The Peer and the Puppet (When Rivals Play, #1) (20)

He wants a hick? I’ll show him a hick.

Deciding I’d be fashionably late also gave me time to work up the courage to crash his party. I passed the time by studying, and when the music became deafening, I closed my textbook and finally made my way downstairs.

I was put off by the number of people crowding the house and was tempted to turn and run, but my getup had already earned a few stares, so I made my way to the booze. They had turned the formal dining table, which could easily sit ten, into a bar with bottles, discarded solo cups, and shot glasses filling almost every inch of the surface. Ever was nowhere to be found when I grabbed a bottle of Jameson and forced my way into the overflowing living room. The furniture was pushed against the wall, turning the formal space into a dance floor.

It wasn’t my scene, so I pushed my way into the less crowded yet smoke-filled billiards room. I found the room mostly occupied by guys, and I considered moving on until I spotted two familiar faces playing pool. Stacked on the wooden rail closest to Ben was a wad of cash, and Drake wore a sour expression as he lined up the balls. I stood back to watch them play, and five minutes in, I realized that Drake was stunningly poor at pool. Lucky for him, I wasn’t so bad. I waited until the round was over before tapping him on his shoulder. He paused from hurling insults at his friend to look over his shoulder. I waited for him to recognize me, which, thanks to all the weed, took longer than normal.

He whooped and pulled me into a bear hug without warning. “Was wondering when I’d see you again!” He then twirled me around once before setting me on my feet.

“Almost thought you didn’t remember me.”

“Nah,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I always remember the hot ones.” He lazily scanned my oil-stained coveralls. “And you look damn hot in this get up. Got to love a dirty girl.”

This guy. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hold back my grin. I was quickly learning that Drake had no shame.

He noticed the bottle in my hand and quirked a brow. “What are you going to do with that, girl?”

I simply smirked and said, “Sine Metu,” before downing two shots worth in one swallow.

Drake whooped and hollered again and patted my back when I coughed. I’d been drinking since Gruff caught me in his stash when I was twelve, so I recovered quickly and offered the bottle to Drake, who downed two shots worth and handed it to Ben.

“So,” I said as I nodded toward the pool table. “You suck.”

“Nah, Ben’s just a cheating shit.”

Ben flipped Drake off as he downed a shot worth of Jameson and plunked the bottle onto the rail.

“How about I win some of your cash back?”

Both of their brows rose at my offer. “You any good?” Drake asked skeptically. I was beginning to wonder about the girls they bred in Blackwood Keep since I was pretty sure some of them responded to this chauvinistic crap with open legs.

“Better than you,” I sassed.

Drake wore a shit-eating grin as he rubbed his hands together. “All right then. Saddle up, Four!”

I glanced at Ben, who still didn’t look convinced. With a shrug, he began racking the balls, so I walked over to the rack of cue sticks. I was contemplating my choices when the doors to the billiards room slid open.

I felt the air in the room shift, and a tingle work its way down my spine. My back was to the room, so I couldn’t see who had entered, but given the way heat bloomed in my belly, I didn’t have to.

“Well, if it isn’t Brynwood’s most wanted,” Drake greeted. I heard the guys slapping hands and the door shutting behind them. “You’re just in time. My future girlfriend is about to kick Ben’s cheating ass at pool.”

“Girlfriend?” Vaughn scoffed. “Who the hell would be desperate enough to go out with your junkie ass?”

Please don’t say me. Please don’t say me.

“Aw, man, you just wish you had my charisma, and she’s right there.”

Feeling all eyes on me, I sucked in air before blindly selecting one of the pool sticks and turning to face the room.

Vaughn’s eyebrows rose while Ever lazily looked me over. When he found the pool stick in my hand, however, the bored look fled, and he was suddenly very alert. I pretended the change didn’t intrigue me and walked over to the bottle of Jameson, saluted the pair, and took a swig. There was no way in hell I’d get through this now without the liquid courage.

After swiping chalk on the tip of the pool stick, I tested it, earning a whistle at my bent position. I ignored the feeling of their eyes on my ass as I practiced my stroke. The cue stick was all wrong, but it would have to do. My legs felt too weak to do more than stand.

When it came time to break the balls, Ben said, “Ladies first,” with unchecked smugness.

I didn’t waste time lining up and breaking the balls before quickly sinking a solid. I didn’t bother to watch Ben’s face as I sunk a second. After sinking a third, however, Ever moved into my peripheral, and when I realized my only possible shot meant getting close to him, my palms turned sweaty as I moved around the table. He didn’t give an inch when I positioned to line up the shot. I could feel him standing close, and if I shifted my leg back even an inch, he would be pressed against me. I chanced a look over my shoulder and saw that I didn’t have his attention after all. He had his head turned, so I followed his gaze until I landed on Drake.