Confused, Penny blinked. She had the feeling that the answer to Jack’s question was important. If she told the truth, would he change his mind and stop wanting to go out with her? If she only formed relationships that she knew were doomed to fail?
However, wouldn’t that be exactly what she would be doing if she actually started dating Jack?
She swallowed, wrapped her arms around herself, and finally murmured thoughtfully, “It’s possible. I think…I do it to upset my parents, to some extent. A little because I’ve always felt lost and was attracted to other lost souls. A little because I…” She sighed. “Was too afraid of being the loser in a relationship, if my partner wasn’t the loser.”
Jack gave her an irritated look. “In what life could anyone think you’re a loser, Penny?”
She laughed nervously. “Oh, you have no idea. The term was tossed at me about as often as the wordcrazy,until a few years ago.”
She felt Jack’s gaze on her, so she focused on Leon, who was throwing his darts, before asking quietly, “So, are you certain you still want to go out with me? Do you want to join my exes? It could make you a loser.”
“Oh, someone has to end your streak of bad luck with guys, right?”
She laughed. “Rather confident, aren’t you?”
“Not as confident as you are in your darts skills.”
“I’m leading by a hundred points! And it would be more if you didn’t…if you didn’t…”
“If I what?” he asked innocently, raising his hand as if to run it through his hair, but instead sliding his index finger along her temple.
“…do that!” she replied angrily, stepping back.
“Jack, it’s your turn!” Dax shouted, who had been casting disapproving glances in their direction all evening.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jack said innocently before answering his teammate’s call.
Jack threw seventy points and caught up. His teammatesoohedandaahedlike a bunch of muscular cheerleaders, but itwas to no avail. After twenty minutes, Penny only needed sixty points to end the game. Leon’s throws had become increasingly aggressive until Fox threatened to take away his darts before he hurt someone. Jack wasn’t bad, but he missed the twenty too many times and Penny was more than confident of victory, even if she didn’t like the dangerous glint that had appeared in Jack’s eyes.
“Beat them all, Penny!” Lucy shouted.
Dax snorted. “You’re only rooting for her because she’s a woman!”
“No,” his girlfriend replied snippily. “I’m not rooting for Penny. I’magainstJack and Leon because they’re both arrogant idiots who deserve to finally lose.”
Dax frowned. “Well, if you put it that way… Come on, Penny, beat them all!”
She laughed and stood at the throwing line, but before she could raise the first dart, Jack sidled up to her…brushing her shoulder with his while his fingers gently glided over her palm. “Fine, I admit that you’ve played rather well so far,” he said. “But you haven’t won anything yet.”
She turned to him with narrowed eyes. “Stop it!”
“Stop what?” he asked innocently.
“Always touching me!” she hissed so quietly that none of the players heard.
“It’s cramped in here and my shoulders are so terribly broad.”
She snorted and turned to the others. “Could someone please move him away from here?”
“Sorry, trash talk is allowed,” Fox stated apologetically. “Those are our rules.”
But it wasn’t trash talk! It was…trash touching!
Annoyed, she turned back to the dartboard. Jack slowly tilted his head so that from behind it looked as if he were just studyingthe board more carefully. But, in reality, he was only doing it so that his stupid, stubbly chin would brush against her cheek and his scent of pine forest and sex – ugh, Jack! – would fill her nose.
The touch would have brought a weaker woman to her knees. She wasn’t about to let him win, though. Not at darts, or at the other game he was playing!
“I know exactly what you’ve been doing all evening, Jack,” she whispered heatedly in his ear.
