She’d asked her brother the same question. “He said it would vary, but on average, he’d be gone ten to fifteen days every month. He doesn’t want to be away from Jenny that much.”
“I can understand that. Time apart can be hard on a relationship.”
Was he speaking from experience? If the woman he’d been photographed with was his girlfriend, he hadn’t mentioned her once.
Matt reached for his drink and gestured toward the pool table. “Why don’t you break?”
Five
Although he considered himself a better-than-average player, Matt had suspected he was in trouble when Liv walked in carrying her own pool cue. After all, it wasn’t a common item to own. Still, he hadn’t expected to lose all the games they’d played—something that wouldn’t have happened if he’d been facing off against his cousin Adam, who played just as well as Liv, because Matt wouldn’t have been more focused on his opponent than the game.
He’d spent time around some of the sexiest women in the world and not been as distracted as he was tonight. He didn’t know what it was about Liv, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. It hadn’t helped that each time she’d leaned over to take a shot, her T-shirt had dipped just enough to provide a tantalizing view of her cleavage. And don’t get him started about what the position had done for her ass. All night, he’d fought the urge to place his hands on her perfectly shaped butt.
Liv made her final shot, once again winning the match, and leaned the cue stick against the table. “I think I’m done for the night.”
“Tired of beating me already?”
“You said it, not me,” she said, holding up her hands.
“Give me some time to practice, and we’ll have a rematch.”
“Just name the time and place, my friend.”
Liv smiled, drawing his eyes to her lips, and once again, the need to feel them against his took hold of him. What would she do if he lowered his mouth to hers? Before he realized it, he took a step closer to her.
“I probably should’ve told you before we started that, until last year, I played in a pool league every Tuesday night,” she continued.
“Perhaps I should hire you to give me some lessons before our rematch.”
“I don’t think people usually ask their competition for help. You might be better off asking my dad or brother. You can also try YouTube. It has some great videos about improving your game.”
“Maybe I will.”
He’d invited her over for pizza and pool. They’d finished both, so there was no reason for her to stay. But he wasn’t ready for her to go either. Liv picked up the pool cue, but before she could take it apart, he removed it from her hands and set it aside again.
Except for outright asking her to stay longer, which she might find odd, he could think of only one way to get her to stick around. “Since we’re done here for now, why don’t I show you the other photos I’ve taken?” She’d seemed interested in seeing them when he’d offered earlier.
Nodding ever so slightly, she ran her tongue across her bottom lip, and he imagined himself doing the very same thing. “I, uh, forgot about those. Sure. I’d love to see them before I go.”
Few people knew of his love for photography, and those who did had never shown any interest in seeing his work. Maybe Liv didn’t have any genuine interest either and she was merely being polite. However, that didn’t seem to be the case as he showed her the various photos he’d taken over the years. While she spent more time admiring some than others, usually the ones she lingered on were his favorites too. She had thoughtful comments about each one, and multiple times, she claimed they were as good as the work her friend, a professional photographer, did. While she might be exaggerating, he appreciated the praise.
Liv pointed at the framed photo on the wall. “This one might be my favorite so far.”
They’d completed a tour of the first floor and much of the second and were standing outside his bedroom. Although he wouldn’t label it his favorite, it was definitely among his top five. He’d taken it from the rooftop of the house at sunset. That night, the sky had been a canvas of colors, almost as if a painter had taken a paintbrush to it.
She looked away from the photo and at him. “The area looks familiar. Where did you take it?”
“I’ll show you.” Matt reached for her hand before his brain registered his intention.
As he started down the hall toward the staircase to the rooftop patio, he waited for her to pull her hand away or say something. Neither happened, so he kept walking.
“Now this is a view.” Liv stepped through the doorway and paused as the scene opened before her.
He had to agree. In fact, he’d known this was the house he’d been searching for when he and his real estate agent stepped out here.
Now that they’d reached their destination, he felt a little silly standing there holding her hand. So, although not what he wanted, Matt released it as they crossed the patio to the spot where he’d stood while taking the photo.
“I took that picture from here the first week I owned the house.”
