Page 187 of The Bluffing Game

“I could give you one.”

“Now, now, would that be appropriate in front of all of these kids?”

“I didn’t say it would be a French kiss or anything.”

“Well, you may kiss my cheek.” She turns her face to the side; I lean forward and kiss her cheek. “There you go.”

“May I kiss the other?”

She turns her cheek the other way, and I kiss that.

I grab her hand and run my fingers around her palm and whisper in her ear, “The other places I’d like to kiss are definitely not suitable for where we are right now. But maybe one day, if I’m lucky, huh?” I step back.

She blushes, and there’s a glimpse of uncertainty in her eyes. But I can see the lust there. I can feel it. I can sense it. It’s the same lust that exists in me.

“Yeah, maybe,” she says with a soft smile. “And maybe pigs will fly, and maybe fish will sing, and maybe geese will one day be rulers of the universe.”

There’s always a maybe in every situation, right?

“I’ll hold on to the maybe hope … no matter how low the chances seem to be.”

I don’t tell her that I think the chances are higher than she’s letting on. I’m still flying high from the kiss. It was quite chaste, but it was the most meaningful kiss I’ve had in years.

Chapter 15

SAGE

My lips are still tingling from the kiss, and I feel pathetic. It certainly wasn’t sexy, and yet I can still feel the imprint of Dalton’s lips on mine. I can still feel the pressure of his thumb against my palm. I can still smell his masculine musk in my nostrils. And that is exactly the reason I hadn’t wanted to kiss him. I don’t want to want him.

It is so much easier in life to date men for reasons other than want and life. Not that I don’t crave that deep down. I’m just not sure if I could ever relinquish control of every situation. I’m not sure I feel comfortable enough to let my guard down and take off the mask. I’ve spent so many years playing a part, being happy, being outlandish and confident. Even I sometimes forget how vulnerable I am inside. It is only at night, when my heart races and my brain won’t shut down, that I feel the heaviness of having to be the strong one.

“Who wants to read their profile first?” Lucia claps eagerly to gather everyone’s attention.

We’re hanging out in a booth at a local ’50s diner, drinking spiked milkshakes and eating chili cheese fries, and I can’t remember the last time Rosie and I had a fun girls’ night like this with friends. I’m not sure if we’ve ever had really close friends, aside from our cousin Juniper and her best friend.

“Not me,” I pipe up, feeling shy about what I wrote. “Izzy?”

“I don’t mind going first,” she says, grabbing her phone from the tabletop. “I’m ready to find my new boyfriend. A real man who will be there for me.”

“So, did you officially break up with Colton then?” Rosie asks hopefully, and we all lean forward.

I’m almost positive I know the answer. No way she ended it since I last spoke to her earlier in the day.

“Not officially.” Izzy looks at us and shrugs. There’s a wicked smile on her face. “In my mind, I figure it’s over. Anyway, it’s not like he cares if I meet someone else. So, whatever. Two can play his game. He thinks he can have his cake and eat it, too, because I won’t sleep with him. He just assumes I won’t sleep with anyone else.”

“But, Izzy, aren’t you waiting for marriage?” Lucia gives her a look.

Izzy shrugs like that’s the last thing on her mind. Or maybe she’s just changed her mind after being in a crappy relationship. I certainly understand that. That’s why I’m looking for money, not love. If men are going to let you down, why hold out for the impossible?

“I’m waiting for a man who’s going to make me feel like I’m the only woman in the world. I’m waiting for a man who’s going to make me feel like I’m on fire, like he loves me, like he needs me more than anything. That’s what I really want.” She shrugs. “Ideally, I wanted to wait for marriage, but Colton has made me look at things differently. I want a man who sees no one else but me.”

“Hear, hear, sister.” I clap my hands vigorously because what I most want in a relationship is to be seen that way, too. If I’m truly honest with myself, that is what I value. A man who sees me for me and wants me just as I am. “That’s what I’m looking for as well.”

“Me too,” Rosie adds, though there’s a faraway look in her eyes. “I was hoping it would be Brett, but … well, I haven’t heard from him or seen him in weeks.” She throws her head back and slams her hands down on the table. “I suppose even a doofus like me needs to realize this is going nowhere.”

“Exactly. Girls, we don’t chase. If they want us, they have to come for us,” I say adamantly. “We’re too cool, too pretty, and too smart to waste time on losers. They want us, then they come for us.”

“In more ways than one,” Lucia says with a huge wink, and we all start laughing.