Page 97 of Dating Goals
Elodie jabs my shoulder as if to shut me up even though I’m sure no one heard the assassin comment except the FIS agents listening in.
“Deal,” Malcolm announces, his voice cutting through my distraction.
The cards slide across the felt. I pick mine up. Pocket aces. The best starting hand in poker.
“Raise to fifty thousand,” Victor whispers urgently in my ear.
I glance at my cards again, then at Anika, with an intensity that makes my stomach knot.
“I fold,” I announce, tossing my cards face down.
“What?” the voice in my ear explodes. “You had pocket aces!”
I casually reach up and adjust my ear, dislodging the device just enough to muffle the tirade.
Malcolm Chase chuckles. “The pressure getting to you already, McGregor? We’ve barely begun.”
“Just stretching my legs,” I say, standing just as the barman arrives with my tequila. I down it in one gulp, welcoming the burn that travels down my throat and settles in my empty stomach. The warmth spreads through my limbs, giving me a false sense of courage.
I make a beeline for the bar, where Anika is perched on a stool, her back deliberately turned to the poker table. She’s sipping something amber-colored and pretending I don’t exist.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, trying to keep my voice low and controlled.
She turns slowly, her expression perfectly neutral. “Having a drink.”
“You know what I mean.” I move closer, hissing under my breath. “You’ve been avoiding me for days, and now you show up here? With him?”
Her eyes flick briefly to Durand, then back to me. “I’m not with anyone.”
“Really? Because it sure looked like you two were pretty cozy.”
A flash of irritation crosses her face. “This isn’t the place, Griffin.”
“Then where is the place? Your pub, where you won’t let me in? Your phone, where you won’t answer my calls? I thought we had something, Anika.”
A flicker of something…regret? Longing…? crosses her face before she masters it. “You don’t understand what’s happening.”
“Then explain it to me. Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re getting awfully friendly with that guy.”
She sets down her glass with a soft clink. “Why does it matter to you?”
“Why does it matter?” I repeat, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. I step closer, close enough that I can smell her perfume. Something subtle and clean, not the cloying muskybomb Elodie bathes in. “It matters because every time I close my eyes, I see you. It matters because seeing you with him makes me want to flip that poker table and carry you out of here over my shoulder. Because ever since you broke into my cabin with that stabby attitude, I haven’t been able to think straight.”
Anika’s lips part in surprise at my intensity. “I’m not stabby.”
“Look, I’m in the middle of a gagillion-euro poker game, and all I can focus on is the way you’re whispering in that guy’s ear.” I lean in so there’s practically no space between us. “So yeah, it matters to me.”
“You can’t just say things like that,” she hisses.
“I haven’t been able to think of anything else…but kissing you again,” I admit.
Anika’s breath hitches, but she keeps her composure. “That was practice.”
“For who? Thomas? Or that guy over there glaring a hole in the back of my head?”
“Griffin, you need to go back to your game.” She glances over my shoulder.
“The game can wait.” I brace my hand on the bar, effectively boxing her in. “You’ve been ignoring me for days, and now you show up looking like that?” I gesture at her dress, the way it hugs every curve. “I’m not walking away until I get answers.”
