Page 37 of Broken Chorus

Damn, his low, rumbly voice was familiar too and reminded him a little of Hawk’s, though without the irritation the man had expressed when they’d talked last night. Fuckin’ Kelly. Wasn’t enough that Aaron was showing up and playing, no he wanted to complain about that too, telling Hawk he was wild and out of control on his guitar, like that wasn’t what the band had always expected of him. He was playing, dammit, that should have been enough.

“You tell me,” Aaron replied, shaking off the memory ofthatconversation. The last thing he needed was to focus on Hawk’s admonishments. It wouldn’t make for a good game.

“Let’s see how you do for cash,” the guy said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “That’ll tell me all I need to know about whether your worth having fun or not.”

Grinning, Aaron licked his lips, excited at the prospect of a fun night at the table. “Game on.”

“I’m Cade,” the guy said, though he didn’t offer to shake hands.

“Aaron.”

“Wait a minute, were you sitting in a teacup the other night at the neon jungle?”

“Whoa,” Aaron said, realizing now why he both looked and sounded familiar. “Small world.”

“Really small, considering you’re in a band with my brother.”

When he gestured to Declan, Aaron started to feel like the universe was having a hell of a time had his expense. With no way to back out gracefully, considering he’d been the one to make the challenge, Aaron selected a cue, while Cade chalked his up. Each threw a twenty on the rail, and Cade weighed it down with a piece of chalk.

“Your challenge, my break,” Cade said, cocking his head as he studied the table. “So rack ‘em.”

Aaron did as he was told, racking them tight then stepping out of the way so the big man could break. The smack of Bakelite colliding always produced a thrill, fueling his competitive nature. Driven by the million and one times he’d been beat by Kelly and Hawk, he went into every game studiously looking at the angles and possibilities before taking a shot. What sucked for him was having to wait until Cade missed before he could take one. Which only happened after he’d sunk four balls.

Okay, he could do this. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d started from behind. Not even the first time he’d been this far behind before taking his first shot. It was all about focus, lining things up just right and putting just the proper amount of finesse into it. The first two shots kept him across the table from Declan, while the third brought him close to where the drummer sat. All of a sudden, Aaron found himself double, and even triple checking to be certain he wasn’t gonna hit Declan with the pool cue, despite him sitting more than a foot away.

Paranoia made him glance back once more time, just to be certain there was no danger to the other man, but it took thefocus off lining things up correctly, and he sent the ball spinning in the wrong direction of the hole he was aiming for. It sank, but since he’d called his shot wrong he lost his turn anyway. Stepping back, Aaron was determined not to fuck up the same way again. Cade sank two effortlessly before jumping another ball didn’t play out in his favor, giving Aaron the chance to shoot again. This time he was determined to keep out of his own way, not spare a thought for Declan or anyone else, and take the shots the way he was capable of nailing them.

Driving in one, then another, built his confidence back up. His third shot went in too, and he immediately let his gaze rove over the table, seeking out the next best one. Five in the right corner pocket, clipped just right, would set him up to get the eleven, but if he fucked it up and tapped the eleven in the process, he risked ruining that shot.

Inhale.

Exhale.

All focus narrowed down to the goal. Slick wood slid over skin, chalked tip connecting with the ball exactly the way he’d planned it. The five went in, the cue ball spun, ending millimeters away from the eleven. That was an easy shot, and he sank it quick, Cade giving a rumble of appreciation at Aaron’s sudden run. He was scanning the table for the next opportunity, when the phone in his pocket buzzed. A quick check of it showed his grandmother’s number, a chill slashing through him as he shoved it back in his pocket. Them reaching out to him was never a good thing and fucked with his head more that he ever admitted.

Nothing on the table was clear now and he quickly determined that any shot was going to be a risky one. The eight was in the path of everything he might try to do to get at his final two balls. Sinking it now would cost him the game.

As carefully as he could, he shot, not for a corner, but simply to move one of his balls further away from the the eight.

“Playin’ it safe, huh,” Cade remarked as he stepped around Aaron to get in position for his next shot. “And here I took you for a guy who enjoyed taking risks.”

“With the right things yeah, but with pool, it’s all about geometry.”

“Funny, I’d have sworn it was all about the English.”

Aaron chuckled and flashed a flirty grin. “Pretty sure they’re the same thing.”

Cade winked at him, even as he took his shot, driving his ball in the left side pocket and leaving the cue spinning on the spot where it stopped. He took his next shot super-fast, tapped the spot where he wanted the eight to go, triple banked it, turned his back, and walked away from the table before the damn thing even sank. But it sank cleanly, leaving Aaron to stare from the table to the other man’s retreating back.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it fun, but it was entertaining,” Cade said as he plucked the cash off the railing and tucked it in his wallet. “Thanks for that, at least.”

“Entertaining enough to give me a rematch?” Aaron asked, hopeful. His hopes were dashed the moment Cade shook his head.

“Naa man, not even for double the anti,” Cade said. “I’d much rather play my brother. You could always challenge him though, and I’ll get winner.”

Cade gestured in Declan’s direction, but it took a moment for the implication to register.

Damn. There was no way in hell he could manage that and keep his focus. Being around the man made him too tense and jumpy for his pool game to get any better than it had in the game he’d just lost.

---