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He took a drink of his longneck, and she picked up her glass of citrus liquor. They were both now on round two, and he was convinced that she had to taste as sweet and tart as her drink.
“It’s called ‘I’ve Never’.” She stepped closer. “You say something you’ve never done. If the other person has done that, then they take a drink.”
He nodded. “I like it. Why don’t you go first?”
“We’ll start easy.” She shook the big barrel curls off her shoulders and glanced at the ceiling while holding her drink out. “I’ve never driven a heavy piece of machinery.”
Ah, shit. Ryder took a drink.
She smiled. “See, I just learned about you without coming up with boring questions. So you are clearly strong.” Her gaze skated down his chest, and he couldn’t help but flex a little. “And you’ve operated heavy machinery. I’m liking you already, big guy.”
All right, he could play this game too.
“My turn,” he said, zeroing in on her. “I’ve never gone skinny-dipping.”
Her eyes shot up like she’d been caught, and then a sly smile stretched her lips as she took a drink. “Nice one,” she said.
“Why, sweetness, you have a wild streak.”
She shrugged. “Maybe…”
Her challenging brow got serious, and Ryder was already finding this to be his favorite game. It was clear she wasn’t staying put anywhere, and though he only had this one night, this one moment, he was actually having…fun.
Another thing he hadn’t experienced in a while.
“I’ve never had a one-night stand,” she said.
Ryder went to take a drink, then stopped. He’d never had a one-night stand either. He’d fallen for a bombshell once, and living fast and loose with her was what had gotten him in trouble. But as fast and loose as it had been, it hadn’t been a one-night stand.
He’d dated his share of girls, and he’d known from a young age to keep his distance. So many of them came to him wanting to tie themselves to his family legacy. But his ex? He’d thought she was different.
He’d loved her, thrived on the thrill she gave him. And he was an idiot that had eloped with her—a secret no one except his closest friends knew. He’d risked everything, including his family’s name and money. Turned out, those were the only things she’d wanted. A couple of days and a quick annulment later, he’d realized he could never give in to that kind of passion again.
He’d been young and stupid, and ever since he’d stayed away from women that got his pulse working and tempted him to let his instincts run wild and give in to the primal lust that boiled constantly beneath the surface. He was responsible now. Had been for years. He dated women, walked them to the door, and after three or four dinners, he got invited in and knew that was the time to cut things off and move on. And so went the routine. Courting. Manners. Polite boundaries. Amicable endings.
“Whoa!” She smiled. “A hot guy like you has never hit it and quit it?” She took a sip of her drink. “So that tells me you’re either celibate or a romantic,” she teased.
He was ready to show her how wrong she was, because there was nothing romantic or celibate about what he was envisioning with her. It was hot, sweaty, rough, and involved the sexy brunette bent over the nearest flat surface.
“You think I’m hot, huh?” He tossed her a wink, and her cheeks took on a pretty pink color. She was trying to rile him, b
ut his control was unshakable. Except for the fact that this sassy woman was shaking it…and he was ready to shake back.
“Are you a flowers and chocolates kind of man, too?” So she was trying to get back to her original line of questioning. Luckily Ryder had a lawyer for a friend and could talk in a circle with the best of them.
“That wasn’t phrased in the form of an ‘I’ve never’.”
She huffed. “Fine. I’ve never gotten flowers from a man.”
He frowned. Never? This woman was way too beautiful and fun to not have men falling at her feet. Not one had ever doted on her?
He took a drink of his beer.
“Hey, you have to be honest,” she said.
“I am being honest.”
She gave him a disbelieving look. “You’re saying you’ve never given a woman flowers?”
