Page 12 of Grumpy Mountain Man

Our eyes met for a long moment, and I held my breath, waiting for what he’d say next. He was definitely thinking about his future. Was he imagining it with me? I wanted to believe it, but assuming would be a big mistake.

“Let me take your coat,” he blurted.

That snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked down to realize I was still wearing my puffer coat and holding my purse. I hadn’t even noticed. He settled both of our coats on the back of the couch, making me wonder if he ever used the coat closet that was near the door.

“You want something to drink?” he asked.

As I watched him rush toward the kitchen, I realized something. He was nervous. This man, the most handsome guy I’d ever seen, was actually nervous about being here alone with me?

Maybe it was the virgin thing, or maybe it was this intense attraction I was feeling too. Whatever the case, knowing he was nervous made me feel a little more confident.

“I don’t have much,” he said. “Some orange juice, milk, and water, of course.”

“Water will be fine,” I said.

I ran my fingers over the rail and smiled at the memories it evoked. “My friend’s dad had a pool table in the basement. I guess it was his man cave. He had a bar, and he’d make us cherry sodas and we’d play for hours. I got really good at it.”

“I bought this thing off a military buddy a couple of years ago. I didn’t have much furniture, so I figured why not? At least this would fill this empty space. It doesn’t make much sense, though. I basically play by myself.”

I turned to the wall and grabbed a pool cue, suddenly feeling more confident than ever. I was in my element. This I could do.

Okay, so if I were honest with myself, I’d admit I was basically procrastinating. Playing pool meant not having to get naked right away, and I was terrified of what he’d think when he saw me naked. What if I wasn’t pretty enough? What if he didn’t like that my stomach wasn’t exactly flat and my hips had that little extra lumpiness right above them? Love handles, they were called.

“Let’s make this interesting,” Chaz said, handing me a glass with ice and water in it.

I was a little nervous about what he might say next, but I had to admit I was excited at the same time. “What do you mean?”

“We play Eight Ball,” he said. “With each shot I make, you take off an article of clothing and vice versa. If you want to speed it up, if we miss a shot, we have to take off an article of clothing then too. First person naked has to fulfill the other person’s wishes.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Game?”

Holy shit. Get naked out here with the lights on while continuing to play? That was beyond scary. Terrifying. I’d be going from the shallow end of the pool directly into the deep end.

I should say no. We could play pool and get naked later. He’d understand. In fact, if I even showed the slightest hint I was uncomfortable, he’d probably back off the idea completely.

But I didn’t do that. The part of me that was scared was overruled by the part of me that was exhilarated at the idea of taking his challenge.

“Game,” I said. “Let’s do it.”

8

CHAZ

Dakota was damn good at pool. Far better than I was, and I’d been playing this game since I was tall enough to comfortably reach the table.

I had two incentives for making this next shot. One, my boxer briefs did little to conceal the raging erection I had right now. It only got worse when she took off that sweater, showing that she wore a black lace bra that showed off her more than ample chest.

Two, I wanted to see the rest of her. If I made the shot, she’d have to take off another item of clothing, and I could get a step closer to making love to her. My raging erection needed that.

“Five ball, corner pocket,” I called out.

A second later, I let out a triumphant “Yes!” when the five ball went directly into the pocket as I’d called. I immediately clamped my mouth shut. I’d been raised from a young age to be a good sport when it came to games like this. But my excitement was more about her unbuttoning those pants and lowering them than whether I scored points or not.

Dakota propped the pool cue against the table, then started removing her pants. I busied myself chalking my pool cueand pretending my entire being wasn’t focused on what was happening directly in front of me.

“Your turn,” she said once she stood there in her underwear and nothing else. “You only have one piece of clothing left. You know what that means.”

Yeah, I was well aware of the stakes, and I had no problem doing whatever she wanted. In fact, I planned to spend the rest of the night pleasuring her in every way possible. But I wanted to see her fully naked, so I found myself hoping and wishing with all my might that she wouldn’t make this next shot.

“Four, corner pocket,” Dakota called out.

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