Page 40 of Fighting Chance

He rears back. “You really aren’t going to tell me what’s on it?”

“Nope,” I say, popping thep.

He snorts. “Why, is it sexual fantasies?”

I drop my gaze quickly, picking up his empty bowl and making myself busy as I head toward the sink. “No, don’t be ridiculous.” I feign scoffing at the notion.

I hear him flip around on the couch. “Holy shit, I was joking but…” He trails off and I’m grateful for the ringing in my ears and the loud rush of water so I can’t hear what he says next.

I scrub our dishes like a madwoman before I drop the bowlsin the sink and rush past him and his knowing stare, calling over my shoulder, “I’m going to check on my clothes.”

I note my sky-high heart rate and the slight shake in my fingers as I step into the laundry and open the dryer. I all but slump with relief as my hand brushes against my warm clothes.

Shutting the dryer door with my hip, the click rings out as I pull Kieran’s hoodie over my head. His voice rings out behind me, making me scream.

His chuckle mixes with the sound of my sigh as I spin and cover myself, relief flooding my system as I find the laundry door still closed.

“Kieran!” I shout. “Let me change in peace!”

I can practically hear the smile in his voice. “You ran out of that room awfully fast, sunshine. Is there something you’re avoiding?”

“No!” I snap.

Huffing, I pull my jeans on, sighing at the warm fabric. After slipping on my own sweater, I fold Kieran’s, ignoring his yapping on the other side of the door. I pull it open quickly enough that my fiery red hair flies out behind me.

Whatever I was about to say dies on my tongue as I find Kieran leaning against the doorframe, smirking down at me.

Before I can move past him, he lifts a hand to the top of the doorframe and leans in closer. “Tell me one thing on the list and I’ll drop it,” he whispers.

My brow arches. “You expect me to believe you?”

He clicks his tongue. “Fine, how about you tell me one thing, and in exchange, I’ll tell you a secret.”

A secret from Kieran Ashford?

I honestly would die to know what goes through this man’s brain.

“You’re considering it.” He winks. “I’ll make it a juicy secret.”

“How do you do that?” I whisper.

“Do what? Be oh so charming all the time? It’s a skill?—”

“Not that,” I cut him off. “How do you always seem to know what people are thinking?”

He’s quiet for a moment before he drops his head an inch,bringing our faces so close together his warm breath puffs across my skin. “If you want to know the answer to that,” he drawls, “you have to tell me something on the list.”

I sigh, resolving to tell him one of the lesser of evils. I could lie and make something up but that isn’t fair, not when it looks like he’s serious about answering my question.

Dropping my gaze to my feet, I wrack my mind through the list, trying to remember everything that I wrote down. If I stared into his eyes any longer, I would just end up saying something stupid.

Ugh, I hate that he has this effect on me.

He makes it incredibly hard to think, especially when his eyes do that twinkle thing—gah.

“Spill it, sunshine,” he whispers, that damn nickname catching and holding.

Lifting my chin, I smirk, satisfied with the PG one I remembered. “To be kissed in the rain.”