Down and Dirty(20)

“I’ll take a Winterfest, if you’re buying,” Shane said.

Mind still reeling, Cat was tempted to add a snifter of cyanide to the list of requested refreshments when Lacey pointed to the TV. “Oh, that’s the site Rafe just joined.”

Rafe was a longtime friend. He and Galen had boxed together in high school, and they’d been tight ever since. Shorter and leaner than Galen, he’d been a middleweight, fast as lightning, but not quite crisp enough to make a living at it. He’d moved on to MMA and was still fighting semipro, but he was also a detective in the Crimes Against Persons Unit at the Wesley Police Department.

Cat turned her attention to the advertisement for a dating site, featuring several satisfied customers extolling the virtues of finding love online.

“Fun, right? Rafe said that when he gets some hits, he’s going to have me come over and help him pick his dates.” Lacey waggled her brows suggestively. “I think online dating seems like a great way to meet people. Especially for someone as busy as Rafe.” She turned to face Shane, eyeing him speculatively. “Hey, you’re coming home soon. You should join, too.”

Wait, did that mean she was going to get off her jock about this Shane thing, or was Little Miss Innocent trying to be slick somehow? Cat eyed her friend hard but saw nothing but sincerity shining back. Okay, so maybe she really was trying to help. Finding Shane the kind of girl who wanted to settle down would be awesome. Maybe then he wouldn’t be such a temptation.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Cat said, with what she hoped passed for an encouraging grin.

Shane met her gaze, eyes glittering with something that had her cheeks going all hot. “Do you?” he asked softly.

She took a gulp from the dregs of her warm, pre-choking beer and swallowed hard before responding. “I do. And you’ve been gone so long, it will get you meeting some new people in the area and whatnot. Plus, if your quarterback can’t score, at least maybe you’ll get a chance to.”

Galen let out a low whistle. “Dang, them’s fighting words.”

When Shane’s lips split into a challenging smile, a shiver went through her. “You’re very confident for only being up seven points. Care to make a wager?” he asked.

She didn’t answer right away, a sudden, jittery feeling making it hard to resist the urge to see if her nostrils were quivering like a bunny downwind of a fox.

“What’s the matter? You don’t have faith in your team? Up by seven and there’s less than four minutes to go. Either you believe in your team and will make a wager, or you won’t.”

Lacey and Galen were hanging on their every word now, wanting to get in on the fun. Far be it from her to disappoint them or back down. He’d run her off earlier that weekend, and she wasn’t about to let it happen twice. She was nobody’s chicken.

“Bet your ass I will. Let’s hear it.”

“If the Pats win, I’ll join your dating site. If they lose,” his voice dropped, and his eyes went dark, “you go on a date with me.”

Either the room went silent or the blood suddenly buzzing in her ears had rendered her deaf, because for a few seconds, she couldn’t hear shit. She could feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on her, though. She shifted in her seat, and opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. What the hell was going on here? One minute he was acting like he was cool with them keeping everything on the down low and moving on like it never happened, the next he was asking her out in front of everyone.

“A date? What kind of date?” Galen asked, but they were saved from answering when Lacey elbowed him in the stomach.

“Shh, mind your own business. This is getting interesting.”

Cat ignored them, wholly focused on Shane now. “How do I know you’ll go out with anyone? Just joining the site isn’t really a big deal. Anyone can do that part.”

He shrugged. “You can do for me what Rafe is letting Lacey do for him. Help me choose. Be my wingman, so to speak.”

“Seriously?”

Shane didn’t answer. Instead he kept his intense gaze trained on her. Clearly, he was dead serious. Everyone knew she was reckless, and backing away from a challenge went against the grain. The longer she stalled, the more awkward this was going to get.

And the more obvious that something deeper was at play here.

“Fine. Whatever.” She shrugged and swiped at some imaginary crumbs on her sweater. “On the off chance that the Pats blow this game, I guess I can stay awake through a meal with you. But you have to promise to go on at least five dates if you lose. If you’re not going to give it a real chance, it’s not worth it.”