“Hold it between your fingers like this and then draw your arm back.” He took the dart from her and demonstrated the technique, then handed it back to her.
She mimicked the way his fingers grasped the dart and got ready to throw it. “Like this?”
He sputtered a laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“You’re not throwing an axe.” He moved her arm forward, with his hands on her upper and lower arm, so her elbow wasn’t pointed at the ceiling,
The moment he touched her skin, her throat went dry, and she held her breath.
He noticed right away, his natural smile turning serious while his eyes rested on hers, and they stared at one another quietly.
Standing this close to him was overwhelming. His presence invaded her senses with masculinity. He had both stature and strength. She couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to have his strong arms wrapped around her while she nestled her head against his taut chest.
He licked his lips, and she needed to drop her gaze in order to break the spell that took hold of her.
“Um. Are you ready?” he asked, softly.
“Ready?”
“To throw the dart without hitting anyone?” His crooked smile taunted her.
“I’ll try.” She was ready for anything.
“OK. Now, throw it like you’re throwing a paper airplane. Nice and smooth. And extend your arm all the way. Like this.” He pretended to throw a dart at the board, gliding his arm through the air with a natural ease.
An image of him on the football field flashed inside her head, and she couldn’t believe that Robert Blade was standing here teaching her how to throw a dart. He was so normal. There was no ego attached to him. He was charming and charismatic. He didn’t have an entourage or bodyguards or a roped-off VIP area. He was in a local bar in New Jersey with friends who, by the looks of them, weren’t football players. He was just a regular guy.
“Do you need me to show you how to throw it again?” he asked, because she was just standing there holding the dart with her arm poised in the air and her gaze locked on his.
“No. I can do it.” Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she hesitated. “Do I get a countdown or something?”
“Sure. One. Two. Three!”
She threw the dart, harder than expected. It struck the dartboard but not with the point, so it fell and skittered across the floor. Embarrassed, she covered her face with her hands and laughed. “I’m hopeless.”
“No. You’re not. You’re adorable. What’s your name?”
She looked into his eyes while her heart began to race. “Amber. What’s yours?” She decided to play it cool and not let on that she knew he was a famous athlete since he didn’t act like one.
He paused, a smile on his lips, probably assessing whether or not she was serious. “Robert.”
“It’s nice to meet you Robert. Do you make it a habit of offering free dart lessons to random girls in bars, or am I the lucky one?”
“I’m the lucky one. I barely escaped getting skewered like a shish kabob a little while ago.”
She closed her eyes briefly and tried to hide her smile. “I’m sorry. Maybe you should give me another lesson.”
He handed her a dart from the pile sitting on the table next to them. She held it up ready to throw it, hoping he’d assist her with the correct position again, but a guy blocked the dart board as he walked toward them with a tray full of shot glasses in his hands.
“Whoa! Don’t kill me. I come bearing alcohol.”
The guy was obviously a friend of Robert’s.
Robert took two shot glasses off the tray, brought one to his nose, and then offered the other to Amber. “Kettle One.”
She wasn’t in the habit of drinking straight vodka, but she never thought she’d be throwing darts in a bar with Robert Blade either, so she took it. Before she lost her nerve, she gulped it down. The burn was real, and she did a full body shudder as the alcohol traveled through her esophagus. “Ugh!That was . . . good.” Both guys laughed.
