Page 18 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

A huge smile spreads across her face, and she extends her hand across the table. “I feel like this bet is a win-win for me. A beautiful hike or cute animals, whatever will I do if I lose?” she asks.

I shake my head. Does she not realize that this is a win-win for me too? Spending time hiking or at the ranch with her sounds like a great deal for me either way. Since she is the vet, even if I lose, she will still be the one I call to do the alpacas’ health check-ups.

I slowly stand up when she does, and we make our way between tables to the pool table. When we reach the table, her hand runs across the felt tabletop as she points at the triangle. She says, “I rack, you break. Sound good?”

I nod and grab myself a cue stick from the rack. While I’m chalking the tip, I allow my eyes to roam over her body. She is concentrating on racking the table, so I feel like it gives me a free pass to take in her long legs. Her cut-off jean shorts fit her body just right. She is just tall enough that her hips connect with the table as she reaches out to push the triangle into place.

Seeing her bent over the table is giving me distracting thoughts. Visions of us in various positions, with fewer clothes, flash through my mind. I mentally shake my head to get it into the game. I make my way to the other end of the table and get the cue ball set up. I like to line it up a few inches off-center to the left side.

“You're up,” she states as she moves over to the line of cue sticks and browses the mediocre options.

I lean over and prep the shot. Taking the cue stick back, I come straight through, pummeling the cue ball. It sails to its intended location between the first and second ball. In complete chaos, balls go flying all over the table. I hear two distinct thunks as balls hit the bottom of their pockets. Aislinn begins her walk around the table, gliding her hand along the smooth wooden edge.

She confirms what I heard. “Stripe in the right corner, solid in the left corner. What’ll you choose, Lachlan?”

I stop myself before shouting, “You!” I clear my throat and murmur with a rough voice, “I’ll take solids.”

She gives a small nod as I line up my next shot. I miss the pocket as it bounces off the corner and sits right on the edge.

“Close,” she says. “I thought you had that one.”

She approaches the table and stops to gather all her hair, bringing it down her left side like a chocolate waterfall. She leans far over the table and lifts one leg straight back to steady her balance. I’m so distracted by her leg that I jump when the cue ball cracks into its intended target. Before my eyes can find the ball, I hear the ball hit the bottom of the pocket.

“Another one down with a jelly roll,” she says. I hug my pole and lean against the wall to watch her. She pockets the next two shots before her path is blocked by two of my balls.

I pull my hat down just a little, so I won’t be distracted by her gaze. I can feel the heat of her stare burning through my shirt. I take my shot and pocket my ball that was teetering on the edge. I make one more before missing my next shot.

While she goes to line up her next ball, I take a minute to unbutton my cuffs and roll my sleeves up to my elbows. As I go to roll the second sleeve up, I hear a squeak and abruptly lookup. Aislinn is still lining up her shot, but her eyes are locked on me. She is staring at my corded forearms with her lids at half-mast. Ah, so she likes forearms. I roll my second sleeve up, slow and deliberate. I make a fist and squeeze my hand so the muscles in my wrist and forearm flex, just for her to notice. A private show. If it distracts her to my advantage, I won’t complain.

Trying not to laugh as I watch her take a slow gulp, I ask, “Do you need some help?”

She pretends to glower at me, but her cheeks flush bright pink. I caught her staring at me and can’t help but goad her a bit. “I would be more than happy to point out a good shot,” I say, trying to keep a straight face. I place both palms on the edge of the table and lean toward her. Biting my lower lip to keep from grinning, I slit my eyes at the balls, pretending to assess the table. I slowly point, flexing my other four fingers into a tight grip, forcing my forearm to bulge. Seeing her take a deliberate gulp, her eyes track down my arm and then follow my fingertip to a ball on the other end of the table.

Shaking her head, she leans back over, focusing on the ball. She pulls her arm back, and when she comes through, she chunks the shot. I clearly affected her focus. I’m not sure I would have handled it much better if our roles had been reversed.

We continue to play back and forth until the only ball left is the eight ball. Walking around the table, I try to decide what pocket I should try for next. Win or lose, I win, so I’m not too worried. I call, “Eight ball, left corner pocket.” I bend over and allow the cue stick to run smoothly between my fingers splayed out on the felt.

Just as I’m about to take the cue stick back for my shot, fingers gently grab my belt loop, and her breath fans against my neck, “If you win, can you still take me on a hike to see a waterfall?”

I smile and look over my shoulder. Her mouth is less than an inch from mine, and my heart skips a beat. I swallow and whisper, “That’s been my plan all along, sweetheart.”

When I turn back toward the table, the eight ball is gone. I stand up and feel Aislinn stumble backward at my abrupt movement. I look around and under the table. I glance at Aislinn, who looks just as confused as me. As we both move around the table to check the pockets, we notice Paisley leaning against the wall. In her hand is a glossy black ball. She is standing with one heel propped against the wall, tossing the eight ball up and down without a care in the world.

Folding my arms across my chest, I saunter over to Aislinn’s friend. “I think I had a pretty good shot there,” I state with little heat behind my voice.

“Well, Leo and I figured if you tied, then you could do both activities,” she says.

Amused, I respond, “Yeah, Aislinn and I were just discussing that little fact as well.”

Her eyes go wide, and she says, “She was going to let you win? She never lets anyone win.”

I let out a loud laugh and hook my arm over Aislinn’s shoulders. “So you were letting me win? See, I think I would have won that match fair and square. We’ll do both. The hiking is perfect during the summer. Maybe sometime in the next couple weeks we can go, and in the meantime, we can look for some alpacas.”

Aislinn presses her lips together and wrinkles her nose. “Sounds like a plan. But, in theory, you still could have missed. I mean, I’m sure it has happened before. I say we have a rematch next weekend. Should we ask Callum? I bet he knows exactly how many times you have missed an eight-ball shot.”

Still laughing, I shake my head. “No, you are right,” I say. Then my face goes serious. I reach my hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and murmur, “Anything could happen.”

Chapter 19

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