Page 14 of Cowboy Crush
A beer and two shot glasses are set in front of me. Then she grabs the bottle and pours the amber liquid into them right in front of us. I pick up my shot glass, and he picks up his.
“So…to new friends?” I suggest again.
He cracks a smile and taps his glass gently against mine. “To new friends,” he agrees, and we both toss the liquid to the back of our throats.
There’s so much I want to know about him, so much I want to ask him. But I know I have to be careful. He keeps himself guarded for a reason, and I can only believe it has something to do with his past. Bringing up such subjects can turn the tables, and this night could go from good to bad in an instant. So instead of asking him all the questions I’m dying to, I decide to keep things light-hearted tonight. I want to keep his focus on me and having fun.
“Did I see you drive by my place today?” I ask, picking up my beer and turning in my barstool until my body faces his.
He nods. “Yeah, I work at the house next door.”
My brows lift. “House?”
He chuckles. “That’s what they call it. It’s more of a mansion to me.”
I nod. “Yeah, I went exploring today and found it. It’s huge…and beautiful.”
He nods. “So you’re only here for the summer?”
It’s the first time he’s asked me a question about myself.
I nod. “Yeah, I just finished college, so this is the last summer break my friends and I will ever get together. I’ll be moving to New York, where I’ve landed a job in the fashion industry.”
He looks over at me, and his blue eyes darken. “Is that your dream? Owning your own fashion company?”
I nod as I feel my cheeks heat. “I’d love to, but you have to start small, pay your dues, and all of that. Hopefully, I achieve my dream before I die.” I want to ask him about himself, but I stick with my original plan of just having fun tonight and seeing if we click. “Hey, you want to play a game of pool?”
He glances at the pool table and back to me. “Sure,” he agrees.
I take my beer and stand, leading the way. I glance behind me to make sure he’s following, and I catch his eyes that are downcast. He’s checking me out and watching me walk. I can’t help but feel almost giddy as I sway my hips a little more just for him.
We get to the pool table, and I grab a stick. He puts his bottle on the edge and bends down to get the balls. When he bends his head forward, I see more of that scar on the back of his neck. It’s big, puckered, and several shades lighter than the rest of his skin. The question is on the tip of my tongue, burning. I bite it and keep my mouth closed.
“You wanna break?” he asks, looking over his shoulder at me as he stands up and grabs a stick.
“Sure,” I agree.
I move around to the other side of the table and put the cue ball in position. I bend down low to line up my shot. That’s when I glance up and see the way he’s watching me. His blue eyes are darkening, and his jaw is clenched. He swallows the excess saliva in his mouth and his Adam’s apple bobs. I pull my stick back and push it forward. It hits the ball, and it goes rolling across the table, smashing into the racked balls and sending them in all directions.
He lifts his brow. “That was pretty good.”
“I guess all blondes aren’t dumb,” I reply with a grin as I pick up my bottle from the edge of the pool table and take a sip.
He smirks as he bends down and lines up his shot. I can’t pull my eyes away from his ass in those tight Wranglers until he stands up and moves to shoot again. He’s running the table on me, and I don’t even care because as far as I’m concerned, I have the best view in the house. After several shots, he finally misses a ball, and he stands, looking cocky as he motions for me to go ahead.
I pick up the chalk and chalk the end of my stick while I check out the table, lining up the moves I’ll make. What he doesn’t know is that in college, I made most of my spending money by betting cocky guys in bars that I could beat them at a game. I figure out the plan I’m going to take, and then I bend down and start. I make ball after ball, and I don’t look at him until I’m on the eight ball. Finally, I glance over at him, and he’s standing there, looking rather impressed. He doesn’t seem pissed that I’m now beating him. He looks almost proud. He’s wearing a grin that makes my heart race.
I shake off the excitement and line up my last shot. I pull my stick back and send it flying forward. It hits the ball, and in the blink of an eye, the eight ball is falling into the pocket of my choosing. I stand with a wide smile, and he claps.
“That was pretty amazing. I get the feeling you’ve done this before.”
I take a drink of my beer and shrug. “A time or two.”
He leans against the table. “You grow up in a bar or something?”
I laugh. “God, no. I just went to a lot of them the moment I went to college. I dated a guy who was older than me. He was on a pool league and taught me everything I know. Then I used the skills later on other loser guys to win their money and buy all my shoes through college.” I smile wide, and he laughs.
I see his eyes move to the door and then back to mine. “It looks like your boyfriend is here.”
