READY OR NOT (CAMREN)

SIX

Camila felt like letting off a little steam. Maybe it was her interplay with Lauren earlier in the evening, or the fact that Karla had shown up again, but something had her extra keyed up and she needed some sort of distraction. "Can you take the bar for an hour or so?" she asked Shawn as he joined her there.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here. And your sister called," he said, looking at her curiously. "She wants to know if she can cook a steak she found in your fridge? I didn't know you had a sister."

"We're not exactly close these days. Thanks, though. I'll handle it." She tossed the towel from her shoulder onto the bar and made her way to the back of the place, retrieving the darts from the unoccupied board, and took her spot. She didn't need to call Karla. She'd eat the steak Camila had purchased for one of her rare nights off without permission. Hell, she probably already had and called as an afterthought, snagging the number from the magnet on her fridge.

With laser focus, Camila took a deep breath before throwing one dart after another. Not her best work, but she did okay. She repeated the process over and over again, until a small grouping of patrons, okay, girls, gathered nearby to watch.

"You're really great at that," a blondie, who was barely legal, called out.

"Thanks," Camila said, offering her a quick smile.

"I didn't know you played," Normani said, joining Camila next to the board as she retrieved the recently thrown darts.

"Occasionally." She took her spot and threw, nailing the twenty. She threw again, bull's-eye. She threw again, twenty.

"Yeah, only occasionally." Normani scoffed. "Play?"

"Sure. Underdog first," she said, winking at Normani. Camila took three games straight and enjoyed the applause from the now-large group that had gathered to take in the action. Normani had quite a few devoted fans at the bar herself, including her girlfriend, who seemed to enjoy the show, but she was only okay at the game itself. Camila took two more games before Normani surrendered.

"I'll take a game," a voice from the crowd called out. Camila scanned the group until Lauren stepped forward. Normani raised an eyebrow and handed the darts to Lauren.

"Looks like you have a new challenger," Normani said to Camila, who was more than up for it. Lauren downed the rest of her drink and passed the glass to Ally, who cheered as Lauren took a spot next to Camila at the line.

"You ready for this?" Lauren asked. She rolled her shoulders and ran a hand through her dark hair. It was one of the sexiest things Camila had ever seen, that is, until Lauren threw a double bull's-eye five point two seconds later.

"You're a shark," Camila breathed, incredulous.

"Nah," Lauren said and smiled innocently. "Just a snob with really good luck, apparently." Again with the sexy. God, Lauren had the best lips, Camila decided in that moment. Full and expressive and tempting her in the worst way. She easily recalled how they tasted.

"Care to wager?" Camila asked.

Lauren broke into an easy smile and inclined her head in the direction of the bull's-eye. "You sure you want to do that?"

"I am. Two out of three," Camila said, thinking about the terms. "If I win, you have to have dinner with me."

Lauren narrowed her gaze. "I'm not having dinner with you, but then again, you're not going to win."

"Then what's the harm?"

"Valid point," Lauren said, nodding. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and considered her options. "Okay, deal. And if I win, you have to stop flirting with me."