Page 7 of Finding New Dreams

“So, who are you, Flynn?” I asked boldly.

His lips curled around his glass’s edge as the amber liquid floated forward then back. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“Careful,” I warned. “I read people pretty well.” Growing up, it’d been a necessity. Now, it served as a shield against the dangers of the dating world. Plus, it came in handy at the poker table.

One of his eyebrows lifted. “Is that so? In that case, I propose a game.”

“Bets, games, dares. You’re not one for being straightforward, are you?”

“What fun is that? Now, listen, the game is simple. We guess things about each other, and whoever gets the most right wins.”

I swirled the rest of my martini with its skewer of olives, contemplating, even as my blood buzzed at the idea of a gamble. “Stakes?”

He leaned back and propped one booted foot over his knee. His long fingers played with a beaded bracelet around his wrist. “If I win, I grab my jacket. You grab yours. And we leave.”

All the air compressed from my chest. I hid my open mouth behind my martini glass, tilting the liquid down my suddenly parched throat. “And if I win?”

His smirk was barely visible in the shadows. “Dealer’s choice.”

“Agreed.” I stuck out my hand, and we shook. Funny how in such a short time, my hand had become familiar with his.

His thumb swept over my knuckle before he released me. “Then let’s play, Rose.”

3

FLYNN

She was even more beautiful up close.

With the slightest air of familiarity. But that wasn’t possible—I rarely spent time in Minnesota, let alone Minneapolis, these days.

No. She was simply a magical gift from the universe. And I wasn’t one to thumb my nose at the universe. Karma and all that.

Her huge, dark eyes had lit up when I’d suggested a game with stakes. She had a taste for adventure, I’d wager. But we were already wagering. And I sure as hell wanted to win this one, like I had the last one.

“I’ll go first,” she said, her red lips pursed like a bow. The sexy stud in her nose winked at me. “That jacket you’d be grabbing—would it happen to be a black leather one?”

I barked a short laugh. “Pleather, actually, but I’ll give you the point. How’d you know?”

Her gaze traveled over me in a way that made me feel naked. But in a good way. Especially when her teeth tugged on her lower lip, and she ducked her head when her gaze met mine.

Was she blushing? Damn this dim lighting.

When she looked back up, she simply smiled. “Just seemed like the perfect fit for you.”

I swallowed hard. “Very good. My turn.” Leaning forward, I made a show of studying her, narrowing my eyes and humming to myself.

She laughed, something that seemed to come easily for her. It was fast becoming one of my favorite things about her—this stranger I barely knew.

I aimed for an easy target. “You’re a dancer. Or were, maybe.”

She nodded. “I took ballet for three years as a teenager.”

“Point for me as well, then.”

The club continued to rage on around us, but I barely noticed. I drank in every detail about Rose as she twisted her full lips to one side, deciding what to say next.

Sudden desire eddied hot and thick through my veins like lava.

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