Page 138 of The Bittersweet Bond

"A demand?" Evin repeated, settling beside him. "What kind of demand?"

His playful gaze met hers as he started dealing the cards. "Something that forces the other to step out of their comfort zone."

Evin laughed, her eyes sparkling. "Okay, but no backing out. Rules are rules."

She wasn’t usually one for games. But for him? She’d play every ridiculous game in the world.

Basnodded with a ghost of a smile. "Let the games begin."

The first round went to Bas. He laid his final card down with dramatic flair, stretching his arms out in triumph.

"So, what do you want?" Evin asked, stacking the cards while barely glancing up.

Bas leaned back against the couch, his gaze challenging. "I want you to tell me a secret. Something you’ve never told anyone before."

Evin hesitated. For a moment, she looked like she was weighing her options, then she bit her lip and looked up at him.

"Okay…" She lowered her voice, as if she were revealing a state secret. "Last summer, I snuck out in the middle of the night and went to the beach alone. I thought it would be… freeing or something to go skinny-dipping. But looking back, I was probably just lonely."

Bas stared at her, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Skinny-dipping? Alone?" A mischievous smile spread across his face. "Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve happily kept you company."

Evin raised an eyebrow, her embarrassment fading into playful annoyance. "Oh yeah? I doubt you had time for midnight swims back then." She paused, then looked him straight in the eye. "You were… busy."

Bas’s smile faltered for the briefest second before he recovered, his grin turning cautious. "Busy? What do you mean?"

Evin let her fingers glide over the deck of cards as if the answer was unimportant, but her voice carried a trace of defiance.

"Well, last summer, you were a little preoccupied with… Antonia. Or whatever her name was." She wagged a teasing finger in front of his face.

"Oh." A flicker of amusement crossed Bas’ face. He exaggeratedly scratched his chin, pretending to think. "Antonia?"

Oh, the way his lips twitched in amusement…it was making her blood boil.

"You know exactly who I mean."

"Antonella? Oh, right. That was a thing." He glanced at her raised finger before looking back up at her, his grin widening.

Then, without warning, he laughed. A full, unguarded, heart-stopping laugh.And somehow, that annoyed her even more.

Instead of responding, he suddenly leaned forward, pressed a quick, exaggerated kiss to her cheek, and murmured in a deep voice, “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, you know that?”

Evin jerked back, her heartbeat stumbling, and she sucked in a breath. With a huff, she grabbed the cards and started shuffling, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

Bas leaned back, satisfied, watching her with that look that still managed to knock the ground from under her feet. “Come on, Hayes. Admit it—jealousy looks good on you.”

Evin scoffed, shooting him a pointed look. “You're flattering yourself too much, Montgomery.”

But inside, she battled the warmth spreading through her chest. He could so effortlessly break down the walls she had built around herself—and that scared her more than she was willing to admit.

“Well,” Bas mused with a self-satisfied grin, “you’re the one who started talking about midnight skinny-dipping. Who knows what else I might learn about you?”

Evin froze for a split second, her fingers halting mid-movement. A pang shot through her chest—something she wanted to push away as quickly as it had come.

“A girl’s gotta keep some things to herself.” She murmured, her tone light but laced with hesitation. Instinctively she started shuffling the cards again. Her hands suddenly felt strangely cold.Don’t think, Evin.

Bas watched her with that keen gaze—like he had noticed the slight crack in her armor. But instead of pushing, he let the game carry on.

Still, Evin won the next round. She clapped her hands in triumph. “My turn. I want you to… dance on the coffee table.”

---