Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)
Once our plates were cleared, I wanted to lighten the mood and help Avery relax. “We should probably let our food settle before we hit the gym.” I nodded to a billiards table and asked, “Do you like to shoot pool?”
“I do.” I was happy to see him smiling again, even though it was more of a smirk. “And I'm pretty good.”
“Oh yeah?” He gave a confident nod. “Well it just so happens I'm pretty good too.”
“Interesting.”
“I say we make it very interesting with a little wager. What do you say?”
Avery’s smirk turned wicked. “Let's do it. If I win, my next training session is free.”
“Deal. And if I win, you agree to a second date.” Avery’s cheeks pinked and he swallowed hard, but he nodded his agreement. “Shall we go see who wins?”
“Absolutely.”
I chuckled before regrettably letting go of his hand and sliding out of the booth. He tried to argue when I placed cash on the table to pay for our food, but I waved him off.
Once he stood up, I placed my palm on his lower back and guided him to the pool table. His cheeks were fiery by the time we arrived, but he didn't pull away.
I grabbed two cue sticks from the holder and rubbed them with chalk while Avery racked the balls. Once he lifted the triangle, I handed him a stick and asked, “Want to break?”
“Sure.” Avery placed the cue ball in the center of the table and leaned down to line up his shot. I took the opportunity to admire his ass, which looked especially cute in his khakis.
My attention was pulled away from the glorious sight by the sound of resin balls clacking together. I looked up in time to see the red seven ball zip into the left corner pocket, while the blue two ball fell into the right.
“Shit,” I mumbled, making him chuckle. He then sank the green six ball into the left center, followed by the orange five. I realized I was watching with my mouth gaping open when he laughed again. “How are you so good at this?”
“I guess it's my mathematical brain,” he shrugged. “I see what angle I need to shoot from.”
“Shit,” I repeated, realizing I probably wouldn't even get a turn.
As if he read my mind, Avery jutted his chin at me and said, “You take a shot. I want to watch you.”
The pressure was on. He was so good, and I may have exaggerated my abilities. There was probably no way I could impress him; I just didn't want to embarrass myself. I held my breath and tapped the cue ball. I completely missed the blue striped ten ball I was aiming for, but all was not lost; the cue ball bounced off the side wall and happened to knock into the purple stripes twelve ball, dropping it into the pocket.
“Nice shot!” Avery cheered. It was a lucky shot, but I would certainly take the compliment.
“Thanks.” I bounced my eyebrows and asked, “Are you nervous now?”
“Not even a little bit.”
He knew he was good, and I loved the unexpected wave of confidence. His self-assured side was as attractive to me as his shy side. And I particularly enjoyed his backside.
I lined up another shot, but I didn't luck out this time. I barely missed the thirteen ball, and the cue ball came to rest in the center of the table. Avery shocked me by sending me a wink before taking his own shot. He sank the rest of the solid balls into the pockets before effortlessly dropping in the eight ball, ending our game.
“Wow,” I said finally, unable to come up with anything more intelligent. Avery chuckled as he replaced our cue sticks, and a naughty idea came to my mind. “You won fair and square; you'll get your second date.”
He tried to hide his smile as he turned to face me. “Pretty sure that was your bet. I believe I won a free session.”
I tapped on my chin before shaking my head. “That's not what I remember. I can clearly recall you requesting a second date, and I'm here to make that happen.”
He no longer appeared to be fighting a grin. “Troy, I…I don't think I can.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise and disappointment when I answered, “Oh.” But I didn't want him to feel guilty, so I slapped on a fake smile and added, “It's okay; I understand.” It was a lie; I thought we were having a great time together.
“I don't think you do,” he replied quietly, “And that's my fault for giving mixed signals. Trust me, I like you. I really do, but believe me when I say it wouldn't work out between us.”
Every cell in my body knew he was wrong, but I would never pressure him. All I could hope to do was change his mind; to make him see we were a great match. I'd never force him, but that didn't mean I had to stop trying. Not when I knew I could make him happy.