Page 54 of Keep Me
Erik swiped his face, growling. “I hate losing.”
“Then stop playing,” I teased, easily potting another ball.
“Don’t challenge him like that, we’ll be here all night.”
“You can go, Brooks,” Erik said before his ball bounced off the side, missing the hole.
When I potted the black ball, Erik didn’t say a thing, he walked over to me, got in my space, and offered me his hand. “Fine. Asmuch as I hate to say this, I concede. You are by far a better player than me. Great game, Beanie Girl.”
“Thanks.” I nodded, taking his hand and holding back a smile. We’d been playing for the better part of an hour, and I was having fun, which I didn’t think was possible.
“How’d you get so good?”
“Easy. I grew up with three super competitive brothers.”
“Three brothers?” He raised his brows.
“Yup. Wanna play darts next?” I copied him, raising my brows in a challenge. I couldn’t help myself; I was competitive too.
“Sure. Maybe while we play, you can tell me all about these three brothers and if I should be worried.”
Well, that ruined the mood. Not that I was trying to create one or anything, but it reminded me that I’d not only used him to get Matty to back off, but I was now essentially leading him on. No matter how much fun I was having, Matty and the shitty situation we found ourselves in was always on my mind.
“Do you want another drink?” he asked, raising his empty glass.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to have alcohol before playing with pointy things.”
“Damn.” He threw me another sly smile. “You’ve figured out my strategy. I was hoping I’d get you tipsy enough that I’d be able to end your winning streak.”
Before I could come back with a fancy retort, I noticed how quiet the rest of the place was. When we arrived, it was full of fans, but now, there were only a few tables of students left.
“Where did Sienna go?”
“She’s probably trying to undress Henry again,” Brooks muttered in the corner, looking at his phone while he waited for Alex to come back with a drink.
“Again? When has she done that before?”
“I’ll let her explain that to you, but let’s just say, the girl is persistent and when she wants you to pose for a calendar, you have no chance of getting out of it.” Brooks looked between Erik and me and sighed. “Anyway, I should probably be going too. I’ll need to check on Major Dick and Corporal Cock if you’re not coming home tonight,” he said, smirking.
“Asshole,” Erik griped out.
I tilted my head, looking at Erik, waiting for an explanation. He stepped toward me, and I didn’t back away, surprising myself, but that could have been because I was getting used to his presence.
“Who’s Major Dick and Corporal Cock?”
“The giant six-foot nutcrackers Erik has at the end of his bed,” Brooks answered because Erik was reluctant to.
“What?” Okay, now I was intrigued.
“You’re not afraid of nutcrackers, are you?” Erik asked, still not answering the question.
“I wouldn’t say they’re my favorite holiday ornament. I kind of prefer elves.”
His mouth dropped. “Well, make sure not to say that to them. Alex says they’ll eat your liver while you sleep if they know that you don’t like them,” Brooks said just as Alex, another hockey player, returned with the beers.
“What are you talking about?” Alex asked, taking a swig of his beer.
“Major Dick and Corporal Cock.”
