Page 9 of Stealing for Keeps
“Can I get in the next game?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Hunter says, flicking his head and sending the light brown strands out of his eyes. “But there’s another one if you don’t want to wait.”
“New Guy!” Barrett calls from where he sits. He points at me as he stands. “Me and you.”
I follow him to the other cornhole setup.
“Care to make it interesting?” he asks as we pick up our bags.
I chuckle, thinking about Rowan’s warning that Barrett likes to bet. Unfortunately for him, he’s not getting anything from me. “I don’t have any money.”
He waves it off. “We’ll play for a dare.”
“A dare?”
“Yeah. You win, and I take a dare from you. I win, and you take one from me.”
“Can’t we just play for bragging rights? I don’t need you to do anything but shake my hand when I win.”
He throws his head back and laughs loudly toward the sky. “I like you, New Guy. This is going to be fun.”
“What’s the dare?” I ask. I feel a small beat of hesitation, but I never back down from a competition.
He tosses one bag up and catches it, smiling. One of his front teeth is chipped, and he has a sparse black mustache that blends in against his dark skin. “If I win, you have to kiss that girl over there before the end of the night.”
I follow his gaze to the porch where two girls have just stepped out the back door. My heart trips when I see her. She’s wearing jeans and a tank top tonight instead of the shorts and T-shirt she had on earlier, and her hair is down, falling over her shoulders and teasing her bare arms. It takes a beat before I even fully see her friend. The same brunette she was with today. She’s cute too, but there’s something about the blond that draws me to her. I hope she left the glitter at home.
“Which one?” I ask, tearing my gaze away.
“The one with the boot.”
Otherwise known as the blond goddess I nearly trampled.
“That’s it? I just have to kiss her?”
“Yeah. That’s it. Easy, right? You’re the mysterious and unknown new guy. The girls will be fighting over you before the end of the night.”
I highly doubt that girl has ever had to fight for a guy. They probably just fall at her feet. It doesn’t stop me from imagining what it’d be like to make out with her. It’s been a while, with the move and everything. Not that I’ve ever had a lot of time for dating. Soccer takes up so much time that I’ve only done the girlfriend thing once.
“I’m not even that good,” he says. “You’ll probably beat me.”
Kissing her wouldn’t be the worst way to end tonight. I shrug. “Let’s do it.”
Twenty minutes later, he’s not only beaten me, but he’s beaten me so badly that I can’t figure out how it happened. I’m usually good at cornhole.
We’ve attracted a crowd, including Rowan, who shakes his head at me and gives me a look that says, “I told you so.”
“Pay up, New Guy.”
“What’d you bet him?” Rowan asks, stepping up to pat me reassuringly on the shoulder.
“Uh-uh.” Barrett interrupts. “This is between me and the new guy.”
Rowan’s brows lift. I think he mutters, “This can’t be good.”
“I have all night, right?” I ask. She’s gorgeous, and I didn’t exactly make the best impression earlier. I’m going to have to play the long game.
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t wait. Once Vaughn gets here…” He trails off, tilting his head to the side and wincing.
