Matteo’s bent over the table, his stick in his hands, lining up a shot. His eyes flicker to mine, a slow smirk tugging on his lips as he hits the cue ball, sending it into the black eight ball he was aiming for. It sinks into the left pocket and two of the guys whine in protest.
Matteo tosses the stick onto the table, ignoring them as he stalks across the room to me. A familiar warmth slides down my spine as my gaze locks with his.
“Hey, Sunny,” he breathes, his eyes shining bright as he stops in front of me. His hand shifts forward but then he stops himself from reaching out to me. My stomach does a somersault.
“Hey. Sorry I was a little late. I got caught up with some work things.”
He shakes his head. “I’m just glad you were able to come.”
His sister chuckles to herself, leaving the two of us as she walks over to the bar where a younger woman is sitting.
“Come on, I want to introduce you to everyone,” Matteo smiles, waving at me to follow him. He doesn’t walk in front of me, instead, he stays beside me as we walk over to the pool table. His presence is comforting and it chases away the nervousness.
There’s no reason to feel that way.
“Everyone, this is Jade,” he announces, looking at me with a grin. “Jade, this is Cameron Shaw and Warren Cross,” he motions to the two men at the pool table. They’re both tall and lean, around the same height as Matteo.
“Hey, Jade,” they say in unison. Cross makes a face and shoves at Shaw’s shoulder. Shaw ducks out of the way, bumping into Elena. He says something under his breath, his hands wrapping around her biceps as they share a look.
Matteo’s brow furrows for a second and the two men walk over.
“Everyone calls me Cross,” the one with dark, almost black hair and bright green eyes says as he shakes my hand.
“I go by Cam, or Shaw,” the one with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes smiles, shaking my hand too.
“You met Elena,” he nods to his sister. She looks over and smiles, although there’s a pink tint of frustration across her face as she takes a step back from Shaw.
“That’s Theo and Lucy,” he looks over at the bar to the younger woman and guy sitting together. She looks a bit younger than everyone else and her soft blue eyes meet mine from across the space.
“Hi, Jade!” Lucy calls out to me as Theo bobs his head, his dark brown hair shifting, and waves.
Two women stand behind the bar. “And that’s Posey and my youngest sister, Bella.”
Bella and Posey both smile and wave from where they’re standing.
The three Ford’s all look like they’re related. Bella and Elena both have beautiful long dark hair that’s the same shade as Matteo’s. The three of them all have similar facial features and striking gray eyes.
“Do you guys all play together?” I ask Matteo as he leads me over to the bar. I’m a little off-kilter, not knowing anyone, but I don’t think Matteo would have led me into a lion’s den.
He nods his head. “Do you want a drink?”
“Water’s fine,” I smile at him and glance at Posey who’s grabbing a bottle from the fridge behind her.
“Matty, I think the air hockey table’s broken,” Shaw calls over to him.
“Shit, give me a second,” Matteo says to me, his eyes scanning my face before he walks over to where the guys are.
Bella comes from around the bar, heading over to the pool table with her sister and Posey hands me a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” I take it from her, screwing off the top before taking a sip. I tilt my head to the side, playing out the words in my head before speaking them.“Are you guys related too?”
“No way,” Posey laughs, shaking her head. “Matteo and I grew up together. Same with Lucy and Theo. Our dads all played together, and our families are close.”
So, she’s just a friend. Jealousy strikes my chest like an iron fist. I wonder if she’s a friend like I am…
I can’t even hide the way my face falls.
Posey leans over the bar, closer to me. “We’ve always just been friends. You have nothing to worry about.” Her eyes flick past me for a second.
