“Is that a threat?” I whisper back hotly.
“No, I’m trying to help you. You don’t want to get messed up in our drama.” He skims a finger along my wrist, causing me to jolt and my heart to skip a beat.
Why the hell did he touch me like that? To mess with my head probably.
I lift my hand to shove him away, but he steps back on his own.
“If you want to duel, then we can duel. But I’m warning you, you’re not going to win.” His gaze strays to my car. “Not in that.”
All I do is shrug. While my car looks like a piece of shit on the outside, it runs pretty smoothly. If he knew anything about cars, he would know that, especially if he helped disassemble the carburetor. Seeing as he doesn’t seem aware of what’s hidden underneath that hood, my guess is he’s pretty clueless about cars and doesn’t spend a whole lot of time drag racing.
That thought makes me smile, which Blaise more than notices.
“You do realize Rhyland has never lost a race ever and Alex is a mechanic, right?” he tells me almost apologetically.
My brow quirks upward. “Did I challenge them to a race?”
He exhales loudly. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“And don’t say I didn’t warn you when you get your ass kicked.”
He rubs his forehead and sighs. “So, what’re the terms of the race? I mean, what do I get if I win?” He dazzles me with his pearly whites when I glare at him.
Then I mirror his smirk. “Well, whenIwin, you and your brothers will leave my sisters and me alone. No more flyers. No more messing up my car. No more doing anything that makes our lives even the slightest bit complicated, got it?”
He tilts his head to the side, considering. “That sounds doable, I guess.”
Alex snorts a laugh. “Don’t agree for all of us.”
Blaise shoots him a warning look then looks back at me. “If you win, I promiseallof us will leave you and your sisters alone. But whenIwin”—his lips quirk as I glower at him—“you owe me a month’s worth of favors. Anything I ask for, you do.”
I promptly shake my head. “Anything is too broad of a word.”
He wavers. “Okay, I promise none of the favors will be dangerous or will require you to do anything that’d get you hurt.”
I don’t want to say what’s biting at the tip of my tongue, since it will probably get laughed at when I do, but it needs to be said. “Nothing sexual either.” I give myself a pat on the back for my even tone.
Blaise slips his tongue out, wetting his lips, amusement dancing in his eyes. “The last thing I’d ever want is for you to give me sexual favors.” My lips part with a comeback, when he leans closer and whispers, “When stuff finally does happen between us, it’ll happen because you want it.”
My blood burns beneath my skin. “And to think, you were just starting to seem not as annoying as when I first met you.”
He chuckles softly. “You know what? I take back what I said. I do want you to kiss me when I win.”
I slant back and glare at him. “I already said no sexual favors.”
“It won’t be a favor. Just an extra prize.” He’s all grins and wickedness. “Just one kiss, and then you can spend the next month reliving it over and over in your memory.”
“You mean my nightmares.”
“Are you afraid you’ll lose? It sure sounds like you are.”
Dammit. I’m not sure what to do. On the one hand, I doubt I’ll lose. But what if I do? Then I’d have to kiss this asshat and do a bunch of favors for him, which possibly means spending time with him. On the other hand, backing down now is going to make me seem weak. Plus, if I win, they’ll have to leave my sisters and me alone.
“Fine,” I say. “But I want an extra prize, too.”
His smile radiates amusement. “All right, what is it?”
A Cheshire grin spreads across my lips. “I get to kick you in the balls.”