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“What? I am the sexiest man alive. Don’t deny it.” He gestures to Allie to take her go and teasingly asks, “Do you need me to get you a bowling ball ramp?”
“No, but you should have it handy because you’ll need it,” she smarts back, surprising him.
He laughs. I watch while taking my coat and gloves off. I’m so busy watching Allie line up the perfect shot that I don’t feel Cole come up behind me until it’s too late. Shivers race up my spine, and I sigh, feeling content.
“You’re gonna miss,” CJ booms, throwing his hands up. Allie looks over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes at him, but his distraction doesn’t stop her from taking the shot. We all watch as the ball shoots down the centre lane, heading straight for the pins.
“Strike,” I yell out, and run to Allie, hugging her.
We both laugh and jump around, and when we pull apart, we find Cole and CJ standing side by side, staring at us, their gazes narrowed.
“I think we got played,” Cole says.
CJ stares at Allie, and there’s no mistaking the lust sparking in his eyes. “I don’t know whether to spank your arse for fun or to punish you,” he tells her, and I burst out laughing. Poor Allie turns bright red, looking away so quickly I’m surprised she doesn’t have whiplash.
“Your turn,” I tell CJ, grinning from ear to ear. Allie and I move out of the way, and I head over to Cole, whose lips are parted.
“It’s so on,” he mutters, smirking down at me.
“Too right it is,” I confirm.
He leans down, taking me by surprise when he kisses me full force in front of everyone. CJ whoops, and I pull away. When I turn to the side, I find Allie watching us, beaming wide.
“What?” I mutter, turning back to find CJ still has one pin left to knock down.
“Nothing,” she sings, moving closer to me. She links her arm through mine. “I knew it!”
My brows pinch together. “Knew what?”
“You and Cole. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. You pair could light up Blackpool with the sparks that fly whenever you’re together.”
I lightly bump my hip with hers. “Allie.”
“Nah, it’s rigged, mate. No way I could have missed that,” CJ whines, walking over to the table where we’re all standing.
Allie and I glance at the scoreboard at the same time and burst out laughing. It seems that our charming, overconfident CJ is all mouth. He got all but one pin. That must have done some serious damage to his overinflated ego.
“Oh, laugh now, little lady, but it’s your turn,” he shoots at me.
I straighten my spine, and my steps are confident as I reach for a ball of my own. I move to the front of our lane, lining the ball up, ready to take my shot. My hands lift, but I freeze when I feel the heat of Cole’s body at my back, needing to steady my breathing.
“Can I help you?” I ask Cole, eyeing him over my shoulder, knowing the sly game he’s playing.
“No. Just making sure everything is okay,” he assures me innocently, his body firmly pressed against mine.
“Could you step back, please?” I ask nicely, feeling my body light up.
“Oh no, I’m okay here. Come on, we’re waiting,” he orders, nodding to the pins. I shake my head. I should have known they wouldn’t play fairly.
“It’s your balls,” I warn him. He shrugs, not believing I’ll swing back. When he realises I’m not bluffing, his eyes widen and he takes a quick step back. The ball wobbles a bit as it runs down the lane, and I hold my hands above my head, waiting in anticipation. When I see it begin to head in the right direction, I bend down, ready to jump up with glee. Then it happens. It hits all of the pins, knocking them down in one. I turn, my arms above my head, shouting with a huge smile on my face. “Take that,” I boom, laughing at Cole and CJ’s stunned expressions.
“No. No, no, no, no, no. You’re cheating,” CJ accuses, pointing at me, then at Allie.
“How?” Allie snaps, hands on her hips. “You roll a ball and hope for the best.”
“No. It’s skill,” he growls.
“Skills you blatantly don’t have,” she sasses back louder, and I start laughing.