Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Shamans, astrologers, and couples' therapists – they’re the Holy Trinity of nonsense! Beware!
Tips and tricks for every situation from divorce lawyer Connor Stone
Your face, every word you say, and your whole body — are the Holy Trinity of shut up. - Rachel
So. The couples' therapist was into shy, gray nerds who preferred water with four lemon slices to alcohol, and didn’t say anything for an entire hour, just smiled nervously while the others discussed the quiz questions.
And Match Me! had apparently spit out this date for her.
God. It was perfectly fine to be shy and take a while to warm up, but how could the woman’s dating agency, a woman who obviously enjoyed deliberately making other people angry and then discussing it to death, offer up a guy who seemed like one harsh word would make him cry?
He had practically won the bet already.
Alice was nice, a dentist, and extremely smart, but a bit soft and jumpy.
Her head had sunk between her shoulders when he’d snapped at Gareth to stop working and concentrate on the quiz.
It was only necessary. The man wouldn’t have responded to any other love language.
Cian and Connor were workaholics, sure, but Gareth was practically a machine, forced to get oiled once a week at the Sunny Umbrella.
He’d graduated second in his class. Only one other classmate had graduated from Harvard with better grades – a woman – which still annoyed him to this day.
Man, the words Gareth used for his nemesis would probably scare Alice.
Rachel wouldn’t have flinched. Rachel was giving Matt the middle finger, laughing, snatching the piece of paper with her group’s answers from his hand, and writing something on it herself.
She seemed more relaxed than yesterday. Wearing ballet flats, jeans, and one of those summer blouses that always made him look twice because at first glance, they seemed see-through, but…
“Stop staring, Connor, or put some sunglasses on to make it less obvious,” Cian murmured beside him while the others discussed how many keys a classical piano had.
“What?” He tore his gaze away from Rachel.
His friend grinned knowingly. “She’s cute.”
“My date? Yes.”
“Rachel.”
He snorted. “No.” Dragons and hand grenades weren’t cute, and she reminded him of both. She could breathe fire, for one thing. And though she might look innocent, if you pressed the wrong button, she’d explode. So, no, cute was the wrong word.
“Ah, so you’re staring because she’s ugly?”
“I’m not staring.”
“Yeah, right. Gawking is the more appropriate description.”
Connor pressed his lips together. “I’m here with Alice, O’Leary.”
“And she’s nice and friendly, so it'll never work out between you in the long run.”
No, it wouldn’t. “Focus on the quiz,” he growled.
“Same to you. We’re currently in second place, and we have a title to defend.”
They did. But today the competition was harder than expected. Alice was smart and a great addition to the team, but either Rachel was a damn brainiac, or it was her date. Connor suspected the first.
When they were tied after round four of the Bedtime Game Night and Tara announced the “Superspeed Duel” to crown the day's winner, Maddie immediately suggested her sister as their candidate.
“You can do it!” she shouted, even as Rachel scratched her cheek uncomfortably.
“Yeah, you’re super smart!” Hailey joined in.
“Go, Perfect Rachel!” Matt sang.
“Um…have fun?” her date said, his face bright red.
Connor snorted. He himself had solid people skills, and he could see that Dream Man Number One was obviously completely overwhelmed by Rachel. And what did that mean: Perfect Rachel?
“Connor should play for us,” Cian announced innocently as Rachel joined Tara at the podium from which she had been announcing questions all evening.
“Absolutely,” Izzie jumped in with a grin. “Anyone mind?”
Gareth and Alice shook their heads, and Connor certainly wasn’t going to back down. He stood, gave Cian an annoyed look, and strolled over to the podium as well.
“Oh, what a wonderful pairing,” Tara chirped happily.
“All right: For those who’ve never been here before, the rules for the Superspeed Duel are simple.
I’ll ask seven questions, and the one who correctly answers the most questions the fastest wins.
If you think you know the answer, hit your buzzer.
Rachel, yours will sound like an eagle owl, the wisest of all owls.
Connor.” She grinned. “You have the monkey’s screech for obvious reasons. ”
Oh, when you had such good friends, you didn’t need enemies. “Love you too, Tara,” he said darkly.
“I know, I’m wonderful.” She winked at him. “Are you ready?”
Connor nodded, and his gaze shifted to Rachel, who narrowed her eyes at him. In the dim light, they were the color of moss…which evidently burned easily because small flames seemed to be erupting from them.
He smiled. He had a feeling this was about to get personal, and he loved a good challenge.
“First question.” Tara cleared her throat. “How many women has Connor slept with?”
Oh, good God.
Rachel’s mouth twitched, and Tara grinned. “Just kidding. If Connor starts counting, we’ll be here til tomorrow.”
The crowd laughed, and Connor caught a glimpse of Alice sinking further down into her seat. Damn. He had…experience, yes. So he liked sex. Who could blame him?
“Charming, Tara,” he replied lightly. He got upset at many things, but the joke was old. “I withdraw my offer: I will no longer litigate your first divorce for free.”
Tara laughed and patted his arm. “No problem, I’ll go to Cian. Okay, now we’re really starting! First question: What is the largest tree in the world?”
Connor’s hand didn’t even twitch before Rachel pressed her buzzer. “General Sherman Tree,” she exclaimed.
Shit, that was true, and she was fast! Okay. If she wanted a fight, she’d get a fight. He extended his hand over his buzzer.
“Correct, one point for Bedtime Games. Second question: Whose friend is Flynn Rider?”
“Oh no. We’re lost,” he heard Cian say loudly as Connor pressed the buzzer.
“Rapunzel,” he replied. His best friend should really have more faith in him.
Rachel raised an eyebrow coolly. “Disney fan?”
“No. Disney spreads about as many lies as you do. No, I'm a good listener.”
“Third question,” Tara continued. “Which song by music icon Vanna Rey has stayed in the Top 100 Billboard charts the longest?”
Connor grinned and hit the buzzer. “'Lighthouse.'”
Annoyed, Rachel sighed and looked at him. “Country fan?”
“No. But Vanna is a former client and a good friend.” He even knew the guy she’d written "Lighthouse" about.
“Great,” Rachel replied dryly.
“Oh, yeah, she’s great. So, why are my hobbies so important to you?” he asked, sincerely interested. “Are you looking for a gift for me? To appease me if I force you to honor your bet?”
“Oh, please. You won’t win just because I’m a nicer person than you.”
“Ah, yes.” He nodded earnestly. “And as we know, in this world, the nice people get everything and the assholes get nothing.”
A hard line formed around her mouth. “That’s how it should be.”
“Guys, question four,” Tara announced, glancing uncomfortably between them.
“But that’s not how it is,” he said.
“Does that make you the biggest, most arrogant jerk?”
“The biggest?” He raised a dismissive eyebrow. He found it upset most people when he did that. “Do you turn everything into a competition?”
“Says the guy who suggested a bet to me yesterday?”
“Ah, right, that…so, how’s it going?”
“My date’s sitting right there. And he’s hot.”
He shook his head at her. “My date’s sitting over there too, and she’s intelligent. Man, you’re so shallow. Do you have to reduce the poor guy to his looks?”
“What’s the capital of Kenya?” Tara asked.
Rachel blinked and glared at him. “I didn’t… He’s intelligent, of course, I just wanted to…”
Connor grinned and hit the buzzer. “Nairobi. The capital of Kenya is Nairobi.”
With her mouth gaping, she glanced between him and Tara. She almost certainly hadn't even heard the question, which was his plan all along.
“Oh, you play dirty,” she hissed angrily.
Slowly, he leaned toward her until their faces were at eye level. “Everything is more fun dirty,” he whispered roughly…and saw goosebumps climb up her neck.
There was that fire in her eyes again. The ambition. The will to beat him.
Shit. If she was so passionate about a pub quiz, where else did she lose control? Lose control even if she didn’t want to? He saw it in her eyes. She wanted to stay calm and relaxed, but she couldn’t. God, he could let her enjoy not having the upper hand for once. He had his ways and means…
His abdominal muscles tensed, an unwelcome heat pooling beneath them.
Fuck. He couldn’t be serious.
“Okay, Connor only needs one more correct answer to win,” Tara announced loudly. “So, focus, Rachel. Who scored the most goals for the L.A. Hawks last season?”
Shit. Gareth would have been a better choice for this speed round; he owned the damn team! Connor watched hockey, but only casually. Then again, Rachel apparently had no idea either.
“Oh God, I hate hockey,” she groaned.
“Boo!” Matt shouted.
Rachel fought a smile and she turned to the Hawks striker. “Sorry! Is it you? Did you score the most goals?”
“No yelling out hints! Ten seconds left,” Tara piped up.
Connor glanced at Matt, who was frowning while Maddie tugged on his sleeve and whispered loudly, “Give her a hint.”
Matt looked extremely pained. “No. I don’t want to say it.”
“Oh, it’s Dax Temple,” Rachel cried out triumphantly, hitting the buzzer.
Tara grinned. “That’s right!”
“But you’re a close second,” Maddie said softly to her fiancé.
“Man, Connor!” Gareth exclaimed incredulously.
“Oh, come on, Tara,” Izzie complained. “That was a hint!”
“Yeah, but Connor could just as well have known that Dax Temple is the most arrogant guy who no one begrudges the best scoring stats.”