Page 23 of Betting on the Bad Boy

Murph grabbed onto my arm. “Hey, no need to rush off. You can just lie down on my bed for a bit if you want.”

“Smooth, dude.” Dante let out a snort. “I’ve got to get to work. Come on, Faith, I can give you a ride home.”

I looked back and forth between Dante and Murph. If I stuck around the party, I’d have to fend off Murph. But if I left with Dante? Did I really want to subject myself to being alone with him? The tremors running up and down my spine urged... yes.

“That would be great.” I looked at Murph, but he was busy glaring at Dante. I gently pulled my arm away. “Thanks, I had fun.”

I walked back to the kitchen to tell Jess I was heading home, then met up with Dante at the front door.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I asked. It was just a ride home. Nothing more.

“Not at all. I need to get back to the bar anyway. I have to close tonight.”

He opened the door for me and we stepped outside. The night was cool, but not too cold. A full moon illuminated the road in front of us, casting thick, dark shadows along the edges of the pavement. I shivered and pulled my cloak tighter around me. I wasn’t sure yet if it was because of the chill in the air or my proximity to the big, bad wolf.

“It’s a bit of a walk. Do you want me to go get the car and pick you up?”

“No. It’s nice out. Thanks though.”

“I haven’t seen you at the gym lately.”

“I’ve been jogging outside. I suppose once the snow starts falling, I’ll have to find another way to get my exercise.”

Dante let out a bark of laughter. “If you ever need to burn off some extra calories, I’d be willing to help.”

I sighed. “Do you always relate everything back to sex?”

Dante shrugged. “Aren’t you even the least bit tempted? Don’t you ever take a break?”

“Of course, I do.” I stopped in my tracks. “I do yoga, go for a walk, check out a movie,”—I gritted my teeth—“snuggle with my cat.”

“Yoga, huh?” Dante turned back to face me. “Believe it or not, I’ve done some yoga.”

I opened my mouth to respond but decided against it. What was the point? He’d just twist my words around anyway, kind of like how my stomach was twisted into knots at his suggestion of a dual cardio workout.

We walked down the rest of the street in silence, eventually reaching his car at the end of the block. Dante jogged ahead to open the door for me.

“Thanks.” I slid into the low two-seater.

He shut the door behind me, then walked around to the other side and got in. “You need to give me directions.”

Sitting next to him in the enclosed space, my body flew into high alert. My pulse pounded in my temples, and my fingertips went numb. Just thinking about touching his hand sent a flock of butterfly wings beating against the walls of my gut. He wasn’t part of the plan. Not trusting myself to look at him, I directed him back to my place with as few words as possible. He pulled into a spot and turned off the car.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Faith, I...”

I risked looking over at him. Shadows played across his gorgeous stubbled face, though his blue eyes burned bright in the darkness. My breath caught in my throat.

Dante started again. “Did you...”

I tilted my head and focused my eyes on his full lower lip. As I waited for him to speak, an urgent need to reach out and run my fingers over his cheek washed over me. I should go. Now.

“Dammit, Faith.” His hand moved toward me, but he dropped it. He tilted his head one way and then the other like he wanted to say something more.

Before I realized what I was doing, my fingers wrapped around the front of his still-damp oxford, and our noses bumped. His hand sought out the tender spot at the base of my neck, and his lips smashed into mine. My first instinct was to push him away, but as his mouth parted and his tongue moved past my lips, I stopped resisting and melted into him.

CHAPTER 13