“That I can definitely do.” He swung an arm around Greta’s waist and pulled her into the crowd. Stella hung back, waving at Drew, Avery, Boyd, and the rest of them. She and Trick would often go out after games and have a few drinks with the guys, before hitting up either her place or his for a wild romp of some amazing sex.
Just thinking about his hands and his mouth on her made her regret losing touch. But one of her rules was she never went back for seconds once a fling was over, because that might just mean emotional involvement, and that she just wouldn’t do.
But Trick was fun and easy and sexy and hot and not at all demanding of her time. He understood her life as a dancer, how much of her days—and often nights—it commanded. He didn’t whine or pout when she had to cancel on him. He traveled a lot, so he knew work took precedence over everything—including sex.
In a lot of ways, he’d been the perfect non-boyfriend.
So why had they stopped seeing each other earlier this year? She’d been slammed with performances for the show she’d been doing, and he’d been so busy with the end of hockey season, trying to make the playoffs. They hadn’t had much time for each other and had to keep canceling. That much she remembered. They’d just drifted apart.
It happened.
After her show ended she’d taken some time off—but only a couple of weeks before she’d started auditioning again. There was no such thing as time off for a dancer. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat or pay the rent. She really liked eating and enjoyed having a roof over her head.
She’d auditioned for a lead dance role in a new show on Broadway, and after a ridiculous amount of auditions, had gotten the part. Now she was even busier, but still . . . it had been a long time since she’d played with a hot guy.
Trick was definitely a hot guy. She watched him as he shot pool with his friends. He was tall, muscular, but not too much in that body-builder way. Just enough that he was strong. He wore jeans and a long-sleeve Henley, which showed off every one of those muscles, especially his biceps.
Plus, he had a fantastic back. Being a dancer, there was just something about a man’s back that she found enticing. So much strength there, and in the arms and legs.
She’d seen Trick naked, knew everything about his body.
A flash of heat engulfed her, and after he took his shot, he turned and gave her a look that was pure sexual attraction.
Yes, it was still there between them. He grabbed his beer, laid his pool cue aside, and came over to her.
“Not playing?” he asked.
“I’m content to just watch.”
“Your sister seems happy in the mix.”
Stella’s gaze drifted over to the pool table, where Avery was helping Greta line up a shot. “My sister knows how to play pool, but she’s enjoying letting Avery put his hands on her.”
“I’m sure Avery doesn’t mind.”
Stella nodded. “I’m sure he doesn’t, either.” She shifted her gaze back to Trick. “Greta broke up with her boyfriend recently. A real jerk. She could use some attention from a nice guy.”
“Avery’s a nice guy.”
“I know.”
Trick slid onto the barstool next to hers. “So am I.”
She swiveled to face him, sliding her legs between his. “Oh, no, you’re not. You can be very bad.”
“You think so?”
“Definitely.”
“You like me bad.”
Stella laughed. “And this is a lot like verbal foreplay.”
He slid his hands across her knees and down her legs. “I prefer the other kind of foreplay. Why don’t you go home with me tonight?”
She drew in a breath. “As tempting as that sounds, I need to entertain my sister.”
Trick looked over at the pool table. “Your sister looks like she’s being entertained just fine by Avery.”
“You know, if it was anyone else I’d say fine, they’re on their own. But I haven’t seen Greta for a few months and I promised her we’d spend the entire weekend together.”
He nodded. “I understand. But I want to see you again, Stell.”
This went against all her rules. But his touch seared through the denim of her jeans. “I want to see you, too. When’s your next game?”
“Tuesday night. It’s an away game, though. I’ll be back in town on Thursday.”
“Okay. I have rehearsal on Thursday until late.”
His lips curved. “This is why we lost touch before. Those damn schedules of ours.”
“True. But we’ll figure it out.”
“I’ll text you when I get back in town.”
“You do that.” She slid off the barstool. “In the meantime, I intend to kick everyone’s ass at the pool table.”
He laced his hands with hers and drew her against him. “You can try. And until next week . . .”
Before she could object about being in a public bar and her sister being there, he’d cupped the nape of her neck and held her still while his mouth bore down on hers for a kiss that seared her feet to the floor.