Page 34 of Madam Temptress
It only takes us thirty seconds to set up the rest of the pieces. She sits in the chair behind the white side, and I take the black. We’ve always switched places for each game, and I remember very clearly the last game we played, and she was the black.
“You remember too,” I say softly.
Her gaze cuts to me. “Remember what?”
“Our last game. You were black. I was white.”
A cheeky grin tips her rosy lips. “And I almost ...almostlet you win.”
My jaw slackens at her confession. “You did no such thing, woman. You weren’t letting me win. I almost had you. If I recall, I beat you good a few times those last couple of days.”
Her smile is secretive enough to give the Mona Lisa a run for her money. “Are you sure about that?”
I scoot my chair closer to the table and rest my elbows on it. “I’ve been practicing for fifteen years. I’m ready. Bring it.”
Nineteen
Magnolia
Ithrew down the gauntlet, and I did it on purpose. I need this game to suck me in and take all my concentration, because my mind is not my friend tonight.
I should have known that sitting across from Moses at a chess board would be all it would take to tame my frazzled thoughts. With him on the other side of the table, there’s nowhere else my brain can go. Between him and the game in front of me, they take up all my attention, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
We’re six moves in when Moses pauses before reaching for his piece. “We didn’t even wager. I think that was an oversight.”
While the game is the perfect distraction, our back-and-forth shit-talking is one of my favorite parts. “You think you’re going to win, big boy? That’s why you want to wager now, isn’t it?”
“Well, smartass, that is one reason,” he says.
I let my chuckle loose, because I love how he smiles when he hears me laugh.Why didn’t I ever notice that before?
“Then place your bet, Moby. I’ll be happy to win whatever you’re putting on the line.”
His green-gold eyes flash, and I have a feeling I’ll love whatever it is.
“When I win, you let me take you on a vacation as soon as this is done. No questions asked. You just pack a bag and get on a plane with me.”
I lean back in my chair and appraise him. Admittedly, I’m shocked by the wager. “And I’m supposed to betryingto win this game?”
His grin is quick and wide. “Ifyou win, I’ll let you pick the place. We’ll go wherever you want, mama.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” I tell him, stretching across the table to shake on it.
He reaches for my hand, but instead of shaking it, he lifts it to his lips for a kiss.
“Thank you,” he says.
“For what?”
“Giving me a second chance. No matter how determined I was, I needed you to give it to me, and I’ll always be grateful you did. And that you didn’t toss me out on my ass when I dragged my feet on telling you the full truth about how we met.”
I think for a moment before I reply, studying his face. I see the sincerity in his eyes, hear the affection in his words. And the promise they both deliver.
“I was pissed as hell when I first saw you, because I thought it was so easy for you to forget about me, and that’s why you never came back. I hated that you’d moved on, but I never could truly put you behind me.”
He shakes his head. “No. That wasn’t it at all. It wasn’t fucking easy being away from you. Not a single day. It almost fucking killed me at times. You’re an incredible woman, Mags. And it didn’t take long for me to realize I was never going to find another one like you. You’re one of a kind.”
“I want a baby,” I blurt out suddenly.
