Page 28 of Good Girls Like it Dirty
Chapter Nine
“Are you sure this is it?” Zaine asked when he parked in front of the entertainment complex. Monique had insisted they do something she chose for the day, and he’d ended up agreeing. When she gave him the address, he didn’t think much of it.
“Yes. C’mon,” she said, sliding out of the car and shutting the door.
He sighed, then did the same and closed the door. He hadn’t been to a place like this since he and Zachary were teenagers. They loved to meet their friends and eat pizza and play arcade games. His chest tightened for a moment.
“What is it?” she asked.
“My brother loved this kind of place when we were young.” Hell, the type of sports bars Zachary favored as an adult had been a grown-up version of this type of venue. Dartboards, loud music, spicy appetizers.
“Then let’s honor him and have a good time,” she said, and offered her hand to him.
God, he wanted to live in Monique’s world for a lot longer. She seemed to have such a different way of seeing things, yet, at the same time, he wanted to be more like her. To be with her a lot longer than he had the right to be.
He’d emailed Ashley a copy of his cell phone bill, as well as a file from his security company with all the times caught on camera when Monique had visited their home prior to their separation. He’d hoped proving she wasn’t there for longer than needed and that he hadn’t ever called her would help, but Ashley still didn’t answer his calls. Shit.
He thrust his fingers into his hair. What good would obsessing over it do? “You’re right. It’s time to have some fun,” he said.
She squeezed his hand. “Like you Americans say, awesome.”
They entered the huge space, where a mix of teenagers and adults with children or just on their own were having a good time at the machines or playing miniature golf and laser tag. He couldn’t believe it, but she convinced him to play in the two-floor laser tag area. At first, he entertained letting her shoot him just for the heck of it, but damn it, she was good at making his harness vibrate each time she zoomed her gun on him.
“Nooooo,” she said later at the bowling station, when he hit strike twice in a row.
“I spent my teen years bowling. You have no idea what you’re up against, sweetheart.”
She held the ball and feigned a look of sadness. “Teach me?”
“Hold it like this,” he said, holding his own. “Then roll with intent.”
“I just realized maybe I should have worn something like a miniskirt to keep you distracted so I’d win.”
“If you had, we wouldn’t have made it out of the car,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
She followed his suggestion and knocked six pins. She lifted her hands, raising the roof. “Yes. It’s a start.”
The cheesy fries they’d ordered arrived, and they sat around the table for a moment. Shit, he didn’t know when he’d last had this much fun. No fancy restaurants and no exclusive events.
“These are delicious,” she said, grabbing one fry and taking it to her mouth.
His heart swelled. Maybe it was because he hadn’t been in a bowling alley in so long, and memories of his brother always put a smile on his face. But maybe it was because being here doing something so ordinary with her made him ponder all the things he could do if she weren’t leaving in a few weeks—and if he weren’t in such a crappy time of his life to begin a new relationship with someone with different goals.
…
“Are you ready for the beach?” Zaine asked, sliding his sunglasses into the pocket of his shirt. Correction: the silly Hawaiian shirt with a loud pattern that she’d bought him the day before, after they’d arrived in Honolulu. She’d dared him to wear it, and hell, he never backed away from a challenge.
Monique took her phone from her bag and snapped a picture. “I need evidence of you wearing this,” she said, gesturing at the bold brown and red colors that’d give a regular person a headache. “Your sisters are going to love it.”
“You’ll pay for it later.”
She winked at him. “Can’t wait.”
Monique stood in the middle of the outrageously expensive suite of the trendy Honolulu hotel, flashing him a radiant smile he wished he could bottle. Or freeze in time. Maybe that was his snapshot of her, a mental picture he’d never forget. His heart squeezed for a moment, and he swallowed hard.
She wore a turquoise cover-up that whispered above her knees, and a pair of flip-flops he doubted had been purchased from the expensive store he’d sent her to shop in. Still, she looked adorable, and he couldn’t wait to see what type of bikini she had hiding under all that fabric.
“Let’s go before we decide to stay in,” he said, and held her hand in his. She followed him out, and he closed the door and walked down the hallway with her.
