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“Your team,” I said, laughing as heat slashed through my veins. Who the hell was this woman?
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “The Hurricanes and I have a long-standing relationship. Something I rarely do.”
Another laugh stumbled from my lips. “If you’re not one for relationships, why were you waiting on a date from an app?”
“Judging?”
“Not at all,” I amended. “Just curious.”
“Dating apps aren’t always for relationships,” she said. “They’re for whatever your profile says you’re looking for.”
“And what are you looking for…” I tilted my head. “What’s your name?”
“You first.”
“Ethan,” I said.
“Alexandra,” she answered.
“Alexandra,” I said, testing the name out on my tongue.
She visibly swallowed, reaching for her drink again.
“So, Alexandra,” I said again. “What is it that your profile says you want?”
“Are you actually interested?” she asked.
“Wouldn’t be sitting here if I wasn’t.”
She studied me for a second, then the smile returned. “I don’t do relationships,” she said. “Not for longer than thirty days, usually.” She shrugged. “Think of me like a nice apartment you lease month-to-month.”
I laughed at the joke, knowing a defense mechanism when I saw it. “If you want me to leave you alone, all you have to do is say so.”
“I wouldn’t have let you sit if that was the case,” she said. “Why did you come over here, anyway, Ethan?” she asked, propping her chin on her fist, looking at me with rapt attention. It was cute as hell.
“My friends bet me ten million that I couldn’t make you fall in love with me,” I said bluntly, and she laughed so hard her head tipped toward the ceiling. She wiped beneath her eyes as she returned her focus to me.
“That’s a good one,” she said, reeling in her laughter. “You’re surprising,” she said. “I’ll give you that.”
I couldn’t stop the grin that shaped my lips as I looked at her. She was so free, so unapologetically her, and we’d barely spoken over ten minutes.
“Can I call you?” I asked after a few seconds passed.
“In the effort to make me fall for you?” she asked.
“Absolutely.”
“I wasn’t joking,” she said, swiping her phone and pushing it toward me. “It’s only fair you read this before I answer. Tray knew the rule because he read the profile, probably the reason he stood me up.” She shrugged, finishing her drink as I picked up her phone and zoomed in on a specific section of her dating profile.
Looking For: Nothing serious. I don’t do long-term. The only relationships I’m interested in are fun, easy, real, and are on a month-to-month basis. My job and volunteer work consume most of my free time, but I’ll give you what I have. Not looking for love, just companionship. Preferably someone who loves dogs, baseball, and milkshakes.
Holy shit.
She wasn’t kidding. She actually had that written in her dating profile.
“I—”
“It’s okay,” she said, plucking the phone out of my hand and pocketing it. She’d stood up while I was reading. “No harm, Ethan,” she continued. “My style isn’t for everyone.” She winked at me. “Happy hunting.”
She spun on her heels, disappearing through the doors without a second glance, leaving me sitting there with my mouth parted open, completely baffled. She’d even left cash on the table for her drink.
What were the odds Gareth picked someone who seemed to be anti-love in all the ways I was, too?
This was going to be harder than I thought.
But fuck me if I didn’t want to try, anyway.
I reacted without thinking, chasing after her and catching her just outside the building. “Alexandra!” I called after her, and she halted at the corner of the building. “Wait,” I said once I caught up to her. “What do I have to do to get your number? Answer more questions?” I smiled down at her, loving the way the light of the moon cast her blue eyes in an alluring silver glow.
She tilted her head, but her full lips were trying and failing to hold back a smile. “I won’t fall in love with you,” she said. “Shouldn’t you look for someone else for your fake bet?”
“It’s not fake,” I assured her.
She gave me a yeah, okay look. “Sure, everyone bets ten million on a whim.”
“My circle does.”
“Interesting,” she said. “Money means nothing to me, so the line is falling flat.”
Fucking hell. “What do I have to do to not fall flat?”
I was prepared to stand here all night and answer every question she threw at me if it earned me her number.
She studied me for a moment, her eyes tracing the lines of my face and down over my chest, then back up again. “Here,” she said, something clicking behind her eyes as she handed me her phone. “Put your number in there. If you pass the next test, I’ll call you.”
I typed my number in her phone at rapid speed, then added my contact info to her favorites list. “Done,” I said, handing back her phone. “What’s the next test?”
