Page 39 of My Undead Heart

“Wait! You said you don’t take bets.” Her scowl aligns with the intensity of the spicy tuna rolls and if I were a weaker man, it’d be enough to rescind my agreement.

“I don’t. Haven’t ever, really.” My words fumble from my mouth with as much confusion as I feel.

“Then why? Why would you do that?” She seems completely appalled.

“I couldn’t turn it down.”

Her lips pinch and her glare settles on me until I give her my full attention. “Look, if I go through with this, I want to make one thing perfectly clear.” She tilts her head with a little shake and waggles her finger at the space between us. “Thiscan never happen. We have nothing in common. You’re so ...”

At her loss of words my brow quirks and I have to suppress my laughter. “Devastatingly handsome. Witty and dapper,” I offer with a smirk.

Her nose crinkles and she shakes her head in the negative. “I was going to say muscle-y.”

“Because I’m dedicated to fitness we won’t get along? Now who needs the lesson in judging a book by its cover.”

“That along with how you think cosplay is stupid. I’m guessing you also don’t share my love for zombies or video games. Yes, I don’t think we have much beyond ...” This time when her voice trails off, her gaze travels from my lips to my chest and stutters where the rest of my body is hidden under the table. For someone who protests, her body language shows differently.

“Sex.” My grin pulls wide.

“Yeah.” She spits the words out with distaste and gives a shrug. “So, why waste time going down a dead end road?”

I consider her question by tapping one finger against my chin. “They say the road less traveled is often filled with surprising insight.”

“I highly doubt that.” She snorts and rolls her eyes but I catch the trace of a grin trying to break through.

“Ever the cynic.” I wink, lean forward, and pick up my chopsticks before selecting another piece of sushi. “Look, give me four dates. If you don’t like where it leads—”

“Why?” she interrupts, knocking my utensils out of reach with hers and plucking the last piece of tuna roll off the platter.

I wait until she glances back up to meet my stare. I need her to witness my sincerity, to see this isn’t some joke. But I also don’t want to scare her. The fact is, I haven’t been interested in a woman like Mia, ever. I’m pretty sure she’s one of a kind. More complicated than the calculus class I struggled through in high school. But I’m not sitting where I am because I like math. I’m street smart. I’m the underdog who always pulls ahead for the win. It takes strategy and a little finesse when going up against an unknown opponent, but I’m not at all intimidated.

“To see who’s right. If we don’t click ... If there isn’t more than this ...” I use my sticks to point back and forth between us.

“Sushi?” She raises a brow.

My smile grows as she begins to return it. “Attraction. Then I’ll take my ball and go home, and you can say you were right.”

“What’s in it for you?” She studies me, looking for what? A tell? If so, she’d make a great fighter. Seeing things others don’t, the little clues people give when most aren’t paying attention, making it difficult to pull a fast one over a person like her.

Rather than feed her a lie or coerce her agreement, I go with honesty. “Obvious. If I’m right, then I win more than bragging rights.”

Her eyes train on me and she nods once. “Fine. But no sex.” She pops sushi in her mouth and chews while holding my stare.

My brows rise and I nod slowly. “No sex? Interesting move. Okay. Deal.”

Her scowl is in place as she takes a sip of water. “I mean it. The smoldering looks, the shirtless encounters. You keep that shit to yourself, Haywood.”

Laughter bubbles from my belly. I caught her sneaking looks at my body when we trained Thursday night. It was too bloody hot in the gym and I’d been running drills alongside the guys so I’d ditched my shirt before she even walked inside. I saw her checking me out, but she did a good job masking how much it affected her. Now that I know, it only makes me smile harder. “That’s not sex, Mia. You said no sex, so we won’t fuck. For four dates. Though I don’t know why because that seems more like a punishment for yourself, not me.”

She clears just enough breath in her throat to scoff, “Arrogant much.”

“Confident. Anyway, I agree to your terms. Are you brave enough to call or will you fold now that my exposed abs are on the table?”

Her gaze narrows and I could almost kick myself because I probably pushed too far with that last jab. I’m a fighter and I’m trained to go the extra mile, push the limit, and go until I literally can’t, but that strategy doesn’t necessarily work when it comes to verbal combat with a prospective date.

“Fine.”

My eyes widen, and a smile tugs at the corner of my lips because Mia is a contradiction. Hot and geeky. Smart and snarky. I don’t know what to expect with her, but she leaves me wanting more. I can’t believe my luck. “Fine?”

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