All Bets Are On by Charlotte Phillips

around this lake, Harry?’ She held up a hand. ‘Actually, don’t answer that. I really don’t care. For a second there I thought there was more to you than formulaic chat-up lines and by-rote dates.’
    ‘Jealous?’ he asked, just to see her reaction.
    She laughed out loud. He grinned back.
    ‘On the contrary, I’m pleased,’ she said. ‘You’re giving me some fantastic insights into the kind of alarm-bell behaviour I should be looking for. Passing yourself off as bespoke and unpredictable when you’ve got a game plan going on in the background. That’s how you snare them, is it?’
    He felt a sudden flash of uncertainty. Game plan. As if she had some knowledge of his real motivation here. No more than a flash, though. There was no way she could know about the bet, and no way she would have agreed to date anyone if she knew such a thing existed.
    He leaned forward and looked into the wide brown eyes, challenging the shrewd expression in them.
    ‘None of that negates the fact that we’re having a good time,’ he said. ‘Why analyse it any further than that when neither of us wants anything serious? We already agreed this is just going to be a few dates, some fun, so why not just let it be that? Come on, admit it. You’ve enjoyed it so far.’
    She cut her eyes briefly away from his. Shrugged.
    ‘Maybe.’
    She took a sip of her coffee.
    ‘OK, then,’ he said. ‘How about we focus on us? You and me. Without reference to anyone or anything that might have happened in the past. How about I agree to be straight with you right now about my intentions and then you can take it or leave it? Entirely up to you. Going into it eyes wide open. Ready?’
    She looked at him with interest. A light frown-line touched her brow, and she tilted her chin upwards, making her look seriously cute.
    ‘Go on then.’
    ‘I think it’s a shame that someone like you—young, single, no ties—is so buried in work that you never get out and have a good time. I want to change that. I want to learn what makes you tick. I think we can have fun together and, I can tell you right now, I intend to take you to bed.’ He looked across the boat, right into her eyes. ‘And when it stops being fun, I’ll be happy to let it go. I can’t be more up front than that, can I?’ He wedged his coffee back on the floor of the boat and rested tanned forearms on the oars. ‘If you want to bail out, just say so now. Although you might want to wait until I row us back.’
    As Alice met his determined blue gaze her stomach did a soft and lazy flip. She kept her expression set, determined not to give the slightest indication that she felt as if she might dissolve into a hot puddle in the bottom of the boat. His arrogance was stunning. Then again, he had a constant stream of fawning women fanning his ego and letting him walk all over them.
    She wondered how far he would go to pursue someone who didn’t fall at his feet in the first half-hour. She was determined to show him she wasn’t remotely beguiled by the charm.
    ‘OK, then,’ she said, making sure she held his gaze. ‘As we’re being up front. This is about getting out of the rut I seem to be in, not about hooking you. In actual fact you’re pretty much irrelevant. It’s the dating I’m interested in. I won’t be booking up a wedding any time soon or crying in the toilets at work when it ends. Yes, I intend to have a good time, but you’re up against a CSI box set, so don’t flatter yourself that my standards are particularly high. And I have no intention of getting into bed with you any time soon.’
    She sat back triumphantly.
    He smiled at her then, a gorgeous smile with a hint of predator that made her heart rate speed up.
    ‘I’ll just have to work on changing your mind, then,’ he said, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. ‘Sounds like fun.’
    Her zippy heartbeat showed no sign of slowing down. Deliberately ignoring it, she raised her coffee cup to him and grinned.
    ‘Good