“Hey, Rosie,” Stella calls, rushing down the hall after Max. “Jack’s mom is already here, ready to go?”
“More than ready.”
4
BECK
The Sandbar has been open for as long as I can remember. Red painted walls, green lighting, and an even darker green carpet gives off a 70’s aesthetic. But it’s a popular hangout for locals—not quite overtaken by tourists—making it one of my favorite places in town.
Though it probably isn’t the ideal location for a first date. But I don’t know how interested I am in this date going well. Sasha is smart—she works with Jack at his accounting firm—and she’s gorgeous. She’s tall with long legs and it’s obvious she knows they’re her best feature because she’s dressed in a short skirt and knee-high boots.
When she bends across the pool table to line up her shot, I get a clearer view of just how short her skirt is. My gaze travels up the length of her legs, zoning in on her backside. My skin heats and I can’t resist stepping up behind her.
“Need some help with that?” I growl in her ear, resting my palms on either side of the table.
She glances over her shoulder and her eyes crinkle as a pretty smile stretches on her face. It reveals her age, but I don’t mindan older woman. It’s sexy. It’s different. And different is better than familiar. She just might be the woman to break me from my dry spell.
“I’m confident in my skills with a stick,” she replies suggestively, dragging a lazy finger down my chest, stopping at the waistband of my jeans. “I don’t think I’m like the young women you’re used to dating.”
I’m instantly aroused. I wrap my fingers around her hip and grip her firmly. “You’re right. You’re not. And that’s what I like about you.”
She rolls her eyes and gives me a playful push in the center of my chest. “You don’t know anything about me.”
I exhale a breath, smirking, and take a step back. Crossing my arms, I go right back to admiring her round ass while she takes her shot. She’s right to be confident. She hits the cue ball at just the right spot. It strikes her striped ball, spinning and gliding across the table before landing in a corner pocket.
Sasha straightens and flicks her wrist. “What can I say? I’ve been playing pool since you were probably in grade school.”
I know what she’s doing. She’s trying to push me away. But it’s having the opposite effect. Age is just a number. And I don’t mind her number.
“Then maybe you should be the one teaching me.” I lean in close to her, dropping my eyes to hers. “I’ll be a good student.”
She throws back her head and laughs. “You have a comeback for everything, don’t you?”
“I’ve been known to say the right thing at the right time on occasion, I suppose.”
She settles on, “I think you’re a flirt,” then sashays toward her drink on the table near us.
From the corner of my eye, a blast from my past is suddenly standing in my personal space. Instant dread fills my limbs, weighing me down.
“Tell me, Beck, when have you ever said the right thing at the right time?” Rosie challenges, determination flashing in her eyes.
“Rosie,” I groan, glaring at her with intention. “What are you doing here?”
“What? Last I checked, you don’t own Golden Harbor. Or the Sandbar. Unless…”
In this moment, dang, I wish I did own The Sandbar. That would’ve been the ultimate comeback. But sadly, no.
“I didn’t mean here, I meanthere—” I wave my hand between Sasha and me. “Interrupting my date.”
She glances at me and then Sasha. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this was a date. But why am I not surprised you wouldn’t up your game in the last ten years? The Sandbar is after all, your favorite place to take a woman.”
“Am I missing something?” Sasha asks, doe-eyed.
“No,” I mutter. “She was just leaving, weren’t you?” I narrow my eyes at Rosie again, hoping she’ll take the hint.
But Rosie glares right back. She never was one for backing down. It’s the reason she and I argued so much. The way she used to piss me off…
But the making up? That made it worth it. My skin heats at the memory and my imagination runs wild. I’ve got her bent over this pool table and I’m tight against her, thrusting deliciously slow, exactly how she likes it. My mouth waters and I allow my eyes to rake over her, pausing at the way her pale yellow top hugs her chest. She always did look amazing in yellow.
