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Chapter 3

Shane

“A bet’s a bet.” Aiden’s eyes sparkled. The people around us laughed. We had all known Aiden and his ways for years. He never missed an opportunity. Early in the season, I’d thought it would be funny to tease him. Nobody teased Aiden.

“Sweetheart!” He leaned toward me. In his mid-thirties, he still fit the image of a surfing commercial. “You promised me a hot kiss here if you finished in the top ten. And as always, I was right. Number eight means I’m here to collect.”

I leaned toward him lasciviously and ran my hand over his chest. “What do you want with someone like me, old man? I’ll be gone before you even manage to pucker your lips.”

Aiden roughly took my head in his hands and stroked my cheek. “Kid, I’m losing interest in you as we speak. That’s your chance to get it on with me.” He gazed dramatically into my eyes and raised an eyebrow. “But first, it’s payday.”

He pressed his lips to mine and immediately demanded entry with his tongue. He licked greedily into my mouth. His muscles twitched under my hands, and he deepened the kiss. Aiden was incredibly hot. But the exchange wasn’t exciting. Our friends were cheering around us. The assholes had nothing better to do than push Aiden and his antics.

“You better give in, Shane!” I heard.

“If you don’t want to, I’ll do it!” someone else announced.

But I wasn’t paying attention.

I carefully pulled away from him.

Aiden loosened his grip on my chin immediately. “This is your chance!”

“Sorry,” I said, even though I wasn’t sorry in the slightest. “I’ve met someone. Maybe. But I need to figure out our next steps.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow.

“You do realize you’re missing out on the best sex you could ever have?”

I had to laugh. His arrogance was unique. “Of course I’m aware of that.” My voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Shaking his head, he stood and winked at me. “Then I guess I’ll keep looking for somebody else tonight and leave you to your domestic bliss. If you change your mind, I’ll be at the bar.”

“Go ahead. Good luck.”

He turned back to me briefly. “I don’t need it.”

Still grinning, I scanned the area for Ruben. He was completely absorbed in his work. He prepared the food with flying hands His gaze was fixed stubbornly on his work in front of him.

There was no point in disturbing him. I would stop by later when the rush had slowed down.

My boss held out her hand to me. “Come on, let’s dance, you sloth.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

In an instant, I was surrounded by my colleagues, and I pushed Ruben to the back of my mind. I decided to ignore that we still needed to talk after his announcement this afternoon. Now it was time to party.

When I checked again, the food truck’s hatch was closed. Confused, I scanned the area. The party was in full swing. Why had Ruben already shut down everything? Had he run out of food? I grabbed my phone and checked it. No message.

I broke away from the group of dancers and took a closer look around. There was no sign of Ruben anywhere. That was strange.

I called him, only to be sent to voicemail. Slowly, I got worried.

I quickly texted him and finally got a message from him. But the exchange was unproductive. He insisted everything was fine. I didn’t need to worry.

Unease spread through my stomach.

I slept terribly that night. For some reason, I had expected Ruben to stop by my trailer.