My skin tingles when his gaze reaches mine. This has just begun, and it already feels like dangerous territory.
As he sinks ball after ball with effortless grace, I find myself drawn in by more than his skill - his quiet intensity, the sharp intelligence behind those green eyes.
Liza pretends to wipe the counter nearby, practically vibrating with curiosity. I know I'll face an interrogation later.
"Sometimes," Caine says, leaning close as I line up another shot, "It's about knowing exactly when to strike." His words carry a weight that has nothing to do with pool.
He's clearly taking it easy on me… very easy. Taking crazy bank shots and kick shots, and scratching the cue ball on purpose. He's trying to be subtle, but I'm not a complete idiot. Somehow, though, I'm not offended at all. I just want to play with him. Probably in more ways than one, but of course, I don't even let my mind go there.
"So how long have you and your husband been an item?" he asks out of the blue as he racks for our next game. We're alternating breaks, and he's up.
I'm not completely surprised by his question. "About seven years," I tell him matter-of-factly. "How about you? Are you married or in a serious relationship?"
A single smooth stroke, and the balls explode. He pockets three of them off the break. I shake my head, envious. I could own the best break cue on the market, and I still couldn't do that.
He smiles as he leans down to shoot. "Nope. I haven't been lucky in love, I guess. Perhaps a bit too discerning."
I nod quietly. For some reason, his answer makes me happy, but it also worries me. I don't know what to think. Does it even matter? Probably not, I decide.
"Well, you've been lucky in pool anyway," I point out.
He shakes his head, seemingly annoyed. "It's not luck, it's skill, sweetheart."
I cough a little on my own words. Cocky much?
"So, how did you end up owning this building?" I ask, genuinely curious. "How do you have the time to be a pro, and also run a business?"
He's running the table, but I don't really care. I'm just so fascinated by him.
"Well, I only sleep four hours a night," he points out. "And my father has owned his business since I was about two. We both have a head for commerce, so he thought it'd be a great idea for me to major in business. And I did."
"You don't seem too happy about that?"
He smiles. "I wasn't. I just wanted to shoot pool, travel the world. He threatened to disown me."
I laugh. "And that would have been bad, obviously."
"A man does get used to a certain lifestyle. And even the best shooters don't make nearly as much as a man like me needs."
"So you're a princess?” I tease.
He laughs. "Very much so. I like the finer things in life."
"You never answered my question," I point out. "How did you end up owning this building?"
"Well, when I finished my MBA, I started working for my dad, and turned the place completely around. It was successful enough before, but still not good enough for me. I'm a lot more aggressive than my father… I'm a hustler. I've bought a lot of properties, and when I saw this building on the market, I jumped on it. I used to play here when I was younger. I loved this place.”
“But you must not have come around these past few years. I’ve been working here for quite a few years, and I don't remember you… And you're not exactly forgettable.”
He pauses for a long beat and bites his bottom lip. "Neither are you."
I swallow hard. He needs to stop saying things like that. But I suppose I walked right into that one.
“You’re right. I haven't been here in years, busy building an empire, shooting pool, traveling the world… you know."
"Winning at life… of course you wouldn't want to waste your time around here."
"Time is money."
