Page 41 of The Defender

The reminder of our wager blasted between us like a fire hose of ice water. I jerked back, the warmth in my chest turning to sludge.

The desire to kiss her was still there, but I couldn’t give in to it. I wanted her to want me, and I needed her to make the first move. That was the only way I could be sure.

Brooklyn straightened, her cheeks flushing a faint pink.

“Do you know how to play pool?” I asked, somewhat abruptly. “Be honest.” I was cynical, but when it came to her, I was also weak. I wasn’t ready to return to our status quo, and we had a few more hours before the arcade closed.

She shook her head.

“Good.” I swept the crumbs from our finished meals onto one tray and carried it to the nearest rubbish bin. Anything to get away from the cloud of disappointment in the air. “Let’s go. The evening’s not over yet.”

CHAPTER 13

BROOKLYN

I didn’t know the arcade had a pool room until Vincent pointed it out. It wasn’t a classic arcade game, but it worked out in our favor because we were the only people here.

“Loosen your grip and hold the cue like this.” Vincent leaned over me to adjust my form. “Let your wrist hang naturally. It shouldn’t be curved inward or outward toward your body; it should create a straight line with your forearm.”

“Are you sure? This feels unnatural.”

“Positive.” I couldn’t see him, but the amusement in his voice came through loud and clear. “You’re good at air hockey; I’m good at pool. Trust me.”

“Fine,” I grumbled. “But you better not be sabotaging me.”

He laughed, the sound low in my ear.

The awkwardness from the end of our meal was gone, but that meant I was back to being just a little too aware of his presence—the heat of his body, the scent of his cologne, the brush of his shirt against my back.

I set my jaw and tried to focus on mastering my grip. It was difficult. Between my job offer, the photo, our surprisinglycandid conversation over air hockey, and our near-kiss during dinner, the day had been an emotional rollercoaster.

At least, I thought it was a near-kiss. The vibes had been there, and he’d moved so close…

But then he’d pulled back like he’d been burned and hadn’t said a word about it since, so maybe I was wrong. Maybe I’d been sucked in by the illusion of intimacy that came from spending hours alone together.

So stupid.

The worst part wasn’t mistakenly thinking he wanted to kiss me. The worst part was that I would’ve let him—bet or no bet.

Vincent had always been gorgeous, but the recent glimpses of his vulnerability tugged on my heartstrings in just the right way. The world loved the player, but I liked the flawed human underneath even more.

So, SO stupid.

“Good.” The warmth of his breath slid over my skin. “Just like that.”

Fuck. My entire body tightened as a shiver ran down my nape all the way to my toes. I didn’t have a praise kink, but his voice, paired with those words, did things to me that reason couldn’t explain.

I didn’t even know what he was?—

“Your form’s perfect now.” He released my hand and straightened.

Oh.Right. That was what we’d been working on while my brain rolled into the gutter.

By the time Vincent came around the other side of the table to face me, I’d wrestled my rogue hormones under control.

I stood, my face smoothing into what was hopefully a neutral expression.

“How about we make this more fun?” He selected his own cue stick from the wall. If our earlier proximity affected him theway it had me, he didn’t show it. “Every time one of us sinks a ball, the other person has to reveal a secret.”