“Wager?”
I scoff. “You mean, what you’re gonna give me when I win?”
He nods at me before sarcastically saying, “Oh yeah, sure.”
“You’re carrying an extra fifty pounds easy. You can’t beat me.”
“Try me, princess.”
Glaring, because I’ve decided that is the most degrading thing he can call me, I say, “Fine, I win, you gotta buy me a big bottle of mustard for the house.”
Scrunching his face up in a perplexed look, he says, “Mustard?”
“Yes, it’s a favorite.”
He shakes his head. “Fine, but thankfully, I won’t have to give up the five bucks. But you will have to admit one thing to me that you would never admit to anyone else.”
Eyeing him, I ask, “Say what?”
He grins, his teeth flashing in the sun as he covers his eyes with a pair of Ray-Bans. “When I win, you have to admit something to me. Pretty cut-and-dried, Moore. Or what, are you too scared to do such a thing?”
I know he is baiting me. I know he is, and I need to ignore the bait. But of course, I’m snipping at it like a damn idiot. “I’m not scared of anything.”
“Then shake on it,” he says, holding his hand out. I look at his hand, and I know I have nothing to worry about. I can beat him, no problem. He may have beaten me on the ice, but that’s because my skates weren’t sharpened... Or at least that’s what I’m going with. Taking his hand, warmth creeps up my forearm before I look up at him and he is smiling.
“Good, let’s go,” he says then, and of course, I drop his hand and take off. I gotta get a good lead on him, he’ll gas out quick, but when I look back, he isn’t there.
Jace is.
What the shit?
He grins as he trots beside me. “You’re fast, dude.”
“Thanks,” I say slowly, looking behind me. “Where’s Jayden?”
“Back there,” he says, jabbing his thumb behind us.
I laugh. I got this in the bag.
I pick up speed, but Jace falls back in step with me. I don’t know why that surprises me; we are about the same body type. Except I have tits and an ass. I feel him looking at me, but before I can look back at him, he says, “So you are coming tonight, right? Further our team building? I bet you could do a badass keg stand.”
I can, but I shake my head. “Nope, staying in. Can’t be drinking, slows ya down.”
He scoffs. “You can still come and not drink.”
I shrug, following along the trail. “I don’t feel like it.”
He gives me a look of disapproval and then asks, “Why? It will be fun. I heard the parties are amazing.”
“Just don’t,” I say before sucking in a deep breath. “I really don’t know you guys. I bet it will be fun for you, but not me.”
“So get to know us,” he suggests, and I let out a breath.
“I don’t wa
nt to,” I answer then, and his grin is gone. We trot for a few minutes with each other, and I want to shake him. He makes me feel weird.
“Can I ask you something?” he says and I shrug.