Page 14 of The Bet
The guests would be outside, enjoying the night for a few more hours yet. Savannah had told her to come back to the party, and to enjoy the rest of the evening once Jacob was asleep, but she wasn’t so sure.
Apart from Savannah and Jacob, the only other people who seemed down to earth and on her wavelength had been a guy called Luke, and a couple of his colleagues.
The bar area was a good size, and the cocktails were flowing freely. Tobias had spared no expense, just like at the engagement party. He had the best drinks, the best food, the best decor all on his own private island paradise.
She wished Cara had been here—at least she would have someone to talk to once Jacob was asleep.
“You can’t get me, you can’t get me,” Jacob sang, mocking her, teasing her, and giving her no choice but to wade towards him. She couldn’t help but smile because his squeals were so infectious.
“It!” she shrieked, tagging him with her hand and then waded away as fast as she could. In the next second Jacob lunged towards her, a moving waterfall of splashes as he neared her, and then, tagged her in a clever underhanded move where he swam underwater and came out behind her, surprising her with his prowess.
“Gotcha!”
“Jeez, dude.” A man’s voice on the deck behind her made her skin bristle. She turned around.
“Xavier!” Jacob cried. “Wanna play?”
She stared at the tall, dark figure before her. With a beer bottle in his hand, he stared back at her.
She had seen that look many a time, and she didn’t like it. She let out a quiet groan under her breath, and prayed that this letch wasn’t about to join them.
Jacob swam up to the edge. “Wanna play tag?”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
Xavier’s gaze passed to Jacob and then met hers again. “I don’t know,” he said, as if he was testing her resolve. “I’m not sure your friend wants me to.”
Jacob looked at her. “Can he play, Izzy?”
Hell, no. “It’s time to get out, Jacob.”
“But we’ve only been here for—”
“Now, Jacob.” There no negotiating this. She waded closer to Jacob and, lowering her voice, said, “It’s your mom’s big day tomorrow, Jacob. It’s time to go to bed. I promise I’ll ask her if you can stay up late tomorrow night, okay?”
“You promise to ask her?”
“You know I will.”
“Okay.” It wasn’t a sullen, ‘okay,’ either. The kid was gold. Only, she now had the uncomfortable task of getting out of the water without letting the letch stand and stare at her like he’d never seen a woman in a bikini before. It made her wish she’d worn her tankini and shorts in the water.
“That’s where you are!”
Her heart leapt with relief to see a woman coming towards the asshole, and command his attention.
Phew. Close call.
