Chad was falling for her. Did he really have to win this silly bet to get a date with her? Devyn was throwing herself at him at every chance. His hands gripped the cool white top of the vanity and he studied the way his eyes had already turned glassy from the whiskey. He had never felt so affected by a single class of alcohol. Chad wasn’t a lightweight.
He twisted the handle, water falling from the faucet. The cold water touched his skin and he fought the urge to pull it away. He let it cover both hands before he touched the cold water to his face. Chad sucked in a breath past his gritted teeth. The coolness of the water stung, bringing him to life in the dim room. He had a job to do. He had to be focused. The task at hand was not getting drunk and fucking Devyn on her couch regardless of how badly he wanted to do both of those things. Getting drunk and fucking could come after he won the fucking bet.
Devyn wasn’t just the prize at the end of this game. She was the game. She was the challenge and the reward. They made a bet, and the last thing he could do was lose. She had already beaten him once.
He opened the door, stepping back into the dim townhouse and making his way back to the couch of temptation. Devyn was sprawled out on the couch cheeks flushed and her hair a mess.
He was going to have to count back from 10.
Chad sat beside her taking the remote from her lap before pressing the power button. He scrolled through the channel before stopping on a cheesy Christmas movie. He turned to look at Devyn, though she had barely looked at him since he had stepped back into the room. Her dark eyes contrasted well against her flushed cheeks.
“We’re going to watch a Christmas movie and then you’re going to kiss me goodnight, and I will pick you up in the morning. Are you okay with that?” Chad pushed a strand of hair out of her face and behind the curve of her ear.
“I don’t want to watch that.” She stuck her lower lip out. Chad fought the urge to snatch it between his teeth.
“What is your suggestion then?” Chad leaned back into the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. He should have known it wouldn’t be easy to get Devyn to agree with him.
“A Christmas movie, but not that. It’s so cheesy and boring. It’s something my sister forces me to watch every year and it makes me hate this stupid holiday even more.”
“Speaking of.” Chad sat straighter on the couch. “Where is your sister?”
“She’s on a business trip,” she said, letting her eyes drift back up to his. “She’s out of town often.”
Chad swallowed.
“How about we watch something scary instead?”
“I don’t know of any scary Christmas movies.”
“I do.” Devyn smiled taking the remote from his hand. She changed the TV off cable and over to Netflix. “There was this horror movie that came out a few years ago about an evil Santa. We can watch that. No one would ever watch it with me, so I don’t know if it’s any good or not.”
Chad rolled his eyes, unable to believe he was about to watch a Christmas horror movie with a smoking hot Grinch. She was one of a kind.
“I’m only watching that if I get popcorn.” Chad held his hands up.
Devyn chewed on her lower lip, considering his words carefully. The edges of her lips tugged upward, a smile spreading largely across her sweet face.
“Deal.” She jumped up from the couch, almost tripping over her own feet as she walked toward the kitchen. Chad could feel the smile spreading across his cheeks. It was getting harder to not smile when she was around. He found his way to the spare closet in the living room and pulled a large throw blanket from the top of the neatly piled stack. He started to close the door, but something caught his eye. Inside the closet was a cream colored record player. He almost missed it, but the small metal cart made it hard to miss. Chad pulled on the cart, wheeling it into the living room. It was covered in multicolored Christmas lights which was too much, even for him.
Chad sat the blanket down on the couch and studied the small cart. It held a few records, all of them were holiday themed, and a small framed photo. Chad’s fingers curled around the frame.
“I see you’ve found Maria’s favorite holiday tradition,” Devyn’s voice had shifted. It was a little heavier than when she had left the room earlier. Whatever cheer he had managed to give her was leaving in a hurry.
“Who’s in the photo?”
Devyn pressed her lips together, staring at the blanket he had pulled out of the closet. Instead of answering she walked over to the cart and plucked the photo from his fingers. She placed it upside down on the cart.
“No one important,” she whispered, smiling slightly up at him. She placed her hand on his side. Her body wrapped around his, squeezing him in a tight embrace. “Are we going to watch that movie or not?”
Devyn walked back over to the small loveseat, picking up the variety of sugar treats and popcorn she had brought from her kitchen. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her into him. She started to resist, but decided against it. She curled her feet under her and settled closely into his shoulder. She looked up at him from underneath her eyelashes.
“I didn’t know what else you liked,” she said digging around in the bin of treats she had brought with her. She pulled
