by Soraya Lane
“I can win it back for you the same way you lost it. Only this time I’d be the one holding the cards,” she said wryly, like it was the most logical explanation in the world. “No offense.”
“Hold up,” he said, hiding his smile behind his hand. He might be drunk but he still had a brain. “You think those guys are going to let a girl just walk in and join the game? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Her sigh was audible. “I’m not stupid.”
“Never said you were.” He opened his glove box, searched for something to drink, and found nothing. “But you’d have to be an idiot…”
“They let you play,” she snapped.
“Take the next right then keep driving straight,” he told her, refusing to acknowledge what she’d just said.
They were silent, the only noises the thrum of the engine and the music playing on low. Ryder shut his eyes. His only consolation was that the alternative to being in the car with Chloe was being anywhere alone with his brothers. They’d have beaten the shit out of him by now, not giving a damn how crappy he felt about what had happened.
“What do you want?” he finally asked, pissed off and tired of playing games.
A slow smile spread across Chloe’s face. She was enjoying every second of this, he was sure of it.
“I win the deed to your ranch back, but I get something in return. Otherwise I drive straight to your big bad brother tonight and tell him what you’ve done.”
“Are you trying to blackmail me?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest, leaning back against the door so he could watch her.
“Yes,” she said, matter-of-factly. “I want somewhere nice to live for the next few months, and when I win it back I want you to pay my law school tuition. In full. It’s only blackmail if you say no, right?”
“Can I trust you to keep your mouth shut?” he asked, trying to read her face and failing. She was almost expressionless; the only tell that she was serious was the way her brows were drawn slightly closer together than before. “If I do what you ask?”
“I won’t tell your brothers, but word travels. It won’t be long before everyone around here knows what you’ve done. I give your family a couple of days, maybe a week tops. But I can win it back for you, so yeah, you can trust me.”
Chloe slowed and he waved her on.
“That’s our driveway there.”
She turned in, then stopped, the car grinding to a halt on the gravel. She put it in park and angled her body so they were staring at each other.
“The way I see it you’ve only got one option,” she said. “Unless you think someone’s going to bail you out and buy the land back, you need me more than I need you.”
She was right. Damn. “Do you realize this is the first time in my life anyone has been able to say that to me?” He’d done some pretty stupid things before, but never anything he couldn’t talk his way out of or fix with money. He’d never needed anyone.
“Say yes to me, Ryder, and your ranch will be yours again in a few weeks.”
“No.” He shook his head, still not taking his eyes off her. “I need it back now.”
“And I need time to play some poker, study these guys, make them think I know just enough not to be a pain in the ass if they let me join the table. I can get it back, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Ryder raised an eyebrow as he studied her face, deciding that agreeing to her terms wasn’t exactly going to be difficult. “If I let you stay, will you be in my bed?”
“Sure,” she said, her smile sweet. “So long as you’re not in it.”
“Ouch.” And there she went again, turning him down and just making him want her even more. Those pillowy pink lips were just begging to be kissed, her long blond hair just the perfect length for him to tangle around one fist.
“So what do you say?” she asked.
Ryder looked away, didn’t need to be able to see out into the blackness to know what was there. This land meant too much to him, his family meant too much to him, not to do whatever it took to right his wrongs. Every blade of grass, every post in the ground, everything, had belonged to Kings for generations, and he wasn’t going to be known as the idiot youngest heir who lost what others had worked so hard for. If only he’d thought about that before instead of letting his goddamn ego do the talking. He’d always joked that he was the black sheep of the family, but it wasn’t a title he wanted to be stuck with. He’d been an idiot and he needed to make the right decision now.
“I’ll play along because for some crazy reason I actually believe you can do this,” he told her, reaching out and stroking the hand that rested on her thigh, before closing his fingers around her wrist. “But try to fuck me over and you’ll regret it, sweetheart.”
“Said the wolf to the lamb,” Chloe murmured, her body still as she stared at her wrist. “Now let go of my arm and don’t ever grab hold of me like that again.”
Chapter 4
Chloe hadn’t been lying when she’d told Ryder about her dad. Every now and again he’d win big and they’d live extravagantly, in a beautiful house with a gorgeous car parked in the garage. And then he’d slowly start to gamble again, even though he’d promise her over and over again that he was done with poker and every other game he liked to play. It had only taken her until she was fourteen to realize that while his heart might have been in the right place, his addiction always took over, no matter what he might have promised until he was blue in the face.
She drove slowly down the driveway, lights on low as they passed what appeared to be a smaller house, then the main homestead. It was everything she’d imagined it would be even though she only had a glimpse of it as the car’s lights washed over it. The house was huge, a two-story mansion that looked as welcoming as it looked imposing.
“Do I keep going?” she asked.
He frowned. “Yeah, we’ll go to the guest house. It’s a little bit farther down.”
“Embarrassed about someone seeing me?” she asked.
“Hell no. But if we go in there I’ll have to lie to my brother.” He stretched his arms out in front of him, letting out a low chuckle. “Then again, you’d be a pretty good distraction. He might forget about me entirely if you’re in the room.”
Chloe stifled a smile. Whatever feelings she might have had for Ryder before were irrelevant, her focus purely business now that he’d seemingly agreed to her helping him in exchange for money, but she was still flattered. Ryder and his brothers were all gorgeous, guys who were no doubt used to bedding more women than she’d like to think about, so the thought that they might find her attractive was a compliment she was happy to take.
“You and your brothers are all single?” she asked.
“You’ve met them?” he asked back.
She nodded. “Just in passing at the bar.”
“Then you know why they’re single,” he muttered.
Chloe laughed. Part of her wished she’d just bumped into Ryder after her shift, that they were hanging out because she’d said yes to going out with him. Then again, if she managed to win his ranch back she’d never have to work the late shift at a bar again.
“Hey, they’re nice to me and they’re big tippers.”
“So you’re studying law?” Ryder asked, suddenly sounding a whole lot more sober.
“Yes. Or at least I was.” She shrugged. “I’ve deferred for a year.”
Chloe parked the car outside the guesthouse, waiting awhile before taking the key out of the ignition so she could study the place. It wasn’t anything like the main house, but it was still pretty in its own way with a porch across the front and shutters pinned to the outside windows.
“Does anyone actually live here?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he replied, jumping out and walking straight over to a rock near the base of the first porch step. She got out, too, and watched as he bent and retrieved a key. “I mean we did, until my granddad had to go into the hospital.”
She walked closer to
him, conscious of the fact that he was still a little unsteady on his feet. Chloe guessed he was used to drinking a lot, but she never would have forgiven herself if she’d let him drive.
“I kind of float between here and the main house. That’s Nate’s place now, but before we used to both live here.”
So she was about to go into the infamous bachelor pad. “If only these walls could talk, huh?”
“Can I ask you something?” Ryder spun around, key in the still-closed door. He put his hands on her shoulders, hunched forward a little so he was closer to eye level with her. The night went dark around them then, the lights from the car cutting out automatically as they stood facing each other on the porch.
“Sure,” she replied, sounding a whole lot more confident than she felt. In that moment, in the pitch black as her eyes adjusted, with every other sense in her body on high alert, everything that had happened between them had been erased and she was back to being the girl from the rodeo the day before. The one who only had to glance at Ryder about to climb onto a bull to make her heart race, her body on high alert at the thought of those capable, strong hands on her body as she’d watched him clap the white powder into them before his ride.
Ryder’s finger brushed her cheek as his palm cupped her face. She stayed perfectly still, refused to give in to the urge to press her cheek into his touch. Instead she stared at his face until her eyes were adjusted enough to stare into his eyes.
“If I’d asked you out for dinner tonight, before the card game, would you have said yes?”
Her gaze had fallen to his lips. “Yes,” she murmured back. “In case you’ve forgotten, I already had said yes to a drink.”
He moved closer, his hand still on her face. “And now?”
She raised her eyes, meeting his stare. “Now you’ve got a long way to go to prove yourself to me,” Chloe told him as she bent forward slightly, her mouth inches from his as she slowly raised her hand to take his fingers from her face. “So don’t go getting any ideas, cowboy.”
Ryder’s smile disappeared as he cleared his throat and took a step backward.
“So what are you doing coming inside with me then?” he asked, turning and pushing open the door.
Chloe followed him as he flicked on the lights. She took a look around, bent to study a couple of photographs near the front door. Aside from the frames, the hallway was emotionless and masculine. A big rug was at the end of the hall, which led to what she guessed was the living room from what she could see.
“Once you’ve sobered up a bit I’m heading back to my place,” she said, still walking behind him until he disappeared through an open door into what was obviously a bedroom. She sure as hell wasn’t going to follow him in there, not when it would be so easy to give in to how attracted she was to him.
And when she glanced in, she saw exactly what she hadn’t wanted to see. Ryder was unbuttoning his shirt, his fingers on the last few buttons, and when he looked up she knew he was doing it for her benefit. He let the shirt fall apart then slipped his arms out, throwing it across the room. She swallowed as she stared, eyes locked on his abs, his golden brown skin with not a trace of fat, just pure muscle. His arms were the same, so strong; her fingers itched to trace across every inch of him.
“You were saying?” he asked, one eyebrow raised as he stretched and crossed the room, returning with a T-shirt and pulling it on.
Chloe looked away. So he had a great body. So what? She needed to stay in control, and more important stay focused on why she was here. This was a business arrangement, nothing more, nothing less.
“You seem pretty calm for a guy who’s just lost everything,” she said, checking out the living room and listening to Ryder’s boots echoing on the wooden floor behind her.
“Not calm, just in denial,” he said, coming up way too close behind her, his mouth next to her ear as he spoke before moving past. “Besides, I have you to distract me.”
She looked at the worn sofas, a coffee table piled high with men’s magazines and empty bottles strewn about. It was definitely a bachelor pad, albeit an expensive one, right down to the oversize fridge, which she was certain would be filled with beer, staring at her from the kitchen.
“You don’t have me, you have my help.”
“Same difference,” he said, opening the fridge. Out came a beer. “And it’s kind of hot being blackmailed by a woman. Want one?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m going home. You can drink yourself stupid, but tomorrow you’re sober. No more drinking and no more gambling, for you anyway.” She glanced sideways at him. “And I’m not blackmailing you, silly. We’ve come to a mutually beneficial agreement.”
He laughed, a deep chuckle that commanded attention. Ryder was a man used to being in control, and everything about him, every movement and every word, made that clear. Only she’d glimpsed the man beneath the bravado, seen his pain at what he’d done, and no amount of cockiness now was going to make her forget that. He was hurting, but now that he wasn’t as drunk as a skunk he was doing a damn good job of disguising it.
“You sure know how to boss a guy around,” he said, resting his elbows on the kitchen counter as he leaned forward.
She matched his gaze, her heart beating fast enough for her to notice it. Just because she was trying to be the boss didn’t mean it came naturally to her, not with a man like Ryder staring at her. She was like the mouse to his cat, somehow having the upper hand until he figured out how to snatch that power back and catch her at the same time. Only he wasn’t having her. There was no way in hell she was mixing pleasure with business, not with Ryder King.
“Right now, you need me,” she said, running her hand along the back of the sofa as she walked, needing to do something other than stand and have to stare back at him. “And I need you,” she admitted.
“Finishing law school is pretty important to you, huh?”
She stopped moving, lifted her chin, and leveled her gaze on him once again.
“We don’t all have trust funds to draw on. Some of us have to work for a living.”
The smile disappeared from his face as he pushed his beer bottle away. “You must think I’m an idiot for doing what I did tonight.”
There went that fragile part of him, like a hairline fracture through the strongest of bones, just a glimpse that showed her he gave a damn. Which scared her, because it only made her like him all the more.
“Yeah, I do,” she told him, walking to the counter and standing opposite him. “But we all make mistakes, and we all deserve a second chance.”
He slumped forward. “I fucked up, Chloe. I really fucked up tonight.”
She stared at his back as he turned, his hands rising to his head, palms pressed into his face.
“Fuck!” Ryder swore.
Chloe wanted to go to him, to comfort him, because she knew how much he must be hurting, but she didn’t. Because what he needed was to feel every bit of that pain if her plan was ever going to work.
“I’m going to take your car,” she said softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
His big shoulders heaved, his hands still covering his face even though he was facing away from her. She knew he’d heard her, so she turned to go, walking slowly down the hall and shutting the door behind her. The reality of what he’d done, what he’d lost, had just hit him like a ton of bricks, which meant it was time for her to go.
* * *
Ryder opened his eyes just enough to see how painful it was going to be. They were only slits but the light was enough to burn his pupils and make his head start to pound, the alcohol from the night before like poison in his system. He shut them again and reached for the Tylenol on the bedside table, fumbling around for the container. He slipped two into his mouth, forcing his eyes back open to look for something to drink.
Bourbon. The only thing within reaching distance was an almost empty bottle of JD, and as much as he would have liked to drown his sorrows in more booze, it wasn’t going to happen. He’d f
ucked up and now he had to pay the price, and that meant no sticking his head in the sand and imagining his shit away with alcohol.
Ryder kicked the covers off and stumbled to the bathroom, eyes still half-shut as he stuck his head under the faucet and took a big gulp of water, swallowing the tablets. When he raised his head he looked at himself, glared at the bloodshot eyes staring back at him. He’d beaten himself up enough the night before, and today he was going to have to man up to what he’d done.
His phone bleeped and he splashed some cold water on his face and brushed his teeth before checking it. Two messages, from his brothers.
Ryder read the one from Nate first. Who’s the cute blonde driving your truck? Chase’s message was almost identical. Hot blonde coming your way. Why the hell is she driving your truck?
He grunted, deleting the messages without replying. Trust them to both see her coming. So long as they didn’t try to stop her, he’d be fine. Neither of them would disturb him if they thought he was shacked up with a woman, which meant he’d bought himself some time without even knowing it.
But it also meant that Chloe was about to pull up outside, and he needed a shower. Bad. He pulled off his boxers, kicked them across the room, and headed into the bathroom again. The front door was unlocked and she could let herself in.
He turned the faucet on, stepping under the water when it ran hot. Ryder shut his eyes and let the water glide over his face and down his chest, running his fingers through his hair.
“Ryder?”
“In here,” he called back, reaching for the shampoo and massaging it through his hair. He wanted to scrub away every reminder of the night before. Except for Chloe. That was the only positive part of the evening and he could do with scrubbing her right now in the shower beside him.
“Ryder, are you…”
He turned the water off and turned around, reaching out for his towel.
“I’m here,” he said, rubbing his hair dry. “Come on in.”
“Ryder!”
Chloe’s high-pitched tone made him laugh.
