Opposites Ignite by Sadira Stone (crime books to read .txt) 📗

Eddie, she chuckled. “Can’t hold it as long as I used to.”

I did not need to hear that.

Rosie’s husky voice rang out through the mic. “One minute left to finish your answers, people.”

“I love you, Rosie,” some guy hollered from a table in the back.

“Rosie’s taken,” Jojo called.

Eddie shot him a glare.

So did Rosie, before checking the Seahawks wall clock. “Five, four, three, two, time’s up.” Rosie caught Eddie’s eye and beckoned.

He pushed through the crowd to the stage. “Something wrong?”

She extended her hand and tugged him up beside her. “Help me score these? We’re running late, and I need to start the next round.”

“Umm, I…” If there was anything he hated more than needles, it was public speaking.

Rosie spoke into the mic. “My lovely assistant Eddie will help score the answers.”

“We love you, Eddie,” squawked some drunk chick from the far end of the bar.

“Eddie’s taken,” Jojo called. “By Rosie.”

His stomach tilted as he and Rosie exchanged frozen, wide-eyed smiles. So much for keeping their pretend-dating scheme on the downlow.

“Awww,” a woman squealed, “Rosie’s got a little pocket boyfriend.”

Jaw clenched, Eddie scanned the stage floor. Just his luck, no trap door.

Rosie switched off the mic, turned her back to the audience and hiss-whispered, “What the fuck, Eddie? I agreed to pretend to your family, not to the whole damn world.”

He whispered back, “Jojo saw us with the moms.”

Squeezing her eyes shut, she blew out a breath. “Let’s just ignore him. Five minutes from now, people will find something more interesting to talk about.” She faced the audience with a phony smile. “Eddie will verify the answers, and—”

Ting, ting, ting. Someone tapped a glass with a fork. Others joined in, and soon the bar rang with tinkly din.

“Question one,” Rosie shouted into the mic.

“Kiss!” someone called. Tipsy customers picked up the refrain. “Kiss, kiss, kiss.”

Rosie’s panicked gaze darted from him to the chanting mob. “Make them stop.”

Only one way to do that. Eddie faced the crowd and raised his forefinger. Like a prizefighter warming up, he rolled his head and shoulders, blew out a breath, then raked his fingers into her hair and mashed his lips to hers.

She squeaked. “Damn, Eddie.”

“Hang on.” He crooked his leg behind her knees and dipped her in a kitschy movie clinch. Giggling, she kissed him back.

What the hell, this may be my last chance. When she parted her lips to draw a breath, he swept his tongue inside.

For a long, sweet moment, the crowd dissolved, the noise faded, and the whole world contracted to the circle of their arms around each other, their mingled breath, the slide of her velvet tongue over his. Then something hard and cold pinged off his head.

“Jesus H. Christ on a pogo stick. Can’t leave you two alone for two seconds.” Dawn fished another ice cube from her glass and chucked it at them. It hit Rosie’s chest and slid into her cleavage.

Eyes bugging out, she popped upright, nearly dumping Eddie on his ass.

“Steady now.” He held her elbow while she fished the ice out of her bra.

Dawn was right, there must be something in the water—or something about touching Rosie that knocked him off center and released his fearless evil twin—because he snatched the ice from her hand and popped it into his mouth. The crowd roared with laughter.

“Go on, get back to work.” Dawn gave his shoulder a shove. Was she smiling or grimacing? Hard to tell.

“My lady?” He extended his hand. When Rosie just gaped at him, he clasped her clenched fist and pulled her off the stage.

They made it as far as the bar before she smacked him upside his buzzing head. “What the hell were you thinking?”

His giddy mood popped like a soap bubble. “You said to make them stop.”

Rosie stomped in a circle, muttering some very creative curses—which only made him want her more—so hot and fiery, with her heaving chest and blazing eyes.

Dawn’s voice rang out. “Winner of round two is, drumroll please…” she paused for the customers to bang on their tabletops. “Kappa Alpha Theta!”

A quartet of girls in Puget Sound University hoodies hooted and clapped.

“Round three, coming up.”

“Thanks a motherfuckin’ lot, Eddie.” She stamped to the bar, snatched the next batch of envelopes from Kiara, and moved off to distribute them.

Eddie slunk behind the bar and took out his frustration hacking up lemons and limes.

River’s hand fell onto his shoulder. “Trouble in paradise?”

He shrugged. “Note to self: ask before kissing.” But she kissed him back, damn it. He hadn’t imagined her fingers tightening on his shoulders, her soft sigh as their lips connected, her hungry little moan when his tongue swept inside her.

“Don’t worry, Eddie.” Kiara gave him a side hug. “She still likes you.”

“How can you tell?” he grumbled, his eyes on the mangled fruit.

“Because she keeps looking at you.”

He glanced up. Rosie glowered and jerked her gaze away. Yeah, she looks at me like she wants to roast me alive.

Chapter Six

By quitting time, Rosie had calmed down enough to realize how wrong she was for biting Eddie’s head off. Tonight’s kiss fiasco had filled her pockets with extra tips—and dampened her panties something fierce. What really pissed her off was how much she enjoyed kissing him. A persistent tingle flared every time she glanced his way. And now she had to say sorry, weasel her way back into his apartment, and keep her stupid, horny hands to herself.

When the servers gathered at the bar to divvy up tips, she tucked an extra twenty into Eddie’s jar.

Charlie snort-laughed. “You don’t have to buy his affection, Rosie. He’s already yours.”

At the far end of the bar, Eddie dropped the plastic crate he’d just emptied. The clatter yanked everyone’s focus to his scowling face. “Look.” He waved toward the empty stage. “That kiss was just to get the crowd to shut up, like Rosie asked me to, right?” He pinned her with a glare, and her stomach dropped three stories.

“Er—right. We were just—kidding around.”

“Is that what you kids call