Chapter 10: Win or lose - Part 1

'Fuck, she is gorgeous.' Kincaid couldn't stop peeking at Kate even though he was sitting right beside her.

Who knew that his trip to the grocery store to buy a few cans of beer would lead to such a beautiful encounter? Not Kincaid, at least.

Kincaid was surprised at how well Kate fit in with his friends, who were practically his family. She didn't seem out of place, and her antics and jests made her seem as if they had known her for a long time instead of a few minutes.

"What are you doing to me, Kate?" He sighed as he glanced at her. Kate was like a magnet, pulling all his attention to her. In just a short interval, he was fascinated by her completely and wanted to learn more about her, not just in a friendly way, of course.

Kincaid didn't deny that it was her face that attracted him first. When he saw her holding the elevator for him as she waited, he felt his breath being taken away. In an attempt to spend more time with her, he had extended an invitation to her, and to his delight, she had accepted it. What luck!

Since the time she had entered his apartment, he had been thinking of ways to ask her out. It didn't hurt to try. Did it? Moreover, he was never the one to hesitate.

However, he didn't know why he hesitated when it came to Kate. He didn't know why he felt jittery. It was completely unlike himself, and Kincaid had no idea how to overcome this barrier.

But when Desmond threw a challenge, he being an opportunist, grasped it immediately. The situation was perfect for him, and he couldn't ask for anything better.

Kincaid's eyes slipped to her lips when she pouted, and his grin widened. Kate wanted to win the challenge so badly. He could see it. But, too bad. She was destined to fail. After all, it was not just him; his friends too were in on this plan, and they had prepared a perfect trap for Kate to fall into.

"I just hope no one betrays me." Kincaid looked at his friends, sending a silent caution to them.

"Will I get any clue? You can't expect me to crack the names just like that. I'm not omniscient. You see." Kate turned towards him, crossing one of her legs on the couch.

Adorable.

Kincaid thought and observed her face as he memorized her features. Her brown orbs were staring at him curiously while a few strands of hair cupped her cheeks, making her look all the more lovely and dainty.

"Of course. Let me give you a hint." Kincaid relented. After all, the challenge was a little unfair to her.

"Appearance, physical attribute, analysis skills, and flamboyance," Kincaid replied, and Kate discerned that he had just explained how the call names were related to the remaining four men.

Instantly, her eyes fell on the four people whose call names she had to crack, and she started to study them.

Kincaid watched her get into action, and he picked up a slice of pizza and started to chew on it.

"Come on, gorgeous. Show us what you've got." He thought as he waited for Kate to show her magic.

Kate's mind started to analyze, and she studied the four men who were watching her in amusement.

"Why do I feel you were referring to Everett when you hinted about appearance?" Kate was damn sure about it. The man was like a grizzly bear, and for a moment, she found him similar to Bradley. Their builds were alike, and both seemed less talkative, with Bradley taking the first place at it. The only difference was Everett was more expressive than Bradley.

Kincaid shrugged lightly. Her intelligence astonished him greatly, and he marveled at how she analyzed things carefully.

Everett was creeped out of his mind when he sensed Kate's intense gaze on him. "Kate, don't look at me that way. Otherwise, I'll assume you have bad intentions towards me."

As an emphasis, he even covered his chest with his hands, making Kate roll her eyes in disbelief.

"Your body and words don't match at all. One smack from you, and I'll be out. Who are you kidding?"

"You got me." Everett raised his arms in surrender. "But please don't look at me that way. I can smell gunpowder in the air, and I don't want to die this soon."

"What are you talking about?" Kate's brows knotted into a puzzled frown.

"Don't mind him. It's his alcohol speaking." Kincaid brushed it off, and now, it was Everett's turn to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm drunk, and you're Romeo." He scoffed, and Kate was tickled to see their hearty banter.

"You guys must never be bored whenever you're together." She commented.

"You can say so." Rhys agreed. "This joker alone is enough to ease your boredom."

"That's me." Tristan pointed to himself with a proud smile as he opened a can of beer, and Kate shook her head helplessly. "And you, Miss, are yet to give me your Mom's phone number." He complained, and Kate's eyes rounded in distress.

"Shit, I forgot to call my family. They were waiting for me." She pulled out her phone instantly and noticed that it was close to nine. She had spent more than two hours in her neighbor's apartment. And hey, she wasn't complaining about it. They were some amazing company. She had no idea how time had passed away. But in the midst, she had forgotten to call her parents, and Kate was damn sure that she'd be in a hearing.

"Let me make a quick call. Excuse me." Flashing an apologetic smile, she excused herself and went to the empty kitchen, and Kincaid's eyes followed her instantly.

"You're whipped, mate." Paul opined, and the others agreed instantly.

From where they were, they could see Kate as she paced back and forth while she spoke to her family. But they couldn't hear a word she was speaking. Sure enough, it was safe for them to pull their friend's leg until she returned.

"I can't help it. She's incredible." Kincaid sighed as he continued to watch her like a hawk.

"Make sure you get her." Victor raised his can before he paused. "Before that, make sure she's not in a relationship. We don't want Ace to end up heartbroken. Do we?"

His words caught everyone's attention, and Kincaid realized at that moment that in his trance, he had completely forgotten to find out about Kate's relationship status.

Pushing his tongue against the inside of his cheek, he stared at Kate who was busy speaking to her family. Impulsively, he stood up, startling everyone, and they blinked at him concerned.

Not justifying his actions, he waited until Kate was done speaking to her family before he started walking.

"Ace, where are you going?" Desmond stopped him before his impulsiveness got the best of him.

"To get some answers." That was all he said before he approached her.

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