Stacking the Deck (A Betting on Romance Novel Book 2)(51)

“Dan O’Connell!” she gasped, a strained smile plastered to her features as she positioned one hand high on her hip and the other in a casual posture on the wall behind Carter. “What a surprise!”

“What are you two doing back here?” he asked. “Not already into the hard stuff, are we?”

“What? Oh! No!” Liz stuttered. “No. I, um, lost something. It rolled back here, behind the, ah, plant. I think. Carter was helping me find it.”

“What did you lose?”

“An earring...”

“My ring...” Their words stumbled over each other.

“I misunderstood you, Liz. I guess it’s a ring we’re looking for, Dan,” Carter said. Liz nodded earnestly.

“What did it look like?”

As Dan crouched down to peer behind the plant, Carter grabbed Liz’s zipper pull and yanked it up. She gasped and craned her neck, pulling at the hair he’d inadvertently caught in it. Dan stood up again. Liz’s neck was held tilted at a slight angle toward Carter, so he put his arm around her shoulder.

“Well, we don’t mean to keep you,” Carter offered.

“It really wasn’t a very special ring. I may have even left it at home now that I think about it,” Liz added.

Dan nodded and his eyes fell to Liz’s chest. “It’s good to see you again, Beth.”

“I go by Liz now, actually.”

“Liz.” He nodded at Carter, his eyes never leaving Liz. “Carter.”

“See you later, Dan.” Liz waved. She leaned toward Carter. “Can you please uncatch my hair?” she hissed.

“What? No ‘thank you?’” he teased.

She gave him a baleful look, so he slid the zipper down again. She yanked her hair free then held it out of the way as he slid the zipper up, the back of his fingers gliding over the smooth nape of her neck as he did so. Her skin was incredibly soft.

Liz shivered and turned, her face flushed. “Well, that went well. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but where’s my bra?”

Carter pulled the strap from his pocket. He was somewhat disappointed when she snatched it from his hand and shoved it into her clutch. “Thanks. I think.”

“Better?” he asked.

“Actually, yes.”

“You don’t need that bra, you know.”

“You don’t have to tell me I’m built like a board, and nobody notices my chest anyway.”

“No, I was actually going to say you didn’t need any augmentation. Why do you wear that battle gear anyway?”

“Battle—? Oh. It covers... things.”

“Well, speaking from a man’s point of view, there are some things that don’t need covers.”

She stared at him then, that ‘I can’t believe you just said that’ look in her eyes. “I can’t believe you just said that!” she gasped. “That is so incredibly sexist!”

“Maybe,” he grinned without remorse. “But you like going commando, don’t you? I’m just saying you shouldn’t feel guilty about it. At least yours move. I think Valerie’s have been Botoxed. Have you noticed they don’t shift—at all? I’m tempted to knock on them to see if they’re hollow.”

Liz snorted indelicately and gave him a look. “Botoxed?

“Makes you feel a whole lot better about what they’ll be saying about your chest now, doesn’t it?”

“Who’s going to be talking about my chest?” she wanted to know, dragging her feet.

“Come on. Let’s get a drink. I think we’re just in time for the main course.”

“You’re drinking? But I can’t drive that motorcycle if—”

“Relax. I meant I want a soda. But you can have all you want, so long as you can still hang on at the end of the night.”

“A soda sounds perfect,” she replied as she walked toward the bar.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

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Twelve years earlier…

VALERIE PURSED HER HOT PINK lips and stared at the bottle on the Whitmeyers’ kitchen floor as if willing it to keep rotating.

Nobody spoke.

Carter stood up. “I need a smoke. Can I bum a cigarette off anyone?”

Dan stood and pulled a pack out of his pocket and held it toward Carter. Virginia Slims? Carter fought not to roll his eyes. Jesus. Dan was such a girl. “Thanks,” he said.

He eyed the cigarette and folded it into his palm and headed to the door. Dan followed behind him.

Valerie jumped up from the floor. “You’re not actually going, are you?” she said. “I mean, come on, it’s Beth Beacon.”

Dan shrugged. “You wanted to play. I’m playing.”

Val looked around, flicked her bangs off her forehead. “Fine. Just don’t go catching any herpes cold sores or anything.”

Carter frowned. As if Valerie with her mongo hickey should be questioning where Beth had ever been. He looked to Dan.

In typical jock fashion, Dan was puffing up his chest. “Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure she enjoys herself.”

The other guys snickered and hooted.

Carter turned back to the door. Morons.