Page 85 of Chained By Fate (Dark Billionaires: Vegas #1)
The way he looked at me then—a mixture of calculation and something darker—made me want to step behind Matt. Instead, I lifted my chin. I hadn’t survived years of small-town drama to be intimidated by a billionaire with boundary issues.
“I find it quite pleasant,” I said sweetly. “But then, I belong here.”
“You belong here?” Xavier’s laugh was velvet laced with venom.
“How… quaint.” His eyes tracked Matt’s hand on my waist with an intensity that seemed more than professional rivalry.
“Though I suppose we all start somewhere. I remember when Matt first took over his father’s casino—such raw potential. ”
The way he said Matt’s name, like he was savoring it, made something protective flare in my chest.
“Oh God,” Ryan muttered into his cider. “Here we go.”
“Of course, that was before he became the king of Sin City,” Xavier continued, his emerald eyes never leaving Matt. “Before he understood what true power meant.” There was something almost reverent in his tone, an edge of obsession that seemed at odds with his polished exterior.
Matt’s jaw tightened. “I’m sure the Dubai investors would love to hear your theories on power, Xavier. Why don’t you share them?”
“Maybe later.” Xavier’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’d hate to bore Andy with business talk. Though I must say”—his gaze raked over me dismissively—”your taste has certainly… evolved since MIT.”
The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. Matt’s entire body tensed, and Ryan actually stopped mid-sip, eyes wide.
“Careful,” Matt’s voice was deadly quiet.
Xavier held up his hands in mock surrender, but I caught the way his fingers trembled slightly when Matt stepped forward. “Just making conversation. After all, we’re all friends here, aren’t we?”
“Are we?” I asked sweetly, pressing closer to Matt’s side. The flash of raw anger in Xavier’s eyes was quickly masked, but I saw it.
“Andy.” He said my name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “You really have no idea what you’ve stepped into, do you? This world—Matt’s world—it requires a certain… understanding. A certain devotion.”
The way he emphasized devotion made it sound like a prayer. Or an obsession.
“I think Andy understands perfectly well.” Matt’s tone held a warning that would have made smarter men back down.
Xavier just smiled, that same intense focus never wavering from Matt. “Does he? Does he understand what it means to be worthy of a king?” His voice dropped lower. “To be his equal?”
Ryan whistled low. “And this is why I never miss these parties.”
I felt Matt’s muscles coil, ready to respond, but another executive chose that moment to approach with questions about some merger. The interruption seemed to break whatever spell had fallen over our little group.
Xavier stepped back smoothly, but not before I caught another flash of that possessive hunger in his eyes when he looked at Matt. “We should do dinner soon,” he said, as if he hadn’t just been one step away from declaring some kind of twisted devotion. “Like old times.”
The muscle in Matt’s jaw jumped. “Goodbye, Xavier.”
As Xavier melted back into the crowd, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something significant had just happened. The way he’d looked at Matt, like he was something to be possessed…
“Well,” Ryan said, breaking the tension, “that was dramatic. Even for Xavier.” He grinned at me. “Usually, he saves the worthy of a king speech for board meetings.”
The party finally wound down around midnight, the crowd thinning as Vegas’ elite returned to their respective kingdoms. Matt’s hand hadn’t left the small of my back since Xavier’s little performance, not that I was complaining.
“That was better than any drama,” Ryan declared as we made our way through the Bellagio’s marble lobby. “Though Xavier was extra intense tonight. Did you see how he?—”
“Ryan,” Matt’s warning tone could have frozen the desert.
“What? I’m just saying, the whole worthy of a king thing was a bit much. Even for him.”
The cool night air hit us as we stepped outside, carrying the familiar scent of desert and neon. The valets were doing their choreographed dance with a fleet of vehicles that probably cost more than small countries.
Movement caught my eye—Xavier emerging from the hotel, his perfect composure still intact despite the late hour. He paused at the bottom of the steps, and even from this distance, I could feel the weight of his gaze. The way he watched Matt…
A sleek black sedan pulled up—one of those ridiculously expensive German ones that screamed I eat small businesses for breakfast . Something about it tickled my memory, but before I could place it, Xavier was sliding into the driver’s seat with fluid grace.
“Isn’t that…” I started, remembering the black car I’d seen outside the Maxwell more than once.
“His pride and joy,” Ryan supplied. “Custom everything. He probably loves that car more than most people.”
We watched as Xavier pulled away from the Bellagio, but instead of turning toward the Strip’s main drag, he headed for the hotel directly opposite the Maxwell.
The same hotel where I’d sworn I’d seen that black sedan parked on multiple occasions, always in the same spot with a perfect view of the Maxwell’s entrance.
“He stays there sometimes,” Ryan said, following my gaze. “Says it gives him a better view of his investments. Though some people think he just likes keeping an eye on his competition.”
Matt’s hand tightened on my waist. “Let’s go home.”
As our own car pulled up, I couldn’t shake the image of Xavier’s intense gaze, the way he’d watched Matt all evening like he was memorizing every movement. The possessive edge to his voice when he’d talked about kings and devotion…
“Stop thinking so loud,” Matt murmured as we slid into the back seat, Ryan already calling shotgun. “Xavier’s harmless. Just a bit…”
“Obsessed?” I supplied.
“Ambitious,” Matt corrected, but his tone suggested he wasn’t entirely convinced.
Through the tinted windows, I caught one last glimpse of that black sedan disappearing into the hotel’s private garage. The same garage where I’d seen that same car so many times before, always watching, always waiting…
“Hey.” Matt’s fingers caught my chin, turning my face away from the window. “Forget about Xavier. I believe we have some unfinished business from earlier?”
Ryan groaned from the front seat. “Could you two at least wait until you’re in private?”
“Could you at least pretend you’re not eavesdropping?” I shot back, but I was already melting into Matt’s touch, the evening’s tensions starting to fade.
Still, as we pulled away from the Bellagio, I couldn’t quite shake the memory of Xavier’s eyes—that hungry, possessive gleam when he looked at Matt, like a man studying a prize he intended to claim.