Page 41 of The Last Close Call

“Thought I might find you here.”

They stared at each other, and butterflies swarmed inside her as she remembered the last time she’d seen him. It had been five days ago—not that she was counting.

“Uh, Rowan?”

She looked at Skyler, who had a smirk on her face now.

“You want to finish this?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Rowan handed her the cue.

“Better yet, why don’t you two finish?” Skyler handed back the stick and picked up her glass from a nearby table. “I think I need a refill.”

“Wait. Skyler, this is Jack Bruner. Jack, this is my friend Skyler Shaw.”

“You’re the sculptor.”

She smiled, obviously charmed. “That’s me.” She shot a look at Rowan, clearly assuming Jack had been out to the ranch. Which he had, but not under the circumstances she thought.

“Very nice to meet you, Jack. Don’t let her hustle you.” Sklyer gave Rowan a wink and walked off.

Rowan turned back to Jack. He was watching her, and she couldn’t read the look on his face. He had a slight smile, but his eyes looked serious.

He stepped closer, and the warmth inside her started to spread. He was dressed in jeans and the black leather jacket that reminded her of the first time he’d come here. Only this time, there was a spark of heat in his eyes that hadn’t been there that night.

“What brings you here?” she asked.

“You.”

Her heart gave a little lurch, but she managed to keep her face neutral. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” He glanced over his shoulder at the bar. “They’re busy tonight.”

“Yep.”

“You want to finish your game?” He nodded at the table.

“Depends.” She paused. “Did you want to talk about work or—”

“No.”

It was a definitive no, and it piqued her curiosity.

“Let’s start over then.” She leaned the cue against the table and turned to retrieve the balls from the pockets.

He grabbed the triangular rack from a hook on the wall and collected the balls inside it, quickly arranging them in the proper order. Rowan’s pulse sped up as she watched him move. There was an edge to him tonight, and she wondered what it was about.

He gave the rack a brisk jolt and lifted it. “Your break.”

“All right.”

She took the cue and turned away. From the corner of her eye, she could see Skyler at the bar, probably talking to Lila and getting the gossip on Jack.

Rowan rounded the table and thought about her technique. She wasn’t exactly a powerhouse, and she didn’t want to embarrass herself.

Jack hung his jacket over the back of a stool. He wore a plain black T-shirt, and she tried not to think about how nicely it stretched over his pecs as he crossed his arms.

She positioned the cue ball and leaned over the table.

---