Page 9 of The Baller

Except as I stood there drinking her in, it felt like I already knew her. Or perhaps it was wishful thinking because Ace had been banging on about Cosmo all day. I hadn’t been able to shake it.

It had been driving me crazy.

Ace snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Where?”

“Brown’s.”

“There’s your answer, only weirdos hang out in bookstores.” The corner of Tanner’s mouth twitched as Parker high-fived him, their squabble forgotten.

Ace ignored the pair of them. “What was he doing in Brown’s?”

“I dunno. He… uh, I dunno. Something was off.”

It didn’t sound right to say the dude had stared. It’s what people did when they saw me. My height made me stand out, and once they’d stared long enough, they realizedwhothey were staring at. I’d had enough practice to know when someone was staring in admiration, and that guyhadn’tbeen. I’d also had enough practice with not staring back, and they were usually forgotten the second they were out of sight.

But there’d been something about him…

“Maybe he’s a Yankees fan. They’re all fucking weird.”

I was about to reply that was probably it, but instead, my mouth dropped. A group of students standing around the nearest pool table parted right down the middle. My wishful thinking had somehow worked, because there, so clear shecould be under a spotlight, was the girl.

Holyshit.

Had I been sitting at this fucking table listening to Parker and Tanner argue about girls, and vacations, and whatever other bullshit that had come out of their mouths, when I could have been grabbing a second chance with the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen? How long had she been in here? How long had we been under the same roof?

How thefuckhad I missed her?

I wasn’t sure, but now I had my eyes on her, I couldn’t drag them away.

Someone’s fingers snapped in front of my face. “Earth to Lux!”

My eyes flicked to Ace for a second, but only a second, before they returned to her. “Wh… what?”

“What are you looking at?” Tanner twisted around to see the pool table. “Whoa.”

That did it. My attention had finally been got.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warned, making it clear any further opinions/actions/ideas any of them were about to have were not welcome.

I may as well have beat my fists over my chest, because I was claiming her. That’s correct, enter into the record right now that at seven something p.m. on a Wednesday in this shitty bar I couldn’t remember the name of, I was full-on claiming that girl as mine.

“Who is she?”

Now therewas the question of the day, and the answer was one I intended to find out before the night was over. Preferably in the next five minutes.

Maybe I’d be able to try this sex angle after all.

My head shook slowly while I soaked her in for the second time today. I didn’t even blink as I watched her dust the end of a pool cue and skirt around the table. Her eyes narrowed on the spread of balls in front of her as she weighed her options. I couldn’t look away; every cell in my body was tuned into the way her ponytail swished as she looked up at another girl by the table. Those plump, peachy lips I’d been thinking about curled in a wide smile right before she took the shot, and sank the ball in the corner pocket.

Fuck me.

This afternoon she’d been mute, almost Bambi like, as though I’d been a car heading straight toward her. But now, I’d trade my left nut to see her smile again. And the right, come to think of it.

“I dunno. I saw her in Brown’s.”

Ace’s brows pulled together in a frown. “She looks familiar. Has she already paid a visit to Casa Greyskull?”

“You’ve probably already hooked up with her,” added Parker.

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