Page 50 of One Day

“That a fact?” he asks, racking the balls while I grab two cue sticks off the far wall.

Nodding my head, I lean my hip into the side of the oak table and watch him gather the billiard balls from the pockets. The way he manages to hold three in one hand sends heat directly to my core. “It’s definitely in the history books.”

“You’re staring again.”

“Yeah, well, stop being so hot,” I say, shaking my head when he steps back towards me after putting the rack back. “You’re really distracting, Walker.”

“I’m a distraction now?” He lifts an eyebrow in my direction, a smile playing on the corner of his lips, and I just know he’s enjoying this. Maybe a little too much.

It’s kind of hard not to be attracted to Walker when he walks around looking like a modern-day Clark Kent. The Henry Cavill one. Something about the slight curl to his dark hair, the crystal-clear shade of his eyes, and the glasses that frame them do something for me. I have just been subtle about my attraction. It felt like the safest option, but now that we’re throwing all the rules out the window, I’m throwing the keeping my mouth shut about how utterly gorgeous he is out, too.

I slide my hand over his hip when he steps into me and toward the back pocket of his jeans. “The absolute best kind. You’re kind of beautiful.”

“Only kind of?”

A smile fills my face as I shake my head, bumping him to the side to line up my shot. I lean over the table, making sure to give him the perfect view of my ass.

My focus goes to the cue ball and the rack waiting to be broken. I pull the stick back slightly, lining it up with the ball over the bridge created between my thumb and index finger, about to take my hit, when he purposely brushes up against me. The bulge in his jeans rubs up against the curve of my ass.

“Cowboy, are you trying to throw me off?” I ask, peeking over my shoulder to find the simmering look in his eyes.

“Me? I would never do that to you,” he says, biting down on his bottom lip to hide the growing grin on his face and failing miserably at it. He’s making this into another kind of game, and I’m not above playing dirty.

Humming, I strike the cue ball and send it down the length of the table to meet the rainbow of balls waiting for it. The crack echoes through the bar as I straighten up, resting the bottom of the cue stick on the dark hardwood floorboards. One of the striped balls sinks into the corner pocket, determining which I’ll be shooting for.

“You should know better than to try and distract me.”

“I don’t know about that, Sunny,” he says, leaning down till his lips are brushing along the shell of my ear. The dusting of facial hair tickles my skin. “I’m just standing here. It’s not my fault you can’t control yourself.”

I tilt my head back, meeting his eyes. “You think you have better control than me?”

“I’m almost certain.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Please,” he says, holding his arms out. “Prove me wrong.”

Wetting my lips, I stand a little taller and move out from under his tall frame. “Gladly,” I say, leaning down to line up my next shot. “Are we calling our shots?”

He shakes his head, resting his hand on top of the cue stick to watch me. “Surprise me.”

Loosening my grip, I adjust my hand and hit the ball near the bottom, sending the striped ten ball into the corner pocket and the cue ball gently back towards me. Walker lets out a low whistle, making me smile as I send another ball into the middle pocket. I move to line up my next shot directly across from him when he crouches down and folds his arms over the edge of the table to meet my eyes.

“You’re not going to distract me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, gorgeous,” he teases.

I’m stuck on the word gorgeous and how it sounds coming from him. Thick like honey, in a warm and sticky way that won’t ever leave me. Even when this is all over, that word in his voice will follow me everywhere I go.

I don’t think I’d want it any other way. I don’t think I want him any other way.

The weight of that strikes me in the center of my chest, and at the same time, I strike the cue ball, hitting it harder than I mean to and watch it miss the pocket completely. Swallowing, I push up to a stand and press my lips together in a thin line as I watch him. Amusement coats his face, the twinkle in his eyes and a wide grin on his face, knowing he successfully threw me off.

But he did a lot more than that.

I can feel myself losing grip on reality.

Sure, I find Walker attractive. Maybe more so than I’ve ever found anyone, but that doesn’t mean anything. He is attractive. Anyone would agree with that. And maybe I liked having him between my thighs. I wasn’t kidding when I said he made me needy. I feel like I’m on fire now, knowing exactly what his skin feels like on mine.

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