Tex just grinned.
Cass shrugged. “You’re wasting my time. Either shoot or let me finish winning.”
He seemed to come to some decision and turned back to the table, sinking two more balls before calling the eight with an impressive bank shot. Extraordinary playing, actually, attested by the small crowd gathered to watch his final shots. Once he won, the small gathering clapped and whistled.
Mack took a small bow before approaching Cass with his hand out. “That’ll be ten dollars, Miss.” He smiled though he held himself ramrod straight.
“That’s Officer Carmichael to you.” Cass did her best not to snarl. Or laugh. “But we’re not done.”
Mack raised a brow as he relaxed and leaned back against the table. “Oh? Double or nothing?”
“At darts.” She nodded to the board currently occupied by a couple flirting with each other.
“Finally.” Jed stretched. “Our turn, Tex. Let’s play.”
“You sure, bud? Because my guy just whooped your partner, and I’m gonna crush you with my skills. That’ll put us two over on you lonely, sad little men and women in blue.”
Jed straightened and gave Tex his cop glare. “Let’s go. Ten bucks on best of three.”
Mack chuckled. “Easy money.”
“No kidding,” Cass said, trying not to be too loud.
Unfortunately, Jed heard. He shook his head. “Where’s the loyalty?”
“Jed, you said something earlier about being a smart man?”
“Ha,” Tex removed his hat and slapped it against his thigh. “Smart man? This guy don’t know a good running back from a good quarterback.”
“I can make you eat this stick,” Jed growled.
Tex didn’t have the sense to laugh, though she could tell he was just yanking Jed’s chain. “Please. You and what police force?”
Mack put his hand on the small of her back to nudge her away. “Come on. While my buddy is getting in your partner’s headspace, we have a date at the dartboard. But my darling officer, I’m a wizard at darts as well. You really want to lose ten more dollars?”
“It’s double or nothing, so that’s twenty you’ll owe me.” Cass might have lost at pool, but they didn’t call her Deadeye for nothing. She couldn’t wait to show Mack just what she could do.
Chapter Five
Mack didn’t understand it, but he was losing to Cass Carmichael. Badly. The king of pub games suddenly found himself down by…well, by a lot. Though he liked to win, losing to Cass didn’t bother him at all.
The more Cass showed how good she was, how competitive, the more she turned him on. So weird. He’d never been into super-aggressive women, not that Cass wasthatbossy. But he’d swear she didn’t have a passive bone in her. Not that he could tell, and he’d been subtly studying that fine body since he’d come upon her and her giant partner over an hour ago.
He watched her nail his coffin as she hit another bull’s-eye.
“Damn, Cass. I’d say you have some anger issues the way you throw those darts,” he said just to needle her.
But she only laughed and jotted down her winning score. “Sucker. Pay up.”
They hadn’t talked much as they’d played. She’d competed with intensity, dedicated to the game. He’d done his best as well, concentrating on the board when not watching her lean forward, emphasizing the power in her arms, the sleek contour of her lovely breasts, the amazing curve of her ass and those powerful legs encased by tight jeans.
Hell.He felt uncomfortable, hard and doing his best to rein in his desire. But who could blame him? She’d worn her hair down, the silky black mass curling over her shoulder to cover the top of one full breast. Cass was built like an athlete, compact, tight, and toned with muscle but having a woman’s soft curves in all the right places.
“Ah, I’ll be right back. Gotta hit the head,” he said, meaning the bathroom.
Cass understood, cop talk and military talk too similar not to.
He hadn’t been lying, having consumed a fair share of beer and some of the nachos Tex had ordered. But he’d left Cass to her onion rings, pleased enough to sit back and watch the pleasure on her face, imagining how he might get her to look that way. In his house, in his bedroom, without their clothes on.
