Page 66 of All Bets Are Off

“Theo?” I call, and he pauses at the door. “About last night . . . I think I need to tell Addy.”

He grimaces, but then reluctantly nods in agreement. “I was waiting for you to say that. As much as I don’t like the idea of my sister knowing my business, I get it. She’s your best friend.”

“I just don’t want her to hear about it through the grapevine.”

“Although . . .” He trails off, and I raise an eyebrow at him, prompting him to finish his thought. “I suppose there’s no point in telling her if last night was just some one-time thing. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her. But if this is going to be something more . . .” He nonchalantly shrugs and averts his gaze, humming.

There’s a question in there somewhere. From my spot in front of the desk, I lean back in the chair and cross my arms. “Are you trying to ask me something right now, Theo?”

Sheepishly, his eyes find their way back to mine and he smiles. He looks kind of nervous, which is rare for Theodore Sinclair. “I’m trying to ask you if this is something you could see us continuing when we get home? And to make it perfectly clear: continuing this is exactly what I want, because I like you, always have, and I’d really like to see if this could turn into something real.”

He declares his intentions with such confidence, like rejection fears him, rather than the other way around. And I love that he’s perfectly clear. Sometimes I need things spelled out to me, because I have a bad habit of misreading people. It’s good to know that, for once, I was right about Theo. This isn’t some game for him. He’s genuinely interested in me on a level that’s deeper than just sexual attraction and flirty banter, and yes.

Yes, I want to continue this.

I tap my finger against my lips, purposely drawing out my response just to tease him. “Well, that depends,” I say. “What are we doing for our first date back in Boca?”

Theo grins now, because there’s his answer. “Obviously we’ll order takeout and pop champagne to celebrate the book deal you’re about to land.”

“You have too much faith in me, Theo,” I say, rolling my eyes as I unfold my arms and turn back to my laptop screen. The only way I’ll ever land this book deal is if I get this manuscript emailed over to Samantha pronto. “Round up the guys and be at the Uber pickup point in an hour. I’ll find Addy and Evie.”

Theo blows me a kiss and says, “Order received, sweetheart,” before quickly disappearing out of the door before I have the chance to hurl a pillow at him.

27

Evelyn

Usually, I hate Sunday mornings. Most Saturday nights I drink at the college bars around campus, so I tend to associate Sundays with pounding headaches, dehydration, and a craving for junk food.

Not this Sunday.

This Sunday, I’m wide awake bright and early, full of energy and feeling refreshed despite all of the drinks I managed to sneak past Adelaide’s supervision at the pool party. This Sunday, I’m a complete and utter bundle of joy, because life is good.

We won big on roulette last night. I can pay off Michael Montgomery and safely return to school for the fall semester without worrying about that burden on my shoulders, and I’ve just spent the second night in a row with the sexiest guy I’ve ever met. Yeah. Life is fucking great.

“You’re very . . . smiley,” Jameson says as he walks into the bedroom, fresh out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Beads of water drip from his jet-black hair and I can’t help but gulp as I not-so-subtly rake my eyes over his body.

“Well, Jameson,” I say, stretching out my arms from my cozy spot in the bed with a beaming smile, “that’s because I’m happy. Though I’m starting to think paying my share of a hotel room this weekend was a complete waste of money, because I have yet to actually use the bed I paid for.”

“There’s always tonight,” he says.

“And what are the chances of that ever happening?”

Jameson smirks. “Pretty slim if I get any say in it.” He crosses the room and presses his hands to the edge of the bed, leaning down to kiss me with a warm, smoldering gaze. I happily oblige.

Truth is, we have done nothing but kiss all damn night. Maybe that makes me a tease, but it’s where my boundaries are at this exact moment in time, and Jameson has been respectful of the line I’ve drawn between us. It’s not that I don’t want him to tear my clothes off, because oh my God, I absolutely do. I just can’t shake the feeling that I hardly know this guy, and I’d have to be comfortable with the fact that I’ll never see him again afterward. It really would be a one-night stand, and maybe it’s just easier to never know what I’m missing out on in the first place.

“Hailey’s been texting in the group chat,” I say as I break the kiss between us and reach for my phone on the sheets in front of me. “Getting Ubers to the Las Vegas sign in an hour. Would you like to come?”

Jameson still has his hands pressed to the bed and his face only inches from mine with a gentle smile on his face. He softly shakes his head. “I’m going to pass on stalking you to this activity for a change.”

“Oh?” I say, feeling my stomach sink with disappointment.

“I was trying not to check any emails this weekend, but I caved. Looks like there are some issues with one of our systems that need fixing sooner rather than later,” he explains with an apologetic frown. “Obviously there’s not much I can do out here, but I can at least make some calls to talk through the problem with my team.”

With all of the banter between Jameson and me this weekend, I kind of forgot that he’s actually some hotshot tech guy in Atlanta. I’ve seen the vengeful side of him, the fun side, the vulnerable side—but I haven’t seen the professional side of him until now. It’s attractive.

“At the risk of sounding stupid . . .” I bite my lip. “I know you said you work in tech, but what does that actually mean? Are you the guy who fights back against hackers?”