Page 7 of Ignite
I shied away, my gaze falling to my lap. My cheeks felt hot, and I knew I was red ashell.
“How much did youbet?”
“Forty,” I replied. “I put in what I wonyesterday.”
“Small beans,” he said with a grunt. “I know guys who bet five figures a pop. You’re a long way from calling up the gambler’s helpline. I do lose sometimes, so keep that inmind.”
Five figures? Like ten thousand dollars? Somehow, I knew he was referring to the upper part of the scale. The thought of risking that much money on a bet made me break out into a cold sweat. I’d never had that kind of money in my entire life. If I did, I would sure as hell put it in the bank where it was safe, not plonk it down on a set ofodds.
“Thanks for the tip.” Finally, I shifted my gaze upward and found him smirking at me. “What?”
“What’s your deal?” heasked.
I pulled a face. “What do youmean?”
“You don’t strike me as the usual type of woman who comeshere.”
“There’s a usualtype?”
“Definitely misjudged.” He laughed and straightened up. “Look around, Ali. Most of the women here are either gold digging, looking for fun between their legs, or heard about this place from their friends and decided to come check out the muscled men. The last lot never stick around for more than a night. They see the reality of this place and run right back into the arms of their rich, hipster boyfriends and suck their limp dicks.” He glanced at me. “I thought you were one of them until I saw you sitting hereearlier.”
I shrugged, my tongue feeling like sandpaper. He had a crude way about him, and I wasn’t used to it. He spoke about sex like it was a hobby, not something special, and it threwme.
Thinking about his judgment of me, I supposed I was a lot like those women who wanted a taste of danger. A short, sharp, jolt of adrenaline to blow out the cobwebs of their mundane lives…but I’d had nothing and nobody to go back to, so maybe that was why I was sitting here again. Wow, that sounded all kinds ofpathetic.
“So,” he prodded, “what’s yourdeal?”
“What kind of name is Blade?” I blurted, not wanting to explain my shitty excuse for alife.
His eyes crinkled at the corners as he grinned, and he ran his hand over his face. “Fuckin’ stupid,right?”
“It’s kind of badass, but I feel a little silly calling youthat.”
“Liam,” he said, pressing his shoulder againstmine.
Warmth spread through my body at his touch, and I smiled, feeling euphoric he was paying attention to me atall.
“She does smile,” he muttered, and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to hear it or not. Either way, the warmth spreadfurther.
“So are you coming back?” he asked, this time projecting his voice. “Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it, but you’ve got myinterest.”
I interested him? Had he been hit in the head too many times? There was nothing remotely noteworthy aboutme.
“I don’t know,” I said aloud. “We’llsee.”
Liam shook his head and rose to his feet. Immediately, the group of women who’d been lingering along the bleachers came to life, fluffing their hair and readying themselves to pounce boobs first into hispath.
All he did was smirk to himself before glancing at me. “Enjoy your steak,Ali.”
“See ya…” I didn’t want him to leave, but he was going regardless. He probably had a girlfriend he had tomeet.
I watched as he thumped down the stairs, the gaggle of tarted up women trying to get his attention. To my surprise, he didn’t even look twice. He just strode on by and disappeared into the crowd, leaving a dozen broken hearts in his wake…and a little crack inmine.
This place was like the bloody TwilightZone.
I didn’t understand what was happening, but I could talk to him. I could actually hold a conversation with a handsome man I felt attracted to and not make a complete idiot out of myself. This place…it might be akin to walking into a maximum-security prison, but it’d transformed me from a mouse into a lioness. Well, maybe not something so fierce, but I was a step up from the crumbling mess I was atwork.
Liam had said I could be anyone I wanted to be at The Underground, so that was exactly what I intended todo.
