The Bet (The Bet 1)

Kacey laughed as she looked around her, at the place she’d run away from. The memories made her heart hurt, but they also gave her hope, and the more she looked, the easier it seemed to breathe. As if her stress-filled life was directly correlated with the lie she was living.

She’d actually been a business major with an emphasis in entrepreneurship until her parents died. She’d switched to kinesiology the next year and took extra classes to finish on time with her degree and trainer’s license.

Well, she had a lot to think about, and it was all because of Travis.

The silly little boy who stalked her by the tree house.

The same one who threw rocks at her and pulled her pigtails.

And she was desperately in love with him.

Apparently she was also good at conjuring up the man himself, because seconds later, he was approaching her table with a large tray.

His white apron was damn sexy too.

“Do you happen to have a chef’s hat?”

“My staff would kill me for pretending to be anything less than a waiter, believe me. I’m only allowed to wear the apron on holidays, and even then it’s a big deal. I won’t get into it. But there’s usually a lot of clapping and champagne.”

“Do you want me to clap now?” she asked cheekily.

“Well, does my current look give you reason to clap?”

“I don’t know.” Kacey tilted her head. “Turn around.”

He did a circle.

“Now stop!” She giggled when she had a nice view of his tight butt. “Yup, I’ll clap for that.” She also added in a whistle and a catcall.

“I’m not a piece of meat, Kacey. Geez, I have feelings too.”

“Pity.”

Travis rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’ve brought several selections for the lady, as well as a wine pairing for each selection. What is your desire?”

“All of it.”

“And what will you give me in return?”

She gulped and shakily met his gaze. “Everything.”

Travis stared at her lips, his eyes taking on a hungry glint as his mouth curled into a seductive grin. “I’m sure that can be arranged. But first, we eat.”

“You want to eat before you ravish me, is that it?”

“Kacey, I’ve been ravishing you in my mind all morning and afternoon. Believe me, you have no idea. But first, I feed you.”

“Thanks.” Kacey felt herself flush with pleasure as he poured her a glass of red wine and scooted over a plateful of different types of chocolate.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Travis displayed eight different types of chocolate from all around the world. “The trick is to take a small bite and then pair it with a glass of wine, or espresso if you prefer, but I think we both know what happened last time you had caffeine.”

“I ended up in your bed.”

“Espresso, it is.” Travis grinned.

Kacey laughed and reached for a piece of dark chocolate. “I like it here.”