Fighting For You (The Connor Family 5)

stay. I still owed Jace that game of pool. Everyone but the team had left before they decided to start their pool game.

When they gathered around the table, I walked up to Jace.

“Ready, partner?” he asked, handing me a stick.

“Yes.”

“Boys, nothing personal against you, but you’ll lose,” Jace announced to the others. Ah, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

But he found out exactly four rounds later. I’d missed both times it had been my turn. Jace took my hand, pulling me a little further away from the others.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” he inquired.

“No.”

“You just missed those two straight shots?”

“You never asked if I was any good at it.”

“And you didn’t think to set me straight?”

“Where would be the fun in that?”

“What am I going to do with you?” he murmured. He was so close now that I had to tip my head back to look up at him. Jace’s gaze dropped to my mouth for a split second.

“Teach me how to play or learn to lose.”

I’d meant it as a joke, but the joke was on me because when we resumed the game, Jace announced he’d be showing me how to play correctly. I’d expected the others to protest, because it essentially meant Jace would be playing the entire game, but they didn’t.

They preferred losing to engaging in a lousy game. I couldn’t fault them for that. Jace was taking his teaching role very seriously. I was doing everything wrong, from holding the thick end of the stick too high, to leaning forward too much. Correcting my pose and aim meant that he had to put his hands on me constantly.

“This angle here is what you need,” he murmured in my ear, placing a hand on my waist, bending me over the table.

I didn’t know if feeling his hot breath on the side of my neck, and the fly of his jeans rubbing against my right ass cheek were messing with my mind, but all I could think about was him bending me over and stripping me naked.

Holy shit!

When he clasped my wrist to correct my grip, I prayed he couldn’t feel my erratic pulse. When he brought both hands on my waist to correct my angle, I hoped he wouldn’t notice that goose bumps had broken out on my arms. I wanted to glance at him to see if he’d noticed, but I couldn’t get away with just checking out of the corner of my eye because he was slightly behind me.

I turned, and immediately realized I’d miscalculated the angle. He was much closer. Our lips nearly touched. The side of my breast brushed his arm. The contact electrified me. Could he feel it? Our gazes locked.

“Eyes on the game, Brooke.”

Heat rose in my cheeks as I returned my attention to the pool table. I did notice that Jace touched me less afterward. In fact, he seemed intent on keeping his distance. I must have imagined that current of awareness before. Or perhaps I’d been the only one who felt it, which was fine. Just fine. I wasn’t interested in him like that. Of course, I found him hot. Every woman on the planet probably did. But that was all this was.

After we won the second round, Henry and Andrew announced they were done.

“Man, there’s only so much beating my ego can take in one night,” Andrew said. “Especially with a newbie on your team.”

“Beginner’s luck,” I said jovially.

“Or you could just own up to the fact that I’m a great teacher,” Jace challenged.

“I don’t know. The jury’s still out on that.”

Henry laughed when Andrew said, “Ah, my ego’s recovering. Keep busting his balls, Brooke. Let’s call it a night. Or we’ll be no good at practice tomorrow.”

The rest of the team had already left, but the three of them hadn’t wanted to leave until we finished the game.