The Spark

I mimicked his pose and tilted my head. “What if I say I didn’t?”

“Well, then you’d have to pay a penalty for violating the terms of our deal.”

I raised a brow, intrigued. “A penalty?”

He nodded. “That’s right. There’s a penalty.”

I laughed as I lifted my coffee for a sip. “I just got back from a girls’ weekend in Vegas. Pretty sure this overpriced drink just used up the last five dollars in my bank account.”

“I wasn’t referring to a monetary penalty.”

“What kind of a penalty, then?”

He stroked the stubble on his chin for a moment. “You’d have to have coffee with me.”

Did this guy really think that would be a hardship? I debated how to answer. If I told the truth, it would be embarrassing. I mean, I went through the man’s personal belongings. But the flipside was I’d get to check him out some more over coffee. Then again, I’d be agreeing to spend time with a complete stranger. Though…whenever I met a guy online, I usually met him at a coffeehouse, and I probably knew more about this guy after going through his suitcase than I would from an online chat. Not to mention, none of my online dates had looked like Donovan Decker lately. In fact, none had made it further than coffee in a while.

Adonis had been watching my face as I debated my answer. His smirk made me think he already knew I’d checked out his bag. So, what the hell?

I stood tall and met his stare. “Was the lady from housekeeping harmed in the robbery?”

His eyes narrowed for a heartbeat, but then a giant smile spread across his face. He held his hand out toward the seating area. “After you, Autumn W.”