Page 73 of Ruined Vows
“Confidence looks good on you,” I tease, my gaze lingering on her.
“So does winning,” she says as she throws her third and lands it just inside the ring.
I step up beside her and grab my darts.
But she lingers way too close. Damn, she smells good enough to eat as her apple scent fills my nose, and even overpowers the bar’s odors.
I’m drunk on her.
“You need me to show you how it’s done?” she whispers.
“I’m watching very closely. I pay attention, y’know?”
“Yeah?” she says, stepping back with that smirk that could level empires. “Then you’ll have a front-row seat to me kicking your ass.”
I throw my dart off-center. The second one is too wide. She doesn’t even pretend to hide her grin. The third one lands, but not enough to beat her score.
She walks over, retrieves her darts, and swings her hips like she choreographed for a fast country song.
She holds them up like trophies. “Looks like I’ll buy the next round… with your money.”
I stare at her.
God help me. I want her so badly thatit hurts.
But more than that? I like her like this. She’s victorious, smug, and very alive.
I go to the bar and bring back two shots of tequila. I handher one. She gives me a side-eye before she tosses it back like a boss. She sets it down on the table and returns to the game, all business.
My smile can’t be contained. In fact, it reaches my eyes and toes. She’s that special.
She misses once. Curses under her breath. Then nails the bullseye with a sharp, smug flick of her wrist.
I stand behind her, watching her hips shift with each throw.
She turns. “Eyes up, soldier.”
“No promises,” I chuckle.
She laughs—loud and unfiltered, but it hits me. She’s different than other women. I want her in my life forever. And I know one thing for certain—I can’t stop the feelings I have for her.
She’s authentic. Her essence isn’t polished, and that’s not what I’m looking for. It might not always be pretty. But it’sreal.
And she’s mine for the taking.
“Rematch?” I offer, already knowing she’ll say yes.
She steps into my space, just enough that her breath brushes my jaw. “Only if you stop staring at my ass long enough to aim.”
I grin. “Impossible.” My heart warms. She’s amazing. She’s perfect. She’smine.
We drank a few more tequilas and shared some laughs, and before I knew it, the bar was closing.
Where did the time go?
We pull up to her building just after two. The air’s warm, and thick with the scent of summer city—concrete and heat, jasmine blooming somewhere nearby, and my desire.
She doesn't move to get out right away. She sits there beside me, lips parted, eyes watching me under lashes that could cut glass. She’s tempting me in ways a man shouldn’t betempted. A lesser man wouldn’t let the moment pass without crushing her lips or touching her voluptuous body.
