Chapter 12 #2
He chuckled while he used the tabletop tablet to pay the bill. “Well, you should also be prepared. I don’t lose on purpose, not even to a pretty woman I’m on a date with.”
“Thank you for dinner, but a free meal won’t make me take it easy on you,” she teased as she grabbed her purse from the seat. Dane got out of the booth and held out his hand for her to grab. She slipped her hand into his, and they walked to the game area.
Dane froze, which stopped Georgia.
“Sloane,” he whispered as he stared toward the bar.
Georgia was going to ask her friends how normal it was for a man to bring up his best friend of the opposite sex when he’s on a date. It was getting a little extreme at this point.
Dane glanced down at Georgia. “Sloane’s here. Do you care if we go say hello?”
“Sure!” She agreed, though she had a feeling this was a sign her date was over.
FOR THE PAST thirty minutes, Elijah did his best not to stare at the gaming area where Georgia, unfortunately, was having a great time with Sloane’s friend. Georgia had been cheerful the entire time, and he’s been hating every second of it.
Thank fuck, the guy finally saw Sloane, and now they were making a beeline over to the bar where they were sitting.
Nash and Benny were entertaining a group of women at the opposite end of the bar.
Nash was scared his sister was going to lose it when she saw him, so as soon as the ladies showed up, he deserted them, dragging Benny along.
Sloane’s knee bumped into his. “Dane and George coming over,” she said lowly.
“I can see that. And you don’t need to whisper.”
“Was this a bad idea?”
Elijah turned in his barstool and locked eyes with Georgia as they were still a few feet away. “If it was, it’s too late to leave. They already saw us.”
Dane dropped Georgia’s hand and stood next to Sloane. “You were right, this place is great.”
Sloane twisted in her chair to be closer to Dane, and they dove into conversation as if Georgia and Elijah weren’t there.
Grumpily, Georgia sat on the other side of Elijah in a huff, slapping her purse on the bar.
Elijah swirled his seat back around, so he was facing the bar like her. The bartender came over, and she ordered a Coke.
“Not drinking tonight?” Elijah asked while she scooted her spot a few inches away from him.
“Believe it or not, but I don’t normally drink every time I go out.” She was stern with her response, not giving him a crumble of attention.
Elijah wasn’t having any of that.
He grabbed under her stool and pulled her closer to him.
“Hey!” She shouted but was barely heard over the noise of the bar filtering around them. The bartender brought her drink, and she gave him a weak thank you when she offered to pay, but he said it was on the house.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Elijah watched her as she maintained zero eye contact with him. It was driving him crazy.
“Why are you acting like a brat?” Elijah taunted her. He loved getting under her skin and eliciting a reaction from her.
She whipped her head around to stare at him. “I was on a date, and somehow, you managed to ruin it. Again.”
“What does your date have to do with me?”
She sipped her drink for a caffeine fix. “That is none of your business.”
“It is when you are blaming me.”
She had every right to do. His sole intention was to ruin her date.
Georgia crossed her arms, which only made her breasts perk up in the V-neck shirt she was wearing. Fuck, her body was sinful.
“I didn’t get to play any games,” she told him, but he could tell it was hiding another truth. A truth he was determined to get.
Elijah leaned to Sloane and Dane. “Hey, do you care if Georgia and I play some of the games?”
“Is that okay?” Dane had the decency to ask Georgia even though it was painfully obvious it would take a force of nature to get him to leave Sloane’s side.
“Of course,” Sloane said happily like always. “Let’s catch up—”
No way in hell was he standing by while she made plans for a second date. His hand cupped her upper arm and tugged her to the arcade area.
She smacked his hand off her. “That was rude!”
Elijah didn’t give a fuck one way or the other, so he ignored her outburst. “What game do you want to play first?”
“Why are you behaving like this is normal?” She cracked at him. “One minute, I’m on a date with a great guy, and now I’m with you, getting coins from a change machine to play Skee-Ball.”
He should have known she would be stubborn.
“Take a look.” Elijah pointed at Sloane and Dane, who were huddled close together in deep conversation. “Your date was over the moment he saw her.”
Georgia watched the couple and sighed. “You know what, that’s okay with me. Dane mentioned her a lot tonight, and she seems into him. I hope it works.”
“Do you always think on the bright side?” Elijah was amazed at how she looked at life.
“What other option is there?” She stole some coins from his hand. “You ready to get your ass kicked?”
“That isn’t happening.”
Georgia put a hand on her hip. “Oh, it is, and I plan to relish in all my glory. I have a hard time visualizing you having fun.”
Elijah took a step forward. “I seem to remember us both having fun together a couple of weeks ago.”
She licked her lower lip, and fuck it, his dick was thickening.
“Same,” she responded. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re the one who turned me down. You don’t seem like much fun.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “You know why.”
“Blah, blah, you don’t date. Get over yourself,” Georgia sassed him. Unlike most people, she had no filter around him. No fear. “Your lack of wanting me has nothing to do with me kicking your ass at games.”
Little did she know.
“Want to make a bet?”
A BET WITH Elijah?
Where did she sign up?
“What kind of bet?” Fingers crossed it would benefit her in the orgasm department.
He rubbed his lips together, the lips she daydreamed about.
“There is no debate. I’m winning,” he answered so self-assured.
A person whizzed by, a little reminder their sexy conversation was happening in public. She grabbed his wrist and tugged him to a corner where the only game was a giant electric Connect Four.
“I’m only making a bet if it’s worth it. And I know exactly what I want.” Georgia smirked at him.
Elijah glanced around, then grabbed the belt loops on the front of her jean shorts and pulled her to him, so they stood chest to chest. He dipped his head down, his lips grazing her ear. “First to win three games is the winner?”
Holy hell, her legs were shaking.
She leaned back, glancing up since he was so freaking tall at six feet four. “You want me to go into a bet, blind at the prize? That seems pretty risky.”
“Seems like you’re scared, Peach.”
“I’m not scared. And did you just call me Peach?”
His soft, sexy chuckle against her cheek made her shiver. “If you win, I’ll tell you why I call you Peach. If I win, I’m taking you home tonight, not Sloane’s friend. You in?”
This seemed like a win-win for her.
“I’m in,” she told him, taking a step back.