“Oh, you have no idea how bossy I can be.” The words flow out of me freely, and I don’t miss the way Vienna’s eyes darken as she absorbs them.
“Pretty sure I got a glimpse earlier.” She kicks her foot out at me. “Remember?”
“That was just me taking the proper precautions.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you did. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here, huh?” Our eyes remain locked until Vienna breaks our stare and gestures toward the pool table. “Your turn.”
Shaking off the tension building between us, I step forward and line up my next shot. The ball drops cleanly into the pocket. “So what is it that you do, Vienna?”
“For work?”
I nod.
“I’m actually moving for a new job…switching careers, you could say.”
“By choice or…”
She huffs out a laugh. “Definitely by choice.”
“So, what’s the new job?”
“Teaching,” she replies.
“I can see that,” I say as I stand tall after missing my next shot. Vienna moves around the table to line up her next attempt.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I think it definitely fits your personality.”
Vienna smiles as she tucks her hair behind her ear, almost shy about receiving the compliment. “Thank you. I’ve been working toward this for a long time, so to say I’m excited is an understatement.”
“Is this another thing you’re doing that’s related to trying things you never have before?”
The corner of her mouth lifts. “You could say that.” She rests her hip against the pool table. “You know, earlier I didn’t get the chance to ask you what wouldyoudo to chase some adrenaline, Rhonan?”
As I round the table to stand within a few inches of her, she stares up at me. My eyes linger on her mouth for far too long before I lean in closer and line my lips up to her ear, letting the lust racing through my body fuel my actions for a change. “I’m not really the adrenaline-chasing type of guy anymore, Vienna.”
She clears her throat, pursing her lips as I lean back. “Anymore?”
I nod. “I used to be. Now that I’m a father, the last thing I would do is intentionally participate in risky behavior.”
Vienna’s head bobs up and down while my heart races. It’s rare I would divulge something so honest to a stranger, but I guess she was right—we’re not exactly strangers anymore.
“Makes sense.”
Without thinking about what I’m doing, I reach out and tuck the other side of Vienna’s hair behind her ear before dragging my finger down her jaw and back up, studying the lines in her face—how warm her skin is, how soft and feminine her entire demeanor is, and how her skin pebbles under my touch with each pass of my fingers.
Seems I’m not the only one affected here.
“When you have a kid, life is no longer about whatyouwant. My priority is looking out for her.”
“She’s lucky to have someone putting her first like that.”
Our eyes bounce back and forth between one another.
“It makes times like this even more difficult.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows. “Times like this?”
