“Wanna head over there?” Luke asked, and I heard the idea tucked into his tone before his next words even left his mouth. “See if we can play them off the table? Maybe walk out with a little extra cash?”
I gave him a nod. “Sounds good. Why don’t you grab us a couple of beers first? I’ll meet you over there.”
“On it.” He tipped his hat toward a brunette on his way to the bar, giving her an appreciative once-over. I didn’t even have to look to know she was blushing.
“Holy shit!” Cody’s unmistakable voice cut through the noise.
I’d had a shitty day but, even so, I couldn’t help the small, tired smile that tugged at my lips.
“Do my eyes deceive me,” Cody said, cue stick resting on the floor, “or is that Zane McKade walking through the crowd?”
“In the flesh,” I said, shaking his hand.
“It’s been a long time, man,” Troy said, gripping my hand in a firm shake.
“Too long,” Cody added. “What’ve you been up to?”
I gave them both a shrug and a sigh. “Just...laying low.”
They didn’t press. They knew why I’d gone off the radar for a while, and while I was sure they would’ve handled things differently, neither of them seemed to blame me for needing space.
“We’re just about done here,” Cody said. “You want in on the next game?”
“Yeah, definitely. You want to play doubles? Luke’ll be back in a minute. He just ran to the bar to get us beers.”
Troy and Cody exchanged a knowing look and laughed.
“What?” I asked, leaning my hip against the pool table.
“There’s a decent chance your brother gets sidetracked,” Troy said as he lined up his shot. “Nine ball, side pocket.”
I frowned, confused, until Cody nodded toward the bar. “Fresh meat. And if there’s one thing Luke can sniff out, it’s a pretty new face.”
I turned to look. She had her back to us, focused on filling drink orders. Tall. Slender. Long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, black tank top clinging to a figure that—yeah, okay—was hard not to notice. She looked like she was trying to blend in, but she didn’t carry herself like one of the regulars. Didn’t flirt with the customers, either. Just kept her head down and worked fast.
I told myself I didn’t care. That she was just another warm body surrounded by hungry cowboys.
But I didn’t look away, either.
Something about her—maybe the way she seemed unaware of the attention she pulled, or knowing Luke wouldn’t be able to resist circling like a vulture once he saw her—had my pulse ticking up for reasons I didn’t like. I crossed my arms and leaned against the pool table again, scowling to myself.
Nope.
Not going there.
Pretty never meant safe. I’d learned that the hard way. And I wasn’t in the market for complications, especially not the kind that probably had a dozen smooth-talking guys trying to make her laugh on any given night. Been there. Done that. Still wearing the scars.
Still, I watched my brother start weaving through the crowd and figured I had about five seconds before I had to go drag him away, before he got too distracted for his own good. I let out a low growl and rubbed my jaw. Tonight was supposed to besimple. No distractions. No headaches. But here I was, already having to go reel my brother in before he made a damn fool of himself—or forgot the drink he owed me for getting my ass stranded earlier.
I pushed off the table, shooting over my shoulder to Cody and Troy, “I’ll be right back,” and stalked toward the bar.
Chapter Seven
Andi
“Is this seat taken?”A hand smacked my rear.Hard.
My body jolted forward, and the tray of beers I’d been carrying tipped with no chance of recovery. Beer splashed everywhere, soaking the floor and my jeans as the glass mugs shattered on the floor at my feet. I muttered a curse under my breath as I dropped the tray onto a nearby empty table.
