Page 8 of Her Paramedic
He raised a brow at her before smirking. “If you want me behind you, all you have to do is tell me, gorgeous.” Slate took a step closer.
She laughed, placed her hand on his chest, and shook her head. “Don’t turn around, but a couple of those guys behind you are looking for their next easy win. I may have taken ten tries to get two balls in and missed the cue ball a few times.”
Slate chuckled. “You want to beat them at their own game.”
“I do. I’m sure they’ll come over if they see you teaching me and me doing horribly. I see no harm in working together before I beat you again.”
“We’ll see about that.”
He placed his glass on the pub table along the wall beside their pool table, and Talia watched him rack the balls again while she sipped her drink. He picked up the stick she’d set down and held it out to her. She put her drink beside his and took it. She purposely held it wrong, lining up to hit the cue ball.
“You won’t hit anything like that,” Slate stated. “Except maybe air.”
Talia sucked in her cheeks to keep from smiling. It figured he’d mess with her during their little charade, but two could play that game. She straightened up and pouted at him.
“Stop teasing me and show me how.”
He walked behind her and fixed the stick in her hands. “Lean over the table,” he spoke next to her ear, and she didn’t miss the dip of his voice. She licked her lower lip, doing as requested. His arms came around hers after rolling up his sleeves to his elbows. One hand covered her front hand. The other grabbed her hip and pulled her closer to where he leaned over her before settling over her other hand.
He was saying something. Talia knew he was, but she was too focused on their proximity. On the visible veins of his arm. She suddenly realized why some women liked that. His lips brushed against her earlobe.
“You’re not listening.”
“Why do I need to when I already know how to play?” she mumbled in response.
“You wanted to hustle those men. Be a good girl, and cooperate.”
Be a good girl. Talia didn’t know why she liked the sound of that, liked the way he said it, but it sounded damn good.
“Now,” he ghosted his hand up her wrist. “Focus.”
«-•-•-•-•-•-•-»
Slate stepped back so she could shoot. He knew he didn’t need to explain to her what to do, but he had to make it look good, right? At least, he was using it as an excuse, and he would have been ashamed of that fact if she hadn’t been okay with it. If she’d pushed him away, tensed up. If anything, she’drelaxed more, subtly shifted into his side more, and he was not complaining.
She took the shot. A horrible one, if he was being honest, and it amazed him how she could act so terribly when he was aware of her skill. The cue ball veered to the side, knocking only one ball away. It was almost as if she’d done this before.
Talia turned to pout at him, and he wanted to kiss it off her lips, but it was still early in the night. He would before they parted ways. Of that, he was sure. Instead, he cupped her chin and ran his thumb along her jaw.
“Don’t pout.” He grabbed a stick off the wall, moved the cue ball back into position, and broke the cluster. Two stripes and one solid going in.
“Showoff,” Talia stated.
They went through the first game with him “teaching” her, adjusting her now and then, and helping her with a shot. As they were fishing the balls out after what was arguably the longest game he’d ever played, Talia was proven correct as two men approached them.
“Hey,” one of them greeted. “Sorry to interrupt, but we were wondering if you’d like a game and a friendly wager?”
Slate pretended to think about it. “I don’t see why not. I don’t mind playing you both.”
“Don’t you think making your lady friend watch would be unfair?”
His eyebrow twitched at the man’s choice of words. Sure, technically, Talia would have been considered his friend since they weren’t dating yet, and he was sure she didn’t consider this a real one, but it didn’t mean he liked it any less.
“She doesn’t—”
“I want to play,” Talia cut him off, and he turned his attention to her.
“You sure?”
