Page 26 of Poppy Kisses
“I’d have to give up right away. My legs are my weapons. My arms are for show.”
He barked out a laugh, and his Adam’s apple worked up and down. Unadulterated joy filtered through me. What was this?
It was Jensen. And me. We didn’t act like this.
We also weren’t kindergarteners. Or fifth graders. Or eighth graders. This was us as adults. We were getting married. In a real wedding. The reality check pointed out that he was still holding on to me.
Auggie skidded to a stop next to me. “Dad, can I be on your team?”
Jensen put a few inches of space between us. That was the awareness I needed. We had to pretend while also not confusing Auggie too badly.
He smiled at his son. “Should we do boys against girls?”
Shouts of “yeah” rang around us, and Auggie sprinted away.
Jensen considered me. “What happens if we win?”
I lifted a brow. “You want to make a bet?”
“We didn’t for the kickoff. Seems like you missed an opportunity.”
Me? Because he knew I’d win. That soothing warmth spread deeper into me. “I clean your house for a week if you win?”
“Mm, the place is pretty clean. I’m more partial to going out to eat.”
Ah. “You want me to babysit Auggie so you can go out. Wait… We can’t see other people if we’re?—”
“No, you and me go out to eat—for the next year.”
Oh. I opened my mouth to speak, but surprise froze my vocal cords. A year? A year of what was basically a date?
“And if your team wins,” he continued, “I’ll give you a year of massages.”
I scoffed. “Are you serious?” He couldn’t be. There was nothing in it for him. I’d be buying him dinners.
Those massages though… “You got me. Twoweeksof massages or twoweeksof date nights. I’m not made of money.”
“Six months.”
“One month.”
“Two.”
I wouldn’t survive one massage session. His hands on my bare skin? A flush swamped me just thinking about it. I’d have to pretend that I wasn’t turned on, and we’d be doing enough faking until the wedding ceremony that turned into a real ceremony with a very false motivation.
Disappointment slowly sunk in. He knew my team would win. It was why he’d made the bet. What made the most dangerous part of this bargain was that I was tempted to throw the game.
ChapterSix
Poppy
I pulled up in front of Jensen’s house. It was move-in day. He was in the shop, but he’d told me to park as close to the garage door as possible. The small garage was apparently filled with Auggie’s bikes and toys, yard tools, and an old car that had belonged to Jensen’s dad.
My chest grew tight and breathing turned into a struggle. I was moving in with a man. I’d known Jensen most of my life, but in total, our years together were a small window. Add in our ages, and there wasn’t much history there.
At least there would be no massages.
The game had been close, my ego had waffled a little, but the kids had fun, and I had a date Saturday night.
