Running To Him - Forbidden Hearts Series Book 6

14| Be Careful What You Bet For

I would give anything to have her meddling again.

"This is my fourth time coming to Paris," he said, breaking my train of thought. "But this is my first time staying here for this long. When I came before, it was only little mini-vacations. Never more than a few days or a week at the most."

His tone was full of awe and appreciation.

"You love it here," I stated, glancing over at him.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Kinda. I mean, I love the Louve. I love the rhythm of the city. The history. It just feels slower here, I guess. I've always felt that a slower pace gives you more time to appreciate life."

I had no idea how to respond to that. On one hand, I could see where he was coming from. But on the other, perhaps a slower pace was not what I needed right now. A slower pace meant more time to think.

Luckily, we approached the entrance of the restaurant and I didn't have to respond to what he said.

Given how busy this area was, I thought it would take a while and a lot more of my complaining before we were sat at a table. So I was extremely glad that that wasn't the case because I was starving.

"So, what's good here?" I asked Ollie as I picked up menu. Of course, most of it was in French and I couldn't read it. I was either going to have to bust out Google translate or rely on my new roommate to help me out.

When I looked over at him, he had his hands resting on the table and the menu was pushed to the side.

"You aren't eating?"

That smile of his that I liked a little too much reappeared on his face. "Of course, I am. I already know what we're having, so I don't need to look at the menu."

One very specific part of that sentence caught my attention. So I sat my menu down and frowned.

"We? You know what we are ordering? You don't even know what I like."

The look he gave me was pure yeah-right.

"I know you, Lovette. And I know what you like."

Greaaaaat. Here we go again with the not-so-subtle reminders of before. Back in the states. When he and I ended up...yeahhhh.

I took a few gulps of my water before I responded. "Fine. But if I don't like it, it's on you."

Another chuckle from Ollie. "Care to make a wager on that?"

All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when he said that. It was a warning not to take the bait and fall into this trap. It was Ollie for crying out loud. And as much as I tried to deny it, he did know me.

Shit. I never could resist things like this. My whole life, if someone dared me to do something, I did it. No hesitation and no questions asked.

And the look on Ollie's face told me Ollie knew it, too.

Unable to resist, I asked," What's the bet?"

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. I made sure to keep my eyes focused on his face and not on the way his t-shirt stretched tightly around his muscles.

"If you enjoy what I order for you, then we get to play a game of my choosing. No bickering or trying to welch you way out of it. And you have to be honest about whether you like the food or not."

Playing any kind of game with Ollie was obviously a terrible idea. But my competitive side was totally on board. It didn't hurt that I was feeling really confident with my chances. After all, there were a lot of items on this menu. What were the chances that I would like the one thing he ordered for me?

With a sideways glance towards him, I asked, "And when I win...what do I get?"

Ollie leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest as he pondered my question. Great. More damn stretching of his t-shirt. Didn't the man own a bigger shirt? Like a 5XL, maybe? Or a fucking jacket?

"How about this, Lovette. If you win, I'll leave the prize up to you. Anything you want."

"Anything I want?" Challenging him, I arched a brow. "What if I want free pastries indefinitely for as long as I'm renting the loft. And coffee!"

He shrugged one shoulder. "Then my American Express is yours to charge as many delicious pastries as you want to it."

"And coffee," I reminded him.

Another deep chuckle from him. "Of course. And coffee."

A thought came to me. "What if I win...and I want you to leave me alone and stop meddling with my life while I'm here?"

His smile was arrogant, like he knew I would never ask for that. "Then you won't see another glimpse of me again while you're here."

With a confident smile of my own, I extended my hand. "Deal."

He placed his own hand in mine and that was it. "Deal."

The competitive side of me jumped into the forefront the second he challenged me to this bet. Then there was that other part of me. It was the part of me that was in that hotel room with Ollie way back when.

And that part of me told me I just made a huge mistake.

***

I'm back, my lovely readers!! Once again, so sorry for being away for so long. I had so much going on in my life and needed some mental health time.

Believe me, I hated being away as much as you guys hated waiting for these chapters. I was opening and closing my laptop all the time, but I could get myself to write.

Thankfully, I'm feeling like myself again and am so motivated to continue writing!

I'm already working on the next chapter for Running to Him and also Heartstrings, so there will be more updates before next week.

Thank you all again for your support and patience 🖤