Page 58 of Truck Off
We all saw his true colors when he betrayed Liam and stole Hannah from him. For years, Liam and Charlie had been best friends. They were just as inseparable as the rest of us. We brought him into our fold and treated him like a brother.
I’m not sure how it all went down. But one day Hannah was Liam’s girl, and the next, she was dating Charlie. Liam and Charlie have hated each other ever since.
I look past Lina to see Jayla is fighting back a grin. It causes my own lips to tug up. Does this mean Jayla is on my side and encouraging Lina to give me another shot? Fuck, I hope so.
Without a word, Lina hops off her stool and pushes past me. I take her hand in mine and tug her back. “Not so fast, Grumps. We’re not done here.”
“Oh yes we are.” She pulls at her hand, but I lace our fingers together and squeeze. Her eyes slide shut, and she takes in a shuttered breath. I fight back my smile.
I want to pull her body flush against mine and kiss her senseless, but as long as she’s fighting against me, that would be a terrible idea. Instead, I come up with a brilliant plan.
“Come on.” I turn to Jayla and grin. “You too. I think it’s past time we all have some fun.”
Jayla hops off her bar stool and grabs both of their drinks. Then she looks at me and smiles. “Lead the way.”
“What? No!” Lina objects, but we both ignore her. With my hand still linked with hers, I lead them both to the game room and toward one of the empty pool tables in the corner.
I love playing pool and so does Lina. I’ve watched her play many times, and she’s a damn good player. But so am I. I’d go so far as to say we’re evenly matched.
I also know that Lina loves a challenge, especially one she thinks she can win.
Tonight, we’re going to find out just how good she really is.
“What are you doing?” She tugs at her hand again, and this time I let her go. Now that we’re next to the pool table, she’s less likely to run. Plus, I see the curious look behind her wary gaze. Whether she likes it or not, I’ve got her attention.
I grab two cue sticks from the rack and turn to face her. I give her a huge grin. “Challenging you to a game of pool.”
Her eyes narrow. “I’m not playing pool with you.”
I step closer to her and hand her a stick. “Why not? Afraid I’ll beat you, Grumps?”
“Stop calling me Grumps.” She growls. “And no. You can’t beat me.”
I chuckle and shove the stick at her. This time she takes it. “Then prove it.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“No, you don’t.” I dare another step toward her. Our chests are almost touching. Instead of backing away, she straightens her back and holds her ground. Her determination and strength make my smile grow. “But you want to.”
She lets out a low huff. “Do you ever stop smiling?”
I shrug. “Sometimes, but not often. Do you have a thing against smiles?”
“Yeah, I do. They’re suspicious and fake.”
“Ouch.” I press a hand to my chest and toss my head back. “You wound me, Grumps.”
“You annoy me, Pollyanna.” Her retort has me laughing.
“Pollyanna?” a deep, playful voice calls out from behind us. I turn around to find my brothers in a line, watching us in amusement. At least the ones that are already here.
“She calls you Pollyanna?” This comes from Mac. He’s got his arm around Sophia’s shoulder and is grinning like he just won first place in a race. “That’s awesome.”
Sophia playfully slaps him on the chest. “Leave them be. Can’t you see they’re having a moment?”
Mac shrugs. “Then they should take it somewhere private if they don’t want us interrupting.”
Sophia rolls her eyes and I wave off her concern as I glance at my brothers. They all look amused, even Christian and Garret. Liam is also here, but I haven’t seen Ash yet. He must be running late.