gave me an exasperated look. “Sure. That’s what happened.”
“If we sleep together, will you tell people?”
His facial muscles didn’t move an inch. “Not even gonna answer that question.”
For all his foul play, Knight wasn’t like Josh. He never kissed and told people about it. Never confirmed his Casanova status. And, until mere weeks ago, he had remained a virgin. For me.
“I would like to negotiate the terms of my win.” I cleared my throat.
“I’m listening.”
“If I win…” I bit my lower lip. It was impossible to say this without sounding patronizing. “If I win, you stop drinking and start attending AA meetings.”
He didn’t even blink. “I agree to your terms.”
“I’m not some prize,” I added, scoffing as an afterthought.
“You are to me,” he said frankly, his tone void of emotion.
“And I’m not a whore.”
“I’m well aware. I’m not buying you, Luna. I’m merely making a point.”
“What is the point?”
“That once you’re with me, you won’t be able to touch anyone else. Want anyone else. Feel for anyone else.”
I already know that, you fool.
I took a deep breath, leaning forward and snatching one half of the lemon. It was cut precisely in the middle. He always played fair. Knight took his lemon. Our eyes met, and we shared an identical beam.
I couldn’t believe I was doing this. A quiet, tiny part of me wanted to lose, but my competitive streak wouldn’t let me. And Knight would protect me by losing, anyway. Not to mention, he’d make love to me if I asked him to, bet lost or won.
“Whoever flinches first, loses. Ready?” He tapped my nose.
“Ready.”
We bit into our lemons at the same time. The bitter, sour juices exploded in my mouth, making my eyes water, but I schooled my facial expression as best I could, my eyes roaming Knight’s face as he nonchalantly took bite after bite of the lemon’s flesh, his eyes dead on mine, as if he were eating an apple.
I took another tentative bite from the lemon, panic trickling into my gut along with the sour tang of the fruit. He should start making a face right about now. He always made a face. Then he’d secretly eat the entire thing, unflinching, after I did my victory dance.
Knight took another bite, his entire demeanor teetering on the verge of indifference.
What was he doing? Why wasn’t he wincing? The rule was, if neither of us recoiled, whoever ate the lemon more quickly and thoroughly won. Knight had only won one time, when he’d wanted to take me to prom and I’d insisted I didn’t want to go. He’d cared so much about giving me this high school experience that he hadn’t allowed me to win. This, I was beginning to understand, was his second strike.
I was officially in trouble.
On my third bite, I began to gag. My tongue burned. I felt my brows furrowing.
I flinched.
Crap, I lost.
The lemon rolled from between my fingers, knocking Knight’s knee. He picked it up and threw it over the side of the water tower gate, into the abyss, offering me his hand. I took it, realizing I was shaking. My whole body trembled with adrenaline, anticipation, and the winter chill. He yanked me to sit in his lap, cupping one of my cheeks and looking into my eyes. The tension between us made my insides liquefy. Drowning in his gorgeous aquamarine eyes, I struggled to breathe.
“You didn’t let me win,” I whimpered, understanding for the first time the consequences, and what was about to happen.
We never backed down from bets. We always followed through when the other person challenged us.
“Why didn’t you let me win?”
“You’re equal to me—not the same Moonshine who left Todos Santos.” His warm, lemony breath tickled my cheek as he lowered his face to mine. “But whoever you are, I will crack you, too.”
His mouth slanted on mine, and our bodies molded into one. I deepened the kiss, sliding my tongue between his lips and letting our tongues play together, flicking his piercing and feeling his primal groan vibrate from his stomach and into mine. We kissed like starved, angry animals, with a passion that burned the sky above us.
His hand slid into my hoodie, cupped one of my breasts, and pinched my nipple. I moaned into his mouth. He did it again. The third time he did it, instead of releasing the pressure, he flipped my hoodie up and sucked my nipple into his mouth, keeping his eyes on mine as he grazed his straight teeth over