Page 18 of Under the Lies

“Blackjack.”

He nods, starting to deal out the cards. One card face down for each of us.

I stare at the card. “I’m not giving you any money.”

“I don’t want your money.”

“Then what do you want?”

“You.”

My arms drop from my chest. Is my mouth open? It feels open.

I wait for him to crack a smile or laugh, to show any sign that he’s joking. Until I remember who’s sitting across from me. Noah Kincaid doesn’t joke. Not about debts and sex.

“I’m not on the table.”

“You could be.” His eyes dance when I shift in my seat.

I stop, pushing away from the table instead. “Noah, be serious or I’m leaving.”

“You’re not going anywhere, Sayer. Sit down.” His tone brooks no argument and I’m wise enough to listen.

Slowly, I sit down. “I’m not playing strip poker.”

“Tempting.” Noah smirks. “But too frat house for me. I was thinking of something a little different.”

“Which is?” I ask when he doesn’t elaborate.

“Favors.”

I don’t like the smile he gives me. A predator closing in on his prey.

Sitting here, I feel like an idiot. Of course he doesn’t want my money. He has more than enough.

Noah lives for a challenge.

Too bad for him, I don’t. “There’s nothing that I want from you,” I say.

“You sure about that?” he asks, heavy with implication.

I raise a brow. “Positive.”

He plays with the collar of his shirt, still exposing part of his chest. My eyes hone in on it. On his neck, watching it constrict as he swallows. Masculine and sharp, he’s honed into a weapon.

A weapon set out to distract me. Entice me.

Noah’s chuckle crashes into me and my eyes meet his. “Yeah. You don’t want anything.”

He flicks a card in my direction.

Four of hearts.

Silence settles between us.

I came tonight to sit at a table and play a game or two of cards. To see the mysterious Underground. Now I’m sitting at a table playing a game of cards with someone even more mysterious than The Underground itself.

For the past week I’ve been on edge, not wanting to see him, thinking he’d collect on the promise of whatever he has going on with my sister not being over, but here we are now and he hasn’t so much as brought her up.

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