Ryan Hunter

place.”
    Thankfully, she wasn’t pissed at my parenting her. In fact, she looked happy about the new drink and sipped from it while I still held her discarded bottle. I leaned my butt against the counter and crossed my legs at the ankles. “You did really well today,” I offered as an icebreaker for an easier chat.
    She swallowed the hook, but she knew I was being polite and not very honest. “I was lousy. And you know it. I still don’t get why you chose me to play in your team.”
    Yeah, why ? I gave a nonchalant shrug and drank from her discarded bottle. Jeez, I just had my mouth on the same spot where her lips had touched. It might be childish, but I enjoyed that moment like nothing else before. Then I drawled, “I don’t know. Maybe I just want you there.” My teasing added a spark to her shiny apple eyes. I liked how I could give her a coating of goose bumps with just this tiny bit of truth. “Do a little endurance training every day, and you’ll be a capable player.”
    “I guess I’m lacking motivation to do that. I’m like a lame duck at running.”
    Is that so ? Hm, what could we do about that? “What you need is a personal trainer.”
    The pretty girl in front of me laughed and took a short step back, studying me with disbelieving eyes. “You want the job?”
    That was why I suggested it. But I played my cool role to perfection. “Sure, why not? If you promise to show some enthusiasm, I promise to be there.”
    She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes a little. I couldn’t blame her for not trusting me just yet. We were only getting acquainted with each other. Liza wasn’t someone you rushed into your bed. She was a gem that you enjoyed marveling at. If you were lucky, you got the chance to touch her delicate surface. A treasure that I’d go any to length to make my own.
    Eventually, she said, “Okay, deal.”
    Deal? That was a fucking yes to a date. I felt like an idiot from one of Susan Miller’s romance books when my heart actually did some sort of backflip in my chest. I struggled to stay cool, but I managed to keep my pleasure under control and just nodded. “We’ll start Monday morning.”
    She didn’t look so happy any more. Hopefully, she didn’t regret her decision already. Anyway, I wouldn’t let her go back on her word, and I made that clear by trapping her gaze with a hot, determined look. If she got her foot into this game with me, she wouldn’t get out of it single. I wanted her to be aware of whom she was dealing with, because I’d never felt as true to the name Bay Shark as I did in this moment.
    “Hey, Ryan! We’re starting a game of pool. Are you in?”
    Fuck you, Justin ! I wanted to strangle my friend for ruining this moment for me. I glared over Liza’s shoulder at my friend, and he sure knew right then that he’d come at the entirely wrong moment.
    “Sorry, man,” he mouthed and grimaced.
    Exhaling a sigh, I pushed away from the counter. The spell was over. I might as well go play pool with my friends now. But I was going to do sports with Liza on Monday. I had been waiting years for that chance, so what was one more day? “There in a sec,” I told Justin.
    When he was gone and I looked at Liza’s beautiful face again, I wondered what that sweet mouth of hers would taste like. I stroked her cheek with the neck of my bottle. And there it was, dammit. The first dreamy look in her eyes that was only for me.
    “Enjoy the night ,” I said in quite a soft way. “And whatever you do, stay away from the strawberries.”
    It was time to go, or I would do something stupid that was way too early in my plans of seducing Liza. So I headed for the door, leaving her a little stunned. But when I stepped past her, I couldn’t resist stroking the back of her hand with my own.

Chapter 5
     
    A FEW GUYS stood around the pool table. Justin was playing a game against Alex when I came into the room adjoined to the main hall. Justin looked up and his face crumpled worse than a raisin. “Ah man, sorry, that wasn’t my intention,” he apologized again, straightening and leaning on his cue.
    “Forget it.” I grinned. “It’s all set for Monday.”
    That made him lift his brows in an impressed way and nod.
    “What’s set for Monday?” Alex demanded after he shot the yellow ball into the hole. “And what wasn’t your intention, Just?”
    “Nothing,” Justin and I shot back at him.
    “Is there money in the pot?” I tried to change the topic as I sat down