Page 8 of Destined Predator
“So I did, yeah.” It was only when Casey was no longer looking down that Rhett realized he must have gotten to his feet, was standing as if facing off against Casey. Casey cast a derisory glance over the booth and its one occupant, his mouth at half-smirk.
“And?”
“I came to ask if you were brave enough to take me on.”
The words landed between them like a thrown glove. Challenge, promise, invitation—all of it in Casey’s voice. Rhett’s mouth went dry, but some stubborn spark inside him answered before his good sense could intervene. Whatever game this was, he wasn’t backing down.
Chapter Four
Casey’s gaze had been drawn tothatparticular booth since he’d walked into the saloon. He’d recognized the taller, broader-shouldered occupant right off, despite only seeing the back of his dark-haired head.
Rhett Tucker.
The husky rancher looked all wrong sitting there, hunched over a little plate of food like that. It wasn’t the setting that was wrong—Rhett fitted into this rough-and-ready cowboy-type ambience. He didn’t have his name on a bar stool or his own pot glass behind the bar, like some did—as far as Casey knew—but he was better suited to sitting up at the long wooden counter, shooting the shit with Bard or whoever was around than huddled away in a corner with some blond surfer type.
Despite wanting to go over there straight away, Casey had ordered a Bud and downed it in one, as usual. Now, though,he was standing practically toe to toe with Rhett, like they were squaring up to each other.Which ain’t far off the truth.
Casey could feel the charge between them like static—Rhett’s pulse picking up, his scent sharpening with irritation and something darker underneath. Lust smelled different on a shifter’s nose; it was salt and want and denial all tangled up together. He breathed it in and smiled.
“I…what?” Rhett asked, when he’d finished opening and closing his mouth a couple of times.
“I said—”
“I heard what you said. I wanna know what youmean.”
Casey liked that the rancher was no pushover. This was going to be fun. He’d hunted enough to know when the prey wasn’t running—they were watching, measuring. Rhett Tucker didn’t back down easy, and that stubborn spark was almost as sexy as the breadth of his shoulders. “Foosball.” He jerked his chin to the side room, or alcove, seeing as the space had no door. “Up for the challenge? Or uptothe challenge?”
“Foosball?”
Rhett sounded as though he’d never heard that word before. Casey waited him out. If Rhett had expected something more cliched, like pool, he didn’t know Casey. Casey liked fun in his hunts.
“I’m with someone.” Rhett half-turned to indicate Greg.
“Sure, I can make a team, too. Hey, Dan!” Casey raised his voice a little so the electrician and general electrical maintenance worker he knew from jobs could hear. “Up for foosball?”
“Hell, yeah,” Dan called back, getting to his feet. “C’mon, before Charlie and Norris get to foosing and hog the table.”
“You heard the man.” Casey stepped back and gestured for them to go ahead of him.
Rhett chose to stand his ground, however. “Look, this”—he began, indicating Greg, who shrugged—“is crazy.”
“Oh? You scared I’ll whop your ass…or hoping?” Casey asked, his gaze zeroed in on Rhett.
“What?” Greg stood.
“More like I’ll schoolyourass!” Rhett snapped.
“Well then.” Casey gave a nod, holding in his pleasure. “Guess the only thing left to do is to choose blues or reds, right? As in, first team at the rods gets the choice?” Now he walked away, confident Rhett would be on his heels. Casey grinned. The rancher hadn’t said no to him.Good start.
He didn’t have long to wait before Rhett, with Greg tailing him and gabbing about having played a lot in college, joined him and Dan in the side room, where Dan had commandeered the foosball table.
“Blue,” called Dan, as was his right for having slammed in the token to release the small plastic ball. “Guess I’ll let you take point.” Meaning he was on the defense three-bar and two-bar, leaving the offense, the five-bar middle row and the three-bar striker row, to Casey.
“Heads or tails?” Dan asked, a coin ready to flick.
“For what?” Greg asked.
“Starting the kick-off.” Dan didn’t waste any more time but called tails and won the toss.
