Page 25 of Trick Play
“You’re just trying to get out of this. I’m warning you, I won’t accept this as paying up on our bet if we don’t do some kind of activity.”
She lets out a bark of laughter. “I’m not,” she protests. “I swear.”
I spread my hands. “Well, unless you have an idea, I’m not sure what else to suggest. Unless you want to go park somewhere and make out?” I wouldn’t mind that option. Who knows where making out could lead? The appeal of the movie was getting to sit somewhere in the dark with her. I don’t even care what movie as long as I can move the armrest out of the way and have that tight little body pressed to mine. At least making out in my car abandons all pretense of watching a movie.
“So those are my choices?” she asks. “Park somewhere and make out in your car. Go to your place to get drunk and have sex. Or stay out later than I want to watch a movie?”
I hold up my hands, widening my eyes in faux innocence. “Whoa. Who said anything about having sex? I didn’t.” She gives me a look that sayscut the bullshitmore eloquently than words, and I can’t help but laugh. “We could watch a movie at my house and not drink. I have practice tomorrow, so even if I have a drink, it’d be one, so I won’t be getting drunk. And if you did, I wouldn’t have sex with you. I don’t need to get a chick drunk to get her into bed.”
She looks me over again, all skepticism and suspicion. “If we go to your house”—she sticks her finger under my nose when my lips curl into a smile—“I saidif.”
Nodding, I fight back my smile, but it takes everything in me not to let it out again.
“Ifwe go to your place, I get to leave when I want?”
“I mean, I don’t think it’s fair if you step one foot inside and then declare yourself ready to go. We can just hang out and talk. But when you’re genuinely ready to go home and not just trying to screw me out of the date you owe me, then yeah. Of course.” Though I plan on using every tool at my disposal to get her to stay as long as possible. I’m sure she’s aware of that without my having to spell it out, though.
She studies me for another long moment, and I hold my breath waiting for her answer, more worried than I’d like to admit even to myself that she might turn me down. She has before. And I’m not sure how much farther I can push this bet thing. I have the feeling I’m reaching my limits. If she doesn’t agree to come home with me tonight, I don’t think she ever will, and continuing to push it will just make me look like a creepy weirdo.
“Fine,” she says on an exhale, sending a jolt of adrenaline shooting into my veins.Success. “Your place it is. But if you try to pull this ‘you owe me a date’ bullshit again after this to try to convince me to stay, I’m going to call Gray to come pick me up and kick your ass in the process.”
Chuckling, I put the car in reverse and back out of my parking spot. “Got it.”
This just officially turned into a no-lose situation.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Piper
Part of me thinks that taking me to his house was his plan all along, and everything else was just pretense. The fact that he suggested skipping dinner and going straight there is solid evidence to back up that supposition.
For all my bluster and protest, I’m tense and excited and my pulse is pounding out a rapid drumbeat between my legs. He mentioned watching a movie, but I’m not sure I can even bother to keep up the charade.
As long as his phone stays safely out of reach, we might as well just head to his bedroom.
In fact, that seems like the quickest way to end this date. Though, if I’m being completely honest with myself—if not with Cal—I’m not sure I want the date to be over so soon. While Idoactually have homework—just because my paper isn’t due until the day after tomorrow doesn’t mean I don’t need to work on it—this reprieve from the usual grind has been refreshing. And entertaining. And the way he kisses me …
Once he starts kissing me, my veneer of resistance will dissolve like cotton candy in a summer rain. And I’m pretty sure that he knows that as well as I do.
The blessedly short drive to his house passes in a sexual tension-filled silence. My nerves are all drawn so tight, you could play them like a harp. From the way Cal keeps sending me glances so hot I’m surprised my clothes haven’t burned away and clenching his hands around the steering wheel as he refocuses on the road, I know he’s just as affected as I am.
It’s been ages since I felt this kind of chemistry with someone. It makes what I had with Brent look like a sad Wish knockoff. At the time, I thought we had great chemistry, all light and fun and flirty. Until he dumped it in the toilet, of course.
While there’s definitely fun and flirting with Cal, it has an edge to it. A little bit dark, a little bit dangerous, like cliff diving or bungee jumping, where there’s an adrenaline rush, and a slight amount of risk, but ultimately, with the proper precautions, no real danger.
Brent was a snake in the grass. What looked like a pretty summer meadow turned out to be filled with poison.
Cal is … well, I’m not sure what Cal is, exactly. While he definitely has the smooth, practiced moves and arrogance of a player, there’s an undercurrent of sincerity. At least with me.
Or maybe I’m just taken in by another pretty face, and this will also blow up spectacularly if I’m not careful.
Which is why I’m going to be careful.
Someone as … experienced as Cal isn’t going to want a relationship. That’s where I went wrong with Brent. I fell for the line that he wanted to try a relationship for the first time. I know better now. And Cal hasn’t fed me any of that bullshit.
Maybe that’s why he seems more sincere. There’s no mistaking his intentions. He’s attracted to me, he wants to have fun, my initial resistance only provoked the competitor in him, and here we are.
While this is fun, it’s not anything to get hung up on. So we’ll skip the movie, have our fun, and both return to our regularly scheduled lives. Perfect.
