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He had the damn nerve to crash my pity party looking like sex-on-a-stick without even trying.

I'd thought for sure Chace was going to come unglued after everything he'd said to me about Ryder the other day. With beer-induced confidence coursing through my veins, I'd bent a little farther over the table than necessary, knowing full well my cutoff shorts were doing my ass all kinds of favors. I'd laughed louder than necessary at something Shae said, mostly because I'd decided getting under Chace’s skin sounded like an excellent way to spend the evening.

To my utter surprise, instead of marching over to defend my honor as he had at camp, he'd detoured to the bar and ordered himself a beer. I watched the bartender give him the same look I've seen countless women throw his way over the years. The one that said, Play your cards right, cowboy, and you can warm my bed tonight. He flashed her that stupidly adorable grin, and I looked away.

Whatever had been behind his possessive outburst earlier this week, I'd clearly been overthinking it. God, it had hardly been a week alone with him, and he was already getting in my head. Like I was that twelve-year-old girl again, hanging on every smile he tossed my way like it actually meant something.

"You look worried, Sunshine." He chalks his cue without breaking eye contact, which should not be as distracting as it is.

If I lose, I have to kiss him. What the fuck was I thinking? I know better than to take Chace’s bait. He’s always playing some kind of game, always pushing my buttons just to see how I’ll react. That’s all this is. Nothing more.

"No, this is what focus looks like, Chace." I bend over to line up my next shot, making damn sure the dip of my shirt is squarely in his line of sight. "I'm sure focus and determination are foreign concepts to you, but do try taking notes." I know exactly what I'm doing. It's a dangerous game to play with him, but it's about time he learned two people can play it.

I line up my cue with the striped ball and send it soaring toward the corner pocket. It rattles against the rail before bouncing away. Damn it. As I straighten, my eyes find his. For the briefest second, he looks caught completely off guard. His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly, and those green eyes darken into a shade I've never seen before, fixed squarely on me. Then, just as quickly, it's gone. He schools his features, that familiar shit-eating grin sliding back into place like it never left.

Well, that's interesting. I shoot him a smug grin. Did I finally get under Chace Walker's skin?

The thought sends an unfamiliar thrill racing through me as Chace circles the table like a predator stalking its prey. "That's a lot of confidence for a woman who just missed her shot," he says. He slips behind me, brushing his shoulder against mine before nudging my hip just enough to move me out of his way as he lines up his own shot.

My pulse stutters at the brief touch, and I silently curse the heat climbing into my face.

“Regretting your life choices yet, Addie?”

I ignore the heat simmering below my veins. "I regret several things. None of them tonight. Because I’m going to win, and you’re going to be stuck riding bitch." I step a safe distance from him and point my cue stick in his face.

He laughs, completely unbothered. He sends the cue ball into his intended target, sinking two balls into separate pockets as if to prove a point. "You might want to start practicing your kissy face," he says, pointing his pool cue at me.

I grip my own cue tighter and glare at him. Before I can think of a witty comeback, Shae bounces back upstairs, flushed and laughing up at Ryder, who’s behind her. His hands are on her hips, mouth pressed to the base of her neck. Sex and lust are just radiating off them in waves.

"We're gonna head out," Shae says, entirely too breathless. Ryder has her ass pulled tight against him, her eyes are bright, her lipstick smudged at one corner, and she’s not even attempting to hide what "heading out" actually means.

Ryder's hand slides lower on her hip. "Dancing is exhausting; Shae needs to rest," he says, in a tone that makes it very clear Shae will be getting very little rest over the next couple of hours.

"Uh huh." Yeah, there’s no way Shae is getting any sleep tonight.

Shae steps away from Ryder with a giggle, grabbing my arm to pull me off to the side. "Are you sure you’re okay with this?" she asks. "I mean it, Addie. I feel like a jerk for ditching you."

"Go home with him," I say. "I mean it, Shae. Go let loose, and have fun for a change."

"Chace will take care of you, right?" She pulls back, grinning, like that means something it doesn't. "Life's short, Addie. The man’s been staring at your ass all night."

“Oh my God, Shae. Gross.” I shove her towards Ryder. “Get out of here.”

She just laughs over her shoulder as she falls back towards Ryder. His arm looping around her waist, the two of them disappearing down the stairs practically wrapped around each other.

When I turn back to the table, Chace is watching me intently. Cue resting loose in one hand, that easy grin gone, replaced with something more serious, like he’s trying entirely too hard to be casual.

"So," he says. "I thought Ryder was your type." His grin returns. "Looks like Shae beat you to him." He leans against his cue. "What happened to all that talk about getting fucked by a guy on a motorcycle?"

Indignation flares hot and immediate through me. "I never said I wanted to fuck him, Chace. I distinctly said, what if I wanted to? There's a difference." I glare at him. "You were the one who came barreling into camp acting like you were single-handedly protecting my virtue." I glance over in the direction Ryder just went. "Besides, he's not my type."

"Then what is your type, Sunshine?" he asks, studying me over the edge of his cup. "I don't remember you ever bringing a boyfriend around." His grin spreads. "Hell, have you ever even had a good lay? Or an orgasm?"

This conversation is suddenly escalating into very dangerous territory, but his implying I’m some naive little girl grates against me in a way I cannot explain. “And you have?” I scoff, picking up my cue to resume the game, lining up my next shot. “What relationship have you had that didn't last more than a night where the poor girl didn't wake up regretting her life’s choices?”

“Oh baby, they never regret it. They always walk away satisfied, multiple times.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“You probably don’t even know where the clit is.” The words come out of my mouth before I even think.