Maddie cheered the loudest, closely followed by Hailey. But Rachel didn’t look back at her sister. She was still looking at Connor, straight into his eyes. There was a silent challenge in them.
What did she expect him to do? Get angry over a little game? No. He might get angry, but only over things that meant something.
For a second, he gave her a blank look, and then he lifted one corner of his mouth and held out his hand. “Well played,” he summarized crisply.
This was merely a quiz, and yes, Rachel was smart and knew a hell of a lot. She deserved to win. But if he got upset now, Rachel wouldwina whole different battle. And he wasn't going to grant her that. Besides, he wasn’t angry at her, he was angry at himself.
Had he seriously lost focus because she…because she…
“Um, thanks,” she said, perplexed, and hesitantly took his hand.
He didn’t give the warmth of her skin time to transfer to his. He didn’t want to give her any more opportunities to get on his last nerve. It was already far too easy for her. So, he swiftly dropped his hand, nodded to her, and walked back to his team, who would surely be sympathetic.
“Why didn’t you buzz in faster, Con?” Izzie asked, groaning. “Youknewthat last one. You’ve compared marriage to scurvy countless times. You know, like because it’s unnecessary, easily avoidable, and completely outdated!”
Oh, yes, and the comparison still applied. Nevertheless, he couldn’t tell Izzie why he’d been so slow. He’d been…distracted. Distracted by the lips of a woman he disliked as much as the sound of his alarm clock. But, shit, he’d never admit that. “Guess I’m just tired today,” he said with a shrug. “Whatever.” He smiled at his date, Alice. “Did you at least have fun?”
“Oh, yeah. It was fun.” She nodded, but her smile was a little shaky.
No, it wasn’t going to work out between them. Still, he offered, “Should I take you home?” It was the least he could do.
“I’d love that. I just need to use the restroom.”
“I’ll wait outside.”
He longed for some fresh air. It had gotten too hot and stuffy in here. Shit, why did she have to be so damn smart? Wasn’t it enough that she was way too attractive and gave him dirty ideas?
Alice. He was talking about Alice, of course.
Gareth, Izzie, and Cian remained behind. Ada had a friend over and said it would be less awkward at home without her dad, which Cian didn’t need to be told twice. Gareth and Izzie were absolute night owls and didn’t need a reason to go to bed late. So, Connor leaned against the wall next to the entrance of the Sunny Umbrella. He was alone with the sea and the cool air, which didn’t banish the tingling in his palm from the handshake.
“Sorry, things got a little heated at the end.” A soft, high-pitched laugh rang out, sending hot and cold shivers down his spine.
He looked up and saw Rachel step through the doorway. She had Dream Man Number One in tow, smiling shallowly. “Oh yeah, you seem very ambitious.”
“Sometimes,” she said, frowning, as if it was something she needed to apologize for.
Her date laughed nervously. “A little more than sometimes.”
Connor raised his eyebrows. That sounded accusatory. Man, he was a bigger jerk than he imagined.
“Yeah, maybe,” she said, surprised. “Um, did you have fun?”
“Oh, yeah. Your friends are nice. Just like you.”
“Thanks. You were rather quiet. I was a little worried it was too much for you.”
“No, no!” He waved it off. “It was fine. Well, I barely got a word in edgewise. You…didn’t talk to me that much.”
She shrugged. “Well, I wanted to win the game. You’re right, I could have spent more time with you, but Con…” She trailed off as Connor rested his head against the stone wall behind him.Had she just been about to say his name, as if it were his fault? And why was she defending herself for wanting to win?
She cleared her throat. “Sorry.”
Connor gritted his teeth. She was actually apologizing just to make the jerk feel better.
“No problem.” He nodded.
“So, would you like to meet again?” she asked hesitantly.
