Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-Two

Dinner had been quiet. Too quiet, really. Ryder hadn’t asked her a single question. In fact, he’d barely spoken at all. And she didn’t like that. Then again, she hadn’t been very nice to him today. Or yesterday. He was getting too close, and she was letting him a little closer each day. Fear clutched her chest at the idea of finally giving in to her deepest desires.

“Wanna play?” Ryder held up a deck of cards.

“Where did you get those?”

“From my bag.”

“You packed cards?” She smirked.

“Well, I am going to Vegas. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to practice my Blackjack skills.”

Her smile grew. “Sadly, the extent of my card game knowledge starts and ends with Go Fish.”

He laughed. “You grew up in Vegas and you don’t know how to play anything other than Go Fish?”

She shrugged. “My father refused to let me on the gaming floor. Said he didn’t want to corrupt me.”

“Your father owns a casino?” he asked.

She froze. Shit. She hadn’t meant to share that information with him, at least not yet. He’d find out eventually, but this wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have tonight. Things were still uneasy between them after what happened last night, and her nerves were frayed thanks to the storm. Thankfully, it had stopped. For now. But the knowledge that the thunder and lightning wasn’t gone for good had her on edge.

“Yeah,” she said. “He owns several, actually. The Mad Monty Hotel and Casino is one of his.”

“That’s where I’m staying,” he said.

“I know.” She nodded. “I saw it in your GPS. It’s actually named after me. Madison Montgomery.”

His eyebrows shot up with surprise, and then, slowly, he narrowed his eyes. “You’re a casino mogul’s daughter?”

She groaned. “And that is exactly why I didn’t tell you sooner. Everyone reacts that way when they find out. Suddenly, because my father is a millionaire, I become a different person. I hate it.”

Ryder was silent for several moments, and she waited, refusing to be the one to speak first. “Trust me, I know what that’s like,” he said.

The tension eased from her shoulders and she sighed with relief. Of course he’d understand. He was a trust fund kid. People probably treated him differently when they found out he was loaded.

“So, we gonna play or what?” He held up the deck of cards.

The fact that he didn’t have anything else to say about the bomb she’d just dropped on him only made him much more attractive in her eyes, and she could’ve kissed him for how easily he dropped the subject.

“I don’t know how, remember?”

“I’ll teach you.” He patted his bed, motioning for her to sit across from him. “It’s easy.”

“If you say so.” She sat cross-legged and watched him shuffle the deck. One corner of his mouth quirked up, giving his smile a lopsided appearance. The sight stole her breath, and she swallowed hard.

“The ace card can be either one or eleven. Face cards are each ten, and all the other cards are their face value.” He set two cards face down in front of her. “The object is to get as close to twenty-one without going over. A perfect twenty-one is blackjack.”

She nodded, concentrating more on the soothing sound of his voice rather than the rules of the game. In front of him, he set one card face down and set a second one face up.

“Why aren’t both of yours face down?” she asked.

“Because I’m the dealer. If this card”—he tapped the face up card—“is a face card or a ten, then I have to look at my other card. If the total of my two cards is seventeen or higher, I have to stand.”

“But that card is a four.”

He chuckled. “Which means I don’t look at my other card until it’s my turn.”

“I thought you said this was easy.”

His eyes sparked with amusement, and some more of the tension left her body. This fun, playful, relaxed Ryder was the guy she couldn’t get enough of, the guy who was wiggling his way into her heart. She cleared her throat, disturbed by where her thoughts led her.

“All right, flip over your cards,” he instructed.

She did. “A five and a nine. So, fourteen.”

He nodded. “Now you have to decide if you’re going to stand or hit.”

“I didn’t realize this game was physical and violent.”

“It’s not, but we can make physical if you’d like.” He winked, the gesture like a hot poker straight to her libido.

Goddamn him. She sighed.

“Hitting means you want another card,” he said. “Right now, at fourteen, you need a seven or lower. It’s a risk.”

She pursed her lips, contemplating what to do. “Hmm, hit me.”

Ryder flipped over the top card. A four.

“Okay, I’m good. I’ll stand.” She nodded once, firmly, as if that would somehow seal her decision.

He revealed his second card. A ten. He glanced up at her from under his lashes as if silently asking whether he should take another card or not. She held her breath. He turned over another card—a King. “Shit.”

“Twenty-four!” she squealed. “That means I win, right?”

“Yeah, you win. I busted.” He scooped up the cards and shuffled them again. Her gaze was drawn to his long capable fingers. She wondered what else he could do with those hands…

They played another six games. She won four of them. “I really don’t get why people like this game so much,” she said.

“It doesn’t take a lot of skill. And typically the starting wagers are lower than other games. The only thing cheaper are slot machines.”

“Oh, let’s play High or Low.” She bounced on the bed, excited.

Laughing, he nodded. “Want to make it a little more interesting?”

“Depends on your definition of interesting. I’m sure it’s different than mine.”

He leaned forward, his face inches from hers, and he stared into her eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“Your eyes turn green when you’re aggravated.” He straightened. “It’s sexy as hell.”

He said that like it was a cold hard fact, but to her, it was the single best compliment she’d ever gotten. She tucked her hands under her legs, afraid if she didn’t, she’d hurl her body onto his.

“Nine,” he said, holding up the card on the top of the deck.

“Higher.” Her voice trembled almost as much as her body.

The next card was a four, and she frowned.

“I figured you’d be good at this game considering you’re the one who requested to play it.”

“Yeah, like you have room to talk. You’re no blackjack master.” She stuck out her tongue. “I hope you’re not planning to bet your fortune on that game.”

“Wow. That’s brutal.”

She held out her hand, and he set the deck on her palm. After a quick shuffle, she held up the top card, but before he could say higher or lower, the power went out, leaving them in complete darkness. They were both silent, waiting to see if the lights would come back on, but after a minute or two, the room was still pitch black.

“Well, there goes my plans to hunt aliens tonight.” His voice cut through the silence, clear as can be, no traces of humor.

And then Madison lost it. She giggled so hard tears formed in her eyes, and she fell to her side, clutching her stomach and burying her face against the mattress. Ryder’s deep, rich laughter mixed with hers, creating a cacophony of noise. But to her ears, it was joyful music. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so hard with someone.

“I don’t know why that’s so funny,” Ryder said.

She turned her head to find him propped up on an elbow, watching her with delight, a panty-dropping smile plastered across his face, his perfectly white teeth a stark contrast in the dark room. Catching her breath, she rested her head in her hand.

“I have a hard time picturing you traipsing across the desert hunting little green men.”

He reached over and caressed the side of her face with the back of his hand, the touch so featherlight she almost missed it. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned into his hand. A sharp stab of longing cut through her. How long had it been since she’d felt the loving touch of a man? Of anyone, for that matter. She honestly couldn’t remember.

“Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith,” he whispered.

A thrill raced down her spine. He had the best voice at a normal level, but when he whispered—she wanted to take off all her clothes and beg him to indulge her with bedroom talk. She wanted to feel his breath against her neck while he vowed his love for her. Her eyes widened, and she jerked away, sitting up abruptly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing. Sorry.” She stood and forced a yawn, hoping he didn’t call her out on faking it. “It’s getting late. I’m going to try and get some sleep.”

There was a faint groan, then a muffled thump, like he’d thrown himself back against the pillows. “Good night.”

“Night.” She climbed into bed, pulling the covers around her. Her cheek still tingled from his touch, and she traced the path his hand had taken, sighing.

Ryder was not Will, nor was he anything like her father. They might all share generous bank account balances, but their demeanors, their outlooks on life, the way they treated her…they couldn’t be more different. She knew that. Yet, she couldn’t get past her own fears to let Ryder get close. And, God, she wanted him closer. She was tired of being alone. Tired of having to work two jobs and take extra classes and never getting to go out. College was supposed to be a time of self-discovery and exploration, and she’d spent her entire college career doing one thing: proving she could survive without her parents. Granted, that was a big accomplishment, but it was now second nature to her. Wasn’t it time for her to start experiencing other things?

The sound of Ryder’s ringing phone cut through her thoughts. He muttered a curse then said, “Yeah?”

She remained still, trying not to eavesdrop, but it was hard when he was an arm’s length away.

“Dude, you sound like a needy girlfriend.” Ryder laughed. “Yeah, I thought about it and my answer’s still no.”

She could hear a male voice, but it was muffled, and she couldn’t make out any of the words, but based on Ryder’s end of the conversation, she guessed it was his brother again.

“If I go, I’ll find my own damn date.”

Madison closed her eyes, willing the ache in her heart to go away. She’d thought for sure he’d have taken her up on her offer to go with him, but he hadn’t. And now that she allowed herself to dwell on that, she was hurt by his refusal. He wanted more, and she’d put herself out there. But he’d rejected her. That revelation was a slap in the face, a hard reminder of why she didn’t open up to anyone. She rolled over and yanked the blankets over her head, but it didn’t stop her from hearing the rest of Ryder’s conversation.

“Don’t you have something better to do than harass me?” A laugh. An extended pause. “Fuck off.” Another laugh. “Whatever. I’ll see you in a few days.” The light from his screen disappeared. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. Your brother still bugging you about that blind date?”

“Xander doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. Never has.”

“Who’s the girl?” Her ears burned with embarrassment. Why had she asked him that of all things?

“What?”

“The girl he wants to set you up with. Who is she?”

“His girlfriend’s best friend. But that doesn’t matter.” His mattress squeaked as he moved around.

“Why not?” She really needed to super glue her mouth shut. If she continued to ask him questions, he was going to turn it around on her, and then they were going to argue again.

“Because she’s not you, Madison. That’s why.” His tone was heavy with exhaustion.

She couldn’t stop the smile that split her face, and she didn’t want to. It was nice to hear someone talk about her like that, but the best part—she believed him. There was so much sincerity in his voice. “Bullshit,” she said, covering her laugh with a cough.

Instead of a cocky comeback, she was hit with something large and soft. “Did I mention I’m a perfect shot?”

“Did you seriously just throw your pillow at me?”

He answered with a soft laugh. “Want me to come over there and get it back?”

Heat erupted on her face, and her heart was like a jackhammer against her ribs. She swallowed, searching her mind for something clever to say in return. And, of course, her brain failed her at the most inconvenient time.

“Unless you want to bring it on over here?”

“Or I could just throw it back to you.” And that’s exactly what she did.

His arm shot upward and he caught the pillow mid-air. “Thanks.”

“Wow, snotty much?” She slapped her hand over her mouth. Shit. She had not meant to say that out loud.

“More like disappointed. Frustrated. Horny.”

“Oh my God.” She covered her face with the blankets, wishing the bed would swallow her whole.

“Why did you offer to be my date Sunday night?”

And there it was…another question. She knew it was coming, but she still wasn’t prepared. “I already told you.”

“Yeah, and now I want the real answer. Not some bullshit excuse about wanting to do something nice for me because I’m bringing you to Vegas.”

“Then you’re going to be even more disappointed and frustrated, because that is the real answer.” That and the thought of him going out with another woman, someone he might hit it off with, was like a sharp stick to the eye. She knew it wasn’t rational or fair, but she couldn’t help the way she felt.

They fell silent, and not long after, she heard Ryder’s steady breathing and soft snores. She expelled a long breath and closed her eyes, praying sleep would come swiftly and deeply. But her mind wouldn’t stop racing, and her thoughts kept circling back to one thing—she needed to give him some answers.