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They might never see each other again. Why shouldn’t she take care of her needs while he was here? She was a modern woman. She had a right to feel satisfied and seek comfort from whoever she wanted. They were both single. They knew what they were doing.
“You okay?” His hand squeezed over her thigh sending another wave of desire through every nerve ending in her body.
She slouched into him and smiled. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Touch me and make my bones melt.” He’d always had that hold over her.
“Is that what I do?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
He chuckled and pushed her hair over one shoulder so he could nuzzle his mouth along the sensitive curve of her neck. Not only did his touch feel amazing, it felt good to be with someone who didn’t care about hiding their connection. Bran had always been so private about displays of affection—for reasons obvious to her now.
Mallory caught sight of them and did a double take, then shot her a thumbs up as if she approved. Mariella was going to be a puddle if he kept necking her like that.
Another song kicked on, the recognizable intro to “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds and she shoved Harrison off her. “We have this one!”
Harrison stood, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist, but she was all business.
“There.” She stamped their card, marking off the song and the FREE space in the middle of the card.
“Awesome. Only four more to go.”
“Ready for the next song?” Sue asked from the stage and the crowd cheered. She played the next clip.
“The Who,” Mariella whispered, searching their board. “Damn, we don’t have that one.”
“I never knew you were so competitive.”
She was grateful she’d worn such a thick sweater. When his front pressed to her back her nipples turned to pebbles. Even when he barely touched her, she somehow felt him everywhere.
“Not competitive. I just really like winning. And I hate to lose.”
“Got it.”
The next song was a challenge. “It’s Coldplay,” Harrison whispered in her ear. “‘The Scientist.’ We don’t have that one either.”
“Damn it!”
“The game’s still young.”
At this rate they were going to be there all night, and she really wanted to get back to his hotel room. She took a long sip of beer and hunched over the bingo sheet, as if her positioning might somehow help the probability of a win.
The next song was The Stones, but they didn’t have that one either. “Are you sure we’re not using an old bingo sheet?”
Harrison’s hands cradled her hips, distracting her focus. “How about a kiss for good luck?”
She turned, and pressed a peck on his jaw.
“If that’s the best you’ve got, you deserve to lose.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Is that a challenge?”
“I heard you hate to lose.”
“Facts.”
“Then you better kiss me like you mean it, if you want it to be a lucky one.”
Rising to the challenge, she slid off the stool and looked up at him. “You have to bend down a little.”
“My pleasure.” He only bent his head the bare minimum, but it was enough.
Gripping the back of his neck, she pulled him closer and sealed her lips to his. His tongue teased over hers, and he banded an arm around her back, lifting her to her toes as he took over the kiss.
“Wowzers, here’s one for the couple in the back,” Sue said, then she played a snippet of Peggy Lee’s “Fever.”
Mariella recognized the first sultry beat and ripped her mouth away from Harrison’s. “We have that one! Where’s the stamper?”
Harrison handed her the little green pen and she smacked a blotch over the song title.
“We’re back in the game!”
It took six rounds for them to actually win, and several more rounds of beer to keep them hydrated. Jukebox Bingo was thirsty work.
Mariella wasn’t sure what Harrison expected as a prize, but the free drink token worked for her.
“We played all night for a free drink?” he asked, stunned and obviously disappointed.
“We played for the glory. Can’t you feel that?”
“Feel what?”
“Victory!” She lifted her free beer and clanked it to his. “To us. We make a good team.”
“To us.” He clinked his pilsner and surprised her by looping his arm around hers like a groom might do with a bride. The motion brought them closer, linking them as one.
Everything felt so right in that moment, she wondered why it had to end. She wondered why they couldn’t just stay like this forever.
Time slowed and the people around them disappeared as she looked up at him, seeing everything she still wanted in a man. Everything except his track record of abandonment and disregard for her tender heart.
Didn’t he see how easy it could be between them? “What’s in New York?” she whispered.
“A big apple,” he joked, but she saw in his eyes that he was purposefully sidestepping her serious question.
