘long with ya to Vegas. ‘Sides, I ain’t seen ya in action in a month of Sundays.”
Lee was the next to nod. “I ain’t seen ya ride since the juniors, and I ain’t ever been to Vegas. I’m in.”
Patrick smirked. “A weekend in Vegas and a chance to see ya eat dirt? I wouldn’t miss this shit for the world.” He laughed as he ducked the flying bottle cap aimed for his head, giving Xander the finger when he saw the glare he was receiving.
Dom shrugged. “I gotta clear it with the ol’ lady, but count me in. If anything, she’ll wanna go, too.”
Xander then looked at Wyatt, who cocked a brow at him. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere till this sumbitch is dealt with, you should know that. I been tellin’ ya since we was little, I got ya back, no matter what.”
Elizabeth looked around the room. Just because she was still drunk, she put her hand up. “Ooo, ooo, I wanna go, I wanna go.”
Every set of eyes landed on her. She smiled and giggled, breaking the mushy atmosphere in the air, causing the boys to chuckle right along with her.
Chapter 35
The few days spent at the ranch, once Xander’s friends showed up, was spent with the boys binge drinking, catching up from the last time they all got together, and beating the shit out of each other. Elizabeth just sat back and watched as they did it, too, not doing a damn thing to interfere with male bonding time. She took them to the hospital if it became necessary -it did... more than once- but other than that, she just sat back and got to know the guys.
It was late Sunday night when the guys showed back up at the ranch, after checking out of their hotels and meeting up for the two hour drive to Vegas for the weekend. Since Elizabeth had never been there. She wanted to go for her birthday, as long as Xander kept his promise to keep his distance from the arena.
Xander had no issues with that. He had plans for the day that had nothing to do with horses. He couldn’t stay away completely, and he explained that he had to swing by for at least twenty minutes, to register for the events he was riding in on Sunday and turn in Rocky’s papers. Other than that, he would keep his promise.
The plan was to drive in tonight, then check into their rooms. Even though it was 24/7 nightlife, it was gonna be going on 2 when they got to the hotel after dropping Rocky off at the stables, so at least Xander and Elizabeth were gonna call it a night. Xander planned on getting up early and letting his girl sleep in. He wanted to get his registration shit done before she ever woke up, so she wouldn’t have to do deal with it at all.
Since there was a qualifying event going on, the hotels were already pretty booked, but Xander worked some magic and got them into the same hotel he and his girl were already booked at. Nobody asked how he did it, nnor did he offer an explanation. They didn’t need to know he just dropped an obscene amount of money, and for that matter, they didn’t need to know he even had that kind of money. His girl didn’t even know he had the kind of money he did. She knew he made his living in the arena, but she didn’t know just how many times a year he went to Vegas in the five months he spent at home... or just how good he was at Texas Hold'em and five card draw.
He would make his money back by the end of the weekend, and then some.
Currently they were in the truck, Xander rolling his eyes at the conversation his girl was having with Wyatt, who was riding in the tiny ass back seat so he didn’t haul off and beat the shit out of Lee.
They were still twenty minutes from the stables, but he was fucking tired. Rolling his head on his shoulders, Xander picked up his phone, flipping it open before hitting the number four and send.
Two rings later, the call was answered. “Where ya at, Steele?”
“Fifteen, twenty minutes out.”
There was a yawn and grunt on the other end of the line before Hoss came back on. “Alright; meet ya there.”
Xander fought to swallow a yawn of his own. “Thanks, Hoss.”
After hanging up, he shook his head a bit and put his phone down.
Wyatt leaned up between the seats, resting against the passenger side with his chin in his hand. “Want me to drive after we drop Rocky off? I kn
ow you ain’t been sleepin’ well, and you lookin’ like you about to pass out. There is still a half hour drive after that.”
Glancing at him, Xander nodded as he shifted a bit, cracking his back with a grunt. “Yeah, thanks.”
Looking at Xander a minute longer, “I’ll untrailer Rocky, you get some sleep. Sweet Pea here’ll wake ya when we get were we goin’.”
He eyed Wyatt, ready to argue, but swallowed the decline when he saw the look he was getting. He learned a long time ago not to argue with Wyatt when he was that serious, and if he was looking at him like that, he must really look like shit or something. So, instead, he just nodded.
When they pulled up to the stables, he handed over his keys, giving the expected threat about hurtin’ his horse. He climbed into the passenger seat once his girl was in the back, put the seat back, covered his face with his hat, and was out like a light before Wyatt ever got the trailer unlocked.
It was just over an hour later that he was shaken awake outside Caesar's Palace. He was not happy about it. Arching against the seat to get his spine straight again, Xander opened blurry eyes and blinked a few times before rubbing them with the heels of his palms.
Giving his head another shake, he got out to climb into the truck bed, catching the keys when Wyatt tossed them to him, then unlocked the steel box in the bed. He pulled out the luggage and his saddle, not wanting to leave it in the truck for two days. After locking the box back up and removing that particular key from the ring, he tossed the valet the rest, then hopped back out of the bed.
Wyatt already had Xander’s saddle and one bag shouldered, while Rick had picked up Elizabeth’s. He grabbed his, presented his arm to his girl, and they went inside for room keys. Once those were gotten and handed out, they took the elevator up, saying goodnight when they got to Xander and Elizabeth’s floor. Wyatt got off as well, since he had Xander’s prized possession with him, after trading his bag for hers.
There was a half-hearted threat from Xander about not fucking up the room the other boys were staying in. I still carried enough weight to get a nod out of Wyatt before they parted ways.
Not twenty minutes later, both Xander and his girl were sleeping like the dead, Elizabeth lying on Xander’s chest.
Chapter 36
It was about 11 the next morning when Xander got back to the hotel, after taking care of his registration, getting his passes, and other shit. On his way back to the hotel, he made a coffee run, along with a slight detour to pick up a little something for his girl for her birthday. He had already gotten the tickets to Cirque du Soleil for that night, since that was what she had said she wanted to do... but taking her to a show was a date, not a present. It was a fairly simple choker by design, but it wasn’t a cheap one. He could actually picture just how pissed off his girl would to be when she opened the box, making him smirk to himself.
She shouldn’t have gotten him a four thousand dollar saddle for his birthday, if she didn’t want him to top it for hers, was his thoughts on the matter.
When he got back to their room, he heard the shower running. He set the stuff in his hands down before heading that way. Knocking on the door, he waited for her to call out before letting her know he was back and was baring coffee. Snorting at the squeal, Xander rolled his eyes and shook his head. Going back into the main room, he called downstairs for lunch reservations, while at the same time texting the guys to make sure their asses were up.
By the time he was done with that, his girl appeared in the room, bouncing on her toes and begging for her coffee.
Xander just cocked a brow at her. “Ya sure ya need it, Little Darlin’?” Smirking at her glare, he handed over the vanilla latte after he got his kiss, and picked up his own coffee before sitting down. “So, what do you wanna do for most of the day? You get to play boss till 6.”
Plopping down next to him, Elizabeth leaned into his side while glancing up at him. “Only till 6? What happens at 6?”
Smirking bigger at the pout in her voice, Xander pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and fished out the tickets to the show that night at seven. “I figured you wanted some time to get a shower ‘fore this starts.”
Elizabeth looked at the tickets in his hand, damn near choking on her coffee. Hacking on the hot liquid that went down the wrong pipe, she snagged them to look closer, the astonishment clear in her eyes as they met his again. “Xander, these seats are amazing!”
Smiling at her, Xander kissed her forehead. “Happy Birthday, Little Darlin’. Why don’t you go get dressed, then we’ll head down for lunch and make a game plan for the day. Sound good?”
Giving him a grin, Elizabeth shrugged. “Ya know, since it’s my birthday and all, I wouldn’t mind just ordering in and staying naked all day, watching crappy B rated movies with shitty plots and even worse acting. The shittier the better.”
Setting his coffee down, and taking hers away as well, he leaned toward her. She leaned back until she was lying down on the seat, Xander over her with that smirk on his face that never failed to turn her to goo. “That sounds like a right fine idea, Sugar Britches.”
It would have been, had there not been a knock on their door right before his lips touched hers. So, instead of kissing his girl, he dropped his forehead to her chest, growling in his throat before glaring at the door out of the corner of his eyes. Right at the moment, he didn’t give a rat’s ass who was on the other side, he was gonna punch ‘em.
With a hard sigh, he went to the door, not looking to see who it was before opening the door. Nearly seeing red at the two dumb fucks on the other side, he crossed his arms, “What?”
Lee and Nik glanced at each other before turning back to the man they just figured out they cock-blocked. Nik shook his head. “Not important. We’ll see ya later.”
Xander just glared harder. “Damage been done. Might as well tell me why ya here.”
Lee answered. “Wyatt and Rick wanted to know...”
“Then why didn’t they come on down and ask?”
From behind him, there was a snort followed by a sing-song voice. “‘Cause they actually use the brain God gave ‘em.”
Rubbing between his eyes, Xander sighed again. “Not helpin’, Baby Doll.”
“I know.”
Shaking his head, he glanced over his shoulder. “Go get dressed, please.” Elizabeth giggled as she picked up her coffee. After a wave to the boys, she left the room, leaving Lee and Nik to the mercy that Xander wasn’t really in the mood to show. Once the door to the bedroom was shut, Xander returned to glaring at his friends. “What now?”
Clearing his throat, Lee tried again. “They wanted to know if y'all wanted to head over to the Stratosphere. There is some kind of rides there or somethin’.”
Xander leaned on the door frame and cocked a brow. “Right at the moment, we have lunch reservations. Y'all do what ya want for the day. I got tickets for the Cirque du Soleil tonight at seven. Be in the lobby at 6:30 if ya wanna go. It’s my lady’s birthday and I have every intention of spending it with her... ALONE... for most of the day, ya hear?”
They both nodded real quick. “Yup. See ya later, Steele.”
Xander just gave them the finger before shutting the door in their faces.
Chapter 37
For the most part, Xander and Elizabeth spent the majority of their day at the hotel. After they went to lunch, they browsed the shops. They even spent time in the casino, with Xander winning back the money he’d spent, like he knew he would. His girl lost a thousand dollars, much to his amusement and her ire.
“I told ya to stay, Little Darlin’. You were the one who didn’t want to listen.”
Glaring hard, Elizabeth sneered. “Shut up.”
Xander just chuckled as he unlocked the door to their room, holding it open for her. “Don’t be gettin’ all pissed off at me now, Sugar Britches. I tried to help ya.” Once he closed the door, he glanced at the clock on the wall. “Ya got ‘bout an hour to get ready to go out for the night. Take a hot sho
wer and settle down, Baby Doll. It’s only money.”
She glared at him again. “Says the fucker who just won seven thousand dollars to the chick who just lost one. Screw you.”
Humming a bit, Xander grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. “That an offer?”
Glare turning to a pout, “No, you’re making fun of me on my birthday.”
Rolling his eyes, Xander dipped his head to skim his nose along her jaw. “Naw, you misunderstood, Little Darlin’. I would never do that.”
She pulled away from him. “Uh-huh, yeah, you’re still doin’ it, asshole.”
At that, Xander chuckled. “A li’l bit, yeah.” Stepping back, he swatted her on the ass, “Shower woman, or we gonna be late and miss your show.”
Smacking him back, Elizabeth went to do just that, grabbing her clothes from her bag and locking the bathroom door just because he pissed her off.
Half an hour later, a squeaky clean Elizabeth came out of the bathroom wearing a jean miniskirt, halter top and her boots. She was running the towel over her hair when there was a whistle, prompting her to lift her head because this was not Xander. Tilting her head a bit, she asked, “what the fuck you doin’ in here?”
Wyatt shrugged, looking back at the book in his hands. “Xander got a call that needed his immediate attention. I am here to escort you to the Bellagio in his place until he can make it.”
She shook her head as she tossed the towel onto the bed, then crossed her arms. “Not want I meant. Why are you in here and not in the common room?”
“Ah; well, the scenery is better in here.”
Blinking at him, she pointed to the door. “Out. I’ll be ready in a minute.” Right before he shut the door behind him, she called for him to wait. “Did he say what it was about?”
