23. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

Tatum

Oh, how right she was.

Devon has been kicking my ass in poker for the last hour, and it’s embarrassing. I’m grateful there is no one here to witness this, though I’m sure that won’t stop her from throwing it in my face for the rest of our lives. There’s a proud smile glued to her face, which is another reminder that I’m losing.

When the oven beeps, letting me know the food is done, I’m in my underwear and one sock. She still has everything on but her pants and socks.

“You are a cheater, Devon Kensington.” I point at her as I get to my feet.

“Not a cheater, Tatum Winters. Just good at poker.”

“I’m good at poker,” I say, grabbing the oven mitts and putting them on. “You’re a cheater.”

She smiles brightly, and fuck, that smile…

Pulling the oven open, I grab the dish of lasagna and place it on the trivets by the stove. I peel the tin foil off and Devon moans loudly, getting up from her seat to come over. She completely invades my space, which is something she used to do all the time.

Her hair smells like flowers, and her skin is soft and smooth. I try my best not to look down at her ass, but it’s difficult when her bare thigh is brushing mine. Knowing she’s in just her panties is driving me insane. She’s always had the nicest ass—

“I can’t believe you made this!” she squeals. “Wait,” she says, turning to face me. “How? Why? This is three times today, Tate. I want answers, and I want them now.”

It takes a second for me to put the pieces together, but I realize she’s questioning me—again—about making her favorite.

“I know you like it, so I made it. It’s that simple.”

Her eyes shine brightly, those green meadows, and I take a step back before I do something stupid like kiss her.

Because why the fuck would I do that? We aren’t nearly there yet, and I’ll kiss her when I need to. I shouldn’t want to.

“It needs to rest for a bit. Another round?” I ask. Because yeah, taking off more clothes is just what we need to do.

She looks from the table where the cards are spread out, then back to me.

“If you wanted to get naked in front of me, Tate, you could have just said so.”

She pats my chest as she moves by me. The stool scraping against the floor is like nails down my back, drawing blood.

I take a second to breathe, then return to my seat, determined to kick her ass this round.

Spoiler alert: I don’t .

I take my other sock off and toss it at her face. She laughs, her head falling back and exposing her throat that I’d love nothing more than to sink my teeth into.

I’d also like to add we made sure we had the same amount of clothes on to keep things fair. Somehow, I’m still losing.

“This is getting dangerous,” I warn.

“I can see that. Wouldn’t want to get my eye poked out with your tiny dick.”

I choke out an, “Excuse me?”

She winks at me. “You heard me, Winters.”

I roll my lips between my teeth, shaking my head. “How would you even know what a small dick looks like, virgin ?”

She purses her lips, her eyes going dark.

This is me testing the water. I won’t call her out on lying yet because that’ll push her further away. I need her to think I believe she’s a virgin, even though I know otherwise.

This could be fun banter. Is she going to get pissed, or is she going to fight me back? Because I’ll admit, I like it when she’s feisty. I like it when she fights. I like when she makes me take what I want. Not that we’ve gotten there yet, but it’s coming.

She shifts on her stool, turning to face me better. She slowly spreads her legs apart, giving me the perfect view between her legs. The air catches in my breath when I make out the faintest shape of her pussy lips. No way in hell is this girl a fucking virgin.

In a quiet voice she says, “Because I like to watch girls get railed by big dicks while I fuck myself with my fingers.”

She raises a brow and hops off the stool, going up the stairs.

I’m left speechless .

And hard as a granite.

I can’t decide if I should go get her or let her come back down when she wants. What she said is still bothering me. I never thought I’d see the day when Devon Kensington talked about someone getting railed. I don’t get embarrassed by sex talk, my mouth is as dirty as the rest of the guys my age, but Devon Kensington saying something like that? Christ. I didn’t think she had it in her. I nearly blushed.

When I finally get to my feet, I go to the lasagna and cut a piece for me and her, plating them. I need to keep my mind occupied or this is going to go south. I grab a bottle of red wine and pour us each a glass. I set up both on the counter in our respective seats and lay out the silverware. Then I stand at the bottom of the stairs with my hands on my hips, wondering what the hell to do. Glancing down at myself, I realize the first thing I need to do is put some damn clothes on.

Gathering them all from the floor, I put them on and go to the half-bath that’s tucked away in the back corner.

When I return, she’s at the island, eating and smiling like she won the lottery—still in the same amount of clothing as before.

She’s trying to torture me.

“Thought I scared you away.”

I can’t stop the laugh that comes out of me as I take the seat beside her.

“ You scare me ? That really is laughable. ”

She frowns at me for a few beats before going back to her food. She eats half before she comments how good it is. Not that I need the compliment, but I don’t hate it. I am trying to impress her.

“Wait until you see what I made for dessert.”

She drops her fork, narrowing her eyes at me. “Now when did you have time for that?”

“While you were not napping.”

“You can’t give me a pillow, blanket, get me comfy on the couch, and expect me not to fall asleep.”

“You’re the one who said you didn’t want to nap.”

“And I didn’t… before you forced me.” She picks up her fork and scoops up another bite.

“Oh, I forced you?” I say, suppressing another laugh.

“You did. You made it impossible to say no.”

“I can do that with other things too.” The words leave my lips before I can stop them.

Her eyes flicker with excitement.

“Is that so?”

I shrug, going back to my food.

I can’t act like I want her that badly. Not yet. I have to play hard to get. Let her come to me. I can’t have her thinking I want this, that it’s my goal.

“Do you want more?” I ask when she’s finished.

“Yes, please.”

I get us each another helping, this one smaller.

She eats this piece slower and is probably going to regret it shortly. She’ll complain she ate too much and blame it on me .

“Are you going to tell me why you bought me?” she asks, her voice quieter than it has been in a long time. She isn’t angry or demanding this time.

I wait a beat before saying, “I can, but I don’t think you’ll believe me.”

She watches me carefully, and I can’t tell how she’ll take what I’m going to say.

“Do you promise to tell me the truth?”

I put my fork down and turn to face her. She’s watching me carefully.

“If I say yes, will it matter? If you don’t trust me, Devon, you’ll think everything that comes out of my mouth is a lie.”

“Whose fault is that?” she snaps.

“I’m not trying to fight with you,” I say before she can get more upset. I put my hand on hers, hoping she’ll go back to how calm she was seconds ago.

She yanks her hand out from under mine.

“Maybe I’m trying to fight with you! Maybe I’m mad. I’m allowed to be mad, Tate.”

“Yeah, you—”

“No, Tatum. No!” She gets up, tossing her fork on the counter. It clatters before crashing to the floor. “I can’t do this with you.” She gestures around. “I thought I could, but I can’t. I don’t know what is going on, what your deal is. I’m asking for truth, but you’re right. No matter what you say, I won’t believe it. Because you did this. You ruined us!”

She storms away, pounding up the stairs.

And I go after her because I’m trying to show her that I’m different.