“What?” he says.
“I think he said he forfeits,” Luce says to me with a grin and shrug.
He jumps to his feet instantly. “I never said that!”
“Then let’s continue. I got things to do!” Luce says.
I laugh. You gotta love a woman who gives as good as she gets, especially when her swagger comes with competence.
The idiot duo fails to win a single game during the first set.
Luce smiles brightly as she high-fives me. “Wow. That was brutal.”
“No mercy,” I say with a smile of my own. Victory is always sweet, but for some reason, this one feels sweeter.
“None.”
“It’s only because this side of the court has too much glare!” Preston says. “The sun’s in our eyes.”
“Which is why you’re wearing sunglasses.” I point at the shades wrapped around his eyes.
“It’s still distracting!”
I shake my head. Everyone on the court is wearing sunglasses. “Fine. Hope you do better after we switch.”
But he and Vonnie don’t play any better. I’m treated to textbook examples of what not to do on the court. And how clumsy humans can be.
Luce, on the other hand, is on fire. And more than a little distracting when she leans forward, because her ass is perfection from every angle. I love seeing her muscles flex and power her moves. The earlier set must’ve been just a warmup, because she plays with even more force and control now. Sweat glistens on her taut skin, and it’s all I can do not to stop the match so I can steal a kiss.
When the second massacre of a set is over, Luce drops her racket and raises her hands in the air. “Yes!”
The spectators clap. “Great match,” a few of them call out, as the crowd starts to disperse.
“You just got lucky!” Preston shouts.
“Yeah!” Vonnie’s shrill voice rises in agreement.
“Then quit pissing off the gods,” I say, too pleased to give a shit what they use as an excuse for the spanking they just got.
Flipping them the bird with both hands, Luce turns around and leaps over to me. Her arms wrap around my neck, and she gives me a tight hug. I squeeze her back. She smells like sweat, soap and lavender shampoo. The wall she usually has around her is gone, and she’s completely vulnerable, and blindingly beautiful.
“Wewon!” she says, pulling back a little to face me. The smile on her lips hits me like a bolt of lightning, sudden and powerful. The one she bestowed upon Jason in San Francisco that made me seethe was a lightning bug compared to the one she’s giving me right now.
My heart races like it’s about to burst. A hot jolt crackles along my spine, and pure elation like I’ve never experienced before swells. I dip my head and kiss her.
Her mouth softens under mine, parting to let me in. Our tongues entwine, and I swear she tastes exactly like triumph. My pulse kicks up as blood roars in my ears like rumbling thunder.
I want herright now.
The sound of rapidly slapping feet slips through the thick desire. I go still for a moment, and Luce pulls away and looks around.
Preston and Vonnie are running to the main building. Fuckers.
“Hey, you need to pay up!” I say to their retreating backs.
“Yeah,” Luce says. “Get back here andgeton your knees!”
They don’t stop, but they aren’t that fast. “You want to drag them back here and make them honor their bet?” I ask Luce.
