Page 40 of The Night Ride
“What’s the tequila for?”
“Why the loser of each hand has to take a shot while the winner gets the candy.”
Well, shit.She just made the night damn interesting.“Never let it be said that I’m not a man up for a challenge.”
Chapter fourteen
“Fullhouse.Drinkup,sailor.”
Aiden eyed me with a lopsided grin.The power was still out, and the thunderstorm hadn’t let up.But after two hours of playing poker and taking shots of tequila, we were both hammered.It was the best I’d felt in a while.
“I’m thinking you wanted to get me drunk.”Aiden skin was flushed.It happened anytime he drank.And I didn’t understand why but I thought it made him even hotter.
“Why?Because I’m winning?”I chuckled and burped because I’d had quite a few shots myself.I’d likely regret this little game come morning.But I wouldn’t trade this time with Aiden for the world.
“How do you know I’m not letting you win?”
I snorted and eyed him.Sarcasm dripped from my words.“Because your hands have sucked.”
“True.Makes me wonder if you’ve got aces up your sleeves.”His eyes looked black in the low light as they trailed over my arms.
I shivered, but I wasn’t cold.It was from the heat in his eyes that he couldn’t hide now that he was drunk.
I held up my bare wrists.The burn mark from an oven incident in college marring the ivory skin.I liked to think of it as my battle scar for my career.“No sleeves where I could hide any.You’re just upset because I have more chocolate candy than you.”
“Uh huh, I’ll get you on the next round.”
“Bring it on.”I gestured like I was all big and bad.
“Oh, you’re baiting the tiger.”He took the shot, staring at me the whole time.Then shuffled the cards.
A shiver of anticipation shot through me at his intense stare.Like he was attempting to divine my deepest, darkest secrets.If only he knew that he still took my breath away.That when he looked at me with his steely blue gaze, I wanted him in the worst way possible.We’re talking jump his bones.
And in my heart, I knew I had to release what happened in the past.It shifted into a tense situation when Evan interrupted us.He pulled rank on Aiden.These guys were built differently.When a commanding officer gave them an order, they didn’t buck it.I couldn’t keep blaming him for my brother being an ass.
He dealt out the hand.“Five-card stud, twos are wild.This hand we need twenty pieces of candy for the pot.”
I kept my expression serene even though I wanted to jump for joy at my hand.The man was going down.I counted out the required number and shoved them into the center.“I’ll see your twenty pieces and raise you twenty.”
“Think you can scare me.”
“Maybe.”I preened.
“You should know better than that.”He shoved the candy into the pile.
“How many?”he chin nodded toward the cards in my hand, asking how many I wanted to get rid of before we took the game to the next round of betting.
“Two please.”I handed over my discards.He doled out my new ones.Lifting the card edges, I peeked at what I got.
Holy smokes!The new ones made my hand even better.Aiden discarded two himself and grabbed two more.
“Any more bets?”he dared with a smirk.
With the hand I had, hell yes, I did.“Yep.I’ll see your twenty.And I’ll raise you one hundred pieces.”
I counted them out and pushed them into the center pile.Then pegged him with a satisfied grin.
“Getting cocky over there.Are you sure you want to go that route?”
