Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“No clocks in this game,” Crossland fired back. “Get the fuck out if you can’t be patient.”
Doyle waved him off, grumbling about going to get a drink. Serenity, his dutiful daughter, wavered in her customary seat behind him.
“You don’t have to follow him,” Gareth said in that low and stern way of his, as if he had the authority to tell her what she could and couldn’t do for her father.
Doyle was an old school, misogynistic prick who treated his only daughter like a possession meant to obediently serve him, and that was just what we saw. I couldn’t imagine how he treated her when there wasn’t anyone watching, and Gareth looked like he thought the same.
Serenity locked eyes with Gareth, something shifting between them that even had me looking away. I wasn’t sure if she was terrified of him or intrigued by him. I could only tell it was powerful. Either way, it wasn’t any of my business until Gareth or she made it my business, so I focused back on Brynn, but couldn’t not hear Gareth’s disappointed sigh as Serenity left the room, most likely heading after her father.
“What if you fall first?” Brynn asked, drawing attention away from whatever that moment with Gareth and Serenity had been.
“I don’t fall in love.” I cocked a brow at her. Never again. “Which makes this bet seem entirely unfair.”
“What if you did?” she asked, rolling her eyes.
I leaned back in my chair, contemplative. There was no part of me that wanted that life again—the one where I couldn’t wait to see the other person, couldn’t wait to please her, couldn’t wait to make her proud, only to be crushed by her in the end. Granted, I’d been in college, but the scars still rubbed me raw on nights I felt lonely even when I tried not to admit that to myself.
“I don’t even think I’m capable of falling in love,” I admitted. “But if I did, I’d tell her. I’d be honest about it.”
Brynn nodded, flashing me a sympathetic look. I knew Weston and Asher kept nothing from them, and they likely knew all about my tragic past, but that was fair. I wouldn’t expect them to keep secrets for me. Besides, it had been a pretty public break-up that only gained more attention in how I responded in the aftermath.
I swallowed hard, hating the flickers of old pain that radiated up my chest. The doubt that crept into my mind in hollow moments where I questioned if I was someone who was worth loving in the first place.
“If she falls for you,” Brynn continued. “Would you give it a chance? Would you be open to the relationship, or would you just be in it for the bet?”
“I get what you’re saying,” Weston chimed in. “But I’m not liking where this bet is going. This isn’t a penthouse in London, it’s an actual person’s life.”
“All is fair in love and war,” Gareth said, tension ticking in his jaw that I knew had nothing to do with the bet and everything to do with the beautiful innocent blonde that had just left the room.
“I’d be open to it,” I blurted out the answer to Brynn’s question before I could give myself more time to think about it.
I wasn’t lying. I would be open to it, but the chances of me finding someone I could trust again, someone I could give my wrecked heart to again…they were slim.
Brynn gave a see look to Weston before smiling at me. “Then I say go for it.”
I laughed, shocked that the girls were in support of a bet like this, but to their credit, they’d made sure I was sincere about it before giving their blessing.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” I said after studying Gareth for a couple more minutes, scribbling down my agreement to his bet on one of my blank chips. “I’m going to beat him anyway,” I said, tossing in my chip and turning up my cards. “I don’t put you on aces,” I said, showing my pair of kings. “And I highly fucking doubt you were chasing the hearts.”
Gareth grinned like the ruthless fucker he was, turning over two hearts.
“Dick,” I snapped.
“You’re right,” he said, raking in the chips. “I rarely chase.”
“But you did tonight,” I said, shaking my head. “Why?”
“Like I said,” he answered, grinning at me. “I’m bored.”
“Omigod,” Daisy said, bouncing up and down behind Asher. “You have to…omigod.”
“Remember what we talked about,” Brynn warned. “Don’t be nefarious.”
I laughed at that, shaking my head. “I should just give your charity the ten million now.”
“What happened to your confidence?” Crossland mocked me.
“I still have it,” I fired back. “But let’s be real. I’m going to stick to my word and be myself.”
“No one could ever actually love you.” My ex’s words rang loud and clear in my head, threatening to steal all the bravado I’d worked up for my friends. The same mask I liked to hide behind so no one would truly see how lonely I was.