Lang, Chloe - Running Wilde [The Brothers of Wilde, Nevada 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (9 page)

“Thank you.” Samantha batted her eyes, daring the man to refuse her.

He huffed and then shuffled the cards.

Selby leaned over. “By the way, you might want to steer clear of Kyle. He’s a major player.”

“Why would you say that, Selby?” he asked.

“Because it’s true. You broke my sister’s heart, mister. And I know another half dozen women in town who you’ve done the same thing to.”

Kyle’s cell phone rang, and he looked at its screen. “Excuse me. Jessie. It was wonderful seeing you again.”

She turned her head and smiled so Dallas would see. “Same here.”

Kyle walked away. “Hello, this is...”

As he walked to the door, she saw Dallas stop him. The two exchanged some words but weren’t loud enough for her to hear. Still, it was clear they weren’t sharing pleasantries. Dallas shoved Kyle, who came back at him and pushed him. An elderly man was next to them in a flash, pointing to the door. They both nodded and left the casino.

“Pete took care of your two boyfriends,” Selby said.

Jessie looked back to the two women, who were ignoring the blackjack dealer. Instead, their gazes were locked on the door that Dallas and Kyle had walked through.

“Who do you think will win in that matchup, Sam?”

“Dallas. He’s got more brawn than Kyle will ever have.”

“They’re not my boyfriends.” Jessie turned her attention to the dealer.

“Ladies, are you playing or not?”

“I am,” Samantha answered. She put a five-dollar chip in front of her.

Selby put her bet on the table and chimed in. “Me, too.”

Samantha turned to Jessie. “How about you?”

Jessie took one of her chips and put it on the felt. “I’m in.”

The dealer nodded and dealt the cards. After several rounds of play, Jessie was down about twenty bucks. She looked at Samantha’s pile of chips. They’d grown quite a bit. Selby’s was about the same.

“I’m done.” Samantha cashed in her chips. “How about you girls? I could use a drink.”

Selby nodded and pushed her chips toward the dealer, who exchanged them for cash.

Jessie considered joining them, but thought it might be best to return to her room. When she looked over her shoulder and saw Dallas walk back into the casino, she changed her mind. A little female companionship was exactly what she needed right now.

“I’d love to.” Jessie pushed her chips forward, and the dealer gave her twenty-two dollars back.

The three of them went to the bar. Samantha flirted with the bartender, and he didn’t hesitate to serve her. Three tequila shots later, Jessie was feeling warm and a bit better.

“Jessie, it’s nice to get to know you outside of work.” Selby downed her fourth shot. “You’re not half bad.”

“You either. Off the record, how is it working for Austin Wilde?”

“Awful. Amazing. Crazy. Wonderful.”

Samantha frowned. “If you ask me, he’s a total jerk.”

Jessie took her fourth shot of tequila. “I agree with Sam, here. He’s an asshole.”

“You two just don’t know him like I do.”

Jessie answered, “I know him well enough. He’s the kind of guy that breaks one woman’s heart before breakfast, another after lunch, and still another during dinner.”

Dallas walked up behind her. “Jessie, have you eaten anything today?”

She stood up and felt the liquor go to her head. “None of your business, Mr. Wilde.”

“Maybe not, but drinking tequila on an empty stomach is a recipe for disaster.” He placed his hand on her shoulder.

Jessie jerked free of his touch. “No. You are. Get lost.”

Samantha stood up next to her. “Dallas, leave her to us. We’ll take care of her.”

“Neither of you are in shape to take care of anyone. I should call your mother, Samantha.”

The woman put her hands on her hips and frowned. “This poor girl doesn’t have a friend in town. I don’t know what you did to her to get her so mad, but she might want to talk to someone about it.”

Jessie nodded and folded her arms over her chest.

Selby got on the other side of her. “Dallas, did you punch Kyle?” There was glee in her voice.

He didn’t answer, but Jessie thought he might’ve. She knew she shouldn’t hope for him to be jealous, but she did.

“You don’t need another drink to talk. No more, Jessie.” His tone didn’t leave room for negotiation.

She shrugged. “Fine. Now, can you play bodyguard back at the corner you came from? This is girls’ night out. No men allowed.”

“Especially not any Wilde brothers.” Samantha laughed, and Selby joined in.

His face darkened. Without another word, he walked away.

I’m being such a bitch to him.
Sure, he’d held back the truth. Maybe he deserved it, too. Still something inside her screamed to forgive him even though she knew that would be idiotic.

“I bet we could sneak another round without Mr. Overprotective seeing us,” Samantha whispered.

“I don’t think Dallas misses much.” Jessie shook her head. “No more for me.”

“You’re really into him?” Samantha asked.

“I guess I am.”

“You do know the score about the Wilde brothers, Jessie?” Selby asked. “It’s a bit different.”

“I know. Dallas confessed some of it. I got a call from a guy earlier today that filled me in on the rest.”

Selby asked, “Who was he?”

“Don’t know. He didn’t let me ask any questions before he hung up. It’s just so strange to me.”

Samantha shrugged. “Probably some disgruntled miner who wants you out of town.”

“Does everyone in town know I’ve been spending time with the Wilde brothers?”

Samantha shrugged.

Selby answered, “Most do.”

“Damn.” Not only did Jessie feel like a fool, now all her credibility was gone.

Samantha put her arm around Jessie’s shoulders. “You poor thing. Those brothers sure do know how to hurt a woman.”

“Yes, they do.”

* * * *

At four in the morning, Jessie crawled into her hotel bed, still feeling the effects of the tequila. Though Dallas had offered to walk her back to the hotel, she’d let her two new gal pals do it.

Jessie wasn’t quite ready to let Dallas off the hook, but she was close after talking with Samantha and Selby. Each of them came from similar families as the Wilde brothers. Samantha’s mother had two husbands and Selby’s had four. When they talked about it, she actually started seeing the logic in such an arrangement.

She looked up at the ceiling of her room. How could she even consider marrying the brothers? Sure, she had fallen for Jackson, Phoenix, and Dallas. But she barely knew Denver. And what about Austin? Every time she thought about him, her anxiety grew. Her meeting with him had gone terribly. He had a dominating demeanor that unhinged her. No. It could never work.

Buzz. Buzz.

The sound came from her cell phone.
Where is it?
She’d been in such a rush earlier that she’d forgotten to take her cell to the casino.

It was on the desk by the window. Jessie crawled off the bed and grabbed it up.

The caller ID told her that she definitely did want to answer it.

“Hey, Michael.” Her tongue felt thick from the tequila.

“Jessica? Where the hell have you been?”

“At th-the c-casino.”

“You’re drunk?”

She giggled. “I guess so.”

“Well, Wilde seems to be having a real impact on you.”

“It certainly is.”

“So, what about the cowboys you told me about? How’s that going?”

She wasn’t sure if it was the tequila or that she was so tired, but she told him the whole story about the Wilde brothers and what the cowboys wanted from her.

“Wow, Jessica. I travel the world for craziness, and you find it in rural Nevada.”

“It is crazy? A woman marrying so many men?”

“Maybe. Most would say so. But who cares what others think. I don’t. Not anymore.”

“I’m glad you finally decided to be yourself, Michael.”

“Me, too. You should do the same. Stop worrying about what others think and go with your gut. Let me ask this. Do you love them?”

She sighed. “I think I am falling in love with at least three of them.”

“What about the other two cowboys?”

“I don’t know. Denver, maybe, though he’s pretty intense at times. Austin scares me.”

“Doll, you deserve happiness. Why not just see where this takes you?”

“You really think so?”

“Sure. Besides, I want to be there when your dad gets the wedding invitations.”

Jessie laughed. “You’re awful.” He always knew how to cheer her up.

“Listen to Dallas. He told you to stay in the
here and now
. I think he’s right. Now, you go to sleep. I have a feeling you’re going to be quite hungover tomorrow.”

“I don’t have hangovers, remember?”

“I remember. Night, doll.”

“Night, Michael.”

Chapter Six

Norma’s Cafe was filled to the brim. Jessie saw the line of customers that continued out the door. The aroma of King Cakes, bacon, and fresh coffee deliciously filled the air.

“Thanks.” Jessie nodded at Samantha as she refilled her cup.

“How about another stack?”

Jessie had enjoyed spending time with Samantha and Selby at Sneaky Pete’s Casino. They’d told her a lot about the Wilde brothers and their family she’d not known. “I don’t think I could eat another bite.”

Samantha grinned. “King Cakes can become addictive.”

Jessie patted her belly. “You’re telling me.”

“You should try our biscuits and gravy. They’re to die for. And our waffles are as big as a table.”

“Hush. As it is already, I’m going to have to eat only bread and water starting the instant I get back to DC.”

Samantha smiled. “Hey, why don’t we go to the Horseshoe tonight?”

Jessie looked over at the booth where Dallas sat staring. She didn’t believe the strange family makeup of the Wilde family could work when it came to her. Still, she was ready to let her cowboy off the hook. He’d suffered enough. Dallas had been honest with her—up to a point. And how could he have told her the entire truth? Any sane woman would’ve been out of town the second she’d learned about the Wilde brothers’ needs.

“No. While I’d love to, I have to get up in the morning early. I found out that to get to the old line you have to go on horseback.”