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She set her wine down and wiped a sweaty pal of her jeans This was Trick She needed to chill out If so to happen between theame of darts But later? She decided with a newfound sense of purpose It was on

Because she wanted this What she had with Trick already, plus a little hter, the joy, the friendship…if she could have that plus the heat that had been sizzling between theuy in the dark, no matter how sexy, couldn’t coain, she was going to tell him she couldn’t see hie, she was going to see if Trick felt the same as she did

But first, she needed to whoop his fine ass at darts

She stepped in front of the board, setting her foot up on the line, then took aim With a silent prayer, she let it rip The dart flew and landed with a thunk, protruding from the block of wood the machine sat on, about a foot off the floor

Trick slow-clapped for her and let out a whoop "Now that wasn’t so you see every day You didn’t even hit the board"

She wrinkled her nose and groaned "I don’t knohat happened I lined it up, and it looked so perfect in my head" She moved to yank the dart from the splintered wood, but he stopped her with a hand

"Wait one second" He pulled out his phone, and the flash lit up the rooain "Okay, you can take it out now"

She lunged at hirab the phone and delete the picture he’d taken, but he was too quick for her "If you post that on Facebook, I’ll post the one of you in my shower cap from last New Year’s Eve," she threatened hat she hoped was a convincing scowl

He chuckled and shrugged "I already posted that one myself But I’ll keep your dart on the DL Promise This will be for my own personal use on one of those days when I need a chuckle"

She walked over to the table, drained the rest of her glass, and swiped her hand over her mouth "This time, you’re in trouble I can feel it" Sheout her arot into position to throw her second dart

"Get out your camera now, pal," she muttered, and loosed the dart She squealed when it hit the board dead center "What? Oh, dang How ya likearound hih his teeth when the board lit up, red and flashing That was a bona-fide bullseye To his credit, he clapped again for her and looked suitably iht cranked up to a boil and war she enjoyed hing? Maybe the things she’d done with Catman had been a close second, but even they would be better with Trick She didn’t kno she knew it, but she’d never been so sure of anything in her life

Elation over her stellar shot mixed ine drunk too fast, and her newfound revelation beca, threw her arht

"You’re ht?" she e of tears Not because she was sad, but because everything was about to change As soon as she worked up the courage, she was going towould ever be the same She only hoped that the risk paid off and she didn’t lose hi she couldn’t bear His strong arms folded around her, and she breathed in the spicy scent of his soap

"Yeah, right back atcha, Gracie" His voice sounded thick, and she pulled back to look at his face It was clouded with uncertainty and even a little sadness She wasn’t the only one feeling nervous andokay with us?" she asked When the words left her lips, she wished she could take the, and she was fairly sure it was so bad If it was, she didn’t want to knohat His blinding smile erased her fear-based paranoia, and he stepped back

"I know you’re trying to distractto work You’re going down"

Funny he should mention that Because if she had any say in the ht, she’d make a prophet out of him

Chapter Eleven

Two hours and one more drink later, Trick opened the truck door and slid out before ht as Grace exited

"Were you going to open my door for me?" she asked with a wobbly suessed uy to hold the door open for a date, but not so much the kind ould race around the front of the car to open the door for a friend He laughed it off with an easy shrug "You see to help you down"

She executed a neat little jig and gave him jazz-hands "Tipsy or sober, I’m spry" The words had barely left her mouth when she tripped up the curb and took a header into ato extricate herself from the shrub

He wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her out "You okay?"

"Other than that tree trying toup and littered with tiny green needles, and he tried to brush thelad you had time to close your eyes You could have scratched your cornea or so Instead, I smell like a cab, and I killed my poor little bush"

He chuckled, relieved she wasn’t hurt "So, you were saying…so about spry?"