Page 36 of I Never Stopped Loving You

“I’m just taking it easy on you.”

“Bullshit. You’d better not be.” She actually seems angry at that statement. “Play the game right, Noah,” she growls.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I gun it, keeping right on her tail, turn for turn. We’re coming up to the last few turns. She’s still in first, but not for long.

On the last tight turn before the finish line, I take the inner lane. It’s tight, and when she turns, her front end manages to clip my rear bumper. She tries to overcorrect her steering and ends up hitting the wall. I cross the finish line in first, and her car spins past in second.

“Hmm. What’s that old saying, Miss Bennett?” I ask coyly.

She rolls her eyes at me playfully while she huffs and gets up from the game.

“What are you saying?” she asks.

“From that one racing movie? Come on. Don’t you know your Will Ferrell movies?”

She stares at me for a second before bursting out laughing.

“Do you mean Talladega Nights?” she asks while still laughing.

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

She’s laughing harder now, and it’s adorable. Her smile makes her eyes light up, and the sound of her laugh drags me right back to the last time I saw her.

“Yeah, that’s the one. So, about that drink?”

“Yeah, yeah. Keep your pants on.”

She waves me off and heads toward the bar. She leans on the counter patiently waiting for the bartender to finish up with another customer.

“So, what’ll it be, Noah? White Claw? High Noon? A shot of Jack?”

“Just a water for me.”

She spins back toward me and realizes how close I am.

“What? But you said…”

“I just agreed to a drink. You didn’t say it had to be alcoholic. Go ahead and get your White Claw.”

She slowly turns back to the bartender when he comes over.

“One black cherry White Claw, and one water, please.”

“Water’s free, so three bucks.”

She goes to pay, but I place my card down instead.

“Hey, that wasn’t part of the deal.”

“The water is free, so I guess the deal is void. We’ll have to figure out another way for me to claim my winnings.”

I take a step closer, caging her against the bar top with my body flush against her back while I sign the credit card slip. I can feel the sparks bouncing between us. This heat. This fucking pull. I know she can feel it too because I can feel her body tense.

“So, what game do you want me to beat you at next?” I tease as I grab the water and take a sip.