Page 29 of Last Second Chance

I sized him up in the span of ten seconds, and I knew that I could take him if he made trouble. My nerves were already frayed, and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with this guy more than I had to.

But Poppy quickly diffused the situation. “No, not at all. This is my ride back to the hotel,” she explained, handing him her cue. “Let’s just say you won. I’m honestly terrible, so it was a given.”

He chuckled. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you ever want a rematch…”

“Thanks, but she’ll be going home with me on Sunday,” I cut in.

I led Poppy outside while the guy still stood there with two pool cues in his hands, trying to figure out what happened. He probably thought he was going to get lucky tonight.

Over my dead body.

When we reached the parking lot, I stopped, turning poppy to face me. The harsh white light from the street lamp above cast shadows over half her face, but I could see that this was going to turn into an argument already just by the stubborn way she jutted out her chin at me, her lips pursed into a thin line.

“Why were you so rude to Trey?” she asked, and it took me a moment to realize that Trey was the man she was playing pool with.

I wasn’t going to let us get distracted by him. “I need to know what’s wrong,” I said, folding my arms across my chest and planting my feet. We weren’t going anywhere until we talked this all out. She wasn’t the only one that could be stubborn.

“Nothing,” she replied. “I’m perfectly fine. I just came here with a woman I met on the flight to the island. We wanted to hang out for a while, but Stacey met a guy, and I didn’t want to hold her back from a hook up.”

“It looks like you were close to being offered one yourself,” I said before stopping to think it through. Wasn’t I going to ignore the topic of the flirtatious jerk inside? I needed to focus on what was important here.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We were just playing a game,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Either she didn’t see the way that guy was looking at her or she really just had no intention whatsoever of giving him a chance.Good news, either way.

“I just need a ride home. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“Of course not. I mean, not entirely. Are you really going to act like you haven’t been ghosting me all day?”

Poppy suddenly seemed to find the asphalt beneath our feet incredibly interesting. I sighed.

“Why are you shutting me out?” I demanded to know. We weren’t leaving this parking lot until I had an answer. “What happened? It seemed like we were finally getting along and back on the same page about being together.”

“Yeah. Well, I thought that too,” she snapped. I was taken aback by her sudden anger. “But you clearly don’t want me anymore. I don’t need you to spend time with me out of pity or whatever.”

I reared back in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Had she lost her mind? I’d made it perfectly clear what I wanted. She was the one still playing games.

She averted her gaze. “I felt so stupid last night. I can’t believe that I threw myself at you, thinking that it was going to be a magical night.” Her laugh was humorless and bitter.

My stomach twisted. I was horrified that she’d misconstrued my intentions.

“No,” I said, unable to resist the urge to touch her. I ran my hands down her arms and grasped her hands. “Don’t you dare think like that. You’ve got it all wrong. The only reason I didn’t take what you were offering is because when I do, I want you to be sober.”

“Really?” Disbelief echoed in her voice.

I had to grin. “Baby, I want you to be absolutely sure, without any doubts, before we go that far. Because once we do, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you go again.”

“I am sure.”

I could get lost in those big brown eyes anytime, even here in a dark parking lot. All traces of embarrassment were gone, and she looked so certain of her response.

“Have you been drinking?”

“After last night?” She cringed. “Hell no.”

I chuckled, and it was a deep sound of relief. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her close until her body was flush against mine. No more words were needed as I kissed her, using my mouth to lay an irrevocable claim on the woman I’d always loved.

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