Frigid Affair(10)
“No. I can’t be that guy. It’s not why I’m here.”
“That’s too bad. I don’t get many handsome visitors. It’s been a while for me. I wouldn’t complain if I was sitting across from a half or fully naked man.”
“I’m not as great as you seem to think I am, Amantha. You need to know that. Some things aren’t what they appear to be. Maybe living out here on your own has made you feel invincible. Life hasn’t dealt me a good hand in a long time. It would be easy to take advantage of someone like you, but I won’t do it. Like I said before, I can’t.”
“What if I wanted to be taken advantage of? What if I didn’t give damn about your life? If you haven’t noticed, I’m alone. If you’re scared it’s okay,” I taunted.
He smirked and pushed the can to the side. “You know what, you’re on. Screw the nuts. We’re two adults. I can handle a game of cards if you can.”
Was he agreeing to play strip poker? “Strip poker with a stranger? Do you think I’m crazy?” I teased. “Do you normally dive right into shady games with strange women?”
His snicker was amusing. “No, but I do think you’re sexy, and if we’re going to play, we may as well make the most of it. After tomorrow you’ll never have to see me again. It’s just a game. How bad can it be? I promise to keep my hands to myself. Besides, I’m not letting you out of my sight until I know you’re out of danger.”
What did I have to lose? I’d put my life in harm’s way already, and he’d saved me. What could a game of cards do? If this guy wanted to attack me, he’d have to get past Ava first. “Fine. I’ll be dealer.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter 4
I dealt the cards, pulling up mine to look at the hand. I had a four of clubs, a six of spades, and a jack of hearts. It was a terrible hand. Still, since I was confident I’d win the game, I waited for the flip. The first down was an ace of spades. Then a seven of diamonds. I raised Easton two articles of clothing to make him think I had a good hand. While praying I’d flip a jack as the final card, I watched an ace of diamonds flash face up. I knew from playing it meant nothing as long as my cards were better than his. While I waited for him to show me his, I kept a straight face to try and elude him. He grinned and flipped his over without even waiting for me to go first. “I have a full house; a pair of diamonds and three aces.
Shit! My bluffed hand was terrible. I should have folded. While considering a way out of removing an article of clothing, I could feel my face turning a bright red. “I suppose it wouldn’t be fair if I quit?”
“With the amount of layers you’re wearing, I’m sure you have plenty of time to get me back.”
I took off my first sweatshirt, tossing it to the side. “Your deal.”
We played three more hands, all of which he kicked my ass, but in doing so we’d been able to talk. Truthfully, I did most of the blabbing, since it had been so long since I’d had human contact. This guy made me hot in all the right places. His smile was contagious, and his stare was inexplicably hungry. Perhaps I should have been scared of him. He could easily overpower me if he wanted to. I could have invited a murderer into my home and never thought anything of it, not when he looked this damn attractive.
I was down to a pair of leggings and a thermal undershirt. Finally I got lucky and pulled three of a kind. Watching him lift off his sweatshirt, and seeing his bare abs exposed before his other shirt was pulled back down was awakening. I felt warmth in places I knew I hadn’t paid much attention to in a very long time. Let’s face it, sex toys don’t compare to the real thing; to touch and feel another person’s skin brushing against your own. Thinking about it was making me want to close my eyes and pretend something was going to happen between us. Who was I kidding though? This man wasn’t going to seduce me, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to try anything with him. We were passing the time. That’s it. It wasn’t like he was going to carry me up to the loft and give me a run for my money.
The next hand wasn’t fair. I got dealt crap, while he smiled the moment he collected all his cards. “You’re definitely going to hate me after this one.”
I put my cards down and folded. “Ugh, I give up. I think I have better chances at beating you if you were blind and couldn’t see your cards.” I stood abruptly and headed toward the woodstove, where I always kept a large pot of hot water on top so the air wouldn’t dry out, but also so I could have hot water when I needed it.
“Where are you going?” He asked.
“If you expect me to stay awake I’m going to need another cup of coffee or tea.”
After a quick glance I noticed he was shaking his head at me. “You’re not at all what I expected.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. “Come again? What did you expect?”
“Never mind. It’s not important anymore.”
I shook it off. Obviously he’d assumed I was a stupid woman who couldn’t make good decisions without the help of a brooding man. What a douche!
I had to keep reminding myself how he was the first man who’d ever spent this amount of time in my cabin. Douche or not, I liked having the company. As much as I didn’t care to admit it, I appreciated he’d stuck around to make sure I was all right. “So, I’m curious.” I leaned against a large wooden beam in the center of the room. The cabin had two, and they added to the rustic feel being exposed like the framing on the ceiling. “Where do you see tonight going?” I had to ask. What did I have to lose? If this guy turned out to be a creep, I had a rifle within reach.