Page 7 (2/2)

She laughs as she follows h the door "I’ll remeuys are waiting when Caly, and for the first time since I met her she looks uncertain "I don’t norure you should know Z made a bet with Luc that he could fk you before the end of next week"

At first I think she’s joking, but the expression on her face is totally serious "He h I don’t knohy Z is exactly the kind of guy to do sousted andstupid I can’t stand the idea that I can be hurt by such a douche bag--can’t stand the idea that I can be hurt at all, if I’ht of it to the very back of my mind Instead, I concentrate on the sheer ridiculousness of what Ca me

"I know, I know It makes him sound like a total tool--"

"Oh, just a little," I tell her sarcastically

"Believehim Or Luc But there are a lot of reasons Z is the way he is Still, I figured you deserved to know He can be pretty char when he wants to be"

"Really? I haven’t seen that at all"

Cahs, a full-bodied, I-can’t-believe-you-said-that-but-I’h, and so with her, despite the fact that Z is an even bigger creep than I thought

"So, what did he bet?" I ask e finally cal twenty bucks or dinner or even just bragging rights, so I’m totally taken aback when Cam answers, "His favorite snowboard"

For a second I don’t even knohat to say, what to feel What kind of people are these that they can so casually bet away soht hundred dollars? I didn’t grow up on the streets or anything, but ays struggled at the end of the ht hundred dollars is a lot ofthat away just because of pride or whatever the hell ant as hell

"Wow," I say eventually "He et to fk me"

For a second Ca else, soot reason to be I don’t think he ht to know"

I’ve got a ue, but Cam is Z’s friend She’s loyal to hi me about the bet in the first place No need to make her feel anydeal," I force myself to tell her "But thanks for the heads-up I appreciate it"

She searches otI’ve had a lot of practice using it over the last year, because it seeuys spot us and walk on over "Ready for ice crea an arrin "Are you buying?"

"I aure I owe you since I kept you all waiting around that damn clinic for hours this afternoon"

"You didn’t keep rins at me "Yeah, but you’re new to Park City You can consider it a welcome-to-Utah present"

More like an I-want-to-fuck-you present As if I haven’t slept with anyone since Remi and I’m sure as hell not about to start with soift I eye hion"

"Oh, but he is," Ash says on a laugh "Trust ot a whole lot of welcome in him"

"So I hear," I ansith a slares at nly After all, two can play Z’s game, and it’s about time he knows it

Chapter 5

Z

Ophelia really likes ice crea to torture the shit out of me, which I totally wouldn’t put past her But I’ her da lick at a tiue and the crazy wicked things she’s doing with it, while Luc is doing everything he can not to look at her, which onlyon

Part of me wants to punch the shit out of , but how can I when I’? Especially when I’m the one who bet I’d have her in bed by next weekend

At the time, it was pure self-preservation--no way could I keep standing there while the three of the a basket case--but still, betting I could fk Ophelia? That’s low, even for ht now is just as low considering she has no intention of sleeping without hands-off vibes since she ran into iving that fking ice creah I know I’ht, at least fro respond to every flick of her tongue

I’ve given her space all evening, partly because I feel guilty because of that stupid bet and partly because I still intend to win it Not just because I have no intention of losingthe last few hours with Ophelia, I want here Now … now she’s still a challenge, but she’s so uncomfortably in my chair I never do more I never even want e just because soirl with a peaches-and-crea drink down o?" I demand, more harshly and loudly than I probably need to But I can’t help it If I have to sit here and watch Ophelia do obscene things to that scoop of chocolate cherry ice crea to say to hell with space and drag her very sexy ass onto s of my own