Page 27 of That Kind of Guy

He had me there. I glanced over his face and noticed a tiny white scar on his top lip.

“Let’s keep walking.” He grabbed my hand again and pulled me toward a booth. “We need to circulate.”

I let Emmett lead me through the fair while his hand grasped mine. It could have been worse. His hand could have been sweaty. It wasn’t, though. His hands were big and warm, and I fit into them perfectly. It was almost comfortable. I was almost having an okay time.

Someone gasped.

Almost.

“I knew it.” Mateo, the pizza shop owner, shook his head at us. “I friggin’ knew it. The second you called in that order, Emmett, I told my guys, those two are sneaking around.” He shook his head at us. “I friggin’ knew it.”

His wife, Farrah, beamed at us. “I hoped it was true.” She squeezed a plush toy to her chest. “How sweet. I’m so happy for you two.”

“Thanks, Farrah.” Emmett returned her smile. “Nice toy.”

She beamed again and nudged Mateo. “My husband won it for me.”

And that was how we ended up at the darts booth.

“We agreed on one loop of the fair.” I gave him a flat look.

“This is what people in a relationship would do.” Emmett pulled a twenty out of his pocket before he exchanged it for a handful of darts. “I’m going to win you a dumb little toy, and you’re going to carry that thing around all night.”

I scoffed. “Wow, macho much? The cavemen's stick hit you extra hard.”

He looked around to make sure no one would overhear us. He wore a little grin on his face when he leaned in, and I got a clear view of his light grey eyes, filled with humor. The little scar on his lip quirked. “Dutiful,” he reminded me.

That was it. I yanked my wallet out of my bag.

“What are you doing?”

“You want to win something for me?” I pulled a bill out of my wallet and handed it to the teenager behind the booth. “I’m going to win something foryou. And you also have to carry it around all night.”

I had never played darts in my life, but something about Emmett got to me. Maybe it was that smug expression. Or maybe it was that little scar on his lip that kept capturing my attention.

The teenager handed me some darts, and I gestured at Emmett. “Are we on or what?”

A big grin spread over his face. “Absolutely. Whatever I win for you, you have to cart around all night.”

I nodded. “And if I win that enormous mushroom—” I pointed at the massive stuffed toy hanging from the roof with the rest of the toys. It must have been bigger than me. “—you have to carry it around all night.”

“Great.” His eyes shone with competition and challenge.

“Wonderful.” I gave him my most confident smile.

“Ladies first.”

I positioned my feet in a way that felt right and closed one eye as I threw my first dart at the board.

It bounced off.

Shit.

“Don’t worry about it, Adams.” Emmett aimed for his own board. “The first one’s just to loosen you up.” He threw the dart and hit the bull’s eye. My mouth fell open, but I closed it as Emmett shot a satisfied grin over his shoulder at me. “Your turn.”

I swallowed.

“So,” he asked the teenager, “if I hit three bull’s eyes, I can pick whatever toy I want?”

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