Womanizer

The next week seemed to pass with almost unbearable slowness. Megan tried not to think about why she wanted it to be Saturday; she didn't want to admit that she was excited by the prospect of the bet with Brian, whether she won or lost.

Because his initial proposition hadn't exactly included all that entailed a "bet," Brian had again addressed the situation Tuesday afternoon. He and Megan had decided that the loser had to give the kiss while the winner got to choose the location of the kiss. The only restriction Megan had placed on it was that the winner couldn't force the loser to give a kiss below the belt. Dark eyes shining with amusement, Brian had consented.

Megan, of course, was betting on Alabama; Brian, on Ole Miss.

"Someone's in a good mood," Danny observed on Wednesday. He and Megan were busy stocking the shelves in the grocery department. "I'm guessing you're back in the spider web?"

"Yeah..." Megan frowned. She hadn't given it much consideration, but Danny's use of the term "spider web" for her relationship with Brian was frighteningly accurate. She wasn't even dating Brian and yet, she couldn't seem to break free of this hold he had on her.

No. She gave herself a mental shake. I'm being stupid. We're just friends, having a good time and enjoying a shared interest in football.

By betting a kiss instead of money, like normal people? another voice in the back of her mind retorted.

Megan sighed. There was no use denying that she was attracted to Brian. What girl wouldn't be? He was gorgeous and talented and smart and funny and protective. His temper didn't turn her off, it called to her own short fuse. Their verbal battles, serious or not, were exhilarating and made her blood burn in her veins.

None of that mattered, though. She wouldn't be just another stupid girl who fell for him and gave him what he wanted, only to be cast aside. She respected herself too much to be another notch in his bedpost.

"Megan?" Danny waved a hand in her face. "I know you hate this job, but you might not want to escape into fantasy land with your boss right next to you."

Megan blushed. "Sorry."

"So, did he apologize or did you let it go?" Danny asked.

It took Megan a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Oh. Um, he apologized in his way."

"He didn't actually say it?"

"Of course not. He's a guy."

Danny flipped her off.

"Very professional," Megan teased. "You should do that some time when Scotty is here."

"He wouldn't fire me. He relies on me too much."

"Because you make him look good to his superiors."

"You've grasped the way this works, huh?" Danny said, shooting her a sidelong glance.

Megan slit open a box of gallon-sized bottles of vinegar. "Yep. For instance, I'm your favorite because I do the most that makes you look good to Scotty."

Danny grabbed two of the bottles of vinegar and shoved them to the back of the empty shelf where they belonged. "You think so?"

"I know so."

Danny picked up the two remaining bottles of vinegar. "But you won't step up to a management position."

Megan tossed aside the empty box. "You know I can't take on the hours. I'm going back to school next semester. I want to do more with my life than...this." She grimaced at the flash of indignation that crossed his features. "Sorry, Danny. I didn't mean it like that."

"I know. And you know I believe in you, right?"

Megan nodded.

"Don't let Brian get you off track, okay?" Danny said quietly.

Surprised, Megan could only nod again.

"I'm serious," he said. "It can happen before you're even aware what's going on. Then you're stuck looking back at your life and wondering where the time went."

"He won't stop me from achieving my dreams," Megan promised.

Especially since our friendship ends as soon as football season is over, she added silently.

The thought made her stomach hurt.

**********

Saturday finally arrived. Brian and Megan drove to Tuscaloosa for the Ole Miss-Alabama game. A lot was at stake and Megan was feeling the tension. Brian seemed perfectly calm and at ease.

The teams were neck-and-neck for most of the game. Megan didn't think she could stand it. She even closed her eyes a few times, unable to watch lest things didn't go Alabama's way. In the end, though, she needn't have worried. Alabama eked it out, 24 to 20.

As the crimson-and-white clad spectators flooded the field, Megan and Brian looked at each other. Brian's lips twitched with the suggestion of a smile. Megan's heart tried to crawl up her throat and out of her mouth.

"Hey!"

The familiar voice pulled both Brian's and Megan's attentions to the field. John stood there, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey!" Megan said brightly, hurrying down to talk to him. She had to get away from Brian for a few minutes and catch her breath. The kiss hadn't even happened yet and already she could feel it between them.

"Close one, huh?" John said after giving her a brief hug.

"Yeah," she agreed. "But I didn't lose faith. Not even for a second."

John laughed. "Right. You'd have been crazy not to. Hell, I did."

"I did, too," Brian chimed in, joining them at a leisurely pace. "I had hope for a while that you guys were going to lose."

John looked startled and offended.

"It's nothing personal," Megan explained in a rush.

"No, nothing personal," Brian repeated. "We just had a bet on this game and one of us had to bet on Ole Miss."

"Oh." John glanced at Brian before focusing again on Megan. "What'd you win?"

"A kiss," Brian answered honestly.

Megan blushed.

John frowned. "A kiss?"

"Just a small one," Brian said. "After all, it's just a friendly little wager."

"Well, uh, enjoy it, I guess," John said, obviously uncomfortable. "I'd better go. I'll see y'all next weekend." He hugged Megan, waved to Brian, and jogged away.

Brian and Megan left the stadium. Megan was lost in her thoughts. She wondered when Brian would want to "pay up." She wondered, when the moment came, where she would permit him to kiss her. He'd forbidden it to be something innocent that they could do in front of Janine and Zacky, which meant it had to be on the mouth, at the very least. Megan had insisted the kiss be on the mouth, but she'd only done that to dissuade Brian from trying to kiss her somewhere more illicit.

They reached the car and Brian hesitated, resting his arms on the roof of the car and staring at Megan. "Do you want to settle this now, or wait until a later date?"

Megan's stomach twisted with nerves. "I..."

Brian chuckled. "Relax, Megan. It's just a kiss." He unlocked the car. "Get in."

Megan obeyed. Brian stuck the key in the ignition. Twisting it, he brought the car to life with the rumble of a powerful engine. Megan shifted in her seat. Her entire body was alive with nerves. She didn't know how she was going to make it all the way back to Decatur without losing her mind.

They drove in silence for several miles, Brian smirking the whole time. Megan's gaze was fixed straight ahead, through the windshield, seeing nothing, her mind and pulse racing. Her palms were damp with sweat; her stomach was squirming with butterflies.

Eventually, Megan began to calm down. She told herself it was no big deal. As Brian had said, it was just a kiss. It wasn't going to change anything. She and Brian were friends; this was a friendly wager. Nothing else. Nothing serious. Nothing meaningful.

It was late when Brian turned the car into Zacky and Janine's driveway. Megan opened her door and Brian mirrored her action. They climbed from the car.

"You don't have to walk me to the door," Megan said. She really wanted to be alone. The suspense was killing her.

"Isn't it breaking some kind of gentlemanly rule not to?" Brian replied.

Megan arched an eyebrow. "Uh, you're not a gentleman, so you're in the clear."

"That hurts, Megan."

The two of them traipsed up the porch steps. Megan hesitated in front of the door and faced Brian. "I won the bet, so I get to choose when it happens."

"Okay."

"You can't just take advantage of the fact that you owe me a kiss and spring it on me without warning."

"Okay."

Megan's eyes narrowed. "Bri, I'm serious. No surprises--"

His lips covered hers almost before she knew what was happening. She instinctively stepped back, but he moved with her, his mouth sealed over hers. One hand curved around the back of her neck; the other rested at the small of her back.

Gradually, Megan's tension left her. She responded to the kiss and her acquiescence encouraged him. He deepened the kiss, pressing into her in a physical gesture that was both pleasure and pain. Megan couldn't breathe, but she didn't care. Brian's lips against hers, the teasing caress of his tongue, his hands holding her firmly, yet not restraining...all of these things were hitting her buttons, sending a surge of warmth to her middle and lower.

She couldn't stop the sound that left her. Brian drew away, mistaking the sound for a plea to breathe.

Megan inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Her eyes were locked with Brian's.

"Worthy of the win?" he inquired.

Megan nodded, knowing she wasn't capable of speech at the moment.

"I'll see you later then." Smirking, Brian sauntered back to the car.

Megan watched the car until it was out of sight. Her breathing was back to normal by that time, her pulse slowed. Her lips, on the other hand, still burned with the memory of that kiss.

Not wanting to admit, even to herself, how much she'd enjoyed it, Megan went inside and tiptoed up the stairs, to her bedroom.