The Ultimate Chance-Chapter 127

"If you need me to slow down..."

"I will not need that." She stopped him before he could tell her what to do if it got too fast.

Taking that as his cue, he rode off into the night with her holding him tightly and yelling in excitement when he sped up. Probably because it was night, the road was clear and aside from a few cars once in a while, it was just them against the wind.

She squealed when he raced uphill and when they came speeding down the slope that came right after, her heart lurched in her throat.

"Do you need me to slow down?" He asked in a yell—which was the only way she could hear him through the roar of the engine and wind.

"No, faster!" She yelled back. This was dangerous but it was also the most exciting feeling she’d had in forever.

"One more slope coming right up!" He warned before he went up another hill and this time, the slope that followed right after knocked the breath out of her. They had arrived at their destination right at the bottom of the slope and she felt bummed but got down nonetheless.

"That was exciting." She said through her shaky voice. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Exciting? She was trembling, he observed, but maybe it was the rush of adrenaline that made her love it all the more. He couldn’t say it was different for him.

"Have you ever gone skydiving?" He asked.

"I haven’t, yet. When Angel is old enough to take care of himself should anything happen to me, I will go."

Her answer rendered him speechless. "Fair enough. Let’s not take all the risks at the same time. Though I must say, that ride is probably more dangerous than sky diving could ever be."

She clung onto his arm for support as her legs still trembled slightly from the ride. "That wasn’t dangerous. You wouldn’t let anything happen to me."

She probably said it off the top of her head but to him, it meant much more than simple words. She trusted him with her life. He smiled back at her and led her into the bar.

"Hers Bar?" She read the illuminated sign at the entrance with a slight laugh. "Who did the owner build it for?"

"Maybe we can find out. Are you in the mood for some casino games?" he invited her enticingly. She had not realized it before but once they were inside, she caught sight of a slot machine at the farthest end.

She tugged on his arm. "Casinos are illegal in Olphire and so is gambling." She warned.

"We are not breaking the law if no one sees us breaking the law." He grinned.

"What if someone in here is some undercover cop?" She dreaded.

"Everyone’s eyes are closed here. Wanna take the gamble?" He winked. She still felt uneasy about it but since she was in the mood to take risks tonight, she decided to roll with it.

"I have to warn you, I don’t have any money on me." She muttered.

"Don’t worry about that."

"Well that, and the fact that I cannot roll dice to save my life. Are you ready to go bankrupt?" She asked with a hint of a threat in her tone, making him laugh.

"You can stay beside me until you feel you’re ready to play."

....

When he suggested having her as a lucky charm, he didn’t think she would end up catching up so fast. She rode on an insane streak of beginner’s luck when she joined in the poker games but after a while, he realized everyone was letting her win. Heaven knew why they felt the need to flatter her but it didn’t matter as long as she was happy.

She bragged about earning ten thousand dollars playing poker, only to end up losing all of it in the slot machine. She laughed her heart out when it was all over and she had lost all her earnings for the evening.

"I need some air." She took his hand.

"I know just the spot." He bid the rest of the players at their table and led her away, vaguely hearing them exclaiming her name. So that was why they let her win. They recognized her and were trying to curry her favor.

They took the elevator to the rooftop and she took in a deep breath when the cool breeze hit her skin. "Nothing’s ever felt so refreshing before."

"Do you like it here?" He walked towards the edge with her a step behind him.

"I love it. It’s nothing like Imperium with its bustling nightlife." She dug into her shorts pocket and stuffed a hundred dollars into his hand. "The spoils of the war. I swear, we would starve if you depended on me to gamble for a living.I It’s so ruthless."

Of course. There was a reason why gambling was illegal. "At least you would have your name. No one dares to win against you."

She squinted her eyes. "Are you jealous of that too?"

Of an entire table of men trying to please his girlfriend? He would be a rock if that didn’t make him jealous. Even then, he wrapped his arms around her. "Why would I be jealous? There are billions of men in the world and you chose me. That has to mean something, right?"

"Don’t give yourself that much credit. I didn’t have much choice." She joked. "It’s not fun seeing other people fawn over the one you love, is it?"

"This is not about Cassandra, is it?" He quickly realized where it was headed.

She knew it would get ugly if she persisted, so she forced a smile. "Do you want to take a bet? Tell her I’m mad at you and ask her how to regain a woman’s favor. Her answer will prove me right. Just don’t do it right now—tonight is too perfect to be ruined by her."

He was glad she thought so. He was not in the mood to deal with the woman either. Instead, he asked for drinks to be brought up, only for her to deny him any.

"You can’t drink and ride." She wagged a finger at him.

"I can ride pretty damn well when I’m drunk. Do you want to bet?"

She thought he was talking about the motorbike but when she caught his grin, her mouth gaped in shock. "Damon!"

"You started it." He laughed when she gave up and let him drink a little. "We should get back before we are too drunk to find our way." He grabbed her hand and didn’t give her the chance to protest, making a dash back to the bar and out in a flash. She hoped onto the bike excitedly and rested against his back, moving much less on their ride back.

She thought they would go back to the resort so when he took a detour into the woods and stopped in front of a cottage, she was confused.

"Where are we?" She drawled.

"Home." He opened the door and nudged her, laughing at her resistance.

"Home looks nothing like this. Are you trying to kidnap me?" She asked in all seriousness, making him burst into laughter.

"Are you drunk?"

She shook her head innocently. That only proved him right. She was too drunk to know what she was saying, so he took her small hand and kissed it. "Would a kidnapper do this?"

She once again shook her head. She was so cute when she was drunk, he observed and pecked her lips "What about this?"

She thought about it for a moment and held his face, kissing him deeply for a few seconds. She then let go of him and nodded. "You truly are my boyfriend. I would recognize those lips anywhere."

It probably wasn’t sane to be flattered by drunken gibberish so he agreed with her logic. "Can we get in now?"

She nodded and led the way, and she was immediately baffled by the decor. "That’s strange. Why does it look like the house is made of stone?"

He held back his laughter. "What do you think houses are made of?"

"I don’t know. Something fluffier, like sponge?" She seriously evaluated the walls and shook her head. "This won’t do. We need to rebuild our house."

"We can do that tomorrow." He led the little lunatic towards the bedroom, only for her to once again stop halfway.

"Damon, the floor is too spongy." She complained.

Did she have a thing for sponges? He wanted to laugh but he knew that would upset her, so he played along. "When we rebuild the walls tomorrow, we can use the sponges on the floor. This way, we get to kill two birds with one stone."

"Why would you kill birds? They are too cute!" She berated him. He chuckled lightly.

"No one’s killing any bird. Can we get to bed?"

Finally, she agreed on something he suggested. She clumsily bent over to take off her shoes, groaning when she found them too troublesome. With a smile, he sat her on the bed and helped take them off, earning a myriad of praise and thanks even though he assured her it was not a big deal.

He helped her lie on the bed, where she complained the pillows were too spongy and opted to lie on his chest instead.

"You’re so cute when you’re drunk, do you know that?" He laughed as he stroked her shoulders.

She looked up at him as though she had heard him but her next words were baffling. "Make love to me."

______

AN: It’s reckless to drink and drive. Don’t do that.