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“Don’t you guys buy your own food here?” I smiled, pushing my plate toward him so he could share.
He took a fry, ate it while still looking at me, then said, “I’ve been traveling. Got in earlier than expected. I hear a broken down truck brings you to Moonlight Creek.”
“Word travels fast.”
“It sure does. Especially to me.” He smirked, those piercing eyes of his eager to make me uncomfortable.
“It does,” I replied shakily. “I was lucky I found you. It’s not like you advertise the place. But I got lost, turned around some, and ended up here. I’d have had a long walk to find help otherwise.”
“It’s a strange route to… where are you going again?”
“Albuquerque.” I didn’t flinch, my story well-rehearsed. “I wanted to take the scenic route. Take my time. And like I said, I got lost.” Smiling, I tried the flirting angle, leaning closer to him. “I’m not great at reading maps.”
“Is that right?”
His leg pressed against mine, and I jolted. My reaction pleased him. His smirk remained as he ate another fry. But he left his leg where it was, his touch burning me in a way my body craved. He narrowed the gap between us a little more and lowered his voice. “You were lucky to have found us.”
Studying him through narrowed eyes, I stilled at the suspicion reflected in his voice.
“Very lucky,” I drawled, remembering my act, trying to numb myself to him and play the part. I took a chicken wing from the plate and bit down on it, licking my lips free of the sauce.
“Take another bite,” he demanded. The thrum in his voice, the slight pleading, had me shifting in my seat. I held his eyes, bit into another piece, and swallowed.
Caught in his snare, I trembled, then berated myself.No one trembles at a simple look, for goodness sake. But I had. I did. And not in fear, but in need.
Donovan liked my reaction. His lip curled, satisfied by something. He reached out, wiping the sauce from my mouth, his thumb lingering.
Slowly drawing it back to him, he sucked his thumb, and I whimpered.
Iwhimpered.
Finally, Grace returned to the table, breaking the spell. “Wanna play some pool?”
“Sure,” I blurted, hurriedly standing, and regretted every damn bite I’d eaten. I grabbed the bottle of beer. The last thing I needed was to be attracted to the man I had to deliver to Gideon. “Let’s go play.”
I knew how to play pool. I was good at it. But I also knew how to hustle. And even though I wasn’t hustling for money tonight, I was doing so to keep my cover. I had to lull Donovan into a false sense of security and behave as the naïve woman who’d gotten lost; the one who needed saving; the one who was a damsel in distress who didn’t know her way around a pool table. Sometimes stereotypes—even the shitty ones—played in my favor.
We began the game, and I purposely missed a few shots during my turns.
“Your turn, Grace,” Kyran ordered, chalking his cue. Grace rolled her eyes at me before taking her turn. I hid a smile at her exasperation at the one called Kyran. But the second she moved, Donovan filled the space beside me and my smile withered away.
“I can help you on your next go,” he told me, his eyes sparkling. “Your technique needs some tweaking, that’s all.”
“You’re on the side of the enemy,” I replied, trying not to gawk and wrap my legs around him like a wanton snake. “I can’t take help from you. That makes me a traitor.”
“Even if it helps you win?”
“Yep.”
He shrugged. “Your loss.”
“Maybe. But when I win, it will be all the sweeter.”
His eyes darkened, and he lowered his voice. “You like to play games?”
An underlying threat blended with desire threw me off guard. My body responded to him too readily, and I wanted to rub and bite his lip.
“I play to win,” I replied, taking advantage of the flirting. “And I keep going until I do.”
