Tenn doesn’t answer Kyle but turns his gaze to me, and if I’m not mistaken, looks at me expectantly. As if he wants a reaction from me.

“On a double date?” I ask, and then internally wince as I realize how catty my voice sounds.

He smiles big at me, his eyes crinkling with tiny laugh lines at the corner. His lips curve up in a smirk, and he says, “Yeah… something like that.”

“Well, you’ll have to wait until Kent changes out the register,” I say as I jerk my thumb back over my shoulder. “I’ll bring your drinks to you.”

“Thanks,” Tenn says as Kyle throws a twenty on the bar. By the time I snatch it up, he’s already turned away, his hand on Mallory’s back as he guides her over to one of the empty pool tables. He leans down to say something to her, and I hear her giggle over the music of the jukebox.

Stupid fucking name—Mallory.

In a huff, I turn around and grab two wine glasses from the back bar, proceeding to make the white wine spritzers. I’m proud of myself when I resist the urge to spit in the glasses. I then fish out two Budweisers and as I twist the caps off, my eyes slide over to the pool table. Tenn is bent over it, taking a shot, his tattooed arms flexing and reminding me of the power he holds. Mallory—stupid fucking name—has her hip resting against the corner of the table, and she says something to him that causes those sexy-as-hell lips to lift sexily before breaking out into a full-out laugh.

Ugh. She can’t be making him laugh.

I quickly place the drinks on a tray and hand Kent the twenty. “Two Buds, two white wines spritzers.”

“What the hell is a white wine spritzer?” he asks as he takes the twenty from me.

“Some stupid drink a woman with a stupid name like Mallory would order,” I grumble as he makes me change, handing back three dollars and twenty-five cents.

“Oh-kay,” he drawls as he shakes his head at me in confusion.

I take the money, throw it on the tray, and walk out from behind the bar. Kyle is sitting at a small table with Jenny on his lap while Tenn lines up another shot at the pool table. Mallory sees me setting the drinks down and practically skips over to me.

“Yummy,” she squeals as she takes one of the wine glasses from my hand to take a sip. She swallow, looks at the glass funny, and then hands it back to me. “Um… it tastes a bit watery.”

I stare at the glass, and then raise my eyes to her. “And that’s what usually happens when you water down wine to make a spritzer, Sherlock.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “That’s kind of rude.”

“Be glad I didn’t spit in it,” I say as I ignore the glass and walk past her.

I hear her huff, and she complains to Jenny and Kyle, “I’m going to report her. Didn’t you say your sister is friends with the owner, Kyle?”

I snicker to myself. It’s true… Andrea is most definitely friends with the owner, but I’m his sister. His little baby sister, in fact, and he’ll agree with me. Mallory is a stupid name and a white wine spritzer is a stupid-ass drink.

As I stalk around the edge of the pool table, I run smack into a hard, muscled chest. One whiff of body wash that reminds me of cold mountain air and I know it’s Tenn’s chest who I’m pressed against. I relish it for a minute and step back, looking up to glare at him.

His eyes are mocking when he murmurs, “Didn’t think you were the type to go all meow-meow over me, Goldie. I like this little fit of jealousy.”

My jaw drops open, and then snaps back shut as I realize I totally feel jealous of stupid fucking Mallory. “Whatever,” I mutter as I drop my face and move to step around him.

He sidesteps, putting himself back in my path. “Now where are you scurrying off to?”

I huff out in frustration and look back up at him. Those blue eyes are piercing straight through me and a completely slappable, yet edible, smirk on his goatee-surrounded lips. “I’m going home.”

“Didn’t take you for a coward,” he murmurs as his head jerks over his shoulder at stupid fucking Mallory. “If you want my attention, you have it now.”

“I don’t want your attention,” I snap at him and before I can think to move around him, he dips his head lower and whispers to me, “Gonna prove you wrong again.”

Those words… so sexy and so reminiscent of the other night when he took great triumph in proving my body wrong causes my heart to start hammering hard. His eyes are challenging me… daring me to step out of my comfort zone and perhaps admit… just a little, that I made a mistake walking away from him the other night.

I take a step back from him, slip my tray under my arm, and reach out to hand him Kyle’s money. “Here’s the change.”

“Keep it,” he says without glancing down at it. His eyes rake slowly down my body and then back up again, causing my nipples to tighten in response. When his gaze comes back up to mine, he throws the gauntlet down. “Now… what are you going to do, Goldie? Fight or flight?”

I look at that beautiful mouth and remember exactly how it felt against me the other night. With a flash of anger, I wonder if that mouth will be giving stupid fucking Mallory the same pleasure tonight.

Turning my back on him, I stuff the three-dollar bills in my pocket but slap the quarter on the edge of the pool table, indicating my intention of challenging the winner of the game in progress.

Tenn’s eyebrows rise up slightly, and he gives me an amused shake of his head. “You seem sure of yourself. Interested in a bet?”

Now, I watched Tenn take a couple of shots on the table while I was getting his drink order together and he’s damn good. But then again, so am I.

“What did you have in mind?” I ask curiously.

“If I win, you have to answer one question for me. And it has to be truthful… no lying.”

“That’s it?” I ask, almost a little disappointed. I had hoped he would say something that would take the decision out of my hands. Something that would obviate my own stupid barriers I put up. Something like, “If I win, Casey, you’re coming home with me and I’m going to fuck you all night long.”

“That’s all I want,” he says assuredly. “And what do you want if you win?”

I consider what I want. I mean… I know what I want. I can’t fucking help myself. I want him. I want to be with him and the easiest way to do it seems to lay it right on that pool table in front of me. Stepping in closer to him, I cut a quick glance over to Mallory, of the stupid name, and see her watching me with blazing fury. I stand on my tiptoes and murmur in Tenn’s ear, “If I win, I want to give you a blow job.”

Tenn’s entire body jerks, and he lets out a breath of hot air that fans across my neck. “Fuck, Casey… you know you’re all but daring me to lose.”

I give him a saucy smile and lick my bottom lip. “Maybe I am.”

Tenn stares at me a moment, and then inclines his head. “It’s a bet, then. Just let me finish this game and we’ll get it on.”

“Oh yes we will,” I say with innuendo. “I’m going to get me a beer.”

By the time I make it to the bar, order a beer, and pay for it, Tenn is finishing up his game with Mallory. Because her pool-playing skills are as stupid as her name, it didn’t take very long.

As the challenger, I rack the balls with a sly grin on my face. Tenn stands over near the table with Mallory pressed in close to him, making sure she garners his attention. He tilts his head her way and smiles at something she says. She shoots me a triumphant look and steps in closer to him, laying her hand on his stomach.

I want to break her fucking wrist, but I refrain. Lucky her.

And lucky me, actually, because since I promised Tenn a blow job if I win, I can guarantee you this game won’t take long. I can guarantee you that he’ll be walking out the door with me tonight and not Mallory, woman of such a stupid name her parents should be shot.

I release the rack and step away from the table, turning to the wall to grab a cue stick from the holder. By the time I turn back around, Tenn is letting loose and breaks the rack cleanly. Two stripes fall in and he gives me a wolfish grin.