Page 177 of The Bet
“Yes,” she huffed out, thinking of how much she wanted her own time and space, how much she wanted to retreat into her room and stay there, and how much Cara wouldn’t let her.
“Doesn’t sound to me as if you want to go.”
“House-parties are better than the double-dates she keeps forcing me into.”
His eyes snapped in her direction. “You’re double dating now?”
She winced, just thinking about it. The last two dates had been nothing short of slow torture. She’d been in no mood for a date, let alone going out, but Cara refused to let her mope around in the apartment.
“You?” she asked, because she couldn’t help it. He was probably back on the circuit, probably hanging out at The Oasis every evening, probably getting laid frequently.
But he didn’t look too happy. That spark in his eyes was gone; the mischievous, cocky smile that often hovered around his lips was gone, too. Here stood a man who seemed to be a shell of the effervescent and flirty guy she’d once known.
“No. I’m still single.”
She felt lightness in her chest, the kind that made her feel warm and mushy inside. She forced her mind back to darker places, reminding herself not to forget.
$10K. Don’t forget the $10K.
“What did you do with the money?” she asked, curious to know.
“What?”
“The $10K?”
He lifted his chin and stared at her, his eyes level and unflinching. “We didn’t go through with it. I told you before, I forgot about it soon after I met you.”
Don’t fall for his lies.
“If I could turn back time, Izzy, if I could go back to the wedding, and that stupid moment, I would.”
“Placing a ten thousand dollar bet to get a girl into bed isn’t something that normal guys do. I’ve met a lot of dickheads, but I’ve never met one as big as you.” She hadn’t intended to go there. Hadn’t intended to reminisce, and jab, and get emotional, and bitter. She had intended to return the MacBook and leave.
But she couldn’t help herself.
His mouth turned hard, and it was a giveaway, how the muscles flexed on either side of his jaw. She could see she’d hurt him, that what she’d said had sliced deep, and for a second, maybe two, she regretted it.
It had been like this between them for the longest time. Moments of warm softness, interspersed with searing heat passion. It had been love and hate and all the emotions in between. A shiver rolled through her skin.
Xavier Stone had made herfeel.None of the guys Cara tried to pair her up with had even come close.
In the bleakest of moments, sitting in her room, she sometimes went over what he’d told her, about him wanting to confess, and how he couldn’t. How he had tried to tell her and had wanted to own up before they went to The Hamptons.
And in those bleakest of moments, she had started to wonder, what if he was telling the truth?
“I’m not stupid, Izzy. I’m just a guy who’s done a lot of stupid things. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way, and I hate that it cost me you.”
Go. Leave now before you start to fall for his words.
“I’ve learned my lesson, too,” she replied, “I should have trusted my gut, and my gut told me to stay away from you the first moment I laid eyes on you at the island.”
“I have no regrets about meeting you. Most of the girls I meet are easy, but you weren’t, and you were worth the chase. You’re smart, and sexy, and gutsy, and I love your soul. I love everything about you.”
A small rush of adrenaline spiked inside her—not enough to bring back the happiness she had experienced once-upon-a-time, but enough to lift her mood.
“That’s the thing about time. You can’t go back. You have to learn to live with your mistakes.” It was all she could think to say, to protect herself, to push herself away, rather than lean in and risk falling for his charm all over again.
“You should go, then,” he said. “You don’t want to be late for your double-date.”
