Taivon: Book Three of the Cantrell Brothers Series

Chapter Fifteen

Alix took a sip of her coffee. By now, it was cool, and she could actually appreciate the sweet taste of caramel and white chocolate. She didn't, however, allow herself to look up at Taivon; for she knew that she got distracted, he'd kick her ass in another game.

Taking a deep breath, Alix leaned back in the cushioned seat and assessed where to pull out her next block. The middle ones were always a good bet, but when she'd done that in her other game, the entire tower had collapsed. It had only tallied another loss for her and another win for Taivon.

“Ha,” she said and slid a block from the tower. It came out smoothly, and Alix placed it next to her slowly accumulating pile.

“Nice,” Taivon told her, soft voice sending a shudder down her spine.

As his brown eyes looked all around their half-dismembered tower, Alix couldn't help but watch. He'd known he was smart, but the way he played board games told her that he was really smart. He had a strategy about everything, even this, and was cool and decisive with every action he took.

It was strange, watching this man playing a child's game. There was no longer a blush on his face or that uncertain look in his eyes, but rather, a calm and rather intimidating man. His fingers tapped a pattern on the tiled table, and his brows furrowed. Then, he made his move, removing another wooden block effortlessly.

“How are you so good?” she asked, knowing that he would probably win another game.

Taivon just took a sip of his strawberry smoothie and shrugged. “I like board games. They're fun.”

“I like 'em, too,” she said. “Well, most times. But I'm still losing.”

“You're pretty good.” He took another sip from the straw and ran his hand through those thick locks.

Outside, it was raining a light drizzle that tinged the sky a dull gray-blue. The sun wasn't out, making the light harsh as it struck his face. They sat kitty corner with her back to a window and his side to one. He truly did look beautiful in this moment, t-shirt stretching across his chest and looking a little shy, humble, and timid all at the same time.

“Can we play a different game after this?” she asked, looking at the intimidating gaps in their tower. “I play a mean game of Monopoly.”

“I thought you hated that game.”

She pulled out a block of wood. On a prayer, the tower stayed upright, but just barely. “I do, but I have a hunch that it'll be more fun with you. Ya know?”

“We really don't have to play, if you don't want.”

Alix looked up, instantly meeting those brown eyes and that puppy dog face. With his bottom lip pushed out and his head downcast, he was definitely begging. How anybody could resist that face, she had no idea.

“Taivon.” She reached out and cupped that bristly chin in her palm. “I want to play.”

He grinned. “Only because you want to.”

They went through a few blocks after that, and she ended up losing. Again. She'd been a pro with her family, but she was beginning to realize that they'd been mere amateurs compared to Taivon. When he brought back Monopoly, Alix forced back the groan and just sat back to enjoy her coffee.

“Here you go.” He placed the metal dog piece in front of her. “And I'll be the battleship.”

“Awe... You remembered.”

His eyes didn't even leave the setup of the game as he said, “Alix, we literally just talked about this, like, an hour ago.”

“You want me to deal out the money?”