Zoe And The Beast

Chapter 9 | Gambling My Heart Away | Part 3

The Beast was actually going to kiss me.

A hand reached up to cup my face and position it. Terse, I tensed up my entire body, freezing in surprise. Before I could acknowledge the situation further, a gentle pair of lips pushed up against mine, another hand reaching around to the small of my back. Every heartbeat that passed through us warmed me, bringing me to cloud nine.

The kiss was as tender as any kiss could be. Being gentle, we simply caressed the moment together, calm, serene, and soft. Nothing was forceful, nothing felt wrong. His lips were shut, as were mine. His wonderful minty aroma was around me again.

And before I knew what was happening next, his hands slipped away from my waist, and his supple lips parted away from mine. As I fluttered my eyes, I noticed two serene hazel one gazing in front of me.

My head was swirling, faster and faster as my heart thudded inside my chest. I breathed out a quiet sigh as a small smile swept his lips.

Oh, gosh. His eyes were so mesmerizing. So beautiful...so –

"Uh-hem," the dealer's voice rang into my ears as she cleared her throat, a little hoarse. "Another round, Vince?"

Vince, pulling back to reality, turned and smiled at the dealer. "You know it."

I bit my lip as I thought of what just happened, forcing myself to keep my blush from appearing visible to others.

She dealt out another set of cards, before turning to us. "Hit or stay?"

We had a seven. Taking one for the team, I responded. "Hit."

The dealer, laid down another card, ending us up with a nineteen. Vince's voice came closer to me, as he whispered in my ear. "Should we hit it?"

Looking back up at the gruff man in front of us, I shook my head, not wanting my lips to go anywhere near his.

"Good call," Vince muttered. "But I'm going to hit it."

Snapping my eyes to his in complete and utter dismay, I opened my mouth to protest, right as Vince said, loud, clear, and confidently. "We're going to hit."

"What?" I hissed, frantically. "We can't hit!"

"Just trust me," he hushed. The dealer tossed over another card, her eyes keenly on our cards.

I felt a sudden sort of fear, to be on a date with Vince Mascars. I knew that he took risks. I knew that his life revolved around being on the edge. But I never expected it to affect me, or cause me to kiss a freaky older man.

My innocent lips depended on this.

Vince lifted the card a tad bit.

It was a two.

A tiny breath flew out my mouth, every bit of relief pouring through me and taking me to cloud nine. Our total was twenty-one, immediately declaring us to be the winners. I wouldn't have to kiss the old guy.

Thank the Lord.

The dealer flipped the cards over, to reveal a seventeen with the other guy.

Vince's eyes flicked to me, and once again, he reached forward to wrap his hands gently around my neck. With my heart thumping violently, I shut my eyes and breathed out in bliss, waiting for his lips to touch mine.

And then he uttered, very softly, "I'm going to save this kiss for later. When you least expect it."

My eyes shot open to meet his, totally shocked. A lazy smirk and two amused eyes stared back. A blush pooling into my cheeks and I looked away, embarrassed and mildly curious about when he would use the kiss. Would he randomly come to the library and kiss me again? Or kiss me at the end of the night? Or when school started? When in the world would he use it?

Gosh, kissing had never been more stressful.

Someone cleared their throat. Turning to the dealer, I watched as she waved her hand at the opponent's seat. "He left. You're thirty minutes into the game. Would you like to continue to play?"

Shooting a breathtaking smile my way, Vince didn't even glance at her as he spoke. "Actually, I was thinking about teaching Zoe how to play pool. Have you played before?"

"No, but..." I froze in my tracks and glanced over at the pool table where four men and six women played, some of them throwing money at each other. Unlike the perverted men before, these people looked decent and closer to our age. "Is there room for us?"

"There's always room for us." Hopping up and offering me his hand, Vince led me to the pool table. Without hesitation, people stirred out of his way and handed him two pool cues.

"Thanks, but we're only using one today," Vince grinned and handed back one of the cues to someone else. As he turned back to face me, he cocked up a coy eyebrow. "Do you know how to play?"

I shrugged, pulling in beside him. "Not really."

"All the better." Vince handed me the cue, his eyes mischievous. "I can teach you how to play."

My eyes narrowed flirtatiously. "What do I get out of this?"

"You're on a date with the richest guy at our school. He's kissing you. And he's teaching you how to play pool." Vince came closer and put his arms around my body, putting the cue in place. Whispering in my ear, he uttered, "What more could you want?"

I felt his abdominal muscles hard against my back as he leaned us down further so we were in ready position. "Let's get this game started, fellas."

Author's Note

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Edited: May 20, 2018