Page 45 of His One True Wish

We went back and forth, drawing and raising. It was my turn to bet.

“All in,” I said, biting my lip. My pulse raced and nerves rippled through my body.

Axl nodded. “You sure?”

“Are you sure?” I countered.

He looked at me, then glanced around the cabin. I wondered if he was taking stock of the place, deciding if he really wanted to risk giving me a sense of power over his lease. The bet was stupid. I knew that if his lease was binding, it was binding. But I had a feeling that Axl was a man of his word. I hadn’t said I would kick him out, so if I won this game, there was some risk.

“Damn,” he whistled through his teeth. “All in. What have you got?”

My heart raced, and I shrugged. “Four of a kind,” I said, laying down my kings one at a time.

He grinned and cocked his head to the side. “Well, looks like you beat me.”

My jaw dropped. “I did?”

“Yep,” he said, turning his cards over.

Had I really just won the cabin back from Axl?

“It wasn’t even the river,” I said. “I had unbelievable cards.”

“You hungry?” he asked, turning and going into the kitchen.

I supposed it was good I wasn’t gloating. He lost fair and square. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? “I can’t believe I started with four kings. It’s impossible.”

“Improbable, not impossible,” he said from the kitchen.

He didn’t ask me if I was a woman of my word. He didn’t ask me what I was going to do with the lease. He didn’t ask me anything at all. Cam padded over and curled up right next to me. I petted her belly, liking the feeling of her warm, furry body next to mine. “I am hungry. Are you offering to cook for me?”

“Yes, I am,” he said.

I stared at the ceiling, petting Cam while Axl puttered in the kitchen. He hummed as he took out pans and opened drawers. He seemed awfully happy for someone who had just lost control of the lease.

“What’s on the menu?” I called into the kitchen.

“Well,” he said, walking into the great room. He wiped his hands on a towel. “I like to call this, we’re snowed in and eating whatever the hell I have.”

“It sounds delicious,” I said, rolling over onto my belly. I glanced over his shoulder and inhaled the smell of sausage and vegetables frying. “Another omelet?”

“Yes,” he said. “I can offer you a different cheese. I’ve got Monterey, goat cheese, brie.”

“That is a lot of fancy cheese,” I said.

“I like nice things.” He turned and went back into the kitchen. I picked up my hot toddy, got up, and followed him. I took a seat at the table while he worked.

“I do need something in my stomach,” I said. Walking from thegreat room to the kitchen made me realize how many hot toddies I’d consumed. I felt solidly tipsy.

“I hear you,” he said.

“You’ve had like four shots, and you look totally unaffected.”

He shrugged. “I’m a big guy.”

“Right,” I said, coughing and looking at my hands. He wasn’t talking about his dick, I reminded myself. I was the one who was cannonballing around in my head like a mad woman. One moment I wanted to evict Axl, the next I wanted to get on my knees in front of him.

“You ready?” he asked.

---