Page 5 of Stumped

“I believe that,” I say and brush her hair back, tugging away the strands clinging to her lips. The minute we realise what I’m doing, Vera grins. “What?”

“I’m not fucking you because you saved me from the big asshole.”

This woman. I have the most inappropriate things on the tip of my tongue, because now that she’s put the visual in my head of us fucking, it’s all I want.

“What does saving you get me?”

Vera settles into her seat and leans forward on the table. “My fantastic company, obviously.”

“Of course.”

I sit down as well, but instead of being across the weirdly shaped table, I adjust my chair closer to hers. So when she crosses one leg over the other, her foot brushes against the inside of my leg. We sip on our drinks as people continue to cheer and groan around us.

“Who are you, Elias?”

“I’m a guy with the voice, jaw and a smile that could surpass pick-up lines.”

She laughs, nudging me with her foot. “You’re hiding.”

“Right now? Yeah. From the idiot you wanted to pummel to death.”

“Why are you wearing a cap at night in a dark bar?”

I take a slow sip of my beer and ponder if I should tell her or find a way around the truth. Scratching my jaw, I hesitate and use the same hand to push my cap up. Vera’s eyes widen and for a second I think she recognises me.

“Youshouldhide that face, don’t want all the single ladies in here trying to snatch you away from me.”

Don’t worry, Vera. I’m all yours. The thought surprises me and I cover my shock with another sip. “I’m pretty sure there are no ladies here.”

“You’re right. The testosterone is stifling.”

“What are you doing in a sports bar if you don’t like cricket? Especially during the ICL.”

She slumps back in her chair, drawing my attention to her chest briefly; she still hasn’t bothered to straighten out her dress. “I was supposed to meet a guy. Either he showed up, saw me and changed his mind. Or got distracted by the stupid game.”

“Match,” I correct her automatically and get a glare in return. Chuckling, I rest my elbows on the table and unabashedly stare at her. “His loss.”

“Exactly. I’m a fucking dream. He missed out on all of this.”

“Lucky me.”

She smiles, but an eye roll accompanies it as she leans forward. With her arms crossed on the table between us, I can see her breasts almost spilling out of her dress in my periphery. I don’t dare look. Not because it’s the mostmanthing to do, but because looking away from Vera’s face is impossible. It also makes me very aware of how close we are.

“Is my distaste for cricket a deal breaker?” she asks softly.

“For what?”

“Everything.”

My mind floods with visuals of her spread out on my bed, dress hitched up around her waist as I worship her. It takes serious effort to not adjust myself.

“Nope. But…” I trail off, smiling as she leans forward a little more. “If you tell me you like cats more than dogs, we might have a problem.”

Her lips twitch. The space between our faces keeps reducing and I’m aching to find out what she tastes like, if the fruity-floral scent clings to every inch of her skin.

“What if I don’t like animals at all?”

“I know that’s a lie,” I whisper, eyes dipping to her mouth.

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