Page 43 of A Reckless Indulgence

He wins the first round. Halfway through the second, it’s clear he’s pulling away, and that sets a smile on his face. “Probably a good time for you to start thinking about that fantasy.”

“You’re not going to win.”

“Humor me, then.” When she misses and curses, he takes the familiar path to the board and returns with the darts, but he doesn’t throw them. He turns back to her. “What do you dream about? What’s one thing you wish for?”

Mockingly, she tilts her head. “Killing you. What my life would be like if I had.”

He pricks the end of a dart against his finger. “Sounds like you should let me win so you can play that out.”

“Just take your turn.”

He takes his time instead, tipping back his ale and glancing toward her mug. It’s still full, the liquid warm from the evening. Surprised, he sets down his own drink. “You don’t like it?”

Surely this is an attempt at distraction, but Cav looks genuinely perturbed. Her skin prickles under the sudden attention. “It’s not to my taste.” She jerks her chin toward the board. “Now, throw.”

But the game is all but forgotten by Cav, his darts discarded on the table. “Why didn’t you say something? I’ll get you something else.”

Lyx eyes the lean-to bar. “They don’t have anything else.”

That doesn’t stop Cav. He moseys toward the bartender, a gnarled and sullen man who shakes his head before Cav finishes speaking. Cav leans against the bar, withdrawing more coins from his pouch and tilting his head knowingly.

After a moment, the bartender grumbles and crouches behind the bar. When he stands, he slides a bottle of yellow liquid into Cav’s hand. Grinning, Cav snags the bottle and returns to Lyx with a proud sway of his hips.

“He’s not a fan of ale either. I thought I remembered that.” With his teeth, Cav tugs the cork loose and presents the bottle to her. “From his personal stash.”

Lyx blinks. The smell of citrus makes her mouth water. She isn’t sure what to do. The action is so small, but it hits her like an anchor. No one else would have gotten her this; she wouldn’t have even done it for herself. Depths know Tidus wouldn’t have even noticed, just happy she left more ale for him.

A word she’s never used springs to the end of her tongue, buzzing against her lips like a trapped bee.

Cav raises his brows at her silence. “You don’t like lemon?”

“Thanks,” she blurts.

It’s foreign and unfamiliar, a language she’s never spoken. Her emphasis is so off that it might as well be sarcasm, but Cav’s nose wrinkles when he grins. “Does it pain you to say that?”

Her entire body feels hot under his gaze. She busies herself grabbing the darts and shoving them back into his hands. “I won’t make a habit of it.”

His gold tooth glints. “No, we couldn’t have that.”

Once Cav lines up to throw, Lyx steals a drink from the bottle. Her eyes slip shut as soon as she tastes it. It’s fresh and crisp, so refreshing she drinks nearly a quarter of it before she realizes. When she opens her eyes again, Cav is watching her. She nearly chokes, dabbing at her mouth to disguise it.

“You know, you don’t smile much,” Cav notes. “It’s nice when you do.”

A sickly feeling swarms in her stomach. It’s oddly nauseating, but almost…nice. She doesn’t know what to make of that. All she knows is the feeling grows stronger every time he looks at her. She needs to turn his attention elsewhere, or the thoughts in her head will continue to spin. Stepping beside him, she keeps her eyes on the dartboard. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

She shouldn’t ask. She doesn’t care, but it’s better to know her enemy. It’ll make all of this easier. “What’s your fantasy?” With a fingernail, she traces the rim of her bottle. “It must be rather shocking if you’ve dedicated an entire experiment to it.”

Cav finishes his turn in contemplation. Only then does he speak. “What isn’t my fantasy?”

She hates to imagine that. Hates picturing Cav in a thousand positions, a thousand scenarios, a thousand kinks. It makes her knees weak. She throws a dart that completely misses the board.

Cav doesn’t taunt her. “I like the thought of being useful. Being bossed around. Acting up, driving someone mad, testing the limits.”

Lyx finishes her lackluster turn. “No surprise there.”

Cav’s lip twitches as he retrieves the darts from the board. “Truth be told, I enjoy most things. I like giving other people what they need.” He lines himself up, but his eyes slide to hers. “I like intensity.”