Page 20 of The Bet (The Players 1)

I couldn’t help myself. I leaned over and planted a kiss on her lips. “Looking forward to it, gorgeous.” My lips curved up and I felt like a fool for grinning so widely.

Across from me, she sat back and blinked a couple of times while her cheeks turned pink. “Few people surprise me, Ty, but you do—every single day.”

“Well, you surprise me too. The lobster roll is another layer of your mystery.” Though she had released my hands, I continued to hold one of her hands. I loved the feel of her skin, the way her tiny hand fit inside mine. This felt all tingly and new yet completely natural at the same time. I couldn’t help but marvel at the situation.

She stared at our hands, our intertwined fingers, then sighed. “I’m not much of a mystery. I grew up on the east coast outside of Boston. I was sent to a private school so I could get cultured and mostly to keep me as far from Vegas and my father’s business dealings as possible.” Her brow furrowed. “I loved it out there.”

“So why come back?” I rubbed my thumb over her skin.

Kate blew out a breath. “My mother died. My father suddenly wanted me close. He needed me.” She rolled her eyes. “Still does. It’s like being in the mob. There’s no way out. So even though I may not like my situation, there’s no way around it.” She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “Enough about me. Tell me your story.” She nodded to encourage my sharing.

I sank some in my seat. “There’s not much to say. I’m mostly everything you guessed.” It pained me to admit how mostly shallow I was compared to her.

She scrunched up her face. “I hope your close is better than your sales pitch.” Kate giggled.

With a grin, I sat up straighter and leaned toward her, turning on all the charm. Her eyes widened and I took her hand in both of mine, kissing her knuckles before I spoke. “I’m a spoiled little rich kid, a product of private schools and country club society. Hell, my father even gave me a job with the company.” I smirked. “Only, I honestly love my life, I love what I do. I’m really good at it.”

Kate turned her head sideways. “There’s a ‘but.’ I can hear it in your voice. What is it? No one’s life is that perfect.”

My cheeks grew warm and I couldn’t meet her eyes. “I suck at relationships,” I murmured. “I don’t know how to be, what to do. My parents were lousy role models. Do I follow in their footsteps and make marriage a business arrangement?”

Her nose crinkled up like she’d smelled something completely foul. “That sounds terrible.”

“Right?” I blew out a breath. “So, I guess that leaves meeting someone and falling madly in love.”

Kate’s eyes narrowed. “You make it sound like there are only two ways to do this.”

“Well, I’ve always been an all or nothing kind of guy. I need to be madly in love or completely detached. At least I’m honest, right?” I licked my lips. “I’ve done detached. I had given up on love.” I could feel my palms grow sweaty. This was different.

“Past tense,” she whispered. “You used past tense.”

I nodded. Then I pulled my hands back and rubbed them down my pants legs to dry them. “Yeah. In the past. Like day before yesterday.” I watched her for a reaction. I wasn’t disappointed. Her eyes widened. “Now.” I swallowed hard. “Well, now I almost believe in love at first sight.”

After licking her lips, Kate murmured, “Since when?”

Without thinking, I stood up and slid onto her side of the booth, pinning her in the corner. I cupped the side of her face with my hand. “Since I saw you standing on your patio holding a pan of raw chicken. Since Doug nearly beaned you with a golf ball. Since you showed me the binders.” I leaned closer and pressed my lips to hers even as she panted in anticipation. “Since we shared the bottle of wine. Since we skinny dipped in your pool.” I whispered in her ear. “Since we made love and then you fell asleep in my arms.”

When I began to pull away, she held my face in both of her hands. “You scare the crap out of me.” She sniffled and shook her head. “And if you knew my father, you’d understand that’s really saying something.”

I chuckled. “I kinda scared me too.” Then I slid back into my side of the booth. “Care to muddle through this together?”

The waitress suddenly appeared carrying our plates. “You’re in for a real treat,” she announced.

With a grin, I murmured, “I know I am.”

12

Kate

We mostly atelunch in a comfortable silence. Towards the end, I began to grow more nervous and Ty clearly felt it. “What’s bothering you, Kate?” He smiled warmly and I wanted to run away with him. This was no place to build a life.

I shook my head as I glanced at my phone. “Sorry. I need to get back to my office.”

He peeked at the time on his phone. “Yes. Well, I guess I need to get my mind in the game.”

My brow furrowed. “Is this a game to you?”

Ty smiled. “I try not to take the business too seriously. This is why I love what I do. None of this really matters. I treat it like a game and I’m just one of the players.”

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