Page 91 of Play It Sinful

By the time Darren and Alex return with drinks, the game is over, and Logan is pouting. “I can’t believe we lost. What the hell, man.”

I laugh, then grab a beer from Darren. “Don’t be a baby.”

“I want a rematch,” Logan says.

“Are you sure?” CJ arches a brow. “I mean, can your ego take another loss?”

“I’m not going to lose again.”

CJ and Noah trade a glance, then they both shrug. If I had known a game of pool would make them stop bickering, I’d have paired them up long ago.

While CJ sets up the table for a new game, Gia and Blair join us. Noah and Alex forget what they’re doing in an instant and have eyes only for their girlfriends. A pang of jealousy hits my chest. That was me with Ashley three years ago. I couldn’t get enough of her. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that way about another girl.

I look for her in the crowd. She had dinner with Gia and Blair, but she might not have come to The Heritage. My heart skips a beat when I see her at the bar with Zoey and Micaela. I should attempt to control my emotions, but I’ve had too much to drink. Hell. It should be getting easier to pretend I don’t have feelings for her. Why is it getting harder?

“Sean, are you playing?” Logan asks, drawing my attention away from Ashley.

“Yeah. Sure.”

“Who won the last game?” Blair asks.

Noah puffs up his chest and tosses an arm around CJ’s shoulders. “We did.”

CJ stiffens, then his gaze switches to a point over my shoulder. He relaxes and blurts out, “We’re the fucking kings.”

I turn to see who caught his attention. Zoey is walking over. I think CJ developed a bit of a crush on the girl after their drunk make-out session at Gia's birthday party. In true CJ fashion, he denies it.

Micaela follows, then Ashley comes into view. My entire body goes taut as the background seems to vanish. I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s wearing a navy velvet dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline that makes my mouth water.Snap out of it, Sean. She’s your fucking sister.

Her gaze connects with mine, and maybe I’m imagining things, but I swear her breath catches.

“What are you staring at?” she asks when I don’t avert my gaze.

“Nothing.” I turn, sporting a scowl now. There goes my good mood.

“We all know your last names,” Zoey replies to CJ’s outburst, erasing the smile from his face.

“I wasn’t shouting our last names,” he retorts.

“I haven’t played pool in a while. Can we play against whoever wins the next round?” Micaela asks.

“You can take my spot and partner with Logan. I have nothing to prove,” I offer. I’ve lost the motivation to have fun.

Normally, Logan would jump at the chance to partner with a pretty girl, but Micaela, being the coach’s daughter, is entirely off-limits to him. “Wait a second. I don’t want to lose to the pups again. How good are you?” he asks Micaela.

“I can hold my own.”

“Be warned, I won’t go easy on you just because you’re Coach Bedford’s daughter,” CJ warns her.

“I don’t expect you to.”

Noah kisses Gia on the cheek, and says, “Enough talking. Let’s play!”

Ashley moves to the other side of the table, increasing the distance between us. But now she’s standing right across from me, which is not helping my situation. I should go home, but my legs won’t move. I should stop staring at her, but I don’t do that either.

“If you don’t want anyone to know, stop being so obvious,” Alex tells me under his breath. He’s now standing next to me. Hell. I didn’t even notice his approach.

Instead of replying, I toss my head back and finish the rest of my beer.

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