Free Wicked Bet: A Bad Boy Romance by Sophie Brooks Page B

belt. I’d bought it at the lingerie store this morning and had ‘forgotten’ to tell Ian about it so that I could surprise him with it later.  
    I’d spent some time on my makeup and hair, too, making my eyes smoky and adding soft waves to my bronze tresses. Before parting outside the hardware store, we’d agreed that I’d go back to the apartment first, get ready, and then text him when I was done. It almost felt like we were a bride and groom again, not allowed to see each other before the wedding.
    The final part of my fill-him-with-lust plan was my four inch black heels. Not very practical for walking, but the added height would be good for increasing my confidence. If I could look my sexy husband in the eye, or nearly so, it would help me keep the upper hand. It was my turn, and I was going to be the one in charge for the afternoon.
    “Thanks,” I said. “I guess I just feel a little foolish dressed like this in the middle of the day.”  
    “You’ll feel better when Ian gets here and looks all hot in his suit.”  
    “Yeah, I guess. I just wish that we could do this at night ... seems like the sort of thing to do in a dark corner of a bar.”  
    “Maybe I can do something about that,” she said, and she strode toward a lighting panel near the entrance to the kitchen. She fiddled with the light switches, plunging one area of the restaurant into darkness, lighting another one up. She appeared oblivious of the startled looks of the few customers that lingered over their lunches.  
    Finally, she seemed satisfied with the lighting. The bar area was much darker now, almost as if it were night outside. The main part of the restaurant was also dimmer, though not as much. As she came back to me, a few diners were still staring in our direction.  
    She shrugged dismissively. “Screw them,” she said. Then she glanced toward the door and her eyes widened. “No,” she said, her voice faint. “Screw him .”  
    I turned to look. It was Ian. God he looked hot in his dark suit. He’d slicked his short hair back, and put on a dark maroon tie. I wanted to grab him by the hand, shove him into the coatroom, and ride him until we both passed out from exhaustion. And judging by the bartender’s stare, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to do that.  
    “Holy crap. You are a very lucky woman.” With visible effort, she pulled her eyes off my husband and turned to me. She whispered as he drew nearer. “Remember when I said you didn’t have to quit your job to spend more time together? Fuck that. Quit your job. Spend more time together. And good luck,” she added, moving away from me.  
    It was showtime. I kept my eyes on the bar as Ian came up next to me. I waited a long moment before turning to him.  
    “You look amazing,” he said, genuine appreciation in his voice.  
    “Thank you,” I said politely. “I’m Alyssa.”  
    To his credit, it only took him a second to figure out the game. “I’m Ian,” he said, shaking the hand I offered. I’d been counting on him being a quick study.  
    “Mind if I sit down?” he asked.  
    I shook my head, turning back to my drink. The bartender had been down at the end of the bar, but now she approached us, shooting me a subtle wink and asking Ian what he wanted.  
    “I’ll have whatever the lady is having,” he said.  
    When his glass of red wine arrived, he clinked it against mine. I smiled, looking into his eyes, trying to see what a stranger would see in them. Such dark irises, almost charcoal. I wondered if other people ever noticed how his eyes could sparkle with mischief, narrow in concern, and intensify when he was excited?
    It was weird, thinking of him as a stranger and not my soulmate, but if we were going to truly reconnect, then we couldn’t keep behaving in the same way as always. We needed do something different. And it wasn’t going to be easy. I was going to make him work for it. We’d both have to do that.  
    He sipped the wine