Chapter 7 A Wager
CHAPTER SEVEN
A WAGER
TARYN
Tucker and I walk around the pier eating the best funnel cake I’ve ever had.
The cake isn’t the only thing I’m enjoying, however.
Tucker isn’t just good looking, he’s also very funny. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much during a date.
Wait a minute, is this a date? I think so, but I don’t have a lot of experience to be totally sure.
I haven’t been dating that much in general.
In high school I was always too busy trying to get the perfect GPA to win a full academic scholarship to the college of my dreams. And once college started, I had to keep good grades to keep my scholarship and between my classes and the dance team, there wasn’t a lot of time for romance.
As we wander around the pier, we spot a long line of people in front of a purple tent.
The neon sign on it says “Fortune Teller.”
Tucker notices that the long line got my attention. “Do you want to have your fortune told?”
I immediately shake my head. “No, thank you. I don’t believe in this stuff.”
To my surprise, Tucker is a believer. “Normally I’d agree with you. But Madame Svetlana is a bit of a local celebrity and she’s pretty legendary in town.”
I’m still not convinced. “How so?”
“She’s been known to be very good at predicting people’s futures.”
A laugh escapes me and I can’t help but roll my eyes. “Come on, really? There’s no such thing as predicting the future. Our future hasn’t been written yet, so how can she know?”
“And yet,” Tucker insists. “She’s gotten it right many times. I have a few friends who swear by Madame Svetlana’s divination skills. She’s apparently infallible in predicting people’s love lives.”
There’s no way he’s going to convince me that a carnival fortune teller can predict the future.
“Probably she’s just very observant, and she’s good at picking up people’s non-verbal cues.
With a little work, anyone could guess a few things about a perfect stranger and then make up some cryptic nonsense about the future. ”
“Really?” Tucker’s eyes flash with interest as he dares me. “Come on then. If it’s that easy, why don’t you try to predict my future?”
I’m an extremely stubborn person—Jodie can attest to it and so can my mom—and the challenging glint in Tucker’s eyes spurs me on.
“Sure, why not?”
The smile on his face widens. “Why don’t we make this more interesting with a wager?”
“You want to bet on something? I don’t have a lot of money, just FYI.”
He chuckles. “No, playing for money is boring. You have to guess five things about me. If you fail, I get to kiss you.”
My eyes travel from Tucker’s blue gaze to his lips of their own accord.
His lips have a very pretty shape for a guy and they look really soft. Just the thought of those lips on mine fills my stomach with butterflies.
Tucker’s question brings me back to earth.
“And what do you want if you win?”
Suddenly the thought of winning doesn’t sound that appealing anymore. “If I win, you help me and Jodie find a job if we don’t make the team.”
He shakes his head. “I already told you I would, and I always keep my promises. Pick something else.”
If I win, I want you to take me on another date.
I almost said it, but I change my mind at the last second.
Tucker is really nice and there’s an easy vibe between us, but it’s hard to miss the fact that he’s confident to the point of being a little cocky.
I want to see him again, but I don’t think it would hurt him to work for it a little.
And I would like him to ask me on a date because he really wants to rather than out of obligation.
“I don’t know. You buy me a souvenir? Nothing expensive, just something to remind me of my first night in Star Cove.”
“Deal.” He says, taking my hand to shake and seal our wager.
I keep his hand in mine and turn it around so it’s palms up. “Open, so I can do my reading.”
TUCKER
Don’t get hard, don’t get hard… For the love of God, don’t get hard.
It’s easier said than done, though.
Does the fact that my cock is thickening when Taryn is tracing the lines on my palm with her fingers make me a loser?
If it does, then so be it. Because I’m struggling really hard not to get… hard.
But I need to keep the situation downstairs under control. Taryn and I have just met, and I don’t want her to think that I’m a creep.
I have to concentrate on the reading that she’s supposed to give me and possibly win our bet.
I’ve been dying to kiss this beautiful woman since the second I saw her walking into Joe’s with Talia and the Zeta sisters.
And if I play my cards right, I might get my wish. For that to happen, however, I need to make sure I don’t walk around Star Cove pier with the biggest boner this town has seen since it was founded in the early 1800s.
I haven’t felt this attracted to a woman since Bex came to stay with her brother—our former team captain—last year.
I’d been crushing on her so hard, and I’ve been so heartbroken that my feelings weren’t reciprocated, that I’ve been living like a monk. No one could hold my interest and get me out of this funk until today.
Thinking about Bex for some reason does the trick to calm down the situation in my jeans. Heartbreak isn’t sexy, and I hope to never again fall for someone who doesn’t want me.
Taryn is studying my palm, tracing the lines on it with a featherlight touch, her long pink nails tickling a little. Her blonde eyebrows are furrowed as she thinks about what her prediction is going to be.
“Hmm, you’re a very popular guy. The line that represents your relationships says that you have a lot of friends.”
I shake my head, chuckling at her words. “That’s correct. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. You saw me out with all my teammates.”
She lifts her gaze to meet mine, keeping my hand in her grip. “Be quiet. I’m trying to think.”
I do as I’m told, not because I feel particularly obedient, but because her eyes are mesmerizing. I had already noticed that they’re green, but the dark, moss green of the outer iris becomes lighter, with shimmering swirls of gray the closer it gets to her pupils.
Her lashes are long and dark, and I’m dying to brush my lips on them to continue down her high cheekbones.
“You’re protective of the people you love; there is nothing you wouldn’t do for them.”
Again, I smile. “You know my job on the ice is to protect the goal. That was quite obvious, too.”
Taryn tightens her grip on my wrist. “Quiet. I’m not done yet.”
“Fine,” I indulge her. “Let’s see what else you have for me.”
“You come from a large family.”
She’s right. “Go on.”
“You’re single and you’ve had your heart broken before, but you’re ready to fall in love. And you’re destined for greatness in your career.”
For a second I consider lying because every single thing she said is true and I really want that kiss.
But then I realize that I don’t need to. “Ok. So I have good news and bad news. Which ones do you want first?”
Taryn’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “How can there be good and bad news? It’s either I got everything right and I won, or I didn’t and I lost. Which way is it?”
“It’s not that simple.” I tut, turning my hand to grab hers and lacing our fingers together. “Yes, everything you said was correct. But I can’t award you the victory because every single thing you said was super obvious. So I win and you owe me a kiss.”
“What?” she gasps, outraged, but she doesn’t pull her hand away from my hold.
“That’s some bullshit. The premise of our wager was that any charlatan could be a fortune teller because everything they ever say is obvious.
I didn’t say anything different from what your Madame Svetlana would have said, and I did it for free. ”
If we were talking about any other fortune teller, I would agree with her.
“Madame Svetlana predicted exactly how my friends would fall in love and in some cases gave them the initials of the person they would fall for and got it right. She’s the real deal.
But that’s beside the point here. If you wanted to win, you should have taken a bigger risk and ventured out of the obvious things that everyone can observe about me. ”
Taryn rolls her eyes, and her voice goes up a couple of decibels as she communicates her frustration. “But don’t you see? That’s exactly the point. If we went into that tent, you’d come out with the same lame facts about you that anyone who has spent a couple of minutes talking to you could guess.”
“And I’m telling you.” I argue. “That she wouldn’t. Sorry, Taryn. You didn’t win the bet.”
Her pretty pink lips pop open in a shocked, outraged ‘o’. “No way! I’m not conceding.”
It seems that we’re at a standstill, as neither of us wants to admit defeat.
“There’s only one way to find out.” I propose.
“Let’s go in there and see if Madame Svetlana’s predictions are similar to yours.
If they are, you win. But if they aren’t, I’m getting that kiss whether what she says comes true or not. ”
My solution doesn’t get the reaction I was hoping for.
Taryn pulls her hand away from mine, crossing her arms over her chest.
I absolutely don’t notice how full and perfect her tits look as they get pushed up against the cleavage of her summer dress.
“You know what? No, I’m not going to see that fortune teller. I thought we were having fun, but I can go back to the bar and hang out with my friends. Or even better, I can go back to my room. I’m tired.” She snaps.
“We were having fun.” I can’t hide my irritation. “But if you’d rather go home and pout rather than admit that you’re wrong, be my guest.”
Taryn throws her hands in the air, more frustrated with every passing second. “Do you want the truth? I don’t want to go see that fortune teller, just in case she is as good as you say she is. I’m scared, ok? I’m afraid she’s going to predict something horrible that will come true.”
There’s genuine fear in her eyes and I feel like the biggest asshole on this pier. “It’s ok. We don’t have to go, and I’m sorry if I insisted. It’s just… I really wanted that kiss.”
The tension in her shoulders eases a little. “And I’m competitive and I really wanted to win.”
“I get that. I compete for a living. So where does that leave us? Who won our bet?”
She thinks about it for a second. “I still think I did the same job ninety-nine percent of the bogus fortune tellers out there would do. So I sorta won.”
“Sorta?” I tilt my head to look at her. “Why just sorta?”
A small smile pulls at the corners of her lips. “Because I admit that I cheated a little.”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “You cheated? How?”
“I knew you had a big family. Talia told me that she has four siblings earlier while she and Sam helped me and Jo-Jo to unload my car.”
I gasp, pretending to be affronted, but I can’t totally hide my smile. “Taryn! Shame on you.”
“I know.” She hangs her head. “But four out of five of the things I said were pretty good.”
She’s so cute, I can’t help but want to throw her a lifeline. “I agree. So how about we agree that we both won a little?”
Taryn takes a couple of steps closer to me, stopping just short of our chests touching. “You really do want that kiss, huh?”
I do. So, so very badly. “Yes. But not like this.”
It’s Taryn’s turn to tilt her head. “Come again?”
I close the distance between us, moving a strand of long, silky blond hair off her shoulder and cupping the side of her face. “I want to kiss you because you want me to. Not because of a bet. But you did a good job on four out of five of your predictions, so I’m going to buy you that souvenir.”
To my surprise, Taryn turns me down. “I want a memory of this night, but I want to earn it fair and square. How about we both earn what we want?”
I blink a little, confused and intoxicated by the warm, subtle floral scent of her skin. “How?”
“We earn me a souvenir by winning it at one of the many stands that have games on the pier. And if you play your cards right, you’ll have earned that kiss by the time we call it a night.”
A smile spreads across my face. I think she wants to kiss me too.
“Come on.” Taryn grabs my hand, pulling me away from the railing opposite the fortune teller’s stand and toward the end of the pier. “Those prizes aren’t going to win themselves.”