Rhett shoots me an incredulous look before announcing, “Me, of course. Blair here is being a sore loser.”
“I’m not a sore loser!” I whirl around to face Santi. “I’m a sore winner because someone is trying to take my victory away!”
Santi beams at the both of us. “You know, I don’t really care who won. I just want to know where the winner wants me.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, confused.
He rolls his eyes. “You know what I’m talking about. We’ve done this before,cariño.”
My face heats at the memory and my body follows suit.
“How come you call her that? What does that mean?” Rhett asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
Oh no, is this going to cause tension between the two of them? Before I can hastily make something up, Santi shoots him a devastatingly handsome smile.
“It means ‘sweetheart’.” He cocks his head to the side. “I have a nickname for you as well. I’ve been waiting until you were ready to hear it. Is that now?”
Rhett’s eyes narrow. “If it’s asshole in Spanish, then no.”
I sniff out a chuckle as Santi laughs.
“No,mi amado, it’s not,” Santi promises, his voice warming.
“Mi amado?” Rhett repeats in poor Spanish, tasting the words on his tongue. “What does that mean?”
“My beloved,” Santi translates.
My smile splits my face as I watch Rhett’s eyes widen before warming. It’s as if this is the last thing he expects to hear. After a second, Rhett pulls himself together and rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, well,” he clears his throat. “You’re mine, too.”
My heart swells at the rough declaration from the surly lumberjack. I didn’t think Santi’s smile could get any bigger but it does. It makes giving up my win a bit easier knowing they can share this moment.
“Rhett won,” I concede, happy for the two of them. “You guys go have your fun. I’ll start cleaning up.”
I start to turn around, already trying to figure out how to get my axe out of our victim’s body but Santi grabs my wrist. I twist back around to find Rhett standing closer to me. Both guys exchange a knowing look before Rhett turns his attention back to me. He raises that pierced brow quizzically.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asks. “Last I checked, youbothplayed and you both lost. That means I get to decide your fate tonight.”
It takes a moment for his words to process.
Rhettis going to call the shots? My eyes sweep over him, taking in the blood splatter covering his red and black flannel jacket, his dark bandana, and his brows. He looks wild and unhinged, but what makes my heart skip a beat is the excitement in his eyes. It brightens up the darkness and makes him look almost manic. It’s the most emotion I’ve ever seen from him. Hell, I can’t even see most of his face right now, but I’m breathless at the energy crackling around Rhett.
This could be thrilling.
Or it could be disastrous.
I hesitate a moment longer. Rhett hasn’t given me a reason to trust him. Giving him domain over my body makes me nervous. As it should. Dad said that in the end, the only person I can trust is myself, him, and Ledger.
Up until recently, I believed him.
Then I came to Gnarly Pines where I met Wes, who’s only shown me tenderness and comfort. My eyes flicker to Santi. Santi has shown me that life doesn’t have to be so serious. His eyes are locked onto my face, wide as saucers, and his bottom lip is starting to jut outward as he quietly pleads for me to trust him on this.
And the thing is, I do trust him. If Santi thinks this is wise, then I’ll play.
Turning my attention back to Rhett, I hold his gaze as I smile.
“Alright, Rhett, what do you want us to do?”
