40. Faith
CHAPTER 40
Faith
I laughed. “I am so not playing strip pool with you. Just forget it.”
He took a slow sip of his drink. “Fine. I guess I’ll just go down as the undisputed champion.”
“What? It’s a tie.”
He put a finger up against my lips. “Shhh. I offered you a chance to redeem yourself. I guess we’ll just never know who the real winner is.”
“You’ve got to be joking.” He really had to be joking. Anyone walking by would be able to see right into the bar. I might be up for another round, but I wasn’t going to turn into an exhibitionist.
“If you’re that confident, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Hell, if you play like you did the last round, you’d barely lose a sock.”
“But the window, anyone could see in.”
“The bar’s closed. Who would walk by the front window at this hour?”
A shiver ran through me. What if the person who left a note for me caught a glimpse of Dante and me together?
“You can forfeit.” He shrugged and walked toward the front windows, lowering the blinds.
“Fine, I’m in. What are the rules?”
“We go in order. One through fifteen. Every time you sink a ball, I have to take something off. Every time I sink one?—”
“That’s not going to happen. Who breaks?”
“As a show of good sportsmanship, you can go first.”
“Good sportsmanship, my ass. I’m going to wipe the table with you.” I pulled back and broke hard, pocketing the two and seven.
Dante cleared his throat. “I forgot to mention...” I looked over at him and a sadistic smile spread across his face. “If you sink a ball out of order, you have to take something off.”
“But—”
“Rules are rules. And none of this one sock at a time thing.”
I frowned, then bent down to take off my boots and socks. The wood floor felt cold under my bare feet. He was going to pay for this. I lined up the one and sent it into the side pocket. “Shoes, please.”
Dante shrugged and kicked off his shoes.
I banked the three, and it drifted to the corner, stopping less than an inch from the pocket.
“Tough break.” He nudged me out of the way with his hip, easily sinking the three and gesturing to my sweater.
I glared at him as I peeled it over my head and tossed it at the table. No worries. I had on two other shirts along with my bra. Plenty to work with.
Two shots later, I stood in my bra and jeans. Damn him. He’d had a cocky grin on his face since we started. I was ready to give him a taste of his own medicine. I sank the six in the side pocket, and before he’d had a chance to remove his socks, I pocketed the seven.
“Nice work.” He unbuttoned his flannel shirt, tossing it on top of the pile of my discarded clothing.
I looked over at him and could see his chest muscles move underneath the tight white tank. Focus, dammit. The eight was a challenge. I barely squeaked it by the ten ball. He took off the tank top, and I didn’t look up.
Instead, I walked around the table, trying to figure out how to get a shot on the nine ball. The best I could do would be to set it up so he didn’t have a clear shot, either. I wedged it up against the side, making his shot difficult, if not impossible.
“What’s it going to be, Faith? The bra or the jeans?”
“Ha. You won’t be able to make that.”
He raised his eyebrows at me.
“You make that shot, and I’ll take them both off. You miss, and you take off your pants.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal, sweetheart.” He lined up, and I moved to a spot just opposite of his aim. I leaned down, resting my hands on the edge of the table, letting my cleavage fall directly in his line of sight. He took the shot and missed.
“Dammit. You’re cheating.”
I shrugged, enjoying the sight of Dante slipping out of his jeans. The only thing standing between me and the sweet taste of success was a snug pair of boxer briefs.
“You play hard.”
“Looks like you’re the one playing hard.” I gestured toward his crotch.
“Yeah, you’d better not sink another one, or you might get an eyeful.”
I sized up my options. My little stunt had worked, but left me in a bad position to get a shot as well. I struck the cue ball, sinking the ten and then the nine. Dante gestured toward my bra. “I like the red one better, anyway.”
“In your dreams.” I undid my jeans and kicked them off, revealing my pink cotton bikini briefs with purple hearts all over them.
“I like your panties.” He bent down to line up his shot. “Although I’d like them better on the floor.” My mistake gave him a clear shot on number eleven, and he sank it with ease.
“Shit.” I shrugged out of my bra, crossing my arms and covering my breasts with my hands.
“Now we’re getting somewhere.” He moved toward me, and I darted to the opposite side of the table. He lined up his shot and missed.
“You did that on purpose,” I said, arms still crossed.
“Your shot, doll. Here.” He handed me the stick, and I reached one hand out to take it, keeping the other in place. “I don’t think you’re going to be able to hold the cue like that, Faith.”
“Can’t you close your eyes?”
“Close my eyes? I’m pretty sure we’re way past that.”
“Come on.”
“After the way you came in my mouth today, sweetheart? Now you’re shy?”
I groaned and dropped my other hand. Although he was beyond aggravating, he was right. We really were past the formalities. I’d never felt so uninhibited and free with anyone before. He got me so worked up. And based on the way things were going, he’d be taking care of that desire in a matter of minutes.
This was so going in my book. Just looking at him standing up against the side of the pool table in nothing but his underwear, I wanted to run my hands down his chest, grab onto his perfectly sculpted ass, and drive him deep inside me. I was getting wet just thinking about it.
For my next shot, I’d have to stretch all the way across the table. I hiked one leg up and rested my knee and thigh on top of the table in an attempt to extend my reach.
“Think that’s going to help?” Dante asked.
“I’ll do anything for a couple of extra inches.” I winked at him and smiled.
He laughed.
As my breasts grazed the felt on the table, my nipples hardened. I drew the cue back to strike the ball as Dante came up behind me, pressing his erection into the dampness of my panties.
“Hey, that’s cheating.” The moment he connected, my hand slipped, causing my shot to go wide.
“Just helping you out with those last couple of inches.”
Neither one of us moved. The pressure on my backside held me firmly in place. The pressure, crap, the exquisite pressure. I pushed back against him, and he reached out, fondling my breast and sending a wave of pleasure crashing through my core.
“It’s your turn.”
He moved away, and I put my foot on the ground. I took a deep breath and turned around to face him. He took a step toward me, and I backed up, my butt hitting the edge of the table. My hair fell over my breasts, and he moved closer. As he pushed it back over my shoulders, his fingertips grazed my bare skin.
“No fair covering up.”
“It’s your turn. I got it all lined up for you. All you have to do is nudge it in.”
“Just nudge it, huh?” He pushed his crotch up against mine, making contact.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of him. “Yeah, just a little nudge.”
“Like this?” He pushed harder, and the edge of the pool table pressed into my backside while his hard-on bumped into my front.
“Yeah, just like that.” I reached my hands behind me, taking some of the pressure off by raising myself up on the edge of the table, giving him easier access.
“What if I don’t want to nudge it?” He pushed harder against me. “What if I want to sink it all the way in?”