Page 42 of A Reckless Indulgence

Lyx quirks a brow. “How generous of you to offer your loins in these trying times.” Thinking of his loins is a mistake. She keeps her expression plain and her gaze ahead as she speaks. “Yesterday was the third day since the crow’s nest.”

Cav hums. Nothing more.

Bastard.

If she were smart, she wouldn’t ask anything more. She would enjoy her freedom and let the chips fall where they may, yet something keeps nagging at her. “Do you no longer require my assistance?”

In the corner of her eye, she can make out the wolfish curve of his mouth. “Would that disappoint you?”

She scoffs. “Of course not.”

Her answer is too quick, but Cav doesn’t mention it. Instead, he leads her off the beach toward the foliage. It looks like they’re walking straight into a jungle, but when they round a corner, the bushes and plants recede. A canopy of trees hangs over an open area scattered with mismatched chairs and tables. A dozen people congregate in groups or couples, chatting and drinking while they watch Cav and Lyx with intrigued bemusement. In the back of the space sits a ramshackle shed, barely big enough to contain a barrel of ale and the man wiping down the counter.

It’s an outdoor tavern scraped together from the remnants of the island. Unfortunately, it’s calmer than the other pubs she’s used to, no aggravated drunks or slippery thieves to stir up agitation. Her nose wrinkles.

Cav meanders toward a dartboard nailed to a tree and plucks the red and blue darts from its center. “Do you know how to play Cat and Mouse?”

“Enough to embarrass you.”

“How about a little competition, then?” He sidles up next to her and holds out the feathered ends. “If I win, we play out one of your fantasies for the next experiment.”

“You won’t win.”

When she reaches for the darts, he retracts them, lowering his voice until she can feel it scraping the hot pit of her stomach. “But if I do, it means you have to tell me what you want. What you like. What you think about when you’re alone.”

Her toes curl. What would she tell him? That her fantasies consist of making him suffer? Drowning him in the grotto? Prying her song from Tidus’s chest just to command Cav for the rest of his days.

A knot twists deep inside her. Or maybe she should tell where her thoughts go when she doesn’t corral them, the dark place where desire and frustration collide. Where she fucks Cav until he can’t move. Where she drags him into the water and takes on her true form. Where he’s forced to see her as she truly is in a place where he can’t run away, a place where he has to stay, a place where she can burrow into his skin.

She snatches the red darts from his hand. “When I win, I want a tour of the Indulgence.”

His brows furrow as he backs toward the bar, trading coins for two tankards from the barrel. “I can show you around any time. You don’t have to win for that.”

“A full tour. With Heathen. I want to see how everything works.”

His eyes narrow skeptically, but after a moment, he sets the drinks on a high-top table littered with debris from the trees. “Alright, deal. Now, do you want to be the cat or mouse?”

She considers it with an exhale. “You seem to adore being helpless prey. Why stop now?”

Cav grins. “It’s about time you started chasing me.”

SEVENTEEN

Lyx

When Cav begins, he doesn’t look away from Lyx. He tosses a blue dart and lands it easily in the triple ring. The next dart sticks, and so does the final one, until there’s a perfect arc moving clockwise around the board.

Through it all, he’s still staring at her. “Normally, I’d give you a chance, but I really want this prize.”

The dip in his voice makes her stomach clench, but she does not waver, no matter how her confidence has nosedived. She can do this. She’s played this game in countless ports with Tidus breathing down her neck; she can handle a cocksure dragon with trick shots.

Her first dart lands next to his. Cav whistles, but Lyx keeps her focus and manages to match all of his throws. For once, Cav has no commentary. He’s silent while he admires the board before he moves to collect the darts again. When he returns, there’s a proud glint in his eye. “I see you don’t like to be underestimated.”

They keep throwing back and forth, Cav running around the board and Lyx following after. When he misses, she smirks. When she misses, he praises her anyway, and that makes her grit her teeth and fumble the rest of her turn.

When they’re nearly done, he leans against the high-top table and takes a drink. “What do you say, best two out of three?”

She wants to reject him. Surely she could catch him in time, but the promise of competition swirls inside her. Besides, she has a sneaking suspicion he’s letting her keep up as some excuse to keep this going. In any case, she agrees.