Now it was her turn to gloat. Rubbing chalk on the end of her pool stick, she tried to tone down her smile. She stalled by fiddling with the way the stick laid between her fingers, which caused the expected huff of impatience from Lucas. She deliberately held back when she struck the cue ball to create a modest spray of solids and stripes across the felt. “Stripes,” she announced, and took another shot. She sunk one ball, then purposely missed a shot so it was Lucas’ turn. She wanted to assess his skill of the game before she showed off.
Lucas sunk the two balls, then scratched – a rookie mistake. “Damn it.”
Sindy never expected the scowl on his face to look so adorable. Now that she knew his skill level she could unleash hers. She chalked the end of the stick again, purely for effect, as she slowly walked around the table. She even squatted down so she was eye level with the balls for a better view of the potential shots on the table. Another impatient huff from Lucas fed her ego. The first ball she sunk was a bank shot. It flew across the table, hit the bumper and careened back to fall into the pocket at her left.
Lucas’ head snapped in her direction. “Nice shot.” The surprise in his voice clearly meant, lucky shot.
Sindy was about the have her payback for the way he threw around his intelligence and higher knowledge of the technical aspects of music. And let’s not forget about that damn BA from NYU. She sunk the next ball in the side pocket, and then a two-in-one shot at the other end of the table. One by one she cleared the table, then sunk the eight ball. “Game,” she said proudly, holding the stick at her side.
Lucas stared with his mouth hanging open. “You fucking hustled me!”
“We didn’t bet any money.”
He slowly marched toward her, the stick dangling menacingly in his hand, but it was the provocative smile on his face that was responsible for the shiver racing up her spine. Or maybe it was the way he pinned her with his intense stare, as if she were a lamb and he were the wolf.
She needed to get away from him and pull herself together. “I . . . I need to use the restroom.”
She darted into the ladies’ room and patted her cheeks with a wet paper towel. Lucas Blade was not going to get to her, she promised herself. The man either made her so angry she wanted to smash her guitar, or filled her with so much desire that she wanted to put her mouth on every inch of his body. Neither were happening. Especially the latter. Ever. Again.
Tonight, they had fun together. There weren’t philosophies to explain or riffs to learn. Tonight they were friends, equals, celebrating their new career. They had fun and laughed together and drank a little too much. That’s all. With her resolve back in place, she exited the bathroom.
Lucas was waiting for her, his piercing gaze the only bright thing in the dark corridor. She stepped to the side to walk around him, and he planted his hand against the wall blocking her path. She watched his muscled bicep and swallowed as her heart pounded in her throat. She slowly met his eyes, and her skin prickled at their intensity. He backed her against the wall, and placed both palms against the sheetrock, trapping her between his strong arms. He stood close enough so she could smell the beer on his breath, mingling with her own. Her body temperature rose, making her breathe heavier. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“I can’t stop thinking about you, either. But I don’t think you think about me in the same way I think about you.” She paused to reflect on her wordy sentence. She was so flustered she wasn’t even making sense anymore.
“You mean, picturing you naked and remembering how your body felt next to mine. How your bodyreactedto mine?”
“That’s the alcohol talking. Tomorrow, you’ll be shoving a music lesson down my throat and I’ll be cursing at you. Telling you that you’re wasting time when we should be rehearsing.”
“There’s that spunky attitude.” He lowered one arm so she could escape. “Go back to the table. If you want. I’m not stopping you.”
She didn’t move. Why didn’t she move? Something inside of her always reacted to him. Whether it was frustration, anger, annoyance, heat, want, lust, or a mixture of all of it. He drove her crazy on so many different levels. The night they’d spent together was incredible. How many times did she need to emphasize that she couldn’t mess up this opportunity. “Are you trying to sabotage my position in the band?”
“Sindy, I’ve been fighting for a rhythm guitarist for years. Tessa refused to give in. You think I’m stubborn? She makes me look complacent. But you changed her mind. She knew you were perfect for the band, which is why I knew you were perfect for the band before I even met you.” His eyes softened and his lids lowered so only slits of sky blue peeked through. “Which is why I know you’re perfect for me.”
Her breath hitched.
“You match wills with me. You’re as passionate about playing the guitar as I am. We’re equals when it comes to making music.”
Lucas Blade thought she equaled his talent on the guitar? And he verbalized it out loud? Clearly, he had too much to drink. Maybe they both did, because his compliment outweighed any she’d ever received, and she melted into the wall.
“We’re gonna duel axes on stage. I never thought I’d have that with anyone. I never thought Tessa would allow an outsider into our little clique, but you won her over. And that’s the biggest turn on for me. That you have that kind of power.”
“I have no power. It’s my music that has all the power.”
“Oh my God.” He put his hand over his chest and swooned a little. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
He lowered his other arm, so now there was room for her to leave easily if she wanted to, but the way his gaze smoldered at her pinned her against the wall. “What are you doing?” she asked, suddenly out of breath.
“You’re going to kiss me, of your own free will.” He held his hands up. “I’m not touching you. It’s all on you.”
“I’m not doing any such thing.”
“Then go back to the table.”
She couldn’t. She was frozen in place. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to kiss him, because he made her feel alive. She took his face in her hands, leaned in and pressed her lips to his, inhaling deeply. His hair tickled her cheek as his tongue tickled her mouth. A small moan escaped her as a tingle raced through her body.
