“That sounds terrifying.”
“That’s why it’s a wager.”His smile is soft, patient.“You can say no.”
I should say no.I should tell him I’m not ready for that kind of vulnerability again.
But he’s been texting me pebbles for three weeks.And maybe it’s time I give him something back.
“Okay,” I say.“Deal.But what do I get if I win?”
His eyes light up—part surprise that I agreed, part anticipation for what comes next.“What do you want?”
Silas
“I wantyou to come to New York and clean my apartment like you do at Buffed & Polished.”
I laugh.“So either way you’re getting free labor from me, huh?”
Bailey shrugs, that mischievous glint in her eye.“You picked your own prize.But maybe you can give me a little something-something extra.”Her eyebrows wiggle.
“The champagne room treatment?”I lean in close, my voice dropping.“You’re on, temptress.”
Bailey shivers at my words—full body, eyes rolling back, sexy as fuck.
I break away from temptation and pull the darts out of the board.Neither of us cares who won that game (we both won, really) and Bailey wipes the scoreboard clean.
We go a few rounds, and then I don’t know who starts it, but suddenly neither of us is sitting down.We’re both at the line, taking turns.Bailey’s dialed in, beautiful and graceful as she hits most of her targets with satisfying thunks.
I should be more careful.After that backpacker called us out, we should be keeping our distance.Playing it cool.
But I’ve been without Bailey for three weeks.Nearly a month of textinggood mornings and looking at her photos and wanting her so badly I could barely function.And now she’s here, in Here, in my territory, and I can’t keep my hands to myself.
I’m going to blow this.I’m going to give us away.And I can’t bring myself to care.
“Watching you is fucking sexy,” I say as I pass her the darts.
She puts her back to me, right toe on the line.“How sexy, Montgomery?”
I take a step closer.She’s working on twenties, the only one I’ve closed out so far.She throws a dart.
Single one.She readies the next dart.“Wait.”
She stops, arm in the air, poised to take her shot.I grab a belt loop from her jeans and pull us together.
A stranger might think I’m helping her line up her dart.
A Herevian, someone who knows how goddamn good Bailey is at darts, might thinkshe’sthe one helpingme.
But Bailey’s eyes widen when she feels my erection against her ass.
“Remember my favorite body part of yours?”
“Yes.”Her voice comes out breathier than before.
“Well I think you picked those jeans tonight just for me.”
She swallows hard.I can see the flush creeping up her neck—she’s remembering.That moment in the bedroom when I told her.The way she’d looked at me like she couldn’t quite believe I meant it.Like no one had ever called her ass their favorite anything before.
She takes a deep breath and tosses the dart.
