Bones fanfiction - The Bet, Ch 4
It was the only kind of bet he made anymore. And the stakes were impossibly high. Rated M for later chapters. Romance/Angst/Humor. Definitely BB, some Hodgela, and Zach!
Chapter 1: hpaich.livejournal.com/14992.html
Chapter 2: hpaich.livejournal.com/17749.html
Chapter 3: hpaich.livejournal.com/19215.html
The first fifteen chapters are listed at fanfiction.net, if you want to read more quickly. I hope you enjoy!
THE BET
Brennan typed the same passage for the third time in fifteen minutes. And for the third time in the same fifteen minutes, highlighted the selection and deleted it. Bracing her hands on her desk, she shoved, hard, sending her chair rolling back into the shelves lining her wall in a rare show of temper. Damn it. She wasn’t getting anything done. It was noon on Monday, and Booth was coming by to take her to lunch. So they could talk. Her breath hissed out as she paced around her office. She detested being edgy; absolutely abhorred it. Nervousness was for people who didn’t have control. People who weren’t in charge. Carefully she schooled her expression and dropped to the couch. If one body would just arrive, one body to examine, she wouldn’t be so jumpy. But work had been deplorably slow lately. She’d been working on the bodies in Limbo nonstop, it had been so quiet. She would feel calmer once they’d talked, she knew she would.
She’d been angry with Booth, the night he’d stopped them from going further. He’d claimed to need time to think, and said she needed time as well. Time she’d taken. She hadn’t been able to think of anything else all weekend, and she’d come to some conclusions. First, there was no longer any question of whether or not he was attracted to her. Smiling, she absently rubbed her finger against her lips, remembering the way he’d come after her. No, no question at all. Second, she had to admit that he’d been right - they did need to think about this before a decision was made. Once she’d gotten some sleep - amazingly, she had slept, after being so agitated - she’d realized that he had a point. This was a big step, and the most logical course of action was to broach the subject with the other party, state a list of requirements, and then take time to carefully consider all viable options.
She desired him, badly. It eased her tension quite a bit as she once again remembered his actions from the other night. He felt something for her; there could be no doubt of it now. She smiled happily. By the end of the day, she’d be feeling much better. And so would he. She’d make sure of it.
Firming her shoulders, she returned to her desk, resolving to finish the next chapter. And spent the next twenty minutes staring into space.
*****
“No, it’s not a Dinoflagellate, the morphology is wrong. Whatever this organism is, it’s displaying Quorum sensing, so I’m having a tough time nailing it down right now.” Hodgins snapped off his gloves and tossed them at Zach.
“Does that mean I can have the mandible now? I have to examine it for Dr. Brennan.”
“Where is Dr. Brennan, anyway? I haven’t seen her all morning.” At a light touch on his back, Hodgins twisted to the side. “Hey, babe, what’s up?”
“I don’t know, but something is up, that’s for sure.” Angela’s eyes were gleaming, and she was shooting off sparks like a Fourth of July sparkler. “I think something happened on Friday night!”
Immediately cueing in to her meaning, Hodgins leaned closer. “Really. Did Dr. B say anything?”
“No. Nothing.” At his confused stare, she only grew more excited. “Don’t you see? When nothing has happened between them, Bren always tells me that nothing happened between them. Today, I bugged her for twenty minutes and she told me nothing. Zip. Zilch. Zippo. She didn’t deny or admit, she just clammed up like a Brennan Clam.”
Confused, Zach frowned. “There’s no such thing as a Brennan Clam, Angela. I believe your description is incorrect.”
Hodgins merely rolled his eyes and went to another station for his test results. “Hopeless.”
She laughed sympathetically. “Zach, it’s just a figure of speech for when Brennan zips it and won’t say anything, no matter how much you - okay, I - pry. Ooh, this is a good sign!” She jiggled and rubbed her hands together, only sobering when she saw a brief flash of dismay sprint across Zach’s face as he clutched his clipboard to him as if it was a shield. Oh boy. She turned, flashed a huge smile. “Hi, Booth!”
“Angela.” Booth stood behind her, immobile as a statue, his expression completely unreadable. His manner was not encouraging. “Mind telling me where you disappeared to on Friday night?”
“Oh, we were tired; we just decided to call it a night. Hey, Jack, Booth’s here!”
Her quick warning was in vain; Hodgins hadn’t been paying attention to where he was walking, and his distracted path brought him solidly in contact with Booth. It was like bouncing off a brick wall. A very annoyed brick wall. He quickly put some distance between himself and the taller, quite visibly irritated man. “Hey, Booth. How are ya’?”
He impatiently crossed his arms. “I’d be a lot better if someone explained to me why the three of you deserted us at the bar on Friday. Well, the two of you, since Zach pretty much just goes where you tell him to go.”
“Yes, that is correct.” Relieved to be let off the hook, Zach took his chance and scurried out of harm’s way.
“Dude, I paid the whole bill! You drank free all night! So what if we did a little cash and dash - it happens all the time.”
“Oh, Yeah? Well, I can count on one finger the amount of times it’s happened to me.” He paced, his irritation sitting on him like an itchy sweater.
Angela huffed, rolling her eyes. “All right, look, Booth, this is ridiculous. What’s the big deal?”
Swiftly he walked up to her, giving her a look of utter displeasure. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, stop aiming your shoulders at me, Gigantor - I’m not afraid of you.”
“A word, please, Angela. In private.” Leaving her no choice, he spun on his heel and stalked off the platform, heading toward her office.
Hodgins came up behind Angela, laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. “Want me to come?”
“Nah, it’s just Booth. He’s angry, and needs to vent. I can listen to that all by myself. Thanks for the offer, though.” Metaphorically, she pushed up her sleeves. “Lunch, after?”
Planting a kiss on her cheek, he chuckled. “Absolutely. How about Greek? My feta waves are spiking.”
“Okay, that was horrible. Take your puns and get away from me, silly man.” Quickly, she strode away, ignoring his burst of laughter.
By the time she reached her office, Booth was sitting on her chaise lounge, hands clenched together. Concerned - she’d expected more pacing - she carefully closed and locked her door. “Okay, let ‘er rip, big guy.”
“I need you to butt out, Angela. It’s important.”
Her eyes widened. More than his words, his tone and the look on his face spoke volumes. “Something did happen, didn’t it? I was right!”
Before she got too carried away, he held up a hand. “Angela. Stop. Please.” When he had her full attention, he continued. “Yes. Something happened. I’m asking you to please keep it to yourself, and leave us alone for a while.”
“Oh, god, is everything okay? You guys didn’t fight, did you?” Her concern was immediate, and genuine.
“No, we didn’t fight. That’s all I’m going to tell you. We need some time to figure out everything, and just…give us some time. I’m sure once things are a little more settled, Bones’ll fill you in herself.” Sober, he stared intently at her, determined that she understand that he was serious. “So, please - give us some privacy."
She sighed, wanting to be difficult, wanting details, but knowing he was right. Her intense curiosity would just have to go unsatisfied for now. “Well, okay, I suppose I can do that, seeing as you asked so nicely.” Then she unfurled her finger, pointing at him. “But you better not mess this up, or you’ll answer to me.”
It was impossible to be mad at her; she wanted the best for her friend, and that shone through all her wild machinations. A quicksilver grin flashing onto his face, he leaned over, kissed her cheek. “Yes, ma’am.”
As he walked away, she pressed her hand to her face. “Hoo boy. It’s a good thing I’m in love with Hodgins.”
*****
The diner was the perfect spot for this conversation, he mused. With all the bustle and noise, private conversations were easily had. How many times had he looked into her eyes, and felt like they were the only two in the place? More often than he’d realized, he thought with an inward chuckle, and had to admit was only partly due to the surroundings. They were able to shut everyone out, regardless of where they might be at any given moment. It was something they’d done since the start. But this place - their place - was appropriate. So many events of great importance had happened here, it was only right that this take place here, as well.
“Booth?”
“Huh?” Realizing he’d been drifting for some time, he jerked himself back to the present to see Bones frowning at him. “Sorry, Bones, got lost for a second there. You ready to order?”
“Is everything alright, Booth?”
He realized that she wasn’t merely frowning at him - she was carefully watching him. “Sure everything’s fine. Why do you ask?”
“I thought perhaps you’d changed your mind over the weekend.”
“Changed my - no, Bones, believe me when I say that I have not changed my mind. You didn’t change yours, did you?” If she had, he’d go out and hurl himself under the next passing car.
Her frown deepened. “No, I haven’t changed my mind. Did you think I had?”
“No, not really.” He sighed. After they placed their order with the waitress, he turned his attention back to her. “Alright, this is a little awkward. I have just one request, before we go any further.”
“What is it?”
“We are best friends, and partners - everything else comes after that. We agree that nothing will change that.”
“Yes. That is very important to me.”
She had answered forcefully, with no hesitation, and the worst of the knots in his stomach began to loosen. It might be a bit difficult, practically, to adhere to that. Emotions had a way of pulling at you and clouding the issues. But the fact that they both wanted to said a lot. They would be careful with what they had. “Good.” Reaching over, he squeezed her hand, stroking his thumb along her palm.
“I must admit, I’m still feeling slightly uncomfortable, Booth. This is quite an unusual discussion to be having in the middle of a workday.”
He groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. “Yeah, it is kinda weird. But when did we ever do anything normally?” He stared at her, utterly shocked when she burst into laughter. She was not prone to laughing.
“I suppose you’re correct. I imagine I should be grateful that we’re not discussing this while pursuing a suspect?”
He began to grin as the strangeness of it all struck him. “Yeah, Bones, we tackle the perp and you declare your undying love for me.” Quick as a flash, he moved to her side of the table, flipping a chair around and straddling it. He tipped forward, leaning toward her until he was sure he had her attention. “If we had done this at the end of the day, you and I both know we would have ended up in bed.”
His sudden nearness made her stop laughing, and her breath caught when his hand dropped to her knee, squeezing lightly. She wasn’t about to let him have the advantage, though, and she leaned closer as well, until their noses were nearly rubbing. “What makes you think we’d have made it to the bedroom?” She saw by the sudden widening of his eyes that she’d surprised him. She smiled the guilty-as-sin innocent smile that she’d learned from Angela before taking a long pull from her soda. His eyes dropped to her lips, exactly where she’d wanted them. Without warning, she set down the glass and turned to him, all business. “Shall we discuss arrangements?”
“Arrangements?”
“We need to figure out how this is going to work.”
“What do you mean, how it’s going to work? Bones, what are you talking about?”
“Well, if we’re going to become sexually intimate, we have some decisions to make. For example, location, frequency…”
“Stop. Just…stop.” A look of amused astonishment crossed his face. “Do you hear yourself? You’re not scheduling a doctor’s appointment.”
“I see no reason to be coy, Booth.” A seductive smile bloomed. “We both want this, so there’s no point in prevaricating.”
“How about leaving a little bit of it to mystery?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “What mystery? It’s just sex, Booth.”
“It’s not just sex.” He chuckled. “I’m not looking for a booty call, Bones. This is a relationship.”
“I don’t think complicating this with emotions is a good idea. You know how I feel about that.”
The waitress arrived just then with their meal, forcing a pause in the conversation. They ate in silence for several minutes, each keeping silent counsel. Eventually, he spoke again. “I know how you said you feel; I don’t believe you. We already spend most of our time together - it’s not like I’m asking you to move in with me.”
“I’m aware of that. I enjoy spending time with you, Booth, but that’s not the point. I don’t need romance, I don’t need that entanglement.”
He tilted his head roguishly. “Ah, but you’ve never had romance with me - how can you be sure?”
She couldn’t help but chuckle at the persuasive smile on his face, but she held firm, supreme confidence in every word. “I’m telling you, I don’t need romance.”
Grabbing another large bite of his burger, he thought furiously. She might as well have dared him, and he wasn’t about to step away from it. He’d never backed away from a long shot before. Odds were - he stopped, dumbstruck. Odds. The old, familiar burning began in his gut, spreading through his entire body. He told himself it was a horrible idea. He didn’t listen to himself. Deliberately, he set down his food and turned to face her. “Wanna bet?”
Confused blue eyes turned to him.
“You heard me. Care to put your money where your mouth is, Bones?” He was riding on the adrenaline now; nerve ends tingling, fingers twitching. “You say you don’t need romance. I say you do. Prove it.”
“Are you insane?” Arms crossed, she regarded him incredulously.
“Not at all. You think you can have a successful relationship, without emotion. I think that once you’re in a romantic relationship with me, the sex alone won’t be enough. So, let’s make it more interesting.”
After several tries, she finally found her voice. “You can’t do this, Booth. It’s silly.”
“Sez you. I say, you don’t want to take the bet because you know you’ll lose. Are you afraid, Bones?”
Irritation lanced through her. “You shouldn’t even be gambling; you have a gambling problem. Why are you doing this?”
“This isn’t cards. This is nothing like Vegas.” He slowly shook his head. “And you’re stalling.”
She hissed impatiently. “No, I’m not afraid of losing. I’m right, and I know I’m right.”
He leaned over again, dark eyes probing blue. “Then take the bet.”
A sudden thrill ran through her, almost sexual in nature. If this was the pull Booth had felt as a gambler, it was no wonder he’d become addicted. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t gather her thoughts. Couldn’t find reason. Even knowing that it was pride driving her, she was unable to stop, and helplessly rose to the challenge. “Fine. What do I get, when I win?” This is crazy, it’s crazy.
“We can decide on a prize after a winner is determined.” He held out his hand. “Shake on it.”
Pulling her hand away from his, she narrowed her eyes. “Wait. When is the bet over? There has to be a time limit.”
“Stickler. Fine - six months.”
“Absolutely not. Two months.”
“Four months.”
“Three.”
He raised an eyebrow, smiled cockily. “You’re on.”
Chapter 1: hpaich.livejournal.com/14992.html
Chapter 2: hpaich.livejournal.com/17749.html
Chapter 3: hpaich.livejournal.com/19215.html
The first fifteen chapters are listed at fanfiction.net, if you want to read more quickly. I hope you enjoy!
THE BET
Brennan typed the same passage for the third time in fifteen minutes. And for the third time in the same fifteen minutes, highlighted the selection and deleted it. Bracing her hands on her desk, she shoved, hard, sending her chair rolling back into the shelves lining her wall in a rare show of temper. Damn it. She wasn’t getting anything done. It was noon on Monday, and Booth was coming by to take her to lunch. So they could talk. Her breath hissed out as she paced around her office. She detested being edgy; absolutely abhorred it. Nervousness was for people who didn’t have control. People who weren’t in charge. Carefully she schooled her expression and dropped to the couch. If one body would just arrive, one body to examine, she wouldn’t be so jumpy. But work had been deplorably slow lately. She’d been working on the bodies in Limbo nonstop, it had been so quiet. She would feel calmer once they’d talked, she knew she would.
She’d been angry with Booth, the night he’d stopped them from going further. He’d claimed to need time to think, and said she needed time as well. Time she’d taken. She hadn’t been able to think of anything else all weekend, and she’d come to some conclusions. First, there was no longer any question of whether or not he was attracted to her. Smiling, she absently rubbed her finger against her lips, remembering the way he’d come after her. No, no question at all. Second, she had to admit that he’d been right - they did need to think about this before a decision was made. Once she’d gotten some sleep - amazingly, she had slept, after being so agitated - she’d realized that he had a point. This was a big step, and the most logical course of action was to broach the subject with the other party, state a list of requirements, and then take time to carefully consider all viable options.
She desired him, badly. It eased her tension quite a bit as she once again remembered his actions from the other night. He felt something for her; there could be no doubt of it now. She smiled happily. By the end of the day, she’d be feeling much better. And so would he. She’d make sure of it.
Firming her shoulders, she returned to her desk, resolving to finish the next chapter. And spent the next twenty minutes staring into space.
*****
“No, it’s not a Dinoflagellate, the morphology is wrong. Whatever this organism is, it’s displaying Quorum sensing, so I’m having a tough time nailing it down right now.” Hodgins snapped off his gloves and tossed them at Zach.
“Does that mean I can have the mandible now? I have to examine it for Dr. Brennan.”
“Where is Dr. Brennan, anyway? I haven’t seen her all morning.” At a light touch on his back, Hodgins twisted to the side. “Hey, babe, what’s up?”
“I don’t know, but something is up, that’s for sure.” Angela’s eyes were gleaming, and she was shooting off sparks like a Fourth of July sparkler. “I think something happened on Friday night!”
Immediately cueing in to her meaning, Hodgins leaned closer. “Really. Did Dr. B say anything?”
“No. Nothing.” At his confused stare, she only grew more excited. “Don’t you see? When nothing has happened between them, Bren always tells me that nothing happened between them. Today, I bugged her for twenty minutes and she told me nothing. Zip. Zilch. Zippo. She didn’t deny or admit, she just clammed up like a Brennan Clam.”
Confused, Zach frowned. “There’s no such thing as a Brennan Clam, Angela. I believe your description is incorrect.”
Hodgins merely rolled his eyes and went to another station for his test results. “Hopeless.”
She laughed sympathetically. “Zach, it’s just a figure of speech for when Brennan zips it and won’t say anything, no matter how much you - okay, I - pry. Ooh, this is a good sign!” She jiggled and rubbed her hands together, only sobering when she saw a brief flash of dismay sprint across Zach’s face as he clutched his clipboard to him as if it was a shield. Oh boy. She turned, flashed a huge smile. “Hi, Booth!”
“Angela.” Booth stood behind her, immobile as a statue, his expression completely unreadable. His manner was not encouraging. “Mind telling me where you disappeared to on Friday night?”
“Oh, we were tired; we just decided to call it a night. Hey, Jack, Booth’s here!”
Her quick warning was in vain; Hodgins hadn’t been paying attention to where he was walking, and his distracted path brought him solidly in contact with Booth. It was like bouncing off a brick wall. A very annoyed brick wall. He quickly put some distance between himself and the taller, quite visibly irritated man. “Hey, Booth. How are ya’?”
He impatiently crossed his arms. “I’d be a lot better if someone explained to me why the three of you deserted us at the bar on Friday. Well, the two of you, since Zach pretty much just goes where you tell him to go.”
“Yes, that is correct.” Relieved to be let off the hook, Zach took his chance and scurried out of harm’s way.
“Dude, I paid the whole bill! You drank free all night! So what if we did a little cash and dash - it happens all the time.”
“Oh, Yeah? Well, I can count on one finger the amount of times it’s happened to me.” He paced, his irritation sitting on him like an itchy sweater.
Angela huffed, rolling her eyes. “All right, look, Booth, this is ridiculous. What’s the big deal?”
Swiftly he walked up to her, giving her a look of utter displeasure. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, stop aiming your shoulders at me, Gigantor - I’m not afraid of you.”
“A word, please, Angela. In private.” Leaving her no choice, he spun on his heel and stalked off the platform, heading toward her office.
Hodgins came up behind Angela, laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. “Want me to come?”
“Nah, it’s just Booth. He’s angry, and needs to vent. I can listen to that all by myself. Thanks for the offer, though.” Metaphorically, she pushed up her sleeves. “Lunch, after?”
Planting a kiss on her cheek, he chuckled. “Absolutely. How about Greek? My feta waves are spiking.”
“Okay, that was horrible. Take your puns and get away from me, silly man.” Quickly, she strode away, ignoring his burst of laughter.
By the time she reached her office, Booth was sitting on her chaise lounge, hands clenched together. Concerned - she’d expected more pacing - she carefully closed and locked her door. “Okay, let ‘er rip, big guy.”
“I need you to butt out, Angela. It’s important.”
Her eyes widened. More than his words, his tone and the look on his face spoke volumes. “Something did happen, didn’t it? I was right!”
Before she got too carried away, he held up a hand. “Angela. Stop. Please.” When he had her full attention, he continued. “Yes. Something happened. I’m asking you to please keep it to yourself, and leave us alone for a while.”
“Oh, god, is everything okay? You guys didn’t fight, did you?” Her concern was immediate, and genuine.
“No, we didn’t fight. That’s all I’m going to tell you. We need some time to figure out everything, and just…give us some time. I’m sure once things are a little more settled, Bones’ll fill you in herself.” Sober, he stared intently at her, determined that she understand that he was serious. “So, please - give us some privacy."
She sighed, wanting to be difficult, wanting details, but knowing he was right. Her intense curiosity would just have to go unsatisfied for now. “Well, okay, I suppose I can do that, seeing as you asked so nicely.” Then she unfurled her finger, pointing at him. “But you better not mess this up, or you’ll answer to me.”
It was impossible to be mad at her; she wanted the best for her friend, and that shone through all her wild machinations. A quicksilver grin flashing onto his face, he leaned over, kissed her cheek. “Yes, ma’am.”
As he walked away, she pressed her hand to her face. “Hoo boy. It’s a good thing I’m in love with Hodgins.”
*****
The diner was the perfect spot for this conversation, he mused. With all the bustle and noise, private conversations were easily had. How many times had he looked into her eyes, and felt like they were the only two in the place? More often than he’d realized, he thought with an inward chuckle, and had to admit was only partly due to the surroundings. They were able to shut everyone out, regardless of where they might be at any given moment. It was something they’d done since the start. But this place - their place - was appropriate. So many events of great importance had happened here, it was only right that this take place here, as well.
“Booth?”
“Huh?” Realizing he’d been drifting for some time, he jerked himself back to the present to see Bones frowning at him. “Sorry, Bones, got lost for a second there. You ready to order?”
“Is everything alright, Booth?”
He realized that she wasn’t merely frowning at him - she was carefully watching him. “Sure everything’s fine. Why do you ask?”
“I thought perhaps you’d changed your mind over the weekend.”
“Changed my - no, Bones, believe me when I say that I have not changed my mind. You didn’t change yours, did you?” If she had, he’d go out and hurl himself under the next passing car.
Her frown deepened. “No, I haven’t changed my mind. Did you think I had?”
“No, not really.” He sighed. After they placed their order with the waitress, he turned his attention back to her. “Alright, this is a little awkward. I have just one request, before we go any further.”
“What is it?”
“We are best friends, and partners - everything else comes after that. We agree that nothing will change that.”
“Yes. That is very important to me.”
She had answered forcefully, with no hesitation, and the worst of the knots in his stomach began to loosen. It might be a bit difficult, practically, to adhere to that. Emotions had a way of pulling at you and clouding the issues. But the fact that they both wanted to said a lot. They would be careful with what they had. “Good.” Reaching over, he squeezed her hand, stroking his thumb along her palm.
“I must admit, I’m still feeling slightly uncomfortable, Booth. This is quite an unusual discussion to be having in the middle of a workday.”
He groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. “Yeah, it is kinda weird. But when did we ever do anything normally?” He stared at her, utterly shocked when she burst into laughter. She was not prone to laughing.
“I suppose you’re correct. I imagine I should be grateful that we’re not discussing this while pursuing a suspect?”
He began to grin as the strangeness of it all struck him. “Yeah, Bones, we tackle the perp and you declare your undying love for me.” Quick as a flash, he moved to her side of the table, flipping a chair around and straddling it. He tipped forward, leaning toward her until he was sure he had her attention. “If we had done this at the end of the day, you and I both know we would have ended up in bed.”
His sudden nearness made her stop laughing, and her breath caught when his hand dropped to her knee, squeezing lightly. She wasn’t about to let him have the advantage, though, and she leaned closer as well, until their noses were nearly rubbing. “What makes you think we’d have made it to the bedroom?” She saw by the sudden widening of his eyes that she’d surprised him. She smiled the guilty-as-sin innocent smile that she’d learned from Angela before taking a long pull from her soda. His eyes dropped to her lips, exactly where she’d wanted them. Without warning, she set down the glass and turned to him, all business. “Shall we discuss arrangements?”
“Arrangements?”
“We need to figure out how this is going to work.”
“What do you mean, how it’s going to work? Bones, what are you talking about?”
“Well, if we’re going to become sexually intimate, we have some decisions to make. For example, location, frequency…”
“Stop. Just…stop.” A look of amused astonishment crossed his face. “Do you hear yourself? You’re not scheduling a doctor’s appointment.”
“I see no reason to be coy, Booth.” A seductive smile bloomed. “We both want this, so there’s no point in prevaricating.”
“How about leaving a little bit of it to mystery?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “What mystery? It’s just sex, Booth.”
“It’s not just sex.” He chuckled. “I’m not looking for a booty call, Bones. This is a relationship.”
“I don’t think complicating this with emotions is a good idea. You know how I feel about that.”
The waitress arrived just then with their meal, forcing a pause in the conversation. They ate in silence for several minutes, each keeping silent counsel. Eventually, he spoke again. “I know how you said you feel; I don’t believe you. We already spend most of our time together - it’s not like I’m asking you to move in with me.”
“I’m aware of that. I enjoy spending time with you, Booth, but that’s not the point. I don’t need romance, I don’t need that entanglement.”
He tilted his head roguishly. “Ah, but you’ve never had romance with me - how can you be sure?”
She couldn’t help but chuckle at the persuasive smile on his face, but she held firm, supreme confidence in every word. “I’m telling you, I don’t need romance.”
Grabbing another large bite of his burger, he thought furiously. She might as well have dared him, and he wasn’t about to step away from it. He’d never backed away from a long shot before. Odds were - he stopped, dumbstruck. Odds. The old, familiar burning began in his gut, spreading through his entire body. He told himself it was a horrible idea. He didn’t listen to himself. Deliberately, he set down his food and turned to face her. “Wanna bet?”
Confused blue eyes turned to him.
“You heard me. Care to put your money where your mouth is, Bones?” He was riding on the adrenaline now; nerve ends tingling, fingers twitching. “You say you don’t need romance. I say you do. Prove it.”
“Are you insane?” Arms crossed, she regarded him incredulously.
“Not at all. You think you can have a successful relationship, without emotion. I think that once you’re in a romantic relationship with me, the sex alone won’t be enough. So, let’s make it more interesting.”
After several tries, she finally found her voice. “You can’t do this, Booth. It’s silly.”
“Sez you. I say, you don’t want to take the bet because you know you’ll lose. Are you afraid, Bones?”
Irritation lanced through her. “You shouldn’t even be gambling; you have a gambling problem. Why are you doing this?”
“This isn’t cards. This is nothing like Vegas.” He slowly shook his head. “And you’re stalling.”
She hissed impatiently. “No, I’m not afraid of losing. I’m right, and I know I’m right.”
He leaned over again, dark eyes probing blue. “Then take the bet.”
A sudden thrill ran through her, almost sexual in nature. If this was the pull Booth had felt as a gambler, it was no wonder he’d become addicted. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t gather her thoughts. Couldn’t find reason. Even knowing that it was pride driving her, she was unable to stop, and helplessly rose to the challenge. “Fine. What do I get, when I win?” This is crazy, it’s crazy.
“We can decide on a prize after a winner is determined.” He held out his hand. “Shake on it.”
Pulling her hand away from his, she narrowed her eyes. “Wait. When is the bet over? There has to be a time limit.”
“Stickler. Fine - six months.”
“Absolutely not. Two months.”
“Four months.”
“Three.”
He raised an eyebrow, smiled cockily. “You’re on.”