"Oh, yeah, sure. Go ahead," Nick said. He stepped back and started chatting with Patrick again.
I strode around to where Landon was standing, assessing the situation. "What do you think? Ten in the upper right corner?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Your call, Landon."
He leaned forward, almost right in my face. "We didn't discuss what would happen if I won."
"I give you a hundred dollars," I said with practiced calm.
Fuck, he was too close.
"That's not what I want."
"That's what you'll get … if you win," I hissed back before stepping away.
He grinned at how flustered I was, and I eased around to the other side of the table. I watched Landon sink the ten he had promised into the upper right pocket.
This was not good. I had a feeling I already knew what Landon wanted if he won. Something that I could not give him, least of all because I was on a date with another guy currently. At present. This very moment!
I nearly screamed when he knocked in two more balls. He was getting cocky though. I could see it in the set of his shoulders and the laughter in his eyes. This was when guys messed up. This was when they thought they could beat a girl because they had started to run the table. I could still win. I needed to win.
I stepped forward as he lined up for his next shot. "You sure about that one?"
My hip eased into the side of the pool table, and Landon's eyes traveled down my long, tan legs.
"Trying to intimidate me?"
I laughed lightly. "Of course not. Just helping my opponent."
"You forget that I know you too well for that. You never help your opponent."
"Sometimes, I do. When I want them to win," I added.
His eyes latched on to mine with giant question marks in them. "And do you want me to win?" His voice was laced with temptation.
"No."
He grinned. "And I thought I was a shit liar."
"Come on, you two," Patrick called from where he was seated. "Finish up already."
"I'd go with the twelve," I told him as he aimed for the nine.
"The twelve is impossible."
"Maybe for you."
"Do you want to take this shot, or are you here as a distraction?" His eyes slipped down my dress again. "I don't mind either way."
"Yeah, y'all," Nick said, joining in on Austin's and Patrick's camaraderie. "Don't take all night."
"Where did you find this guy?" Landon muttered under his breath as he lined up his shot again.
"Well, he's not married. So, I think I'll call it a win."
Landon whiffed entirely. The cue ball barely brushed the nine he had been aiming for, and he cursed at his miss. But I knew he was really cursing what I'd just said.
All of that tension from the last week seemed to be hitting its crescendo between us now. If Nick weren't so completely oblivious, he would have noticed how Landon looked at me and the way he talked to me and the feelings that were boiling over in his presence.
"Guess victory will be mine," I told him as I scooted him out of the way.
I landed the two and the six almost without taking a breath. With most of the table cleared, the shots had been easy. Geometry had always been my forte. It was the reason I had gotten into engineering in the first place. I was that weirdo kid who loved math. It paid off in these situations. I just needed to put away the eight to win.
"Come on, Heidi. You've got this," Nick called.
"Yeah, Heidi," Austin agreed. "I love watching you kick my brother's ass."
"You're so thoughtful," Landon muttered.
"What? It's hot when a chick beats you."
"Hey," I said, pointing my pool stick at him. "I'm not just some chick."
"You're right. You're a hot chick," Patrick said.
"Ignore them, and call your shot," Landon said.
I rolled my eyes and lined up for the eight ball. "Eight in the upper right."
In the millisecond after I hit the ball, I had a feeling I was going to miss. I wasn't sure if it was the way I'd hit the ball or the trajectory it went on, but it felt off to me. It rattled back and forth against the corners of the pocket, and we all held our breaths and waited.
"Ugh," I groaned as I watched it with my hand over my eyes. Shockingly, it teetered just far enough backward to land in the pocket. I jumped up in surprise. "Oh my God!"
The other guys all cheered me on.
Austin handed me Landon's hundred bucks. "Never doubted you for a second."
Nick applauded my success. "Great job!"
Patrick put an arm around Nick's shoulders. "Come on! Let's go do shots!"
It was only Landon who looked downtrodden. But he was a good sport. He grinned when I glanced at him.