Bound to Happen. Alison Kent

say I’m doing all I can to keep my getting-lucky options open.”

      The other three men razzed him with loudly voiced hoots and hisses and snickering laughter. All Sydney could do was stare at the liquid in her glass, knowing the smile on her face was bound to give her away. She wasn’t sure she wanted everyone at the table to know of her plans before she’d had a chance to share her intentions with Ray. Before she’d shown him exactly what a lucky guy he was and done so in a more intimate setting, without an audience.

      Poe finally and effectively killed the locker-room atmosphere by drumming her hands on the table. “Yoo-hoo, Jess. I think we all understand your rules. Now are we going to play or what?”

      Jess turned his attention to Poe. “Yes, we’re going to play. And since you started this mess and put me in charge, I’ve decided you get to go first.”

      Shaking her head, Kinsey clucked her tongue in disappointment. “Put a man in charge and he still needs a woman to get things started.”

      “I hate to break it to you, Kinsey,” Doug said, sitting between Lauren and Poe and ignoring the threatening glares from both women. “But not only can we get things started without a woman, we can finish things off the same way.”

      Poe waved off his comeback. “Tell that to the centerfold sharing your special moment.”

      Every man in the room squirmed.

      “Imagination and touch are more important than visual stimulation to a woman,” Lauren added, directing a pointed glance at Doug. “Which is why we can start and finish with or without the help of a battery-operated boyfriend.”

      “Good ol’ B.O.B.” Kinsey sighed. “A fresh supply of batteries and he never lets a girl down.”

      Anton snorted and rolled his eyes before downing half his bourbon. Doug, on the other hand, stared at Kinsey in disbelief. “Are you telling me that you get off every time you, uh…take B.O.B. to bed?”

      Kinsey only smiled sweetly, tossing back her long blond hair. “Why don’t you ask me that when it’s your turn to play?”

      Doug shook his head and under his breath muttered, “Women. More trouble than they’re worth.”

      Poe dug an elbow into his ribs to shut him up. “You can get back at Kinsey and all of womankind later, after I get through getting back at Jess.”

      Jess groaned and thumped his forehead on the edge of the table before looking up and grimacing at Poe.

      Poe crossed her arms on the edge of the table and leaned forward, sparing a glance for Ray at her left, Doug at her right, then Anton across the table, before she settled her sights on Jess. “Now, Jess. Since we’re discussing sexy toys, my question is this. Have you ever done it with an inanimate object and, if so, with what?”

      Jess’s expression remained deadpan. “Such as?”

      “Oh, I don’t know. A blowup doll. An apple pie. That sort of thing.”

      “I think Poe has been watching a few too many movies,” Kinsey said, and Ray snickered. Then Doug snickered. Sydney couldn’t help herself and she snickered, too. Jess remained totally cool. She had to give him credit.

      “Are you talking all the way back to puberty?” he asked, leaning over the table toward her. “Or during my recent sex sabbatical?”

      Poe leaned even farther over the table, until her breasts threatened to spill out of her top. “I’m talking any time during your life, sweetie, though I’d really like to hear more about this sex sabbatical.”

      Jess leaned forward, too. “Well, then, sweetie. I take the dare.”

      Jess’s refusal to answer brought him everything from howls to sympathetic groans to hysterical laughter, the latter from Lauren, who Sydney was beginning to think had had too much to drink.

      Sitting back with a smugly satisfied smile, Poe laced her hands behind her head. “Since you dug yourself in deep with that one, I’ll make it easy on you. You have to kiss one of your dinner companions. Girl or guy, it doesn’t matter. The only caveat is that you have to look like you mean it.”

      “That’s it? That’s his dare?” Kinsey registered the complaint and Sydney followed with “That sounds more like a reward.”

      “And a punishment for whoever he chooses,” Lauren added.

      Jess scooted back his chair and got to his feet. “Tsk-tsk, ladies. I realize this is going to be hard on those of you who don’t get to experience my incredible expertise.”

      Anton brought his fist to his mouth and coughed to cover up his exclamation of “Bullshit.”

      “Yeah. What Anton said. You can just keep your tongue to yourself, mister,” Kinsey said.

      Jess ignored the outburst and circled the table, passing each woman once before stopping behind Kinsey on his second trip around. With both hands on the back of her chair, he leaned down and ran the tip of his tongue around the shell of her ear, blowing softly until she shuddered.

      Sydney’s own heart fluttered wildly, and one look at Lauren and Poe confirmed that neither of the other women remained unaffected. Even knowing Jess was all bark and no bite didn’t stop any of them from wanting to feel the nip of his teeth. Though, mused Sydney, not half as much as she wanted to be nipped by Ray.

      “Now,” Jess said to Kinsey, breathing the words into her ear. “Don’t be giving me grief about my tongue when you obviously don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” And with that, he continued his second trip around the table.

      Sydney held her breath as he passed behind her, and she caught Ray staring as she slowly let it go. She wanted to know what he was thinking, what it meant when his pulse ticked at his temple, when his jaw seemed to grind. She wanted to know if he possibly wanted her, and how she was going to sit through the rest of the evening until she could find out for sure.

      No one at the table said a word when Jess came to a stop behind Poe’s chair. She still had her arms raised, her hands laced behind her head, and Jess settled his palms on her elbows. Her mouth quirked slightly, as if she’d never had a doubt she’d end up as his choice.

      He ran his hands from her elbows down her triceps and back up to her forearms before pulling her to her feet, pushing her chair out of the way with his hip as he did. Then he turned her, wrapped her arms around his neck, settled his hands on her hipbones above the low-riding waistband of her pants and backed her into the table.

      When he lowered his head, Sydney found herself once again holding her breath. Jess nuzzled his lips over Poe’s jaw and chin before moving his mouth to her mouth. He was tender and gentle and soft with his approach.

      He wasn’t grinding his hips into hers and slipping his tongue into her mouth as Sydney was certain everyone was expecting him to do. No, he was taking things slow, the way a lover would take things slow, letting go of Poe’s hips and moving his hands up her body to hold her face, finally opening his mouth enough to coax Poe to do the same.

      It was unbelievable, the way Sydney’s pulse raced, the way she found herself unable to pull in anything more than shallow breaths. She glanced at Lauren, then at Kinsey. Both women were equally transfixed. But this time Sydney could not bring herself to look at Ray, even though she hadn’t a doubt he was looking at her. The sensation of being caught in his gaze like a fly in a spider’s web was enough to keep her from glancing over. Or from looking again toward Jess and Poe.

      The suggestion of intimacy stirred Sydney’s hunger unbearably, and she breathed a huge sigh of relief when the couple broke the embrace. She even joined in the applause that followed and finally felt able to come up for air once Jess had taken his bow and made his way back to his seat.

      “Well, now,” Poe said, slightly out of breath as she settled back into her chair. “You almost convinced me that you meant it.”

      “Then I guess I won that round,” Jess said,