“Marriage isn’t on my bucket list, either,” Jack replies.
“Why not?” I ask.
“In my line of work, it’s better…I’m too busy to get married.”
“No one’s that busy. That’s just an excuse. You just don’t want it bad enough.”
He looks surprised and amused. “You calling me out, princess?”
“Hey, I’m not judging you. I just said I don’t believe in marriage, so you’re in good company.”
We get out of the car and walk into the bar. It doesn’t look any better on the inside, but maybe, like the Chinese noodle place Jack took me to, the quality is in the food rather than the ambiance. Unlike High Camp, I can count the number of patrons besides me and Jack on one hand. Country music plays in the background.
“It’s crazy how many places in California have gluten free and vegan options,” I remark upon studying the menu. “Even in a place like this.”
After I order a cheeseburger and fries—with gluten and dairy—we play some darts while waiting for our food.
"You major in darts at Notre Dame?" Jack asks me after I manage to hit the bullseye twice out of six throws.
“This is maybe my third time playing,” I reply.
He raises his brows. “Back up and try it again.”
I take several steps back. The first one I throw hits the outer bullseye. The second hits the double ring.
“You’ve played more than three times,” he says when I nearly hit another bullseye after four more throws.
“Honest, I haven’t,” I say. “Maybe it’s beginner’s luck.”
“That or you have incredible hand-eye coordination.”
I look at him mischievously. “I’ll play you for something.”
He leans back against a pool table and crosses his arms. “You think I’m stupid or blind?”
“We can make it challenging. If I hit the bullseye, which is hardly a guarantee, we stay another night here and you take me snowboarding again tomorrow.”
“And if you miss?”
I give him a sultry smile. “What do you want?”
“If you miss, we stay another night and you give up your safe word.”
My heart stops. Given what Jack’s capable of, that’s fucking scary. I like it. Adrenaline tingles through me.
But I know it’s not wise. Can I trust him? So far, he’s looked out for me. He’s been protective even, not letting me snowboard the harder runs right away. But what if he overestimates what I can handle?
Damn. I’ve never been in a lot of predicaments before. Like Jack alluded to, I’ve lived a fairly charmed life. I shouldn’t have gotten so cocky about the dark throwing, but I didn’t think he’d come back with the safe word shit. I thought maybe he’d want a dozen blow jobs or something. Next time, I’ll think things through a little more.
“How many shots do I get?” I ask.
“One.”
“One chance to make a bullseye? That’s crazy. I’m not that good.”
“Bullseye or inner ring,” he offers.
Now my heart picks up speed. Returning to where I stood before, I look at the dart board. It’s doable. I could get lucky, too. And I don’t want to back out since I was the one who proposed the game in the first place.