Ryan Hunter

bastards. Were they all against me tonight?
    It probably was time so say something in my defense, to save my honor, but all I did was fix Liza with a salacious stare as I straightened and chalked the tip of my cue.
    “Sorry,” she croaked. “I’ll leave you guys alone then.”
    Justin didn’t let her slip away . “Uh-uh, no way, hun! You’re my insurance to get that comic book. You stay.”
    His arm around her got mightily on my nerves, even though he made Liza smile. And heck, she had the prettiest smile in all Grover Beach. That kind where the upper lip slipped back a little and revealed perfect, white teeth that touched her soft, rosy bottom lip. A smile that conjured sweet dimples on her cheeks and made her pretty apple-colored eyes crinkle. One that made me lick my bottom lip, wanting nothing more than to kiss her.
    And because she still only gazed at me and no one else when she smiled, I couldn’t help that one corner of my mouth tilted up right now. I was in serious trouble. Lisa distracted me something awful. She made me lose my mind and lose this bloody game. More, she made me lose face in front of my closest friends—and she still lived. Damn, I must be in love with this girl.
    Taking a deep breath, I shook my head and leaned over the table once more. Everybody was tense and silent. Right, they would just love to see me butcher this shot. I cleared my throat, playing for more time, hoping for a miracle that would swipe Liza out of the room this second. But she remained, and I couldn’t stop looking at her. Hard as I tried to concentrate on the balls in front of me, my gaze drifted up to her face time and time again.
    Ah, to hell with it! This game was lost.
    I dropped my forehead to the edge of the table and laughed. “Take your money, Just. I give up.”
    They guys broke out in a rowdy cheer. Yeah, right, rub it in guys!
    Bracing my palms on the pool table, I hung my head for a moment, accepting their gloating. But when I looked up, Liza was still there capturing me with her gaze, and I knew it was totally worth it.
    “I’m so sorry,” she mouthed.
    And she had better be. Liza probably had no idea how badly she’d damaged my rep and that the boys would never let me live through this. But I wasn’t angry. How could I be? She was the sweetest distraction that had ever walked through my door.
    I didn’t let her out of my sight but smirked and mouthed back, “ You are banned from this room.”
    She didn’t move an inch when I slowly walked around the table toward her. In fact, she even pressed a little harder against the wall, her eyes growing wider, her breathing coming just that bit faster. It looked like she couldn’t make up her mind whether she should shy away from me or be fascinated.
    I stood only half a foot away from her, with the cue tight in one hand. The other I place against the wall next to her head so she couldn’t escape me. “You just cost me fifty bucks.”
    “Yeah, I know . But he really, really needs this comic book.” She batted her long lashes at me. To my shame I had to admit that this simple move bulldozed right through my coolness.
    I laughed. “Siding with the enemy. I should have known.” Then I seized the opportunity to touch her one more time tonight and placed my hand in the small of her back. “For tonight, this room is off limits for you.” Gently, I pushed her through the door back into the main hall and enjoyed every second while my hand lay on her warm body.
    “Oh why? It’s so much fun to watch you…screw up.”
    She mockingly glanced up at me, and I should have bitten her bottom lip for that impish pout.
    But I resisted the urge and also to brush my thumb over her lip. Instead, I leaned in a little closer. “Off you go.”
    She obeyed, and I didn’t know if that made me happy or sad. But as soon as she was gone, I closed the sliding wood door and slumped with my back against it, facing a hoard of sneering guys.
    “Can anybody tell me why I never have my phone ready to videotape it when things like that happen?” Chris Donovan popped a new bottle of beer and saluted into the room. “Hunter screwing up a game because of Liza Matthews. This is priceless.”
    “Mitchell is so going to kill you for stealing his girl,” Alex said while rearranging the balls on the green felt.
    “Mitchell doesn’t have to know,” I sneered back. “Anyway, I’m not stealing her. That was just some harmless flirting. Nothing to blow a fuse