Page 48 of Lucky Penny
Fia sighs beside me. “Shoot, none of them are open.”
They are indeed all in use. But then I see an opportunity.
“Give it a minute.” I slide her my credit card. “Go grab meanother drink?”
She hesitates but listens as I smooth my skirt and take a step toward the pack of frat guys around the dart board. Their eyes rake across my body, and though I want to say something feisty, I force a slow, practiced smile.
“Excuse me boys,” I purr. “Think my sister and I could take a turn?”
They all eye each other, faces caught in half smirks.
“Sure, you can have the board if you can hit the bullseye.” One of the guys winks at me, and I force a giggle. Off to the side, I notice Jesse become alert, peeling his shoulders from the wall. He crosses his arms tight, watching me like he's paid to.
Perfect.
I shake the guy’s hand, and he turns his baseball cap backward, showcasing blue eyes and a chiseled jaw. College Penny would’ve had his number in about three minutes, but right now, I have one mission.
Blue Eyes hands me a dart, fingers lingering just a second too long. He knows what he’s doing, but so do I. I suck the corner of my bottom lip seductively between my teeth, not because I want to—but because I know Jesse is watching. And I know it will drive him nuts.
“I think I deserve a warm-up shot,” I tease in the flirtiest vibrato I can manage.
He grins. “Sure. Show us what you got.”
I turn toward the board, adjusting my stance deliberately, and tilt my ass out just enough to drive attention to my miniskirt.
The dart is sticky in between my fingers, but I turn to Blue Eyes. “Can you…show me?” I pout. “I’ve never done this before. My form’s probably awful.”
He closes the gap between us without hesitation. “May I?” he asks, reeking of cheap beer, and I nod. His arm wraps around the outside of mine, and he murmurs in my ear, “Just like this.”
I let him guide my fingers and release the dart when he says to, his lips too close to my earlobe. The dart flies and hits the board—barely.
When I turn, he’s close,tooclose. His smile is cocky, dimples deep. But I’m not looking at him.
I’m looking at the brooding guy ten feet away, who’s now standing straight as a board, jaw tight, no sign he’s trying to hide it. The bar is filling in, but it wouldn’t matter if there were five hundred people in here. I know how it feels to have his eyes on me. Like my whole body is buzzing with electricity.
“I think I’m ready to try by myself,” I say sweetly, brushing past Blue Eyes and his friends, yanking the dart from the board.
Fia returns with my drink and stops to take in the scene unfolding before her. She looks at me, wide-eyed, and I wink back at her.
Lining my feet up and turning my body, I wiggle my arms to loosen up, feigning nervousness. Then without missing a beat, I throw the little metal dart.
It flies right into the bullseye, just like I knew it would.
The group of guys all holler, gripping their heads, like I just scored a touchdown.
Fia’s jaw is on the floor, and she laughs, walking cautiously toward me as I gather all the darts.
“Oopsie! Beginner’s luck,” I muse, shrugging.
“Fair is fair.” The same guy hands me all the darts. “But hey, lemme get you a drink.” He smiles, clearly thinking he’s going to score. I barely have the heart to tell him to scram, but I don’t have to.
Jesse’s voice cuts through the crowd, low and solid. “She’s already got a drink.”
His arm snakes around my shoulders, his presence swallowing me whole. I glance down at his tattooed knuckles curled around his whiskey glass, veins flexing under his skin. The inked words catchmy eye—HOPE. HURT. One on each hand. I noticed them when he was stacking wood into the fireplace the other day.
Blue Eyes pales and steps back. “My bad, man. Didn’t realize…”
Jesse’s arm stays there, heavy, like an anchor across my shoulders. I could move easily if I wanted to, but for some reason, I don’t really want to.
