Page 42 of Slow Burn

She leaned back, glancing up since he was so freaking tall at six feet four. “You want me to go into a bet, blind at the prize? That seems pretty risky.”

“Seems like you’re scared, Peach.”

“I’m not scared. And did you just call me Peach?”

His soft, sexy chuckle against her cheek made her shiver. “If you win, I’ll tell you why I call you Peach. If I win, I’m taking you home tonight, not Sloane’s friend. You in?”

This seemed like a win-win for her.

“I’m in,” she told him, taking a step back.

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

ELIJAH WAS POSITIVE he could watch Georgia all night long. He didn’t give a shit how creepy that made him sound. She was spinning around celebrating her turn at Skee-Ball, laughing victoriously at her score of 290, assuming she was going to win. Her eyes were closed as she hopped around in a circle, shaking her round ass with enthusiasm.

He bit his lower lip, fighting the urge to wrap his arms around her and absorb any of the happiness flowing around her.

Georgia Cross was spectacular, devastatingly beautiful, and way too fucking good for him.

But she was also too good for the prick still sitting at the bar with Sloane. What kind of man has an opportunity with Georgia and then leaves her alone with someone else?

She basically danced her way next to Elijah and smiled at him. “Good luck beating me.”

Unable to resist the temptation to touch her, he wrapped an arm over her shoulder, his fingers grazing her arm. “Did I tell you I grew up in York Beach, Maine?”

She peered up at him. “You never tell me anything, so this is news to me.”

Yeah, Elijah was not known for opening up to people.

“Then I should tell you, a beach town during offseason left a lot of slow time for locals. We would always hit up the arcade, almost as a pregame before we went out.” Her lips clamped together as if she were realizing she wasn’t going to win game night. “Not to brag, but for a few months, I was the high score champion at Skee-Ball.”

Like the boss she was, Georgia straightened her shoulders and crossed her arms. Fuck, her tits in that shirt were driving Elijah crazy.

“Then let’s see how you do,” she tossed at him, confident but a little shaky.

He dropped his arm from her and stepped over to the game. “Are you sure it’s one play on each game? I don’t mind doing best out of three.”

Georgia, with her smile so bright, gave him the middle finger. “I don’t need extra pity plays. Even if you win Skee-Ball, we still have other games.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Elijah threw the first ball into the fifty hole. He did it two more times. The next one went into the forty socket. When he finished, his score was four hundred.

She hovered right next to him, her mouth gaping wide open.

Like it was natural, Elijah slid his arm around her waist. Damn, she smelled like a citrusy cookie. He wanted to eat her up. “It’s science. A focus on the acceleration of the ball, biomechanics of how you throw, and angular momentum for banking the ball.” He whispered to her, his lips brushing her ear when he spoke.

When she peered up at him, she was close enough to kiss.

“Did I ever tell you how sexy it is when you talk nerdy to me?” Georgia didn’t back down from him.

He licked his lower lip, watching Georgia as she tracked his every move. “Ready to go home?”

“One game doesn’t make you a winner,” she rejected the idea of surrendering. Instead, she pointed at another game. “Let’s go play basketball.”

Elijah couldn’t help it. He smirked again.

Georgia playfully huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “What? Did you secretly play for the Washington Wizards or something?”