Page 24 of Playboy

He laughed but opted to change the topic. “Like I said, I’ll tell you, but not tonight. So, dinner with me? And I promise, my team won’t care. In fact, I’m sure Jocelyn, Clover, and Hannah would love to see you. Clover, especially after she found out that you won.”

She bit her lip as she appeared to think about it for a moment before she nodded her head.

“Okay. I’ll have dinner with you.”

Playboy smiled, knowing the guys on his team were going to be picking their jaws up off the floor when they saw Gabby and him walk in together. “Alright. Let’s go because I’m starving.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” she teased, smiling at him.

Playboy reached for the handle on the door, but when he pulled on it, he was met with a locked door. His eyebrows drew together in confusion. Very rarely was the side door locked.

“I did hear one of the bartenders talking the other night about how they were expecting a full house because of the competition. She mentioned something about a door being used as an exit only. Maybe she was referring to this one,” Gabby explained.

“You’re probably right. We can cut around back and go up to the patio deck. It’ll be quicker since we normally snag the table near the back door,” he told her.

As they traveled the concrete pathway leading to the steps up to the deck, they fell into a comfortable conversation.

“Are you still pretty stoked about your victory?” He asked.

“Of course,” she replied, though he noticed her tone lacked enthusiasm.

“Are you sure? Because that answer didn’t sound like it.”

She gave him a bashful look and then shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry. I was talking with my mom on my way here,and she was telling me how upset my dad was about missing the competition.”

He wanted to ask her why her dad had missed it if it was so important to him, but he didn’t want to appear nosey.

“You sound a little disappointed as well,” he stated, looking at her.

“It isn’t that I was disappointed that he couldn’t be there. I was more upset with him because he almost put the competition over his health.”

“Is he okay?” Playboy found himself asking.

“His is now, thanks to the doctor and my mother threatening him. His appendix ruptured.”

“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that. Was he able to watch it on the live stream?”

She smiled at him. “Thanks. And yes, he did get to see it via the live stream.”

“Well, I’m sure he is very proud of you.”

“He is.”

“And you should be proud of yourself. You were amazing out there. Not many people can handle a sniper rifle like you do, especially with a bruised-up hip. Which, speaking of, how is that feeling?”

She scrunched her nose up. “I won’t lie. I’ve been nursing it all day, and I have been taking some over-the-counter pain medicine to help ease the pain. It’s more sore now. But that is expected considering today’s events.”

“There is a cream that is really good for bruises. I’ll ask Duke its name since he’s the one who told me about it. I swear, the stuff is amazing.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that,” she said, leaning in close and giving his arm a little nudge.

That simple little gesture thrilled him.

As they approached the stairs leading to the deck, Playboy made a last-second decision. Instead of going up the stairs, he took Gabby’s hand in his and gently pulled her toward the small seating area with a fire pit directly under the deck.

“What’s wrong?” Gabby asked, her expression full of curiosity, but she never made a move to pull away.

Playboy leaned against one of the support beams. The soft glow of the string lights that hung from the beams above cast a warm light over the space, giving it a more intimate feel. He glanced at Gabby standing in front of him, her small, delicate hand still in his. He took a deep breath, feeling a mix of nerves and determination.

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