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  I came so hard and fast that I fell asleep instantly in his arms.

  Chapter Thirty

  DAKOTA

  As Mom and I stepped through the elevator to the casino lobby, the air in the room seemed thick, as if something was about to transpire. But as I looked into the faces of my employees, I didn’t see fear or anger, only something that resembled reverence and awe.

  “What’s happening, Meadow?” I asked as she passed me on the floor. Her cheeks were flushed as she cast her head toward the back roulette tables.

  Rounding a large group of men watching a high-stakes game of blackjack, the pit boss tipped his head in my direction right before my gaze landed on Stuart’s. He stood talking to a man I recognized immediately as Blue Cloud. And directly next to our spiritual leader was none other than Chief Red Hawk.

  “Mom,” I strangled out, my steps faltering.

  When her eyes made the connection, her breath seemed to stall in her lungs. “What is he doing here?” she whispered.

  Chief Red Hawk was in charge of the entire tribal nation, so he usually only attended critical events. I knew that his appearance here signified something enormous.

  When my gaze clashed with Stuart’s, alarm reflected in his eyes despite his comfortable stance. Something was going down.

  “To-tsu-hwa,” Stuart said as we approached, and then he lowered his head in my mother’s direction.

  My mother and I bowed low out of respect to Chief Red Hawk and Blue Cloud.

  “Thank you for gracing us,” my mother said to the chief. “Is there a reason for your visit?”

  “Yes,” he said and then looked to Blue Cloud who offered an imperceptible nod of his head. “Can we talk privately somewhere?”

  “My office,” I said immediately. We needed to take this spectacle off the floor so that my staff could do their jobs. “Follow me.”

  Stuart threw me a questioning look as to whether he should stay or go, and I arched my head for him to follow. We needed all the support we could get at this point.

  Looking back once more, I searched the floor for Grayson, wishing that Shane were present as well. But I had only just left him and he wasn’t due in for another couple of hours.

  I spotted him by the escalators and with a quick nod, Grayson indicated that he was on it and that my casino would be run smoothly in our absence. He had really stepped up his role as head of security and had made my staff and me feel safe. As I reached my door, I saw him fish out his cell from his pocket and I prayed he was alerting Shane.

  I swept inside my office, which I had finally begun to remodel, thanks to Stuart’s nudge. A new desk had arrived and my dad’s had been moved to the side as a separate work area for Mom or Stuart if they needed it. Mom liked that I had kept it, and she seemed to gravitate toward it, probably out of comfort, when she joined me on the casino level.

  The walls were repainted a grass green color, and I felt lighter each time I stepped inside them. I’d transported a couple of decorations from home that better represented me—like a modern vase and print, but I still kept my father’s warrior painting near his desk, like he was compartmentalized in the room—the way he was in my heart—so that I could make it through my day.

  I motioned to a circular side table with four chairs, my fingers brushing over my new nameplate as I made my way to the corner of the room. Stuart remained standing near the door, and once the four of us were finally seated, the air became choked with anticipation.

  “Chief,” my mother said, as if urging him to speak. But the chief motioned to Blue Cloud and all sets of eyes shot to him.

  “It is my job to provide support and council for this nation,” Blue Cloud said. “And what is happening today did not sit true in my heart. I urged them to be open, to share it with you, but they refused. So I felt it was the right decision to tell you myself.”

  My lungs seized up and I struggled to get my question out. “Tell us what?”

  “That the association is meeting today to vote about your casino,” he said. “Without you.”

  My heart nearly hurtled out of my chest. My mother’s eyebrows crashed together in an indignant line. “That’s sounds very underhanded.”

  He lifted his hand. “Their argument is also valid. They did not want you to influence whatever decision was in their hearts.”

  “The problem is,” I said, struggling to keep my emotions in check, “the association members are being influenced by Flint Thornfall. He’s been working with the Whitman Corporation to create tension. They’ve made threats—”

  “We are aware of the situation, and have already spoken with Mr. Thornfall.” Chief Red Hawk’s deep voice resounded in the room, and I felt immediate reassurance. “We’ve made it clear that this matter would not go before the tribal council. That Mrs. Nakos’s lineage would not become an issue because her loyalty has never been a concern, not as far as we’re concerned.”

  The relief was so evident in my mother’s countenance that she seemed to melt into her chair. She closed her eyes and lowered her head in appreciation.

  “We also made it clear that his tactics might, in fact, be called into question and an appearance before the council would be mandatory, should there be proof of his involvement in such deceit.”

  Our chief had little leverage with the Whitman Corporation, but he certainly did with Flint Thornfall.

  For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could actually breathe. In my own casino, in my own community, with my own people. I have never felt more grateful than in this very moment that we had been given this outpouring of support.

  “You don’t need the association’s vote to run this casino. But your father worked for years to cultivate those relationships, and we figured you’d want to say your piece,” Blue Cloud now said, urgently. “You have an important voice, and it needs to be heard.”

  When my mother’s eyes met mine, I knew we were on the same page.

  Next, my gaze traveled to Stuart, whose face had transformed into angry determination. “Go. We’ve got it covered here, boss lady.”

  I stood quickly, nearly unsteady on my feet; but I got my wits about me and grabbed for my mother’s hand. We bowed low in reverence. “Thank you. You don’t know what your support means to us.”

  As I walked out the door I said to Stuart over my shoulder, “We’ll ask Grayson to drive us.”

  I didn’t know what to expect once we got to the meeting—whether it would become a volatile situation or if we’d be asked to leave. But I wanted my chance to say what I needed to say, and I could tell my mother felt the same way.

  As I strode away from my office, the first person I saw near the escalators was Shane, wearing a cranberry-colored Golden Arrow Casino T-shirt. Like he belonged here. Like he fit. As soon as our eyes met and held, a sense of calm washed over me.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  DAKOTA

  Shane studied me for a beat before his legs ate up the rest of the distance to reach me. We met in the middle of the casino under the giant chandelier. I had always admired that piece of artwork hanging above us with its gleaming nuggets of crystal and now, standing beneath it with Shane, the moment felt too important to put into words.

  “Angel,” he murmured and reached for my hand before his fingers fell to his side, his jaw ticking. “You know I don’t give a fuck who’s watching us right now, yeah?”

  Disappointment and regret waged a war inside me as I stared into his eyes, which were steeped with concern and longing and affection.

  “Shane, I . . . we . . .” I closed the space between us and grasped firmly at his fingers. It felt amazing to touch him. In front of all of creation, it felt right. He felt right. “I need you. I need us.”

  His hand froze against mine as relief filtered through his eyes. “You sure?”

  I leaned forward, inhaling his clean scent and whispered, “I’m very sure.”

  My heart launched to my throat as his fingers pressed into the back of my neck, tugging me f
orward. His lips met mine in an intimate kiss that turned my insides to spun liquid gold. Ignoring the murmur of voices around us, I melted into him.

  His fingers slid to my cheeks and when he broke the kiss, he said, “Now tell me what’s happening.”

  “Blue Cloud and Chief Red Hawk came to tell us that the association is holding a secret vote without us.”

  “Bastards,” he mumbled. His eyes connected to someone over my shoulder and when I looked behind me, I saw that it was Chief Red Hawk. They shared a long look that said many unspoken things. That’s when I realized that it had been Shane who made contact with him.

  My mother stepped up with a trace of a smile in her eyes and placed her hand on my shoulder. “We need to get there, darling, and speak our truth.”

  Shane nodded. “I’ll drive you.”

  He reached for my hand, bowed briefly to the chief, and then tugged me along to the elevators. The entire room seemed to have gone eerily silent as I walked arm in arm with Shane, while my mother was a presence beside us. Despite my worries about being seen with Shane in public, I felt confident and proud. Stuart bid us luck as we pushed the button for the garage level.

  The car ride was quiet. When Shane finally pulled up to the curb to let us out, I reached for my mother. “Even if they vote us out, it doesn’t mean we’re finished.”

  “I know.” She nodded numbly.

  “It just means we’ll have more of an uphill battle,” I said. “One I’m willing to climb. With you.”

  After my mother exited the car, Shane clutched my fingers and whispered, “You’re amazing. You know that, right?”

  I closed my eyes to cherish his affection. This man seemed to own every single piece of me. “Thank you, honey. For everything.”

  The elevator doors wrenched open just as Troy was yanking the doorknob shut to begin the meeting. My fingers halted his action, and I thrust it back open. “Guess we got here just in time.”

  A rumble of surprise swept across the room and the first person my gaze snagged on was Flint. His jaw set hard, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “We would have liked to be invited to our own vote,” my mother said, her gaze also directed at Flint.

  Not one of the casino owners breathed a word, until finally Troy muttered, “We—”

  “Don’t worry, we’re not staying for the vote,” I said, working to keep my trembling lips in a straight line. “But you will hear us out.”

  I looked around the room as a couple of the owners avoided eye contact with me.

  “Not only have we suffered from the senseless murder of my father,” I said, clearing my throat of emotion. “But we’ve had our loyalty questioned, our casino picketed, and someone had the nerve to threaten me just outside my home.”

  Many in the room muttered their dismay.

  “Who threatened you, Dakota?” Troy asked.

  “That I don’t know. He got away before he could be identified. But somebody wants us to sell badly. So badly they’d stoop to desperate measures.” I noticed how all eyes appeared to slide over to Flint. He adjusted himself in his seat.

  “Before you go around making threats,” Flint grunted out, his top lip curled, “you’d better have your facts straight.”

  “I haven’t threatened anybody,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “I’m just telling the truth about what we’ve had to go through in the last month, in the middle of grieving for my father.”

  Now gazes that avoided me when I first stepped in the room met mine with shock and even fear in their eyes. Flint grew silent, the hard edge in his face depleted, anxiety replacing the anger in his features. And I wondered what he was thinking, feeling, and whether or not he felt at all guilty for the trouble he had caused.

  “We didn’t come here to debate all of that,” my mother said. “We came here to tell you what’s in our hearts and then leave you to your vote.”

  The room grew quiet and all eyes locked on my mother, who stood tall and proud. She was a commanding presence, just like my father had been.

  “The thing is when I first met Linden Nakos, his gentle manner and take-charge attitude attracted me. But there were other things that he taught me about the Native American culture that I grew to love and respect deeply.” She took a deep breath, but her eyes were glazed over, as if lost in her memories of my father. “I embraced your principles and your way of life because I fiercely believed in them. Still do. We raised our children with those same values.”

  “It took somebody with not a single trace of Indian heritage to remind me that our people have a special and sacred place in history,” I said, thinking of Shane’s recent words to me. “And it wasn’t my mother. It was somebody who used to work at our casino who admired our morals and beliefs.”

  “Blue Cloud teaches that we’re all made from the same material as the earth, moon, and stars,” my mother’s words rang out, and some owners shook their heads.

  “So why now, when I’ve stood by your side for years, do you make me feel as if I haven’t been created from the same universe?” Mom looked each of the association members in the eye as she said this. “Don’t I have the same right to love your land and your traditions as much as you do?”

  The room grew so quiet that I could practically hear individual breaths. My mother squeezed my fingers and moved us toward the door. It didn’t feel like we had anything left to say. That had been enough, and we would somehow survive on our own.

  We walked to the parking lot and slid inside Shane’s car. He looked us over, noticed how solemn we were, and remained silent.

  When he got on the freeway, he reached for my hand. “Is it bad news?”

  “We don’t know yet,” I said, sighing. “We allowed them to hold the actual vote without us, as they intended.”

  About an hour after we got back to the casino, there was a knock on my office door. As soon as Stuart stepped inside, he blurted, “The vote is in. The majority agreed that you should remain a part of the Casino Association.”

  My heart crashed against my rib cage and all I could do was smile and nod, because I could scarcely even breathe.

  “Remember, it’s a majority, not unanimous,” Stuart said, sounding more like Shane every day. But I bit my tongue, because he was right. “Doesn’t mean the threat is gone.”

  It was a sobering reminder of all we’d been through. But for now, it felt like we had won a mini battle.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  DAKOTA

  After the vote this week and the backing by the tribal nation, the anxious climate inside the casino had dissipated completely. As if they had given up the fight, all of the protesters had left the property and for the first time, I was able to simply enjoy the scenery on the drive in to work this morning.

  Word was that after the majority vote, Flint had stormed out of the building, quiet and sullen because he hardly had anyone to back him. Shane insisted that we keep tight security in case a threat still remained.

  Ridge had called a couple of times to check on me, but I had let it go to voice mail. Since the fund-raiser, I no longer knew how to act around him. With Shane back in my life, it had become so apparent that I didn’t have the same feelings for him that he had for me. And the longer we continued to talk or get together, the more unfair it would become for him.

  Despite all of that good news, there was a growing restlessness inside of me that Shane would announce his intention to get back to his job and other life. Sure, we talked about being together but we didn’t exactly discuss the logistics. And I didn’t know if, after having him in my bed every night, I could survive not seeing him again for longer periods of time. My father’s case still had not been resolved, but that was now a thinning link tethering Shane to this town. He couldn’t stay forever.

  As soon as I exited the elevator to my condo, a delicious smell hit my nose. Shane informed me that he was preparing dinner tonight and had invited Kai and Rachel to join us. It felt like we were back in our college days, except there was
no cheap beer or wine involved.

  Shane was making his World Famous Chicken Cacciatore, as he called it. I loved that he enjoyed cooking. He made me feel taken care of, and that was something I didn’t think I had ever wanted in my life.

  I found him in the kitchen, humming some imaginary rock tune in his head, wearing cutoff sweats and a tight T-shirt that hugged his muscular shoulders. It looked like he was either leaving or had already returned from a workout, and as I approached, he smelled like sweat and spice and Shane all mixed together.

  His recipe was bubbling on the stove, and a bottle of red wine sat open on the counter. “That smells incredible.”

  He gathered me in his arms and swung me around as I squealed. “You look good, baby.”

  Releasing my hair from its tie, he grasped the back of my neck to plant a long and steamy kiss on my lips. His mouth tasted salty, and I licked his bottom lip because God, he was sexy.

  I’d admit I liked having him in my condo. I could already picture him staying here if we needed to negotiate a long-distance relationship. I told myself that Atlanta wasn’t that far and that we could somehow make it work. If it led to a bigger commitment down the line, then the relationship would be well worth the effort. His stuff was already everywhere anyway—his mess in the kitchen, his laptop on my coffee table, his sneakers haphazardly placed by the door like he had thrown them off as soon as he arrived.

  “I just finished lifting. But I’m gonna go for a short jog and then shower before your brother gets here,” he said, setting the pan to simmer on the stove.

  “Take your time, you know they’re always late,” I said, giving him a chaste peck on the lips.

  He yanked me back and deepened the kiss, practically making my legs go weak. “We have unfinished business to take care of later.”

  He was referring to the fact that I had given him a blowjob this morning and refused to let him return the favor. I just wanted to please him because he was always taking care of my needs first. He tried to pull me off of him so he could finish inside of me, but I determinedly sucked harder until he had become too far gone to argue.