Bet on Me by Mia Hoddell Read Free Book Online

because she insisted we needed to talk. What she wanted to talk about was anyone’s guess, but I couldn’t quell the nagging suspicion she was about to try and persuade me to spill my guts.
    Not going to happen.
    In fact, I planned to be on highest alert for our meal. Alaya had a way of disarming me with a simple look, and if I wanted to keep my secrets I needed to find a way around it within a matter of minutes. If I didn’t the bet would be over before it even really began, and I wanted my prize.
    In all seriousness, though, it wasn’t the only reason. I wouldn’t lie and say it didn’t feature in my thoughts at all because I was a guy, yet I also didn’t want to scare her off. I wanted a chance to get to know her, and for her to know me so that when I lit the match by revealing everything, hopefully it wouldn’t blow up in my face.
    Could you blame me for wanting to hold on to what I had for as long as possible?
    The train journey had been the first time I’d really laughed since I was seventeen and I was now twenty-four. Slipping back into the dark void inside of me for even the week I managed to stay away from Alaya felt longer than any of those years. I hadn’t known what I was missing out on before, and now I did. The emptiness inside of me had grown; the longing for more deepening the pit that swallowed my soul. I’d only lasted a week because of my stubbornness, and then I realised the extent of my stupidity. I’d already given up too many years of my life trying to slink into the background and for the first time in years someone made me want to take centre stage.
    “Cole?”
    A hand waved in front of my face, making me rear back in surprise. I blinked a few times to clear my vision. “What were you saying?”
    “Where’d you go just now?” She tilted her head to the side, her ear almost meeting her shoulder. I was quickly growing to learn she always performed the gesture when she studied someone. Her brilliant grey eyes bore into me like she could stare right into my thoughts. While it was a cute gesture, it also freaked me the fuck out. I now knew what it felt like to be an animal in a zoo.
    One wrong move was all it would take. Alaya seemed observant, smart, and quick witted, but she took no bullshit. If she thought something was wrong she’d get it out of me faster than the cop had in the interrogation room.
    “I’ve lost you again.”
    Shit. I really needed to stop doing that.
    “Sorry. I’m here now, I swear.”
    She regarded me with a dubious expression, so rather than give her the opportunity to question me further I returned to the only thing I remembered her saying.
    “You said something about burgers?”
    “They’re the best you’ll ever taste. Seriously, you can die happy if you’ve eaten one. I have no idea what the chef does to them, but they’re just … mmm.” She shut her eyes and her lips curved up in contentment as she hummed.
    Her moan sent a spike of electricity through me. It had me focused solely on her pouty lips. I want to feel them on me, caressing me, slowly moving lower —
    I cut the thought off there, clearing my throat and reaching for my water. I started to sweat and it had nothing to do with the heat. Hell, the questions hadn’t even begun and I found myself in trouble.
    Mercifully, our waitress returned to take our order, forcing me to pull my gaze from Alaya.
    “Why me?” she asked as soon as the waitress left. Picking up her water, she took a sip then placed the glass back on the table with a chink as the objects collided. All I could concentrate on was the now shiny surface of her lips from where the water had left a residue.
    “Why you what?” I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms in front of me. It was the only protection I had, but having even the slightest barrier between us helped steady me. Because no matter how hard I tried to remain calm every tiny action—even ones as small as biting down on her lip—distracted me.
    “Why do you