“Wanna bet?” I grin, still leaning against the counter.
After what happened, I’m glad her sparkle hasn’t dulled and she can still keep me on my toes. I was worried that it might have been too much for her, but I should’ve known she’s stronger than she looks.
“Sure. I know I’ll win anyway.” She shrugs, confidence oozing from her.
Taking a couple of steps to the coffee machine, I pour my own cup and gesture to Raven for a refill. She nods and stands, bringing me her cup. After we both have a refill, she sits back at the table, and I go back to my spot leaning against the counter, where we pick up our conversation.
Leaning back in her chair, she asks, “So what do I get when I inevitably win?”
“I don’t know. What do you want?”
“Hmm, let me think on it a minute.” She taps her finger to her lip. “What doyouwant?”
I can’t voice what I want, so I go with something simple. “A new watch.”
She laughs. “With all the money you have, that’s what you want? A new watch?” Her nose wrinkles. “Why a new watch?”
“My grandfather was a good man. He gave me a vintage Rolex when I was eighteen. I lost it, and I’ve been meaning to get a replacement for it. Not that it’ll replace the one I lost, but to remind me of him when I look at it.”
Raven’s face softens as I tell her my story. Istvan Smithwasa good man; it’s just a shame he didn’t pass that gene along to his son.
Clearing my throat, I change the subject. “You thought about what you want yet?”
“Yeah, I think I have,” she says, a look of mischievousness entering her eyes.
Oh, shit.This can’t be good.
I bring the mug to my mouth and take a sip just as she says, “I want you to take my virginity.”
My ears ring as I slowly lower the mug to the counter. “Come again?”
Raven smirks. “You heard me. If there’s a woman walking out of that door by the end of the week, I want you to take my virginity.”
“Raven, that makes no sense. Surely you won’t want to touch me after I’ve had another woman in my bed? Doesn’t that go against girl code or something?”
My dick is rock hard, my shorts painfully tight at the knowledge Raven’s a virgin. This woman is certifiably insane. She can’t be serious about this?
“Maybe I’ll be the last woman to ever leave your bed.”
Fuck.
The problem is, I think she’s right. If I were to have Raven in my bed, even for one night, I don’t think I’d ever be able to let her go. Andthatis a serious problem.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
RAVEN
Ithink I’ve read too many romance novels, and I’ve lost what little sanity I had left. James could also be thinking the same thing with the way he’s looking at me—all wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
After everything I’ve just gone through, I come up with I want him to take my virginity? Could I have said anything more cringeworthy? Knowing me, probably. I guess I just wanted a moment of normalcy. The last couple of days, I’ve been through every single emotion imaginable, and foroneminute, I just wanted to go back to being Raven, the girl with an unhealthy obsession with my dad’s best friend.
I wanted for justonemoment to forget I’m in a dangerous situation and I’m now being guarded daily for my own safety.
The longer he stands there gaping at me, the more my confidence starts to wane, and I realize that, yet again, I’ve put myself in his hands and he’s refusing my, not so subtle, advances.
My cheeks flush crimson, and I stand up. “Sorry, I-I don’t know what I was thinking,” I rush out. “Just ignore me.”
Trying to make a quick dash to anywhere but here, I’m stopped by a hand on my arm. I turn around to see James gazing at me, his eyes full of heat. The pulsing between my legs begins, and I have to clench my thighs together.
