Page 45 of Blue

“Okay.” I squeaked the word.

“My turn.” A smile curled his lips, and I stepped back behind the red line to give him room to throw.

Please hit the bullseye.

His forearms flexed, veins swelling in relief against his sun-bronzed skin, as he gripped the axe. He raised it over his head, his shoulders rippled with muscle, his cut stretched across his back, and his jeans outlined the curve of his ass.

Blue was freaking hot.

The axe sailed through the air, hit the wood, and fell to the rubber flooring. For two seconds, we both stared, and then I couldn’t stop the laugh from bubbling out of me.

Blue turned around, backed me against the wooden wall dividing our lane from the next. “That’s just the first point.”

I lifted my chin. “Technically, we’re tied at zero. But it’s my turn.”

“What’s the bet?”

My throat tightened. “You have to spend the night, with me, in my bed.”

I could hardly breathe as he stared at me.

“Sleep next to me, Blue. Hold me and let me touch you.”

His hands balled into fists. He took a step back, cracked his neck, and barely nodded.

Per the rules, we retrieved our axes together. Blue positioned behind the red line. With a grunt, I hurled the axe toward the target. I didn’t aim. Anywhere in the scoring circle would feel like a victory.

The axe snagged the corner of the five-point circle but immediately fell from the wood. “That should count.”

Blue pointed to the rules board. “That’s a zero for you.”

He took his shot, hitting the three-point circle. I cheered. If he won, I’d have some part of his body insidemine. By the end of the first match, we both had points on the board.

Blue ordered us Cokes and a plate of fries. We switched sides for the second match. On my second throw, my blade hit the bullseye. I squealed and clapped my hands. Blue rushed into my space and caught me as I jumped into his arms.

“Dead center earns a kiss.” And then his lips were on mine, my mouth opened, and I tasted his silken tongue. His sinful kiss was hot, wet, and wild.

I kept my hands around his neck but held them still, letting him control the heat and tempo. Standing on my tiptoes, we kissed until he left me breathless and achy…and so fucking happy.

His long fingers grazed the exposed skin between my jeans and my T-shirt. “That puts you in the lead.”

I didn’t want the lead. After that kiss, he’d better land a bullseye of his own because I definitely needed to lose the bet.

Blue positioned and threw his axe while I calmed my rampant heartbeat with a drink of my soda. The blade stuck to the wood, just inside the bullseye. I nearly vibrated with anticipation.

“That’s inside the circle.” I pointed to the board, a tingle zinging through me because Blue had the lead again. My whistle pierced the air.

“Maybe I should grow a beard and become a lumberjack.” He crossed to the table and stuffed a few fries into his mouth.

“You’re too beautiful for a beard,” I said. “I like your face.”

“I like your face, too.” He kissed me with a smack of lips, then stuffed more fries into his mouth.

Midway through our third match, Blue set his axe on the table. “What happens if we end in a tie?” He checked the score card as he finished his soda and drank some of mine.

“We are either both winners or both losers,” I said.

“If we end the game now, we could both be winners.”

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