Later, when the dominoes game has ended, the pool challenge begins. Lexie and I are paired against Chaz and Dice. Since Dice made up the teams, I know it’s not a coincidence.
“Looking for a spanking, boys?” I taunt, chalking up the end of my cue.
“You always were a trash-talker,” Dice says, coming up behind me. He gets close, his breath warm against my ear. His cologne carrying that fresh lemon scent has me inhaling deep. “What do I get when I win?” he whispers.
“You won’t win,” I say, my competitive streak stubborn and strong.
“Then put some skin in the game.” His knuckles barely ghost my exposed shoulder, but I feel the touch down to my toes.
“What do you want?”
“If I win, you come home with me tonight and let me peel those fishnets off you.”
Holy fuck. But I play it cool. “I win, you let me spin some tracks at Docks on Friday.”
“You think you can handle playing onmyequipment?” he teases.
“How hard can it be?” I drawl, elbowing him aside to get into position. I lean over the pool table and give him a deliberate wiggle of my ass before I break the balls. Clean shot, calling stripes and sinking the blue and white into the left corner pocket.
“Woot!” Lexie cheers, and the rest of the party jumps in, taking sides as the game begins.
Lexie holds her own, but I’m a shark, and we handily win two outof three games, though Dice claims the one they took was the only one that counted.
C just laughs, shaking his head, happy to see us on good terms again.
“Friday,” I say smugly, raising my hands to the roof. “DJ Web in da house.”
Dice chuckles, brushing against me as he puts away the sticks, creating a static current. “That last game was a setup.”
“Mm-hmm… keep telling yourself that.”
The playful energy between us doesn’t let up. But Dice isn’t just delivering on the banter, he’s also attentive. Making me a plate of food, refreshing my drink, checking in on me as the night progresses. He knows I get claustrophobic in small spaces with too many people for too long, even when I like them. The intensity can sometimes feel like the walls are closing in and making it hard to breathe.
When I need air, I slip upstairs to the bathroom and then out onto the back porch. I hear the glass door slide open behind me a few minutes later. I turn to see Dice.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah. Just needed a minute to dial it down.”
“Want me to leave you be?”
“You can stay.”
He joins me outside under the string of fairy lights. The night’s chilly, but not that brutal lake cold. A delicate mist clings to the metal railing, and the hum of the party is muffled through the walls.
“Mmm.” I tip my head back and look up at the quarter moon, the breeze on my face. “The cold feels good. Too much for you?”
“Bayside strong. I’m tough.”
I glance over at him. “Except when you’re crying like a baby over your loss.”
“How long are you gonna lord that win over me?”
“Two wins, and there’s no statute of limitations.”
He laughs, but his eyes hold something else. We lean against therailing, looking over the patchy yard where spring’s starting to push through the melting snow.
“Why haven’t you been at Docks?” he asks, watching me closely.
