Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
DEREK
“ B owling?” Sutton asks, tying the red-and-blue borrowed shoes. They clash horribly with the jeans and black sleeveless shirt with sunflowers on it, but damn, is she ever gorgeous.
“Hell yeah.” A wide grin splits my face. “Who doesn’t love bowling? I bring Troy all the time.”
Sutton approaches me on our lane toward the end of the alley. It’s crowded tonight, almost every lane reserved. Balls are speeding down the lanes before they crash into the pins.
Lifting the pint glass in hand, I take a long pull as Sutton comes to a stop in front of me. Her eyes drift down my chest to my arms. Did I wear this fitted, short-sleeve button-up because it shows off my biceps? Maybe. I notice how much Sutton loves them. I’m not above letting her ogle me.
“I can only imagine how cute Troy is at bowling.”
“He’s getting good. Doesn’t need my help anymore.”
“Will you help me?” Sutton wraps one arm around my waist and pulls the icy glass from my hand and takes her own sip.
Fuck. Me.
I lick my own lips as I lean down to taste her lips. It’s fleeting. Nothing heated or what I truly want it to be. Her mouth is cool from the hoppy beer.
“Mmm.”
“Like it?” I pull back, her eyes closed and a happy look on her face.
“Fucking delicious.”
I’m hooked. That one taste will never be enough. I want every kiss that Sutton will give me. I’m a greedy man and I don’t know if I’ll ever be satisfied.
The echoes of pins falling break me out of my stupor. “Ladies first.”
Sutton hands me the beer, and with a confident stride, heads to the ball return to grab the orange ball.
Wiggling her ass at me, she sends a wink my way before stepping up to the lane and firing the ball down.
Before it hits any pins, it sinks into the gutter.
“Where’s that help I was promised?”
“Focused on that ass of yours,” I tell her.
“You’re not the only one that’s distracted.” Sutton squeezes my bicep as she brushes by me to take her second turn.
Grabbing her around the waist, I pull her back into me. “You know we could just leave right now and take out the distraction of bowling.”
I ghost my mouth over her ear and feel shivers rack her body. But then she’s pushing me away.
“No. I want to stay out late tonight and drink beer with you before beating you. And then?—”
“Then what?” I interrupt her.
“And then I’ll let you distract me anyway you want.” This time, when Sutton takes her turn, she knocks over four pins. “See if you can do better, Derek.”
Holy shit. Sutton walks her fingers up my chest before taking a seat and drinking her own beer.
My brain is too preoccupied with thoughts of Sutton to focus on the game. I get two gutter balls in a row, and it has Sutton trying not to laugh.
“Hey, it’s your fault.” I drop my hands on either side of the chair and lean down over her.
“Little ol’ me?” She blinks those doe eyes up at me. “I would never do such a thing.”
This time, it’s Sutton stealing a kiss from me. Except I’m giving it willingly. When it comes to Sutton, she can have anything she wants.
“Your turn,” I mutter against her lips.
“No fair,” she whines, a blush creeping up over her cheeks. “You distracted me.”
“Turnabout is fair play.”
I give her ass a hearty smack as she goes to take her turn. Her laughter rings out bright and happy as more of this continues.
Each of us takes our turns, neither one of us coming close to knocking all ten pins down. It’s laughable how bad we are at this.
When I’m with Troy, we always have the bumpers up, so it makes me feel like I’m better than I am.
But I would do this a million times over if it means I get to spend this time with Sutton. Our lives are chaotic at best. With both of us having small kids, they have to come first. Sure, I’ve dated since having Troy. Nothing serious because I never wanted women coming in and out of his life. That was the old me.
I want to try and find whatever time I can with the woman who is quickly winning me over. There’s a softness to her. It’s refreshing because it has never been like this with me. Women were always trying to get to me because of who I was.
I never would have brought anyone here in the past. It was all about the clubs and being seen. Now, I want to blend in as much as possible. I want to spend my night bowling and drinking beers with the woman who captured my eye from the minute I saw her.
“I think you secretly put a curse on me,” Sutton tells me, walking back to the seats after another gutter ball.
Grabbing her hand, I pull her down in my lap. “I told you I’d help you.”
Sutton’s eyes glance up to the scoreboard. “I’m doing better than you.”
“By five pins.”
“Still better.” She smirks, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Maybe I should be the one teaching you.”
“By all means, Sutton. How do I bowl?” I settle my arms around her waist.
“You throw the ball down the lane and try to knock down as many pins as you can. Hopefully all ten for a strike.”
Her face is deadpan before she bursts out laughing.
“Oh my God.” I bury my laughter in her neck. “Is that all?”
“That’s it. Do better, Derek.”
“Got it, Sutton. I’ll try my best to ‘do better.’”
“See?” She smacks a kiss on my cheek. “Done. No more help needed.”
Scooting her off my lap, I go to take my turn and do exactly as she said. Only five pins go down. “Maybe your help could use some help.”
Sutton shrugs. “Hey, I said to knock down as many pins as you can. Not my fault you only got five.”
Taking my second turn of this round, I watch as the ball goes flying into the gutter. Sutton tries to cover her giggles behind me, but she can’t.
Is it weird to be obsessed with a sound? Because I would do everything in my power to hear that sound every day from Sutton.
“Alright. Take your own advice.” I sweep my arm out before me in a playful gesture. “Let’s see you do better. ”
“I think I will.”
Taking a hearty gulp of her beer, Sutton stands and strides toward me. The confident walk tells me she’ll do everything in her power to beat me.
And I fucking love it.
I watch as she grabs her ball and lines up before sending it down the lane. She’s still in the same position, now slowly backing up. Almost as if moving too fast will send the ball off course.
But it doesn’t. It hits dead center and knocks down every one of the pins.
Sutton comes flying at me and I catch her with ease.
“Hell yeah, Sutton!” I spin her around as her legs wrap around my waist.
“Take that!” She punctuates the words with a kiss before I clasp her cheeks in my hands to deepen it.
I’m drunk off her kiss. Off the taste of her. The feel of her tongue as it slips into my mouth.
I want to feel it everywhere. To get lost in this woman and not come up for air. It has the words spilling out of me before I can stop them.
“Can you come home with me?” I ask, waiting with bated breath. I know she said her mom was watching Lydia tonight, but I don’t know when she has to be home.
I’m crossing everything I have in the hopes that she’ll say yes.
Sutton chews on her bottom lip, and I pull it out with my thumb, rubbing the sting away.
I don’t say anything. If she can’t, she can’t. I’m not going to push. Even if our night ends here, I’ll be happy. Having her in my bed and making her pancakes in the morning can wait.
I want to spend the entire night with her and have it never end.
“Yes,” she breathes against my lips. “God, yes.”
“Thank fuck.”