“Did I fail to mention that this double dare consisted of you eating nothing but lettuce for the next seven hours?”

*-*-*-*

“Wow, I’m stuffed. How about you?” she asked, knowing that it probably was a bad idea to keep taunting him, but she really just couldn’t help herself.

There really was something about getting back at the bastard that gave her such pleasure, she decided as she made a big show of scooping up another bite of chocolate cream pie and bringing it halfway to her mouth only to set it back down on her plate with a sad shake of her head and a little sigh.

“You’re going to pay for this,” Darrin practically snarled as he stabbed his fork in what had to be his thirtieth helping of lettuce. Keeping his glare locked on her, he shoved the forkful of wilted lettuce in his mouth and chewed.

“How’s that lettuce working out for you?”

He paused mid-chew as his eyes narrowed on her and she knew, just knew, that he was imagining all the violent things that he’d like to do to her. So, of course she picked up her phone and snapped another picture.

“Hmm, that was a good one,” she mumbled, noting how the phone was able to pick up the murderous gleam in his eyes.

Ah, memories…

“You’re going to pay for this,” he repeated, practically shaking with rage.

She considered pointing out that she’d graciously allowed him to have a delicious glass of tap water with his meal, but decided against it since something in his expression told her that it was probably a bad idea. Actually, now that she thought about it, it would probably be for the best if she left now since the restaurant was closing in an hour. It would give her enough time to run back to the hotel, switch her room and buy some supplies just in case she was forced to lay low for a few days.

With that in mind, she stood up, noting the way that he watched her every move, and grabbed her bag. “Well, it’s been fun, but I’m afraid that I have to be going now.”

“Marybeth,” he snarled in warning.

If only she knew when to stop when she was ahead, she thought, shaking her head sadly as she looked over to Danny’s table to find it empty. She glanced around the busy restaurant until she spotted him with his girlfriend at the far end of the buffet, waiting in line at the meat carving station.

She really shouldn’t do this, mostly because it was probably going to get her killed, but…

She really couldn’t help herself.

After watching Danny for a few more seconds to make sure that he wasn’t going to turn around, she shifted her attention back to the man that she loved to torment. There was just something so wrong with enjoying playing with fire, and she was definitely playing with fire, she thought as she threaded her fingers through his hair, leaned down and did the one thing that she’d missed the most over the past month.

She kissed him.

Chapter 26

The Next Day…

“Morning!”

I’m going to kill her….

Not Jodi, even though her annoyingly chipper attitude demanded some form of retribution, but she wasn’t the one who had done this to him. No, the woman that he wanted to throttle was none other than his beautiful wife. He could have forgiven her for screwing him over at the buffet, but the way that she’d left him, desperate, hard and eager to do anything to get her naked beneath him had guaranteed revenge.

That kiss…that fucking kiss…

She’d surprised him with that kiss, knocking him on his ass when she’d leaned down and threaded her fingers through his hair as she took his mouth in a kiss that left him panting and desperate for more. By the time he’d reached for her, it had been too late. The fucking tease had jumped back out of his reach, knowing that he was in no shape to follow after her.

He’d been forced to sit there, panting and praying desperately that his cock would settle down quickly so that he could go after her. He’d watched as the smiling woman with the beautifully flushed cheeks had sauntered out of the restaurant, her ass swaying enticingly, guaranteeing that he wouldn’t be able to follow after her anytime soon.

After that things got a little...hazy.

He vaguely remembered something about mashed potatoes, lettuce flying everywhere, screams, cries for help and being thrown out of the restaurant. He wished that he could claim that he couldn’t remember the rest of the night, but unfortunately for him that wasn’t the case and God, how he wished he could forget the horror of witnessing the destruction one small drunk woman could cause.

“Kill. Me,” Danny groaned somewhere by the bed and as much as Darrin would like to get in on that prayer, he had other matters to deal with today.

“Rough night?” Jodi asked, sounding disgustingly cheerful.

“You did this to me!” Danny snarled accusingly as Darrin forced his eyes open and tried to figure out how he’d managed to crawl beneath the small coffee table and pass out.

“Me?” Jodi asked, sounding surprised when she should be apologizing to both of them and begging for their forgiveness.

“I hate you both,” Darrin groaned as he made his first attempt to crawl out from under the table and failed.

“Exactly how much did the two of you drink last night?” Jodi asked, swallowing nervously as she took a step back and out of their reach.

“How much did we drink last night?” Darrin repeated, shaking his head in disgust.

“Not half as much as you did!” Danny snapped from where he lay on the floor, blindly reaching up and grabbing the blanket off the bed as he glared at the small woman glancing nervously between the two of them.