Page 55 of Wanting More
Looking over his shoulder again, Joel threw Hayden a suspicious glare. Talking to another customer now, Hayden's granite expression softened a bit as he let out a dry laugh at whatever they were discussing. No dammit, Joel hissed inwardly. Hayden was the same as him. It wasn't like that. Hayden was protective of the kid and, if anything, just a little affection starved. Hayden was like him, he just liked her, but that was all.
A thump resonated throughout his body at the lie, like a hit of a drum.
Okay, Joel mentally corrected with a sigh. He definitelycouldlike her a hell of a lot more, but he didn't. He did not allow himself to even consider the thought, and he knew without a shred of doubt Hayden was the same. What he was feeling wasn't that type of jealousy. Not the kind of possessive need that coursed through a man at the sight of seeing their woman in the arms of another man. No, this was something purer but undefinable.
Standing back up, Joel looked out over the bar at the crowd of people gathered around the current pool game between Vic and some guy. Vic was smiling, but Joel knew the man enough to know he was still pissed at him. But what the fuck could he say?Yeah, man, you're totally right. This girl—this kid—has two grown men wrapped around her finger with just a smile. She makes us feel things, and we don't want to lose that to the other man.Yeah, no thanks. He did not need Vic's lectures on letting some girl come between their friendship just because he could never understand.
Besides, that would never happen because nothing at all was going to happen.
"You're fucking cheating!" Joel growled from across the table.
Holding her colorful cards against her chest, Sapphire looked back at him in shock.
With a wild, almost savage gleam in his eyes, Joel pinned her with an accusing stare. Some of his golden hair, which had been wet moments ago from his shower earlier, was hanging partially in his face, adding to his wild look. It also didn't help that he wasn't wearing a shirt. With nothing deterring her wayward eyes, Sapphire carefully and efficiently cataloged each permanent marking on his wide, solid chest. From what little she had seen of the black tattoos on his arms, she was surprised to find some of the inked artwork on his chest was in color, like the particularly arresting little red and blue fleur de lis just above the taut pink nipple that kept catching her eye.
With immense effort, she pulled her gaze away and looked at Hayden for help against the unjust accusation. But Hayden simply hid a smirk threatening at his lips behind a deep pull of his beer.
Traitor.
Sapphire looked back at Joel, facing the onslaught of those piercing cobalt eyes, and laid down her cards on the table before pointing at him.
"I am not cheating," she said evenly. Grabbing the red and yellow Uno card box, she waved it in front of his face. "That's how you play," she said, being sure to stress every word as she waved the box in front of his face like a matador to a raging bull.
"The fuck if you do," Joel spat. "Let me see this." Snatching the box from her hands, he pulled out the white slip of instructions and began reading. By now, Hayden couldn't even suppress his smile as they both waited for Joel to scan instructions.
After a few seconds, his azure eyes narrowed at the words on the slip before vindication set them alight. Joel slapped the slip onto the table and spun it around for her to read. "See, it says right fucking here. You have to have a card you can play if you use the wild draw four card, and that I can challenge you to see your cards if you're lying."
Sapphire blinked, processing his words before shaking her head. "Nuh uh."
Sliding the paper off the table, she began to read the small paper for herself. He had to be wrong. Never in her life had she heard of thatso-calledrule.
"Yeah, fucking huh, read it and draw four as a penalty, goddammit."
From her left, Hayden let out a deep chuckle. "My God, I've seen you play poker against murderers with a smile, and yet you're losing your shit at Uno against a kid."
"I'm not a kid," she reminded him crisply while begrudgingly picking up her penalty cards. She had to reread it three times, but Joel was right, as much as she loathed it. Refusing to look up at his smug look she could practically feel being directed at her, she carefully, if not primly, extracted her cards from the center deck. "I swear we never played it like this where I'm from," she mumbled under her breath.
Joel leaned over the table, forcing her to look up past his flexing pecs and up to him as he gave her a vengeful smile. "Yeah, well, you've been cheating your ass off that whole time," he said before looking at Hayden. "And that's because those bastards aren't trying to straight-up con me like someone is." Joel threw her a pointed look as she drew her last card.
Hayden raised one dark brow at that, and Joel rolled his eyes and shrugged.
"Okay, not all the time," he corrected. "Doesn't matter. We're," he gestured between them while shooting her a dirty look. "…playing by the rules now, and I'm going to win this round and all the other rounds."
Sapphire looked unhappily at her now fan of cards in her hand and groaned. "I'm tired of playing. I would rather-"
Joel cut her off. "You're going to sit your pretty little backside in that chair until I win three more games to make up for the ones youcheatedin before."
Sapphire blew out an exasperated breath and propped her head in her hand, giving them both bored looks as Joel stared at his cards with renewed and almost predatory interest. After a few moments, she spoke up.
"So, it's poker?" she asked, letting the words hang out there between them.
Hayden gave her an inquiring look while Joel grinned maniacally at the draw two, he laid down.
Sapphire risked continuing. "Poker is thegameyou two have been referring to some nights, right?" She asked, remembering them mentioning on more than one occasion as they left for the bar having agamethat night. Nights that always coincided with them coming home much later than normal.
"Yeah, it's how we earned the money to buy our own bar and this building. Hell, for a while, it was how we earned all of our money," Joel answered matter-of-factly. He was far more concerned with the card she just put down than the actual topic of discussion.
Hayden, on the other hand, watched her. His grey eyes were unreadable, but she could sense his tension at her question.
