Chapter 2 #4
I open my mouth to respond, but the sudden roar of cheering from the bull riding pen drowns out our conversation. When the noise subsides, our eyes meet again.
She has a look on her face like she wants to say something, but she’s holding back. Instead, she moves to stand, as if to leave.
My gut screams at me not to let her.
I reach out quickly, placing my hand on her arm.
Her eyes lift to mine.
“Can I buy you another drink?” I ask, leaning closer so she can hear me.
“I actually didn’t plan on drinking any more tonight.”
“Great,” I say. “Me neither.”
She laughs. “What? Then why did you…”
“Soda is a drink, right?”
“It is.”
“We could get some soda, play some pool…” I toss my head in the direction of the pool tables on the other side of the bar.
Her spine straightens as she studies me. “Pool?”
“Yeah. You know, billiards.”
She chuckles. “Billiards?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling myself grow antsy. “Fuck. Sorry, I don’t know why I said that…”
My attempt at spending a few more minutes with this woman is the furthest thing from smooth, and the longer this silence stretches between us, the more I feel like a fucking fool.
I’m rusty in this department. Flirting? Bantering with women?
The last time I did that was when I met my late wife.
“Rhonan…” she says, waiting for me to meet her gaze before she speaks again.
I lift my head, lock my eyes with hers, and then that smile of hers reappears. “Vienna…”
Reaching out, she cups the side of my face. “I would love to have soda and play pool with you.”
***
Vienna smacks her lips playfully after taking a drink from her soda. “Man, those bubbles are gonna go straight to my head.”
A laugh slips out of me. “Be careful. I have no problem rescuing you a third time tonight, if need be. But I’d like to avoid any more incidents.”
She shoves me playfully. “Be nice.”
“I am. By letting you take another shot after you missed your first one.”
“That’s because my stick didn’t even connect with the ball.”
After Vienna agreed to play pool with me, she went to the restroom while I ordered us two Cokes and secured a pool table in the corner of The Charming Bull, far enough away from the bull riding that we could actually hear each other talk, but not so far that I couldn’t keep an eye on Elliot standing along the ropes, still hoping that his dick might react to a woman tonight.
Once Vienna found me, I racked the balls and started the game, only to learn that Vienna has never played pool.
“I still can’t believe you’ve never played before.”
“Why is that?”
“You just seem like someone who would pretend not to know how to play and then end up kicking my ass.”
She leans forward over the edge of the table, giving me the perfect view of her cleavage as she lines up her stick to the cue ball, draws it back, and slams it forward, knocking her first ball into the corner pocket flawlessly.
Her brow arches. “Who? Me?”
My eyes narrow as I watch her stand back up and rest her hip against the table. “So you do know how to play.”
“I played a bit in college. I’m no professional, but I can definitely hold my own.” Lifting her soda to her lips, she smirks around the straw.
And there goes my dick getting excited again.
“Anything else I should know you’re good at?”
“Nothing I want to reveal just yet.”
Nodding, I scour the table and find Vienna’s next logical shot.
To my surprise, she attempts a different one and sinks that ball into the side pocket.
“But come on,” she adds, glancing at me over her shoulder.
“There’s got to be something you’re good at that you like to keep tucked close to the vest.”
“Actually, there is.”
“Care to share since you know mine now?”
I watch her set up for her next shot, but this one bounces a little too far to the right of the pocket, making it my turn finally. “Blackjack.”
“So you’re a gambler?”
“I mean, not really. My best friends and I learned how to play in high school, so now that’s our thing when we get together. Some buddies play golf or poker… We play blackjack.”
“I love that. It’s different.”
“My buddy’s sister calls us The Blackjack Brotherhood.” Shaking my head, I mutter, “I hate it.”
“Oh, come on. That’s prime T-shirt material. Can you imagine the looks and questions you’d get if you all wore that out in public? I’m sure women would be foaming at the mouth to know why you call yourselves that.” There’s a teasing lilt to her voice.
“Not sure women are looking for that, but to each their own. At least it’s not golf. I never understood that hobby. It takes way too fucking long to play anyway, and I don’t like being away from my daughter for that long.”
Her eyes widen. “You—you have a daughter?”
My pulse spikes as I realize I just shared that with her, a person I barely know and yet, feel like I know very well.
“Yeah, I do.”
“How old is she?”
“Five.”
Her smile is instant. “Such a fun age.”
“It really is. Although, some days I feel like she’s five going on fifteen. She’s extremely observant and never forgets anything you say.”
Vienna laughs. “I bet she’s headstrong too.”
“What makes you say that?”
Her eyes move up and down my body. “I just get the sense that you wouldn’t let her grow up unaware of what she does and does not deserve.
” The compliment catches me off guard, especially since I’m not sure where her conclusion came from.
But then she continues. “She’s probably just as bossy as you too. ”
“Oh, you have no idea how bossy I can be.” The words flow out of me freely, and I don’t miss the way Vienna’s eyes darken as she absorbs them.
“Pretty sure I got a glimpse earlier.” She kicks her foot out at me. “Remember?”
“That was just me taking the proper precautions.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you did. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here, huh?” Our eyes remain locked until Vienna breaks our stare and gestures toward the pool table. “Your turn.”
Shaking off the tension building between us, I step forward and line up my next shot. The ball drops cleanly into the pocket. “So what is it that you do, Vienna?”
“For work?”
I nod.
“I’m actually moving for a new job…switching careers, you could say.”
“By choice or…”
She huffs out a laugh. “Definitely by choice.”
“So, what’s the new job?”
“Teaching,” she replies.
“I can see that,” I say as I stand tall after missing my next shot. Vienna moves around the table to line up her next attempt.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I think it definitely fits your personality.”
Vienna smiles as she tucks her hair behind her ear, almost shy about receiving the compliment. “Thank you. I’ve been working toward this for a long time, so to say I’m excited is an understatement.”
“Is this another thing you’re doing that’s related to trying things you never have before?”
The corner of her mouth lifts. “You could say that.” She rests her hip against the pool table. “You know, earlier I didn’t get the chance to ask you what would you do to chase some adrenaline, Rhonan?”
As I round the table to stand within a few inches of her, she stares up at me.
My eyes linger on her mouth for far too long before I lean in closer and line my lips up to her ear, letting the lust racing through my body fuel my actions for a change.
“I’m not really the adrenaline-chasing type of guy anymore, Vienna. ”
She clears her throat, pursing her lips as I lean back. “Anymore?”
I nod. “I used to be. Now that I’m a father, the last thing I would do is intentionally participate in risky behavior.”
Vienna’s head bobs up and down while my heart races. It’s rare I would divulge something so honest to a stranger, but I guess she was right—we’re not exactly strangers anymore.
“Makes sense.”
Without thinking about what I’m doing, I reach out and tuck the other side of Vienna’s hair behind her ear before dragging my finger down her jaw and back up, studying the lines in her face—how warm her skin is, how soft and feminine her entire demeanor is, and how her skin pebbles under my touch with each pass of my fingers.
Seems I’m not the only one affected here.
“When you have a kid, life is no longer about what you want. My priority is looking out for her.”
“She’s lucky to have someone putting her first like that.”
Our eyes bounce back and forth between one another.
“It makes times like this even more difficult.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Times like this?”
I cup her chin and drag my thumb over her bottom lip. “Yeah. When life tests your priorities, sending you temptation to abandon your carefully curated rules.”
Her eyes move down to my mouth. “I—I know the feeling.”
I watch her tongue dart out to wet her lips before I lift my gaze back to hers. “Vienna…”
“Yeah?”
My body starts leaning forward, slowly, while fantasizing about what this woman’s lips would feel like against mine.
Her lashes start to flutter close, as if she’s anticipating the kiss.
My pulse starts to pound in my ears. And when I’m less than an inch from her mouth, so close to finally tasting temptation, a metaphorical bucket of water is dropped on our moment, dousing the flames burning between us.
“You ready to leave?” Elliot’s voice penetrates through the haze clouding my rational thoughts.
Vienna practically jumps from her spot against the pool table, brushing her hair out from behind her ears. “I, uh…need to use the restroom,” she announces before taking off in that direction.
I scowl at my friend. “Jesus, Elliot.”
He holds both hands up in the air. “Sorry. Was I interrupting something?”
“Did it fucking look like it?” I snap.
He arches a brow. “Easy, Rho. I didn’t realize you were intent on taking the night further with that one.”
“I…”
Was that my intention?
Hell, I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have let things get too far. But a kiss? The feel and taste of Vienna’s lips on mine?
Yeah, I definitely wanted that.
“I wasn’t. But there was something there, and you just fucking barged over here—”
“My bad,” he says, cutting me off. “Fine. I can order another drink if you have some unfinished business…”
My eyes dart over to the bathroom, waiting for Vienna to reappear while I war with my decision.
Casual hookups aren’t my thing, but I’m intrigued by this woman like I haven’t experienced in years.
Getting her phone number wouldn’t hurt anything, right?
I just know that if I don’t, I’m always going to wonder ‘what if.’
“I’ll meet you over at the bar,” I mutter, jerking my head in that direction.
“Don’t take forever,” he grumbles as he saunters off.
That’s the funny thing about time, though. Sometimes it passes in a blur, other times it stretches on endlessly—especially when you’re waiting for someone who never returns.