She blinks, a combination of shock and fear playing against her features.
I need to turn away, give her space to— I gawk at her breasts, which are pushed up and nestled in cups of black lace that show through her thin white shirt.
Cody rushes to his sister, pulls her closer to the pool tables, and glares at a few other guys playing as they stare at her appreciatively.
“Shy, what the hell are you doing dressed like . . . like . . . Sam?” Cody stands in front of her, using his body as a wall against, well, everyone.
Everyone but me.
“I . . . um . . .” Her eyes dart to mine, and I can tell she’s searching for something in my expression. She dips her head to attempt to peek under the bill of my ball cap. “I’m working.”
I know what she’s looking for, so I hold her eyes for a few seconds until she visibly relaxes.
“Hey, Lucas.”
“Shy.”
She flashes a shaky smile and even that tiny show of affection has my chest warm and my lips aching to press against hers. Is it possible to be obsessed after one kiss? To get a single taste of her mouth, her warmth, and know if it were feasible to get it every single hour of every single day it would never be enough?
“Your tits are showing,” Cody hisses under his breath. “Lucas, back me up here.” He points to Shyann’s chest.
I make the mistake of following Cody’s finger and am reminded of how she felt pressed to my body, how she clung to my shoulders as I explored the sweetness of her mouth.
Her cleavage rises and falls quicker, and I blink up to find her face flushed.
“I think you look . . .” I lick my lips and push my hands deeper into my pockets. “Really pretty.”
Her eyebrows drop low as if my words upset her.
“Are you out of your fuckin’ mind?” He reaches over and tugs up Shyann’s T-shirt by the shoulders, only to make the bottom half slide even farther up her belly. She smacks his hand away. “Dammit, Shy!”
“This is the best way to make money here, Cody. Now order a drink or leave me alone.” She waits, and when he answers her with a scowl, she cautiously peeks over at me. “I didn’t expect to see you here . . .” Her mouth gapes like there’s more to that sentence, but she slams it closed.
“Never expected to see you either.” My fingers burn to pull her to me, to bury my face in her neck and beg for forgiveness, promise I’ll do better, try harder, all while drowning in her scent.
“Bring us beers so we can play!” Cody’s harsh demand comes from across the table where he’s picking out sticks and scowling. “And pull your fucking skirt down! Shit!”
She throws her brother the middle finger and I can’t fight the laughter that bubbles up from my chest. She’s speaking to me, which is more than I expected after Gage terrorized her last night. I haven’t been arrested and Cody hasn’t taken a swing at me, so she must’ve kept what happened a secret. My muscles relax and the knot in my gut unfurls.
Her friendship, her smile, the way I catch her looking at me like I’m not something nightmares are made of? It’s more than I ever expected and enough to keep me going.
“Corner pocket.” I point with my pool cue to the pocket I’m readying to drop the eight ball in to win the fourth out of six games we’ve played.
Cody seems to know every single person in this place; he’s been cool enough to introduce me to them when they come say hi. It’s a little awkward, bombarded with so many new faces, some I’ve seen before around town, but most are total strangers.
I’ve kept to our small corner of the bar, kept my hat low and my head down, and managed to have a pretty good time. I haven’t had beer in a while and never really enjoyed the act of drinking or losing control of myself—God knows I have enough of that without the help—but with the promise of Shyann coming and going, I’ve drunk more than I should.
Leaning over the pool table, I blink in an attempt to clear my fuzzy vision and try to focus on the corner pocket. My body sways, as if someone tilted the floor without warning me first. I line up my shot, close one eye, and shoot.
“I give.” Cody groans and drops his cue stick. “You win. Again.”