Page 75 of Carnal Wagers

I set my phone face down and tilted my head up to the breeze. A dash of gasoline, a touch of seaweed, and underlining notes of pine and citrus mingled with the perfumes of Maeve’s flowers. The breeze nipped at my cooling skin, and I slipped on my wool wrap coat.

My phone buzzed through the entire metal frame of the glass table, and I scrambled upright.

HD

You’re assuming I’m available.

I smirked. So maybe not all was lost.

No, I’m demanding you be.

Can’t.

Playing hard to get? I thought that was my job.

This has run its course. You were a good fuck. Now I’m bored.

I scoffed. Good thing I wasn’t in this for his charm.

Oh mon chéri, that’s not for you to decide.

Try me.

We’ll see.

I could just imagine the downward crease of his eyebrows and the frustrated twist of his mouth as he read the words.

“What’s with that smirk?” Maeve set a cup of steaming coffee in front of me and sat beside me, a mug of black tea in hand.

“Husband dearest. He’s still resisting. It’s endearing.”

I took the first few sips of the watered-down black coffee. It wasn’t as hardy as the double espressos I preferred, but it beat the exhaustion. I definitely hadn’t expected Cillian and me to keep at it until almost sunrise. One thing I had to give him, the guy had the stamina of a twenty-year-old and really knew his way around a woman’s body.

“If you say so. Don’t know how you do it. I’d have given him a few good kicks in the balls if I were in your shoes.”

I shrugged. “This is more fun.”

“Then why don’t you seem all that happy about it?”

“That obvious?”

“You didn’t even say ‘hi’ when you got home. You went straight to the gym, and now you’re out here on your own and smelly. Showers are a thing, you know.”

I shoved her lightly.

“Don’t tease me. I really thought I snared him last night. He had this look in his eyes, and it was…intimate.”

“Sex kind of always is.”

“The other sort of intimate. Sweet. Meaningful.”

“But…?”

“But it seems like that might have been my wishful thinking. I’ll need to put even more effort into this.”

“Just be careful not to fall for him.”

“He’d have to be even slightly romantic for that. Trust me, there’s no chance.”