Chapter Eight
THORN
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A RUSH OF something I don’t want to name slams into me when I spot Flora stride into the lounge. Her undeniable confidence turned heads, and I immediately wanted to claim her as my own.
Then, the burning sensation on my chest is a bittersweet reminder that claiming her is the opposite of what I want.
I tip down my hat to focus on the game my brother is slaughtering me at, but it’s damn hard. It’s damn hard when the knitted wool clings to every curve of her body, stretching and pulling in all the right places. It’s even more difficult when she sashays straight in our direction.
She stops across the table with her eyes narrowed on me. “If you were a strand of lights, you’d be the one that never goes out.”
She sticks the straw of her drink between her lips and runs her teeth along it. This is a new side to her I haven’t seen before.
My fingers tighten around the cue stick in my hand. My first instinct is to tell her to go to hell, but I won’t give her the satisfaction. If she wants to play games, I’ll play right back.
“Trying to untangle your intentions is like dealing with a knotted strand of lights—frustrating and pointless.”
A cheeky smile tugs her lips at my remark. “I’m exceptionally good at untangling lights and stringing them back up.”
My insides burn with anger. What the hell kind of game is she playing?
I control my tone, but even my attempt to keep it light comes out gruff. “You’re as indecisive as said lights that can’t decide whether to twinkle or stay dim.”
“What’s going on?” my brother asks no one in general.
“I think they knocked boots,” Dani answers.
“We did not knock boots,” Flora and I shout simultaneously.
“Y’all did something.” My brother’s smart-ass tone is back. “Thorn didn’t get those scratch marks on his chest from nothing.”
“Scratch marks?” Dani makes a throaty squeal sound. “You left out some details, Flora.”
My jaw grits down so hard my teeth ache. She told her damn sister? I’d think Dani could be in on the whole light tie-me-up bullshit if she weren’t on my side. Hell, at this point, I wonder if she is on my side.
“Girls against boys?” Dani picks up two pool cues and hands one to her sister.
“Find your own table.” My brother bends over the pool table, lowering his body to get a better angle, and takes his shot. “This one is occupied.”
Dani positions her cue stick vertically before the striped ball, stopping it inches from the pocket. “Or the two older against the two younger.”
Dani is full of great ideas.
Theo grunts. “I ain’t teaming up with you.” He leans into Dani’s face when he passes her. “I don’t much enjoy your company.”
“I don’t like you either.” She wrinkles her nose. “And you smell like you dunked yourself into a vat of sandalwood and musk. Tone it down, cowboy.”
I don’t disagree with her there, but I do disagree with a round of pool.
“I like Theo more than I like either of you right now.” Flora points between her sister and me before grabbing the triangle rack.
“What did I do?” Dani asks defensively.
I’d also like to know what the hell I did. She’s the one who tied me up and left me half naked in The Enchanted Ballroom.
“You teamed up with the Wilma and Faye to play matchmaker. Did you know?” Flora asks Theo as she rounds the corner of the pool table, collecting balls and dropping them in the rack. “That these two are scheming to get me to marry your brother after what he did?”
There’s my entrance. I push off the wall. “What I did?”
“Alright, alright.” Theo holds up his hands and steps between us. “Flora and me against you two.”
A storm of frustration brews inside me, and I can’t tell if it’s because I’m still livid about my bound arms or if it is the thought of her playing with another guy—even my brother.
“No skin off my back.” I grab my beer and almost guzzle the entire thing.
“That thwart’s our plans, now, doesn’t it?” Dani stops beside me, takes my beer out of my hand, and gulps a mouthful. It’s empty when she passes it back, and she still has her own full drink.
Fucking great. Where’s the waitress? I can’t do this stone-cold sober.
“Those plans were thwarted when—”
“When my sister tied you up.” She says it nonchalantly, like we’re discussing the weather. “It’s kinda hot. I’m surprised you’re not more into it.”
I glare down at her. “She left me there.”
“What are you getting your snowflakes in a flurry over?” She sips the white coconut drink. “This is worse than high school. This is a standard case of misunderstanding at its best between the two of you and the lack of communication.”
“Misunderstanding? I don’t think abandoning me lassoed to a chair with twinkle lights leaves much room for misinterpretation.”
“Listen, I’m on your side.”
“Are you?” I sneer.
“Yes, and I’m telling you, she’s holding onto something that happened before she left. I know my sister, and she’s hiding a secret. What could that secret be, partner?” Dani waits like I have the answer.
“I don’t know what’s got her feathers ruffled.”
“Want to know what I think?”
Heaven help me, I do. I wish I didn’t, but I do. “What?”
“She thinks you knocked boots with other girls. Promiscuous is the word she used.”
I breathe so deep through my nostrils that they sting. Do these two share everything?
Dani straightens. “Tell her straight up that you didn’t cheat on her—if you didn’t.”
My jaw hurts from grinding my teeth so hard. Dani hadn’t been in the whirlwind that had been our summer. Losing her virginity might have been a first for Flora, but the raw moments and tender exchanges between us had been a first for me.
In those days, lying in the tall grass under the Southern sun, I felt a sense of freedom I’d never known. With Flora, I could be myself—unfiltered, unguarded. She listened without judgment, piecing together the fragments of my soul—or so I thought. And I’d found the courage to change and become a better version of myself. I’m no fool. I didn’t expect her not to go to college, but I thought she’d come back. And when she saw the path I’d chosen, I thought, just maybe, we could pick up where we left off.
“I shouldn’t have to tell her. She knew then. She knows now. She just doesn’t give a shit.” I jam the billiard chalk on the tip of the cue stick. “Let’s get this damn game over with.”
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FLORA
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“YOU’RE A MEAN one, Mr. Grinch,” Dani sings softly as she surveys the layout of the balls.
We’re stripes. They’re solid.
“I may be the Grinch because I just grew three sizes after that little sashay.” Theo lazily stands at the end of the pool table with a beer in one hand, wearing a lopsided grin and half-lidded sultry expression at a passing waitress.
“You’re about as charming as a broken ornament.” Pool cue in hand, my sister crouches and takes a practice stroke beside the cue ball.
I believe she’s purposely taking her sweet time to drive Theo mad. He grumbles to himself every time she’s up. I know more about their weird exchange than I’d like to, but if I don’t stay focused, my wondering gaze lands on Thorn.
There are a thousand other things to admire in The Lodge Lounge—the festive lights draped across the ceiling, the carved wooden decorations adorning the Christmas tree that stands proud in the corner, or the fun seasonal cocktails highlighted on the illuminated menu board. That Sleigh Ride Sangria sure looks like a must-try, and I’m almost finished with my drink.
Where did that waitress go?
My eyes collide with Thorn’s. He remains rooted on the other side of the pool table between turns. He doesn’t dare invade my side, and I’m yet to linger with him.
His posture is stiff, and one hip presses hard against a sturdy oak table. His gaze is locked on me—again. Or still. Has it moved? He certainly doesn’t shift when he catches me stealing a look. He holds my stare like a challenge I accept every time, and I can feel his anger burn into me.
Where’s his sense of humor?
A smile lifts the edges of my mouth.
I’ve never been one for revenge, so I wasn’t prepared for this rewarding afterglow. To be honest, I don’t get close enough to people to have enemies. But I got close to Thorn. I gave him everything: my laughter, my secrets, my trust. I never trusted anyone growing up. Not after my dad left. Not after my mom spent more time with man after man than her daughters.
Heck, I don’t trust anyone now. Even my sister is scheming behind my back.
I don’t drag my eyes away from his. I won’t give him the satisfaction. The seconds or minutes pass by, and neither of us breaks first.
“Nice technique.” Theo claps enthusiastically, stepping between our silent battle.
My sister must’ve kissed her shot.
His uproarious laughter follows, and I use the opportunity to look anywhere else. “Are you trying to play pool or audition for a circus act?”
Dani shoots him a glare over her shoulder. “At least I’m not standing around waiting for someone to teach me how to hold a cue properly.”
Here we go again. Another round of angry flirting. They can pretend to hate each other or quite possibly do hate each other, but this back-and-forth banter is like sizzlin’ bacon on a skillet.
Theo pushes off a beam. “You know.” His voice is low and teasing as he lines up his shot. “Holding a cue stick is a lot like knowing how to handle”—he glances up at Dani, the corner of his mouth tilted into a grin—“other things.”
Dani rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you’ve had lots of practice in those lonely nights alone.”
“Sweetheart, I ain’t ever lonely.” He glances back to his shot. “It’s all about the grip, the precision, and knowing just how to make the right moves.” Theo slides the stick effortlessly between his fingers, his movements smooth and practiced.
“Please stop.” Dani’s voice is dry, but I agree with her.
“With the right technique”—he leans in slightly—“you can make magic happen.”
He strikes the cue ball. It connects to our striped ball with a satisfying thud and hurtles it into the center pocket.
Winning is a great distraction.
“Nice shot.” I high-five Theo when he struts by doing his confident he won walk.
“It’s about rhythm and knowing when to go all in.” He leans his hip on the pool table beside Dani. The cue stick rests casually in his hand. “I guess you could say I’m an expert in both.” He winks, letting the double entendre hang in the air between them. “Care for a demonstration?”
“I’d rather have my tongue stuck to a frozen pole.”
“I have a pole right here, sweetheart.”
“I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.” Dani pivots. “Thorn, you’re shot.”
Now’s my chance to stare without being caught staring. After all, who doesn’t watch the competition on their turn?
Thorn shrugs out of his flannel shirt.
Dani whistles. “Bring out the big guns.” She playfully points at me. “He’s gonna devour you two.”
I wish he’d devour me.
Shoot.
No.
That’s the Frosty Coconut Snowfall talking—which I could use another. Then maybe I wouldn’t notice how he chalks the tip of his cue stick and how the subtle motion ignites a flicker of heat deep within me.
Shoot.
No.
That darned Frosty again.
He lines up his shot. His physique is a striking blend of strength and grace. His broad shoulders accentuate his powerful back, tapering down to a defined waist that hints at countless hours spent riding and working the land. Muscles ripple beneath his shirt as he steadies his cue. The tautness in his arms showcase well-defined biceps and forearms.
There’s no denying it, he’s gorgeous.
With a smooth stroke, he sends the cue ball, crashing into a ball that hits another and ricochets off the side before slamming his desired ball in the pocket. The sharp cracks echo.
“Devour,” Dani whispers.
“You picked up your game, brother,” Theo says.
“Flora, you’re up,” Dani tells me.
I need a drink for this. I lift my hand and wave down the waitress.