Page 19 of Along Comes Trouble

COLTON

A nd I thoughtthe actress who played Daenerys Targaryen on HBO was hot. Tessa puts her to shame, by far. Hands down. No doubt. She’s the best-looking female in all of Smitty’s. I catch the bartender’s attention and order a Long Island Iced Tea for her and a tequila for me. Once the drinks are in hand, I lean in to Tessa, catching just a hint of her perfume. I could just keep leaning, nibble on her ear, trail kisses down her throat …

Holy shit. Get a grip, Carmichael. I must be losing my mind to have thoughts like that floating around up there. I need a distraction, and fast .

I indicate her drink. “What do you think ?”

Tessa sips at her straw and then swallows, her eyes lighting up. “It’s good. Like, really good. And I barely taste any alcohol. Thanks for going easy on me .”

I wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her close. “A lesser man would keep this to himself, but I’m a decent guy. Never underestimate the power of a Long Island. They are much stouter than you think .”

She stares into her drink and then takes another small sip, smiling as she swallows. “Thanks for the heads up.” Another sip. “If you hadn’t told me, I’d be a drunken disaster by the end of the night because this is really good.” Another sip. And another .

I lean in close, get another flash of my lips on hers, and then lean away. Distance. That’s what we need here. Deliberate distance between us. “Here’s a pro tip from me to you. When you are as beautiful as you are and a man hands you a drink in a bar, the last thing you want to tell him is that you’re this close to becoming a drunken disaster.” I hold up my fingers with just a little space between them .

Tessa laughs and damn. There’s that blush again. This woman really is beautiful .

“I guess I should be thankful I’ve got a pro like you to watch out for me,” she says .

“No worries, my friend. I’ve got your back .”

“Is that what we are now? Friends ?”

“I don’t know. What do you think? Are we officially friends now that I’ve earned one night of your trust ?”

Tessa makes a nonchalant face. “It might be too early to label what we are, don’t you think?” Her eyes twinkle with humor .

“Yeah. You’re probably right. You know what might help us figure it out, though ?”

“What?”

“You should come play a game of darts with me.” I gesture to a dartboard hanging on the wall at the back of the bar .

Tessa’s eyes go wide, her lips curling up in a smile as she shakes her head. “I promise you, the last thing you want to do is arm me with little projectiles and then ask me to throw them across the room. Someone will get hurt. Probably multiple someones, given how crowded this place is .”

“You can’t be that bad .”

“Believe me. It’s beyond bad. I’m terrible at darts .”

“Well, I am not terrible at darts and it would be my honor to teach you how not to kill someone the next time you play.” I tuck my sweatshirt under an arm and push off the bar .

Tessa follows suit. “I would love to learn how to be better at the game, but you better be a good teacher because I swear, I’m hopeless .”

“I call bullshit on that,” I say, then take her hand and lead her through the bar to the dartboard. We put our drinks and my sweatshirt on a tall table meant for players. “Come on, Blue Eyes. Let’s see what you’ve got.” I hand her the darts and then guide her to a safe throwing distance .

She stares down at the things in her hand and puffs out her cheeks, letting out a long breath of air. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. When I say I’m hopeless, I mean that I am the worst dart thrower in the history of the world.” As if to prove her point, she hurls a dart toward the board, missing her target completely. The thing bounces off the wall and skids across the floor .

I jump in surprise. “Holy shit.” I thought she was being modest when she called herself terrible. I was wrong .

“I told you,” she says, laughing .

I cross the room to retrieve the dart, pausing to inspect the damage to the wall, and then return to Tessa. “So, there’s a few things you can work on,” I say. “Mostly, it’s all in the set up .”

I place the dart in her hand and step in close. “You want to grip it like this,” I say, my breath moving in her hair. I mumble some directions to her, trying not to focus on how good she smells or how warm her body is, pressed up against mine. I didn’t mean to step in this close, but now that I’m here, I don’t want to step away. “And then, you just pull back and release,” I say when I’ve finished my instructions to her .

She nods once and does what I told her, pulling her hand back and then releasing the dart. The thing wobbles through the air, still less than graceful, but damn if it doesn’t strike the board and stick .

“I did it,” she says and whirls, surprise flashing across her face when she realizes how close we are .

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