Page 24 of Rooster

Am I hearing myself correctly? Were those words just as breathy as her words were earlier?

She shrugs. "That's perfect. I could use a laugh."

She heads toward the dart board. I battle between darting away or following, but then she glances at me over her shoulder, and I realize there's not one situation I can fathom at this moment where I wouldn't follow this woman.

She pulls all six darts from the board. I wonder if the last person who played really was good enough to get the darts all so very close to the center of the bullseye or if they just stabbed them in there when the game was over.

I grin at her, but I can't get past the feeling of eyes boring into the back of my head. I look back, noticing Twisted across the room with a death grip on a beer bottle.

When I turn back, I find Morgan watching me watching him.

She glances quickly at Twisted before pulling her eyes back to me, and I watch as she pulls in a deep breath as if she's trying not to be frustrated.

"You want me to ask him to play?" I offer, needing to know where she stands.

Her lips form a flat line as she considers her answer, but it isn't to say what I expect when she speaks.

"I think he likes me," she says. "I don't like him. Not like that anyway. I'm sure he's a great guy, but I just don't feel chemistry. Plus, it's complicated as hell with me staying here, you know?"

"You haven't discussed it with him?"

She shakes her head.

"If you want him to back off—"

"What? No, I could be wrong. How damn conceited of me would it be if he doesn't even look at me that way and I asked him something like that?"

"Okay. The offer stands."

Morgan hands me a set of three darts before turning back to the board. Her face is very serious as she pulls her hand back and sends the first dart flying.

It hits the wall four or five inches to the left of the target.

When she turns back to face me, her cheeks are flaming red, and her lips are rolled between her teeth in embarrassment.

"That was awful," she finally mutters.

"Still going to be better than me," I say as I step up to the line.

When I throw my dart, it doesn't even bother to stick to anything.

There's a beat of silence as our eyes land on the damn thing on the floor under the board.

When she starts to laugh, I feel it all the way into my soul.

I can already tell this woman is going to be so much trouble for me.

Chapter 9

Morgan

When the bottle of orange juice nearly slips out of my hand for the second time, I know I have to take a breath.

Lifting my nose to the sky and closing my eyes, I pull in the deepest breath I can manage and hold it for five beats before releasing it slowly.

"You only do that when you're annoyed."

The interruption startles me enough to make me jolt, but the familiarity of Kaylee's voice doesn't force my eyes open.

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