The Bet (Addison #2) by Erica M. Christensen Read Free Book Online Page B

mouth.
    “Who are you, Julie or Jigsaw?” I crack up laughing at him, so hard that I snort.
    “Twenty-one questions. We have to answer with the truth. You get one pass and if you use it, you have to take off your trunks. I get two passes, for obvious reasons.” Lucas leans back in the tub and smiles.
    “Let the games begin.” He sips on his champagne.
    “How do you eat your waffles? Syrup, peanut butter, plain, or what?” I ask the first question.
    “Depends on my mood. Generally with peanut butter and syrup. Who’s the guy?”
    “Ew, disgusting.” I shake my head in disapproval. “What guy?” He’s talking about Stephen…I don’t want to talk about Stephen.
    “You know who I’m talking about—the guy.”
    “Pass.” I take off my bikini top. Lucas gulps and stares me in the eyes, trying to keep himself from looking down even though he won’t really see anything under the water with just candle light. “Who is she? The one who forced you into making the thirty dates with no kissing and no sex rule. Oh. Excuse me…I mean bet.” He takes a big drink of champagne and lets out a sigh.
    “You.”
    “Me? Why me?” My heart is beating out of my chest. Please don’t puke, please don’t puke, please don’t puke. I try to calm my nerves.
    “You’re not like the other women. I saw you walk into a country bar on New Year’s Eve all by your damn self, Addison.” He leans forward and grabs my hands and pulls me to his side. “I knew right then and there you were a different breed. You didn’t come prancing in there with a little posse of fake-tanned girls and your nose high in the sky. You walked in alone and went straight for the bar.” I couldn’t stop myself from giggling a little.
    “And that’s a good thing?”
    “Yes, because you’re different.” I roll my eyes. “You’ve wasted two of your questions. So, now it’s my turn to ask one.” Damn it, he’s right.
    “Do you believe we were brought into each other’s lives for a reason?”
    “That’s an odd question for a guy to ask. I do believe we were brought into each other’s lives for a reason, yes.”
    “Okay, now it’s my turn. What’s going to happen when we leave here?” I almost wish I could shovel those words back into my mouth. I’m afraid of the answer.
    “I was wondering the same thing, Addison. We’re business partners. You’re my publicist now. I’m not exactly sure what’s in store for us. Maybe more business trips.” He shoots me a devilish smirk.
    “Lucas, I like you. I do. I want to know you and your story too. I just…don’t want to fall in love with you,” I admit. His fingers caress my jaw, under my chin, and lightly guide my lips toward his. I can tell he’s fighting the urge to kiss me.
    “Do it,” I demand. Quite honestly, it was probably more like a beg…but I hope I played it off as a demand. My hand glides over his chiseled chest and up around the back of his neck. “Kiss me.” He inhales my words and our lips connect like magnets. My bare breasts rest against his body. The butterflies that had floated around in my stomach are now lifting me up toward the sky. His kiss is strong, but sensitive. Lucas’s tongue swirls around mine. He tastes like champagne and spearmint. I, however, probably taste like a fucking Cuban sandwich. But he doesn’t seem to care. I lightly slide his bottom lip through my teeth. He lifts my legs over his lap, not so I’m straddling him, just laying across him. He stops kissing me and looks at me.
    “What?” I feel his hand between my legs, lightly tickling the inside of my thigh with his finger tips. He stops his fingers right before he touches my center.
    “I want to kiss all of you, every part of you.” He kisses my jaw, right next to my chin.
    “Come on. Go to the bed.” I slide over to the other side where I was sitting before, attempting to quickly put my top back on, but I fail miserably. I step out of the tub and grab the towel to dry myself off as