The Gamble: A Novel (11 page)

The unexpected romantic moment is short lived by us tossing our hands in the air at the goal just scored by the team we decided we were routing for.

He picked. I simply just needed to know what colors to follow around the rink.

Once things settle back down, I add, “You're not striking out. Hell, if it wasn't
you
, you'd probably make it to next round i.e. date number two.”

“I'm trying not to be offended.” He bumps my leg on another chuckle. “Speaking of second dates, you never told me why Bieber with a hockey stick didn't get another one.”

Helplessly I snicker, “He didn't look anything like Bieber!”

“Weird haircut bullshit.” Luca points towards his own head while keeping his eyes on the game. “What was his name again? Glendall?”

“Graham.”

“Uh-huh. Him. By the way, he's sucking on the ice right now.”

“Is that why we're going for the other team?”

“That was...only...part of the reason I chose our team.” He gives me a brief glance and a wink. “Now, how'd he fuck up?”

I shrug. “He was expecting to get me into bed with minimal to no effort on the first date. Wasn't gonna happen. When he caught onto to it, he started to pull back, and I knew he wouldn't call. Not that I really wanted him to.”

Is that weird? Is it weird I wasn't trying to be just another groupie? Sorry if it's not on my damn bucket list.

“What's wrong with sleeping with someone on the first night?”

“Nothing,” I sigh. “But that's not me or my style.”

Luca's head turns to me in curiosity. “What
is
your date number? Three? Four?”

“Months?”

“Days.”

The undocumented information he seeks pushes me to break our eye contact. “I don't know. Whatever feels right.”

Little help there would've been nice! Wow. Should I just add that into my date introductions? Hey, my name's Alexxa and I'm a virgin. Nice shoes, do they sell men's shoes there too? Huh. Maybe I'm not sending off second date vibes. Let's come back to that later.

Without giving him a moment to implore it further, I ask, “Will you get me a beer between periods at intermission or is that against
your
dating policy? Limit the number of drinks you pay for in public so she has to go back to your place?”

He smiles briefly. “That does work.”

Honestly, I don't know what's sadder. The fact it works or the fact I know he does it.

“You can have whatever you want,” Luca comments and looks at me again. “And you don't have to wait 'til intermission. Do you want me to grab you one now?”

I nod. “Please.”

“Want anything else? Nachos? Hot dogs?”

“How bad are you gonna judge me when I say yes to both?”

He chortles and stands up. “Not as bad as my wallet.”

Luca slides past me and heads for the ramp to take him down to the concession stands. While I know I should turn back to watch the game, I let my eyes continue to follow him, curious if he'll do what I think he will. He passes by the dancer who has been using her mental telepathy to beckon his attention without so much as a single glance.

What the hell is wrong with him? He's taking this whole pretend date too far. There's a perfectly good piece of pussy willing, waiting, and dangling for him and he's not even acknowledging it! Is he high? How high does he have to be to ignore a sure thing? A sure thing definitely in comparison to me. I'm not interested in him. And I'm not falling for his subtle attempts to treat me better than he does when we're just broin' out. I'll admit. They're not completely lost upon me. Under different circumstances, I would probably fall for all this bullshit. Hell, if I didn't believe this was all some clever rouse to try to get me into bed, I'd be falling for it now. Down side of dating your best friend? Typically you see through their facades.

Our team scores another goal and I toss my hands up in the air with the rest of the crowd. Immediately after, I turn to check for Luca's return. With arms full, he makes his way towards me, passing by the dancer once more, this time as she's preparing to leave. She touches his arm to stop him, gives her hair a flirty ruffle, and smiles something sexy. Rather than feed into whatever she's saying, he pulls his arm out of her grip, and resumes his way to me.

You saw that too right? He
has
to be fucking wasted already to be so stupid!

When he finally slides into the seat beside me I snap, “Did you really blow her off? Did you not see the look she gave you? I would've let her drop to her knees with that.”

Luca offers me one of the beers. “As much as I fucking love to hear you talk about girl on girl action-”

“Don't say it like it happens all the time-”

“-I already fucking told you. Not interested.” He hands me the nachos next. “I came here with you. I plan to be here with
you
.”

“But Luca-”

“Drop it,” he demands bringing his beer to his lips for a sip.

On an annoyed grunt, I take a bite of one of the chips dripping with cheese.

Why am I pushing so hard for him to notice her? Is it because I know if he does it'll take the focus off of me? Because if he does it'll prove my point about all of this being just about sex? Luca's already admitted he only has one goal at the end of everything. Fucking. Getting a woman into bed, getting off and getting her the hell out. All the other bullshit he has me for. Me. The one female he hasn't managed to get into the sack yet. What happens if he does? What happens to all those things we share? Does he replace me? Wait. No. None of those answers matter because I'm never sleeping with Luca. All of this is a one-time deal. Don't let me forget that. The beer and the sweet comments might end up getting the better of me at this rate.

Suddenly he reaches for a nacho, which breaks me out of my own head. “Not good? I can always whip us up a batch at the apartment with those spicy beans you like so much.”

I struggle to steady my voice. “They're fine.”

“What's wrong?” Luca wipes his hands and rests his hot dog on the empty seat beside him. “What did I say now?”

“Nothing.” Having another sip of my beer, I shake my head and repeat, “Nothing.”

He grabs the nachos out of my lap and places them next to the hot dog. “You're a shitty liar.”

“I....Shut up.”

As he adjusts his beer, he pushes, “Just tell me what I did wrong.
Again
. What's this flag for?”

“Nothing.”

“Alexxa...”

“Nothing.”

“Alexxa.”

Snapping my head at him and away from where the players are clearing the ice for the intermission show, I sigh, “You're doing nothing wrong. You're
saying
all the right things. You're
doing
all the right things. You're being on your best behavior.”

Confusion coats his eyes. “Then why are you pissed at me?”

“For being this way!”

“Before I was confused. Now I'm confused as fuck.”

“I just don't get it!” I toss a hand in the air. “You're not acting like
my
Luca. My selfish bastard, walking hard on, fuck what anyone else wants Luca. You're....being like....a human being and it's frustrating me.”

The perplexity remains. “You're pissed off that instead of acting like a dick, I'm being
nice
.”

“Exactly.”

“I repeat. Confused as fuck.”

“Luca-”

“Look Alexxa, you already know all the bullshit about me. The shit I don't let other women see. To show you that side of me would be fucking pointless. But what you don't realize is there's a side of me you don't get to see because you're always on my team. The side of me that opens doors. That buys snacks. That tries to make the woman in his company feel special for those few hours we're together. Instead of being pissed off about it, why not embrace that you're the only person in the entire fucking world to have ever seen all sides of Luca Larson?”

His declaration tugs at my heart.

That can't possibly be true. I can't be the only person in the world who has ever seen both sides of this coin. And if I am, what is he trying to say? And why is he trying to say it?

The dancers start performing their show to a mix the latest hip hop songs from the radio, but our eyes stay lost in each other's’.

Swallowing the swelling lump of unwanted emotions, I softly challenge, “All sides of you, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Then tell me something you wouldn't tell anyone else.”

“If I do that, you have to let me kiss you before the night is over.”

Those stakes feel too high.

Luca wets his lips and suddenly desire replaces the apprehension.

Quietly I agree, “Deal.”

Luca puts his beer in the cup holder and leans his arms onto his legs. “When I was a kid, my father never came to see me play. Didn't matter the sport. Didn't matter the time of year. He never set foot at one of my games. He never came to any of my award ceremonies. He never once showed up to support me in something that fucking mattered. Sure, he paid for all of it. Willingly. Donated money to help sponsor team trips or what the fuck ever we needed the cash for, but there was never a moment he actually showed his face. And it was the only thing I fucking wanted. It's not like I have a shit ton of family. It's not like the stands were filled with relatives cheering me on. Nope. Just my ma' and the ghost of the man who taught me the lesson, no sacrifice is too big to make for whatever it is you really want.”

Disbelief cracks my jaw open as he turns to face the next part of the intermission show.

What kind of man does that? What kind of father does that? What kind of
person
does that? What kind of person is willing to hurt those they love to simply...get ahead? Shouldn't you love your only son more than work? Totally explains why he's still sending Luca allowance like back pay hush money for abandoning his entire childhood and adolescence.

The announcer mentions something about burgers and Luca tosses his head at the jumbo screen. “Look. They're doing the kiss cam thing again.”

I shift my eyes up to it just as an elderly couple kisses. The sight makes me giggle seconds before it moves on to a child jumping up and down next to his mother. Once they notice they're on the screen she points to her cheek. He tosses his arms around her neck and over dramatically tugs her close to kiss her on the spot she directed to.

“Aw,” I coo with the rest of the crowd.

Camera rotates a few more times before landing on the two of us.

Fuck. Me. Really?

Horror crosses my face and I quickly shake my head. “No...No way...”

The crowd cheers in encouragement, which makes Luca toss his head back in laughter.

“No way am I kissing you on camera.”

“Be a good sport,” his chuckles begin to simmer. “It'll be quick.”

“Ugh,” I groan. “Fine.”

The two of us lean over. His lips don't hesitate brushing against mine. As soon as they're linked, a soft hum helplessly seeps out. For a moment they simply stay pressed together without moving. All of a sudden, very cautiously Luca moves his mouth, parting mine to allow our tongues a brief moment to touch. The light connection ignites an unusual desperation to get a better taste. Luca's hand gently tugs me closer by the nape of my neck, drifting me closer to the cliff of ecstasy. His grip tightens. His tongue gradually pushes harder until my body is trembling in devotion. Slowly, Luca draws his mouth away from mine, the separation eliciting a thoughtless whimper.