13. Stallone

thirteen

Stallone

The next morning, my mind is quiet when I wake. Peaceful, and with only one thing on my mind. I can’t wait to see Arielle. As soon as I’m back from walking Lucky, I turn on one stove burner. While I wait for my pan to preheat, I text her.

Me: Are you ready for a little friendly competition?

Little dots pop up on my phone screen, indicating she’s typing back, and butterflies dance in my stomach in anticipation. I shuffle to the fridge for the egg carton and have enough time to crack two eggs into the pan before her reply flashes on my screen.

El: You’re not going to win at karaoke.

Chuckling, I type my response.

Me: Remember, I said no karaoke. I had something more adventurous but equally competitive in mind.

Her reply is lightning fast.

El: Like what?

Me: It’s a surprise. Can I pick you up after work?

El: Yes, I close at 6 again.

Me: I’ll be there.

El: Should I do anything to prepare?

Me: Maybe bring some tissues for when you lose.

El: Ha! Funny. I never lose.

Me: See you in a few hours.

El: Can’t wait.

I drop my phone to the counter and turn back to flip my eggs, chuckling to myself. She is just so much fun to be around. Now that we have the whole karaoke thing out in the open, I hope we can spend some real time together without so many interruptions.

I pull up to the Coffee Loft curb, and she promptly emerges, strutting over to the truck with her shoulders pulled back. When she opens the passenger door and peeps her head in, her huge messy blond bun drawing my attention, for just a moment before I level my gaze with hers. “I have no idea what you're up to." There’s a chuckle braided into her words. “But I’m prepared to win.” She slides into her seat and gives me a playfully haughty grin. "So you better be ready to lose."

“You think so, gorgeous? Remember, I’m the reason you won karaoke.” I give her a solid thirty seconds to explain exactly how she thinks she can beat me at anything. She slowly straps the seat belt over her lap, not saying a thing, but her top lip is trapped between her teeth when she smiles. I struggle not to stare at her because she’s so stunning. My pulse rockets through my veins, and I do my best to shift the truck back into drive and steer toward the mountains.

“I do think so,” she finally replies, her eyes reflecting the last of the sunlight streaming in through the windshield. “I did my vocal warm-ups, my leg stretches, and I even skipped lunch in case this is an eating competition.”

She could continue her smack talk, but my lips bend down from the guilt of not giving her at least a little hint. I sure didn’t want her to walk around all hangry. “Not an eating competition. If you’re hungry, we can grab an early dinner?”

“I’m good,” she affirms, her eyes laser focused on where I’m driving to. “Depending on what the competition is, I may not want a full stomach.”

I take a sharp left and steer up the narrow gravel road that leads back to my place. “I thought it would be fun to show you a little game I like to play when I’m bored at work.”

“Game at work?” One of her feathered brows rises above the other until her face is a state of frozen confusion. “Aren’t you a lumberjack?” The other eyebrow shoots up to match the height of the first, and she exclaims, “Tell me we are throwing axes! I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I could trust you with an ax.” I release one of my hands from the steering wheel and run it over my whiskers, and I teasingly give her a side-eye. Here’s the thing, I’ve been throwing axes since I was the same height they were. There’s no way she could win, but that’s part of my plan. I’m going to set her up to lose, so I can win what I want.

“It’s my surprise, isn’t it?” She leans toward me, her eyes pleading.

“I thought it would be fun.” I shrug, downplaying how excited I am to do this. “If you think you’d want to try it, I’m game to teach you.”

“Oh, I’m game, but you don’t have to teach me. I’m a natural at winning everything.”

“We’ll see about that.” Pushing my tongue to the roof of my mouth, I raise my chin and take a sharp left onto the steep dirt road. The tires rattle in the worn ruts. Out of my peripheral vision, I see El casually grabbing the door handle.

“You really live out in the middle of nowhere.” Her head moves in all directions as she scans the thick evergreens and steep sloped mountain banks.

“It may seem like that but it’s not too far from my parents’ house and my brother’s. We all live on the same acreage, and it’s honestly all I know. It’s not that far from town, but out here in the mountains, it feels like I’m in my own world.”

“It’s so different from what I’m used to in Boston.” Her gaze never leaves her window, and we round the last bend in the road, taking the turn to a clearing in the trees, which opens into my place. “This is not your house.” Her gaze darts to me.

I press the brake to roll to a stop and shift into park in front of my garage. “I built it so I think that makes it mine.”

“I thought you said you had a mountain cabin.” Her gaze shifts from me to the house. “This is a mansion.”

“It’s bigger than I need, but I figured I was only going to build once and might as well have some room to grow.” I grab my door handle and push open the door, calling back, “I can give you a tour if you want, but I’ll admit about ninety percent of the house isn’t even furnished yet.”

She quickly hops out of the truck, and I wait for her to meet me by the walkway. We stroll up the pebbled path together. When I look over at her, walking by my side, my heart skips a beat. Usually, it’s windier here than it is in town, but it’s a rare moment where everything in nature is still, and to me it feels like a collective pause, as even the usually noisy birds are watching El—more than likely they are as mesmerized by her as I am. It feels awfully natural to have her next to me. Even if I am a little nervous to welcome her into my home. I never have guests, and I certainly don’t entertain, but a niggling in the back of my head tells me this girl is different.

“Here’s the plan.” I motion to the back of the house, the side with the perfect view over the valley, where I have my practice target set up. “You can have as many practice shots as you want, but once we start the round, there’s no starting over.” My boots plod over the worn path. “It’s not a competition unless we have a wager. What do you think we could bet?” I give her my mischievous smile, because I already know what I’m betting.

When she looks at me, it’s pure magnetism, and I would probably agree to anything she’d say. My heart pounds against my rib cage, strong and steady. She hovers close by, bouncing her gaze to the target and then to me. “I don't need a practice shot.” She raises her chin, appearing to analyze the target, but I suspect it’s an act.

“Okay.” I stare down into her eyes, and my heart flutters as I hold my breath. God made me a sizable man. It’s not something I usually think about, but when I’m standing next to her, my body dwarfs hers. She’s so stunning, I can’t resist putting my hand on her lower back. When I’m this close to her, I just need to touch her. “And what should we bet?”

“If I win, you have to make me dinner.” Her nose crinkles into the cutest pattern as she passes a sassy smile in my direction.

“I’ll make you dinner if I lose.” I nudge her shoulder, and I am instantly stilled by the spark that ignites in me.

“I won’t complain about that.” She gives me a gentle nudge back. “What happens if you win?”

So, I know what I want. I’ve never been so sure of something before that it’s bizarre.

Standing outside my house with this woman I only recently met; a week ago, I’d have sworn I’d die a reclusive bachelor. As I stand here locked in an unwavering gaze with her, there’s only one thing I want to do. It’s something she put in my head days ago when she served me those sweet kiss coffees. With one brow cocked, I rub my hands together, drumming up the anticipation. “If I win,” I lower my voice into a low rasp, “I get to kiss you like you’re my girlfriend.”

One of her hands smooths over her cheek, and she tucks her hand into her wild heap of hair, all the while her cheeks fire a bright pink wave. “El,” I say softly, my tongue heavy, and her lack of reply causes my stomach to knot. “If you don’t want—”

“Bet.” She extends her hand like this is a boardroom negotiation. I take her hand in mine, knowing I’m going to win. This is clearly a setup. As I search her face for clues of unease, there are none. If anything, her gaze heats, and I’d say she’s having as much fun as I am.

“Ladies first,” I say through playfully gritted teeth.

She drops my hand, planting both of her palms on her hips with a take-charge expression on her face and impatiently looks at me. “Where’s my ax?”

Whoa, now that’s not an expression you want to hear from a woman every day.

It’s wild but yet hot.

I walk to the porch where I keep several of my best throwing axes on a stand and run my hand along the row until I get to the lightest one. Her cyan-blue eyes track me as I walk the ax down to her and hand it over. “Can I walk you through a toss?”

She grabs the ax with both hands, her lips curling as she scrutinizes the ax. “This will do.”

There's just enough of the sunset left to give us the light we need, and I stand back a few feet and hold my hands up to walk her through the motion. “First, you want to look at your target and never take your eyes off it. Then you raise your arms up slowly, keep your ax steady, and be careful not to drop it behind you.”

She mimics my actions and then sets her gaze back on the target. My heart is ramming against my chest, and everything rolls out in slow motion. Her form is decent, but I still flinch when she releases the ax. It sails across the yard, snagging the target on the bottom right. “Not bad.” I push my bottom lip out, pretending to be impressed.

Her face is a blend of doubt and triumph, and she steps to the side. “Your turn.”

I rub my hands together again, teasing her. “Time to watch and learn.” To make it fair, I walk up to the target, take her ax out and return it to the porch. I retrieve the heaviest one for myself and turn back to the target. “I’ll stand way back here to give you the advantage.” This is like taking candy from a baby. She must know this is a setup. I stand back, stretching both ways at the waist, building up the anticipation for her .

One firm toss across the yard, and I’ll finally know what it feels like to have those sweet lips on mine.

My gaze wafts to her, and a beaming smile is spread across her gorgeous face. Shoot. Her button dimple on her cheek is even creased. My stomach wooshes. I’m such a sucker for dimples.

“What are you waiting for?” She bats her lashes at me, and I swear her dimple winks.

“Ah, nothing.” I square my feet to the target and raise my ax, but a wave of guilt washes over me. I instantly lower the ax and turn toward her. I was only trying to impress her, but this isn’t right. “Look, this clearly isn’t a fair bet. I’m going to win.”

Her bright eyes shine up at me, and the smile on her perfect-kissable lips doesn’t deflate. If anything, they appear to plump up more, enticing me in. I can almost feel her sweet pink flesh when she lowers her voice, “That was always the point.” She gives me a nonchalant side-eye, and the twinkle that sparks out of the corners of her eyes tells me she was here for the kiss too.

A shot of electricity shoots straight through my chest and doesn’t stop until it zaps my heart, firing all my insides. My brain shuts off, and a pull of gravity draws my gaze back to her mouth. Her eyes widen, and I can’t help act but out of pure instinct when she bats her lashes. She strides over to me. Even with her shoulders back, she’s still at least a foot shorter than me. She doesn’t stop until she’s fully in my wide space bubble, close enough to nudge my elbow. “You know if you quit, not only am I going to think you suck, but I’m going to tell everyone you lost.”

“Everyone? You don’t know anyone here,” I puff out, enjoying her sass. She’s standing so near me, the heat of her body wafts off her, engulfing me, and makes it impossible to think about anything else than how perfectly kissable those lips are.

She’s so close, I could lower my head straight down and land perfectly on her lips. She’s unwavering, not backing up even a toe. She’s practically begging for this kiss. I twist my lips into a line of flirtation and lower my head, speaking low, “I just need to make sure you aren’t going to hold a grudge when I win, because I always hit my target.”

A visible swallow rises and lowers in her throat, and she holds my gaze level with so much potency, adrenaline flits through my veins. I love the feel of her gaze on me, and coupled with the heat permeating off her body, there’s so much magnetism drawing me closer. “No grudges.” Her words release me from our hold, and I remember I’m holding an ax.

The way she smiles has my heart slamming against my rib cage. She has to know what’s coming, and she clearly wants this as much as I do. I take a safety step to the side to clear space between us, and raise my ax. My hands warm as a blush flutters through my whole body in anticipation. I don’t even need to watch, the ax lands in the perfect middle of the target.

I turn toward her, ready to feast my eyes on her beautiful smile. I shake my head, backing out of the competition. “It really wasn’t fair,” I say, but before I can continue, she closes the space between us. A hand snakes around my neck, and she pulls me down to her while she rises to the tips of her toes.

It's fast.

It’s a little bit feral.

My heart expands, drinking her in as her body comes even closer.

Her lips capture mine, and she takes all the breath I have, erasing every ounce of insecurity I had over this bet. I wasn’t taking advantage of her any more than she was of me. It’s confirmed even more when I feel her smile into our kiss. Whatever this is, it’s mutual. When she pulls away, she leaves me standing with my mouth dropped open.

“So much for being just friends.” I reach up and physically close my mouth with my hand. “At least we got the hard part out of the way.”

A serious line pins between her brows as she gazes back at me. I hold my breath as I wait impatiently to hear what she has to say.

She can’t be mad.

She kissed me.

Her lips purse out, and I bite my cheek, waiting.

“Maybe it was meant to happen.” A simple gesture follows, where she grabs my hand, pushing her fingers between mine, and smiles sweetly at me. My heart swells, feeling her hand in mine, and her gaze so steady on me it’s as if she has nowhere else to go. “Now, let’s see about that dinner you promised me.”