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“Thanks for your advice,” mumbled Colton. But that was it. He didn’t threaten the man. He didn’t call him out or call him names. For having the reputation of a jerk, sometimes Colton surprised me with his control.
The dealer turned over a card for himself, and it was a king. That gave him sixteen and beat my twelve. I sighed. “That sucks. I lost.”
“Hold on,” said Colton. “The dealer can’t stand on sixteen. He must hit.”
I squeezed my free hand into a fist and waited. The next card the dealer turned over was the Jack of Hearts.
“Yes,” cried the man beside me.
“I won?” I asked, turning to Colton. He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek.
“You won, sweetheart!” he said.
I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed. “I won! I won my first hand!” He held me tightly in his arms. When I pulled away, I wondered aloud, “Beginner’s luck, I guess.”
“Nah. You didn’t just get lucky. You were smart about it.” Then he kissed me softly. “But maybe I’ll get lucky later.”
I bit my lip, hiding my smile, and turned back to the dealer. “Let’s go again.”
I won the next five hands. The guy next to me high-fived me, and Colton exclaimed, “That’s my girl,” at least twice.
I won six hundred dollars that night. It would have been more, but I was too scared to double down when Colton suggested it.
“This is the most money I’ve ever held in my hands,” I said, staring down at the bills.
“What do you plan to buy yourself with your earnings?” he asked, grabbing my free hand and lacing our fingers together.
Without hesitation, I responded, “Books!”
“Quite the bookworm, I see.”
“Not for me,” I clarified. “For my brother. He starts college in the spring. He was going to read them online, but now I can buy him ones he can highlight!”
He stared at me and shook his head. “You’re amazing.”
I smirked. “I’m a pretty awesome sister, I know.”
“Ready to eat?” asked Colton when we got to the car.
“Definitely.”
“Do you mind if we dine at home? I don’t think I can share you with a room full of people any longer.”
Home. Funny how that one word made me feel so warm inside. “That sounds wonderful.”
8
Colton
Ava was the real deal. She wasn’t fake and didn’t worry about laughing too loudly or drinking regular soda. I was really starting to like her. Shit.
When she said she planned to spend her winnings to buy books for her brother, I nearly dropped to one knee and proposed. I mean, I didn’t even want to get married and she had me thinking these thoughts.
As I drove us back to the house, I turned to look at her while at a traffic light. She sat staring out her window, winding a curl of brown hair around her finger. I felt just like that strand of hair wrapped around her flesh. She twisted my insides and made me want to say things I had never imagined saying. Like “back home”. Where did that come from? Why didn’t I just say back to my place?
After reaching the house, I turned off the engine and shifted my body to face her. There was something about this woman that constantly drew me to her. I pulled the curl away from her hand and kissed her fingers. Despite the warmer climate, they were cold. “Let’s go inside,” I said.
After she climbed out of the car, I held her close to me and rubbed her bare arm. She had goosebumps on her flesh and I wanted to erase them from her body. “Is everything all right?”
