Stroke of Luck

He slid his hand across the table to hers and squeezed it. She glanced at him, and his eyes glowed with compassion.

“Let it go. We’ll forget the debt and move forward.”

The panic faded. What he said made sense.

She nodded. “Okay. But I can’t play anymore.”

“That’s unfortunate. I don’t think any of us wants the game to end yet.” Quinn leaned back. “Let’s think about this a different way. We all have different resources. Austin and I have a lot of money, so we’re happy to risk that. What are you willing to risk?”

“What do you mean?” She’d already made a deal to give him what he wanted. Sex. And Austin, too, even though he didn’t know it yet.

“Keep in mind that the money isn’t a big risk for us. I’m not asking more from you. All I had in mind is something like you granting the winner a request when you lose.” He smiled. “And if you think about it, that might even help with the previous arrangement we discussed.”

“What arrangement?” Austin asked.

* * *

April’s gaze darted to Austin, then back to Quinn. He was going to tell him now. Butterflies fluttered through her stomach.

“April and I have a special agreement, but I’ll tell you about that a little later. What do you think, April?”

She nodded. She didn’t want to end the game for Austin, and if this is what Quinn wanted, then she wouldn’t say no.

“Does this work for you, Austin?” Quinn asked.

“I’m happy with keeping April in the game. But what do you mean by requests?” Austin asked.

Quinn shrugged. “Anything you want. You might dare her to down a shot, or ask her a question like you did over dinner. It’s pretty open-ended.”

Austin chuckled. “I was worried you meant something like strip poker. With her luck, the girl would be freezing in no time.”

April bit her lower lip as her cheeks heated. She wasn’t sure where Quinn was going to take this, but clearly Austin had no idea that’s exactly what might happen.

* * *

Austin was a little uncomfortable with the idea of April paying off her losses by granting requests, since he had no idea what Quinn had in mind. But Quinn was protective of April, so he wouldn’t have her do anything sexual in front of Austin.

Quinn dealt out the next hand of cards. After a few rounds of betting, Austin won with three fives.

Quinn leaned back in his chair with a smile as Austin raked in his chips.

“So, what’s it going to be?” Quinn asked.

Austin glanced at April speculatively. She stared at the table, probably nervous about what he’d ask her to do. He thought back to truth-or-dare questions from college, grasping for something.

“Tell us about your first kiss,” he said finally. “Set the scene for us. Tell us things like where it happened. What it was like. How you felt about it.”

April’s gaze flickered to Q

uinn, then to Austin. She leaned back in her chair, and her hands curled around the armrests.

“He was walking me home after a party. There was a full moon, and we were holding hands. We took a shortcut through the park, and halfway through, he stopped and pulled me to him. He slid his arms around me and drew me close.”

Her gaze had drifted, and she now stared into space. It was as though she were reliving that moment. Her voice grew soft.

“He didn’t rush it. He kissed me gently at first, moving slowly on my lips, his fingers gliding through my hair. Then it turned more passionate.”

Her eyes had grown wistful, and she drew in a slow, almost quivering breath. Then she shook her head as if dragging herself from the memory.