Page 61 of No Ordinary Girl
I did it because I like you,I heard him say silently. My heart swelled. How could I be mad at him?
Kendra smiled as she headed to the sofa, and parked herself in front of the TV – a hockey game was on.
“I was just trying to give you an edge,” Leo explained. He inched closer and I marveled in the sweet smell of him. I wondered if he washed his shirt often. Maybe he was a laundry freak like my dad. That man is always doing laundry – my mom loves it.
“Not to sound full of myself, but unless you’ve been playing since you were six, like I have, there’s no way you’re going to beat me.”
He did make a good point. “Do you ever play tournaments?”
He shrugged. “Not really. I’m not of age yet for the big tournaments, the ones with the big payouts.”
“If you cheat, you could make some serious dough.”
He laughed. “Well, that’s not really my style, but never say never.”
I smiled up at him. I knew he wasn’t the cheating type. A good honest, hardworking guy was what he was, and I loved that about him.
Ace made me jump a little when he sneaked up on us. “How long have you been playing?” he asked me.
“A few years, with my dad,” I told him.
He nodded. “Yeah, you have some moves.”
Ace is such a charmer. I think I blushed. Leo rolled his eyes.
“You just need more confidence,” Ace went on. “Come here.”
He was being freaky again, but Ace is like the scene of a road accident. You know you probably shouldn’t look, but you can’t help yourself. I felt myself walking toward him. My feet were moving all on their own – my brain had nothing to do with it.
He took my hand in his. “You’ve been playing a while. You know how to pocket balls. You’ve done it before.”
I was swept in his gaze, in his words, in the smoothness of his voice.
He went on. “You can make any shot you see. You just need to believe it. Believe that you can pocket every shot, and you will. You’ve got this, Anna.” And then he let go of my hand. I stood there for I don’t know how long, dazed.
“Too bad your own shit doesn’t work for you, Ace.” Leo’s comment broke me out of my trance, but Ace’s words stuck with me.
Ace shrugged it off. “Yes, I unfortunately can’t really work my magic on myself.”
My next shot was a long shot, literally. But I got it in. And then I got the next three balls in. Ace was cheering me on. Leo was mildly amused, and amazed. I was a freakin’ shark – it was pretty awesome.
“You little hustler,” Leo teased with a wicked smile, and completely broke Ace’s spell. Damn him. I completely messed up my next shot.
“He’s playing you,” Ace said just before returning to his ping pong game. “He’s the hustler.”
“Yes,” I agreed.In more ways than one.
Leo shot the rest of the game with his left hand and still beat me.
He shook my hand. “Good game.”
“Remind me to never play pool with you again,” I joked.
“C’mon,” he said. “Don’t be so cruel. I like spending time with you.”
All his cards were on the table. He knew there was no sense in trying to hide his feelings for me. I could read him as well as he could read me.
I bit my lip. “I like spending time with you, too.” The words just fell out of my mouth. I was obviously not doing so great at keeping my little crush under control.
