“Matt’s go?” I asked grinning. They both nodded.
Three shots later and we had won. Jay hadn’t taken his eyes off me and I admit I was enjoying his attention. Jay was just so…easy. I didn’t have to think when I was with him. I didn’t have to feel guilty, he was good company. I glanced at his brother. Okhescared me, there was something slightly off about him, something deadly about Tattoo Neck.Aaron,I corrected myself. I grimaced inwardly when he caught me staring. I smiled quickly to hide my thoughts. He smirked at me, yeah I think I just got busted. There was no way in hell I was calling him Aaron, that made him seem normal. This guy wasn’t normal.Tattoo Necksuited him perfectly.
They flipped a coin to start. I tried to get them to follow winner breaks rule and Tattoo Neck had laughed at me and commented that I was funny.
It was my turn to laugh at him when we won the toss. Matt looked at me and I nodded for him to break. He grinned and just like that it was game on. He pocketed stripes and we were three down from the break. Tattoo Neck indicated to Jay that he follow Matt, which meant he thought Matt was the better player and he was going to wipe up before Matt got to the table again.Asshat you just bet on the wrong one,I thought smugly to myself.
Jay pocketed one spot and missed the next. I grinned at him. He had set me up perfectly and I had three in the pocket easily. I knew I couldn’t get to the last one, so I played it safe and made sure I nestled the white against the cushion. I met Tattoo Neck’s gaze as I straightened up. I was feeling cheeky – so I winked at him. Jay burst out laughing and I even got a genuine smile from Tattoo Neck. I noted once again, that the guy was truly stunning when he smiled. He just looked so downright sinister all the time, it was difficult to get past that.
He got out of the cushion easily and also pocketed three more balls. It was his turn to wink at me as he straightened. There was no way Matt was getting that last stripe. However, Matt was tenacious and had played with Colton since he could hold a cue. He played for the snooker and Jay groaned out loud when he got it.
I high fived Matt as he walked past me and we watched Jay look at his brother. His brother grinned and settled back to drink a beer. He had a girl draped over him and he seemed to be relaxed.
Jay turned back to the table and attempted to make the shot. He missed. I was bouncing on my toes. I totally had this. I sunk the last stripe and picked my pocket for the black. I dropped it in seamlessly. Matt cheered and so did some of the guys watching. Tattoo Neck shook our hands and I gave Matt a wordless hug. I turned to the small tug on my arm and grinned at Jay. I held out my hand for him to shake and he raised an eyebrow at me. He took my hand and just like that night at the pool, he pulled me into him and bent to kiss me. Wolf whistles sounded around us. I stood back slightly embarrassed. I caught Matt’s eye and although I saw him smooth the frown, I knew he wasn’t happy. I also noticed I had more of the attention from the girls who had dismissed me earlier.
Two more guys stepped up to play us, but Jay cut them off. “I’m taking this one to the bar for a drink, why don’t Aaron and Matt play?”
“Against who?” I asked looking around.
“Each other?” Jay suggested. I saw the two of them eye each other speculatively. Then with the challenge out there, they agreed and quickly the table was getting set up again. Jay slipped his hand into mine and took me away from the table.
“What are you drinking, darling?” he asked as he leaned onto the bar.
“Matt bought me beer,” I answered. My nose scrunched up at the thought of it. Jay ordered me a bottle of the pear cider I had the other night with him. I sipped it gratefully. When he had his own bottle of beer, he slipped his hand into mine again and pulled me into a corner of the bar. The bar was busy for it being a Sunday night. I had no idea what time it was but for the second time in a long time I was enjoying myself and once again it was because I was with Jay, I realised. There must be something to that I pondered. Surely?
There were no tables left so Jay talked someone out of a stool and dragged it over to me where I stood leaning against the wall. He helped me up onto it, not that I needed it, but I didn’t mind his hands on my waist. He didn’t remove them when I was settled. He nudged my legs to the side and settled against me. I leaned slightly back to look up at him, resting my head against the wall to do so. He was smiling lazily at me, his eyes twinkling as usual.
“You sure are something darling,” he said looking down at me.
“How so?” I asked a little huskily.
He reached down and tucked my hair behind my ear. “Because you’re fearless. You play eight ball in a bar filled with my brother’s crowd. You openly challenged him at the game and then beat his ass. You stand up to Colton Dawson like you’re his equal.” I frowned. IwasColton’s equal. He had never treated me as less and I had never thought it. I said as much to Jay, he smiled and slid my hair through his fingers.
“See, fearless,” he took my bottle from me and put it on a shelf to the side of me. Then he turned back to me and then he was kissing me. It wasn’t the soft gentle kisses of before, this was more insistent, more forceful. I felt myself responding and I opened my mouth to let him in. My hands travelled up to curl round his neck as I felt his hands slide up into my hair and he tugged me closer to him, I went quite willingly.
He was soon pressed up against me, I was conscious somewhere in the back of my head that this wasn’t how I wanted to be seen in a bar. Wrapped around a guy I hardly knew. I pulled back and untangled myself from Jay. He let me go and stood back. My eyes darted round quickly and caught a few glances my way. I looked for Matt, he was still at the pool table, bending slightly as he was talking to the same girl as before, but his eyes were on me. He nodded at me as he straightened, and I nodded back. That was my cue that it was time to go.
Jay had caught the whole encounter and smiled a little sardonically. “Big bro says it’s time to go?”
I flushed and hopped off the stool. “I have classes tomorrow,” I apologised. Jay barked out a laugh. My hand caught his and he glanced down at me. “See you later?” His eyes softened and he brushed my hair back. I felt Matt approach more than saw him and with a quick peck on Jay’s cheek, I hurried out of the bar.
“I dunno what you’re doing Ari.” Matt muttered as we left. “I sure as hell hope that you do.”
We drove in silence and he dropped me off at my door. I got a goodnight hug and I could tell he was still holding back a lecture. Grateful for the let off, I hurried into my apartment.
Truth be told, I didn’t know what I was doing either.
I woke up on Monday morning feeling slightly guilty. My alarm was ringing insistently yet I was in no hurry to face the day. I didn’t want to see the judgy look in Matt’s eyes and I didn’t want to have to defend myself.
I was young and single, plenty of girls my age kissed boys randomly. Slamming my hand on top of the alarm, I sat up quickly. The more I thought about it, Matt had some nerve, he kissed girls like I had kissed Jay last nightall the time!No one was giving him grief over it. In fact, if anything he was getting high fived and fist bumped. Stupid double standards that’s what this was. Just because I was a girl, he looked at like a sister, he became all caveman beating his chest.
Now I had pictures in my head of Matt in a loincloth which then led to the four of them in loincloths. Which was absurd and what was more absurd was that even in a loincloth, Colton still made my blood run hot. Imaginary Colton, imaginary loincloth and here I was panting like an idiot. I needed to get a grip.
I showered quickly and munched a protein bar on the walk into campus. I opted to walk today, I needed the long walk to clear my head. I had my Creative Writing elective this morning. No boy or argument about who I should or should not be kissing was going to dissuade me from the enjoyment of this class. My positive attitude lasted throughout the morning, but reality was waiting for me in the afternoon. I genuinely don’t know how they managed to sniff me out, they were like a pack of wolves.
Today it was Theo, leaning against a vending machine talking to some poor girl who didn’t know she was about to be added to a bed post notch. I decided to save the girl by saving her the heartache. Theo noticed me and grinned hugely, smiling I strode up to Theo. I tugged him down to meet me in the pretence of a hug and as he bent, I planted a warm sloppy kiss on his mouth. Theo jerked back in shock and then much tomyshock decided to play me at my own game and returned the kiss with a little too much enthusiasm. His arms came around me and he half lifted me off the ground, my palms lay flat against his chest. I heard an outraged gasp and the sound of stomping feet. Theo broke the kiss, looked down the hall towards the retreating girl and then grinned at me.
“Excellent save Lil Bit! How did you know I was trying to get rid of her?” He was grinning at me like I washisknight in shining armour. I shrugged still reeling from the turn of events. “Honestly, that female’s a nutcase. Went home with her a few weeks ago and I laid it out there, told her I was not a one-woman guy and she’s turned all stalker on me.” He shook his head like he was the innocent victim here.