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Her playful tone reassured me, and I couldn’t contain my grin.

“Oh, I definitely do.”

After dinner, I drove us to an indoor go-cart track off the freeway. Andi’s obvious excitement told me I’d chosen well. She bumped my hip with hers, and I resisted the urge to clasp her to me to prolong the contact.

“You’re goingdown, Sheldon.”

I couldn’t help my gaze from flashing down to where her red dress flirted with her thighs. I choked on a laugh as she shoved me away, likely realizing her threat had come off more like an invitation.

“Not likethat, pervert.”

“Yeah? Want to make things interesting?”

“Are you trying to bet your way into my panties, Hot Stuff?”

Her heart. Her life. Her panties. I wanted my way into them all.

The moment crystallized, Andi’s laughing, flushed face forever impressed on my memory. Warmth washed through me, and my heart raced. Was this love? Wanting to be there for her, with her, always? Andi challenged me in ways I’d never dreamed. She made me laugh, made me appreciate my gifts and hers. I could picture us, ten or twenty years down the line, just like this. Laughing and competing against each other. I wrangled in the impulse to share how I was feeling. Blurting out I believed I loved her on our first real date might not send the right message.

Shaking myself, I matched her playful tone to cover my thoughts. “Sunshine, I don’t want to getintoyour panties, I want to get yououtof them.”

“Hmm … what did you have in mind?”

I loved that every time I suggested a new game, she eagerly rose to the challenge. Like that competitive spirit was just as much a part of her DNA as it was mine. It was sexy as hell.

“How about, if I win, you have to slip off your underwear and hand them to me before dessert.”

“Dessert, huh? Am I on the menu?” she teased.

Heart racing, I leant forward, letting my hips graze hers. “Only if you want to be.”

Mischief flared in her expression, and she stroked a finger down my chest, curling it around the waistband of my jeans. Hiding my reaction wasn’t an option. My erection pressed against her as she tugged me forward, and I groaned at the sparkle in her dark eyes.

“Tell you what, Hot Stuff. If you win, I’ll slip off my underwear and hand them over before dessert. But. IfIwin, you’ve got to do the same.”

Hazy with lust, I could only nod. I’d planned on ice cream after our race, but the heat in her gaze had me wishing for so much more. Capturing my prize would only make it harder not to want her for dessert.

Andi heckled me all through our heat, and I chased her around the track, doing my best to weave in and around her. The smell of exhaust nearly choked me as she sped away, and her frown of concentration as she pulled around me only spurred me on. Win or lose, flirting with Andi was the most fun I’d had in ages. Worries about the future, misgivings about everything that could go wrong, all faded away under the warmth of her smile.

“Pay up, sucker.”

Her triumphant grin and the gilt of desire edging her expression eased any ache over losing our race. If Andi looked at me like that, had I truly failed?

Playfully, I reached for my fly, and she slapped my hands away, laughing.

“Not here, Hot Stuff. Again, with things that could get us arrested? You must really be jonesing for those handcuffs.”

With a saucy wink, I sauntered toward the bathroom. Pausing at the threshold, I glanced over my shoulder, catching her watching me walk away. I bit my lip and cocked a hip, hamming it up for her. Her belly laugh echoed behind me, and I hummed to myself as I slid into a stall to make good on our bet. Slipping out of the bathroom, my gaze caught on Andi standing in the hall. Lips full and turned up in a soft smile, hair a little wild from our race, she looked ripe for a tumble into bed, and my body tightened as the fantasy took shape.

Needing to get us back on silly footing to restore blood flow to my brain, I dropped to one knee as I presented my folded boxers, ostentatiously, like I was in the presence of royalty.

Andi bowed solemnly over my offering, then slid my boxers into her jacket pocket and patted the area.

“I dub thee: Sir Commando.”

“It’s my pleasure to serve,” I answered softly, losing my grip on the ridiculous in the face of the truth.

I stood, sneaking a quick kiss, before grabbing her hand and tugging her toward my truck.