CUL-DE-SAC (On The Edge Book 1) (22 page)

CHAPTER 25

Xan looked after Catalina, trying to act
unaffected by the fact she was walking away, but Tristan was one of a very few
men he trusted. He knew the other man wouldn’t act so casually and carefree if
it were not safe.

Still, it didn’t mean he had to like losing
her out of sight, he thought, feeling his friend’s assessing gaze.
“What?” He asked finally, because when it came to patience Tristan’s was
legendary, which was one of the reasons he was so good at what he did, Xan
supposed.

He was usually the last man standing
–
or more accurately
–
sitting at the
table when other players were losing their shit and letting emotions cost them
fortunes. It was a good thing Tristan never felt the pull of the ring because
he would have been a dangerous adversary, Xan decided.
“I was surprised when you asked to put your name on the list. It’s been a while,
Alexander,” Tristan said.

Xan gritted his teeth because as much as he
hated the name, he knew it was the very reason why Tristan kept calling him
that, to keep reminding him where he came from and what he achieved.

As if he could
ever
forget, Xan
scoffed inwardly.
“And?” He asked again.
“And now it becomes perfectly clear my man. She is something,” Tristan
appraised, and Xan couldn’t help but wonder was his interest of a more personal
nature, and if the answer was yes
–
he was about to plant a fist into the face
of one of his best friends.

Wouldn’t be the first time, and the
reminder could only serve the bastard well, Xan thought.
“Whoa, ease up killer. I can see she is not fair game.” Tristan raised his
hands in a mockingly placating gesture.

Fist to the face was still optional, Xan decided,
but relaxed a bit.
“She is mine.” For however long this thing between them was going to last, he
thought, not even surprised at the possessive streak he felt only while with
Catalina.

He didn’t think she would be happy hearing
his words. Not that he was going to share this little gem with her.

He looked at Tristan’s face, knowing women
found him attractive and wondered if he was the type that Catalina was usually
interested in herself. His past was as murky as Xan’s, but nothing about him
would betray the fact. Unless someone looked into his eyes and saw all the
shadows still prowling in their depths, still holding Tristan in their
merciless grip.

His body didn’t bear scars as far as Xan’s
knowledge went; his nose had never been broken, only his spirit, he thought and
his fists clenched.
“So, what is your game of choice tonight?” Tristan asked.
“We are only window shopping. Cat had never been to a game like that before.”
“Ah, so you are acquainting her with the illegal side of life, hoping she will
get the bug and won’t leave your sorry ass. Gotta say, you have one hell of a
way with women, Alexander,” Tristan laughed.
“Whatever works; at the end of the night I will leave here with her, while you
will be stuck with your plastic doll. I already feel like a winner,” Xan
smirked.
“Asshole,” Tristan punched him lightly. “Not unless I make my move. Joking!” He
added seeing a dark scowl forming on his friend’s face.

It was interesting, Tristan decided, and as
much as he loved to razz Xan about it, he knew he was playing a dangerous game.

But dangerous games were exactly his
playground, he thought.

At first, when he heard about Catalina, he
didn’t love the idea of his friend being involved with a rich girl. He knew
that no matter the pretenses, their worlds were far from blending seamlessly.

He
knew
, because an eon ago he had
made a mistake and allowed himself to live in the fantasy world for a little
while. There was only one outcome of such foolishness and at times it was hard
not to let his past experience shadow someone else’s reality, he thought. He
still didn’t love the idea, but he loved Xan
and because of that he was ready to give
Catalina the benefit of the doubt.
“Ladies,” he said when both women returned and he saw the look Catalina gave
Xan.

Whatever was happening between the two of
them, it wasn’t one sided.

“What do you know about
Baccarat,
Catalina?” He asked.
“Only that it is considered by many to be the most elegant and prestigious
game. It comes from the Italian word meaning ‘zero’ which might apply to the value
given to the tens and picture cards… but I am sure you didn’t ask about the
history lesson.” She smiled sweetly but the mischievous sparks in her eyes
betrayed her.

He laughed, charmed by her, although he
didn’t consider himself an easily charmed male. He was too jaded for it, too
experienced in ways this beautiful woman with good breeding stamped all over
her person had no idea even existed, he thought.
“No, although it was interesting. I meant more in the manner of rules.” He
winked at her. “I am still trying to teach them to Bambi here.”

Bambi
, she repeated in her mind. She
wasn’t sure it was any better than
Barbie
.

“Well, the objective of the game is to draw
a two or three card hand that totals closer to nine than the banker’s hand. The
ten and Royal cards are all worth zero, Ace is one and the rest of the cards
are their face value. I think what you can find in most places is a simplified
version of the game called mini-baccarat, and perhaps that would be the better
choice for a novice to get to know the rules.” She smiled at Bambi, but the
woman couldn’t care less, more focused on plastering her body to Tristan’s than
anything else.
“Hell, Alexander, you have a real firecracker here.” Tristan laughed and Cat
blushed slightly.

She saw surprise lighting up Xan’s features
and it pleased her for some reason.
“Are you sure I can’t talk you into playing tonight?” Tristan wanted to know.
“No, but thank you.” She leaned into Xan when his arm snaked around her back.
“But I am very eager to see you play. I heard you are a very… dedicated
player.”
“Be still my heart,” he chuckled and they all laughed, but she felt Xan’s hold
tightening and wondered at the reason behind his uneasiness.
“We are about to start in ten minutes, but it could take the whole night. I
won’t be offended if you don’t stay long enough to witness my win.” He smirked.
“Show off,” Xan muttered and Catalina laughed.
“Hey, if you want your ego stroked, this is not the place. You are welcome in
my kingdom as long as you are boasting mine,” Tristan winked at Catalina and
she thought it was hard to stay serious in the face of someone so easy going
and not afraid to make jokes about himself.
“I am sure you fully deserve it too.” She smiled at him.
“Damn Alexander, I want to keep her,” Tristan said and she blushed.
“I am not sharing,” came Xan’s answer, and when she looked up at him she saw
his eyes were utterly focused on her and a tad on the dangerous side.

She raised her hand to his chin, stroking
the taut skin.
“What kind of a game we will see tonight?” She asked when Xan gripped her wrist
and brought it to his lips.

She thought he was going to kiss it just
like his friend did before, but she nearly gasped when she felt his teeth
nibbling at her skin instead. Why that would surprise her, she wouldn’t be able
to tell.

He was not a sleek and glamorous type.
There was a ‘bite’ to him, she thought and nearly laughed out loud. He could be
moody and had a vicious streak, but she knew there was
more
to him than
that.

The
more
she still didn’t get the
chance to unveil.
“Pai Gow Poker.” Tristan’s eyes smiled at her as if he were aware of her
thoughts or the reaction Xan’s behavior elicited in her.

She blushed, hoping that was not the case.
“I am not familiar with it, I am afraid.” She frowned.
“I will be more than happy to oblige you, then… or Xan can explain the rules to
you,” he added, amused by his friend’s growing tension.
“I will,” Xan said simply.
“It was a real pleasure, Catalina, but I am afraid I need to get ready.
Alexander, please do bring her again. Until the next meeting.” He smiled
charmingly and walked off with Bambi on his arm.
“Well? How about those rules?” She wanted to know.
“How about ‘no flirting with my friends’ for starters?” He asked in a silky
voice she had never heard from him before.
“I was simply polite.”
“Of course you were,” he said and she wondered, was it possible he was being…
jealous?

The thought should annoy her, but for some
reason it thrilled her to think so instead, no matter how far off the mark he
was because it was the first time in her life someone felt the volatile emotion
toward her.

People from the circles she usually moved
in didn’t manifest any kind of strong emotions. It was considered
passé
and highly unwelcomed by society. A person who didn’t have a strong hold on her
emotions was a weak link.

She knew Florence thought her granddaughter
to be one.
“I am waiting for those rules Xan,” she reminded, watching the shifting of
colors and emotions in his eyes.
“Pai Gow Poker is played with a standard fifty two card deck plus the joker. After
making a bet, each player is dealt seven cards and must make two poker hands: a
standard five-card poker hand and a two-card poker hand. The former is often
called ‘behind’ or the ‘bottom’ or even simply ‘big’ hand, while the two-card
hand is called ‘in front’, ‘on top’ or the ‘small’ hand. The five card hand
must be higher than the other while forming. You can’t make a flush, you must
include the pair of aces in the five-card poker hand not the two-card one.” He
explained.
“Wait… did you say the joker?” She frowned.
“Yes, it was the biggest surprise to me when I first played it. The joker can
be used only to fill in a gap in a straight or still out a flush, otherwise it
is always an ace.”
“Ah… so you did play.” She smiled.
“What can I say? I am a man of many talents,” he stated arrogantly.
“Being humble is on top of the list,” she told him sweetly and felt his hand
sliding down her back and his fingers curving over her bottom.
“Can we watch the game?” She asked trying to ignore the possessive hold.
“That’s what we came here for.” He took her hand in his, leading her toward the
table where Tristan had just taken a seat.

In a matter of a few moments, Catalina
understood the reason behind the nicknames for the cards once players set their
two poker hands. They placed their two-card hands in front, and the five-card
in back.
“He is the banker,” Xan leaned in to whisper into her ear and she looked at one
of the men at the table he was pointing at.
“What does that mean?” She couldn’t believe her interest in the subject.
“All the players at the table are playing to win both hands against him. Each
player has to compare his hands to the banker’s hands. If both the player’s
hands beat the banker’s, the player wins. If only one beats it, they consider
it a push or draw and the player can take his money back,” he explained, barely
able to stifle the need to chuckle because she was hanging on his every word as
if he were sharing with her secrets of life.
“So… if the banker’s hands beat the player’s, the former wins, obviously. What
happens when the player’s hands ties with the banker’s?”
“The banker wins; this is one of the ways the house makes sure they are at the
advantage,” he said, surprised by the speed in which she was drawing
conclusions and asking the most logical questions.

He couldn’t stop himself and delicately
closed his teeth over her earlobe. She shuddered slightly and gripped his wrist
in response.
“No distractions,” was all she said before her utter focus returned to what was
happening at the table.

CHAPTER 26

They stayed in the Hotel Suite until well
past midnight, but the game wasn’t anywhere close to an end.

Catalina couldn’t imagine the focus it
required from Tristan, from all the players, to stay on top of the situation at
all times.

At some point, her eyes just glazed over
and her mind refused to follow the events. She felt the dull pulse of an
impending headache.
“So what’s the verdict, Kitten?” Xan asked when they were heading toward her
house.

She was wondering what the rest of the
night would bring and her stomach knotted.
“It was intense as far as the game goes, but at some point I just couldn’t
follow it any longer, no matter how much interesting it was,” she admitted.
“Yes, it’s one of the main reasons I could never truly get into it. I lacked
patience to endure all those ass dragging hours.” He shrugged.
“I can’t imagine you playing at all; it seems too… still for you. I am used to
seeing you in action, I suppose.”
“Speaking of which… I have my next fight scheduled,” Xan said and glanced to check
her reaction, but Cat was looking through the window as if the sluggish traffic
outside was more interesting than their conversation.
“When?” She asked finally, telling herself it was just a matter of time and she
shouldn’t be surprised by it.

And she wasn’t, she was just worried. It
wasn’t the same, was it?
“Next week. Will you come?” He wanted to know.
“If you want me there…”
“You know I do, or I wouldn’t have mentioned it. How would you feel about
participating in one of my training sessions?”

Until this moment he wasn’t sure he would
ask her about it but the question rolled out of his tongue naturally.
“I would love to,” Cat smiled at him.
“How is it that you seem more inclined toward it than the real deal?” Xan
chuckled.
“Maybe because I don’t expect a real harm come your way during training?”
“Cat… you knew what I do from the beginning.” He said carefully.
“Of course, but that was before and now is… now.” She thought that before he
was this merciless lethal stranger who threatened her.

Now… Now the more time she spent with him,
the more she cared, Catalina admitted but didn’t want to dwell on it, hoped he
wouldn’t force her to.
“Is it going to be a problem?” Xan asked bluntly.

She wanted to ask if he looked further than
the moment he was in. Did he see himself fighting five years from now while his
opponents were going to be younger and younger?

Catalina was the first person to concede
there was a lot she didn’t know about the bloody sport, but she knew that age
was not something working in favor for any of the fighters, and no matter how
good Xan was, it was just a matter of time before someone bested him.

Did he realize that as well? She wondered,
but kept her mouth shut, afraid to hear his answer, not wanting to spoil the right
here and right now by arguing.
“No,” she said finally, knowing that if it was a problem it was hers alone and
she would have to deal with it.
“What’s the matter, Cat? Realizing just now that I am not one of the average
snotty guys you are used to being around?” Xan smirked and her head whipped to
the left.

“I don’t know what put you on the edge
tonight, but I told you once already–I am not going to be your whipping boy. Do
you regret inviting me into your world?” She wanted to know and he swore a blue
streak that caused her to flinch.

Xan knew he was being a dick, but the
knowledge he was in the wrong only managed to piss him off further instead of
cooling his temper down.

He expected Catalina to be shocked about
the poker tournament. To be taken aback by the fact the illegal side was a distance
just beyond reach, closely entwined with the everyday life of Santa Monica that
she was a part of herself.

He thought that realizing the bodyguard was
packing heat would at least give her pause, but neither happened. She remained
her unruffled self, which for some reason only widened this abyss between them
in his eyes.

There was no fault of hers in any of it.

On the contrary, he should be glad she
wasn’t one of those weak women needing a man to validate their self of worth, a
man’s strong hand to guide her through life. Someone like his mother, no matter
how misplaced her needs or wants were.

Then why did he feel disappointed when Catalina
didn’t try to lean onto him after he had spent his entire life avoiding the
very situation like a plague?

She was fucking with his mind for being so
different from anyone else he knew, and it very well wasn’t something he wanted
to share with her, he thought and clenched his hands on the steering wheel.
“It has nothing to do with you,” he said, and the tone of his voice suggested
she better drop the subject, but even in this she wasn’t acting as he expected
her to.
“I beg to differ. You are snapping at me after all and I would like to learn
the reason for it,” Cat argued in that cultured way of hers that sounded so
uppity in his ears.
“Tristan liked you,” he said instead of addressing her words and she sighed.
“I am likable.”
“Never met a woman who wasn’t.” Obvious bullshit but he was spoiling for a
fight.
“It was a long day, I think we should call it a night,” she said, determined
not to pick up the gauntlet he kept throwing at her.
“That’s it?” Xan stopped the car with a screech that fit his volatile mood.

Catalina’s calmness didn’t.

It was feeding his ire like gasoline on a
fire.

Did he really think she was going to invite
him over now? Cat wondered, incredulous.

She had no idea what was happening, but she
was tired of walking on eggshells as far as his mood went.
“Yes, thank you for tonight, Xan.” Politeness was her weapon and shield as long
as it remained unfaltering.
“Cat…” He started, pondering how to muddle his way through the mess he turned a
perfectly fine day and a promising night into.
“Goodnight Alex,” she said and stepped out of his car.

This time it was disappointment and unease accompanying
her to the door instead of him.