Page 44 of The Love Wager

“So, you wouldn’t want me to?” I know that’s not fair. I’m taking his words and twisting them, grasping at a line to try to unravel this conversation. Most men would take the bait. The Brooks I met at the beginning of the week would have, butmyBrooks sees right through the façade.

“Are you going to take my opinion into consideration?”

I shrug because logic tells me I shouldn’t care what a man I’ve known for less than a week thinks, but my heart’s splitting in two, ready to leap in his direction.

He clears his throat, tipping my chin up with his knuckle. “I want to be selfish and tell you to stay. Stay here with me and give this thing growing between us a chance. We both know the bet is only a footnote at this point. Obviously, I still want the money. Fuck, I need it, red, but you know what? Even if you told me it was all a ruse, that the money was never on the line, I’d still want you to stay.”

His declaration takes my breath away. It’s what any girl would want to hear, especially one with a past of emotionally stunted relationships in her wake. I stay quiet, unsure how to match his candor. He doesn’t push; instead, he drops a soft kiss on my forehead and turns me around until I’m settled against his front.

I suck in a sharp breath at the view before me. The wide-open field is shadowed, illuminated softly by the crescent moon high in the sky. Even so, I can still make out the tall grass swaying in the breeze. It goes on for as far as the eye can see. I don’t knowwhat part of Taylor’s land we’re on. When you own hundreds of acres, it’s hard to show off every nook and cranny.

“Let’s put a pause on that conversation. It’s not why I brought you out here. I wanted to show you one of my favorite places. Look up.”

When I do, I can’t believe my eyes. I’ve never seen a night sky look like this other than in published photos online. It’s so dark and unpolluted, tucked away in the meadow, that even the furthest stars, thousands of light years away, twinkle brightly.

“It’s unbelievable,” I finally manage to mutter, leaning back into his warm embrace. “Not the religious experience I was expecting.” I shove my ass back into him and wiggle for good measure, “but I can see why you’d label it as such.”

His chest bounces with the chuckle he holds in. “Come over here with me. There’s somewhere we can lay down.”

We trudge through the tall grass until a small, clearing comes into view. A blanket is spread out on the ground with a picnic basket on top and an unlit lantern resting off to the side. I turn back to Brooks, shooting him a suspicious glance.

“Why does this look like you had every intention of bringing me out here tonight?”

“I may have called in a small favor from Spence after our run-in at the dress shop this afternoon.”

“You seem pretty sure I’d be willing to trek into the night with you. What if I’d planned to leave with Cousin Greg.”

He scoffs at the insinuation. “I had the wager on my side. Plus, Greg couldn’t handle you.”

“Are you saying I’m too much to handle?”

He charges toward me, grabbing my hips and lifting me to wrap my legs around his waist. His large hands settle on my ass, holding me up.

“You’re a lot to handle.” His hands squeeze tight against my ass, pushing my core against his hard length. “But I like achallenge. Especially when it’s a city girl with flaming red hair and a mouth to rival a sailor’s.”

“I seem to remember you not liking that quality the first night we met.”

For a large man, he gracefully takes us to the ground with me still cradled safely in his arms. He lets go as he sits, leaning back on his hands, legs outstretched, with me in his lap.

“You blew in like a hurricane, all sass and giving zero fucks about the rules at my bar. What did you expect?”

“Usually, men love my crass, wild ways.” I shrug and give him a wink.

“The boys back in California are probably too scared of you to say otherwise.”

That pulls a snort from me as I tilt my head back, and I let loose a raucous laugh into the night sky. He’s not wrong. The types of guys I hooked up with back home would have never handled me the way Brooks has. The men are built differently down here in the country; as fate would have it, I think I’ve met my perfect match.

SIXTEEN

Brooks

The stars twinkle brightly overhead as I drop Indie onto the blanket Spencer laid out for us. I’ll have to thank him later for the ambiance of the glowing lantern beside us. Ever since I let my admission that I don’t want her to leave slip out, there’s an odd tension between us.

Her tears startled me. She’s a tough cookie; anyone can tell after five minutes in her presence. Seeing her wear her emotions on her sleeve shook me a bit to my core, if I’m honest.

This thing we’re doing, whatever this is between us, I want to dive in head-first and either drown in it or float inside it for the rest of my life. But I know what we agreed to. I know we said no strings.

She’s perusing the basket as I sit, adjusting on it to face her as a snort makes its way out of her. “What is all this?”

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