Cass couldn’t believe her partner had talked her into schmoozing—make that slumming—with Mack Revere. Jed knew her stance on interoffice dating. No peer dates. No peer-association dates either.
Yet Friday night, she found herself drinking a beer, nervous and not sure why, as she waited with Jed by a pool table.
She considered Bessie’s Bar a go-to place to relax. The food and drinks weren’t too expensive but still tasty. It wasn’t a cop bar, college hangout, or hookup joint. Her feet didn’t stick to the floor, and the funky music stayed quiet enough that she could talk without having to yell to be heard. Regular people who liked to relax, shoot pool, and watch sports filled booths and tables. Hardworking, blue-collar types mixed with the occasional corporate suit. It felt comfortable.
Normally.
She sipped from the longneck in her hand and worked to calm her jitters. “I can’t believe I’m here.”
“Don’t knock it. I finally managed to find a way to get Shannon off our asses.” Jed grinned, proud of himself.
“So this has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you and your wife.”
“Yep. This way, Shannon sees you having a social life, so she’ll stop trying to set you up. I don’t hear crap from you or her. Win-win! And let’s be real. Since you’d never want to go out with a firefighter—”
“It’s not that he’s a firefighter. It’s just—”
“—you aren’t really on a date since I’m here with you,” Jed finished. “Technically, you should count this as a competition. You can handle a contest with some lowlife fireman. Hell, beat him at darts or pool to make up for that mess last Saturday. You can do that, can’t you? You beat me at bar games all the time.”
“But you suck.”
Jed glared. “You’re buying the next round.”
She sighed. “Sorry, but it’s true. It’s not exactly a secret, you know.”
Jed lined up a shot and ended up sinking the cue ball instead of his intended red. “I’m good. That was just bad luck.”
“More like a bad shot,” she muttered and pretended she didn’t see him moving around the balls to find a better angle when he went again. Another perk to playing one of Jed’s “practice rounds.”
As they took turns sinking the balls, or, in Jed’s case, missing them, Cass realized she enjoyed hanging with her friend, excited to challenge others. Her blood hummed, and her smile continued to upstage the normally flat expression she’d perfected long before joining the force. She’d always been a loner and more serious child despite what her parents thought.
Her father had always encouraged her to be herself, not a person others wanted her to be. So why did he keep nagging her to date? To socialize with anyone not Jed? Because here she was with Jed, having fun, and she felt good about it.
“Dad was practically dancing with joy when I told him I had plans tonight,” she said to Jed.
He shook his head. “Still on your ass to get married and give him grandkids?”
“Yeah, only he never acts like that’s what his nagging is all about. It’s about me being healthier by having a life outside work and you.”
Jed blinked. “Me? What do I have to do with you being a disappointment?”
“Ass.” She quelled laughter at his smirk. “My dad thinks I’m sublimating a desire for intimacy by using you and your family as a substitute for familial affection.”
“It’s like you’re channeling Dr. Aaron Carmichael right now.” He took a step back. “For a second, you almost sounded smart there.”
“This from a guy who can’t stay away from one little white ball in a field of solids and stripes.”
He frowned. “That’s a matter of skill, not intelligence. Although a smarter man would know to steer clear of a game he’s never been any good at.”
“Well, I’m not going out to play tackle football with you in the parking lot.”
Jed grunted. “Your loss.”
“Did someone mention football?” Mack Revere asked as he approached their table. Dressed in jeans and a plain navy-blue sweater under an open jacket, he looked like sex on a stick. “Because I’d be into challenging the Top Cops to a real game instead of soccer-for-losers.”
Jed blew out a breath. “Amen, brother. But the league is filled with a bunch of weak whiners who insist on keeping injuries to a minimum. It would have to be flag football instead of tackle. I’ve tried before.”
Mack looked up at Jed and cocked his head. “Well, for those of us without all that beefed-up muscle, I have to admit I wouldn’t want to be knocked over by you.” He paused. “That’s if your lumbering ass could catch me to hit me.”
“Oh, I’d catch you.” Jed pounded his fist into his hand.
As much as Cass enjoyed the testosterone-laden byplay, she’d been ignored long enough. She cleared her throat. “Why yes, Mackenzie Revere. You should be honored that I actually showed up. You’re welcome.”
Mack gave her a dazzling smile she had to work not react to, tamping down all that panting and staring and sighing. “Cassandra ‘I’m a Hard Ass’ Carmichael, as I live and breathe. You look lovely as usual.”
The bastard got her cheeks flushing. She could feel them heating. “And your prettiness is beyond compare,” she said back.
Jed guffawed.
Before Mack could respond, his friend joined him. She recognized the guy from the soccer field. The tall one with the Southern twang. “Hey, now, don’t start without me.” He wore a black Stetson, a Seahawks T-shirt that lovingly clung to his chest and arms, and jeans with biker boots. She’d rank him right up there with Jed but slightly less good-looking than Mack.
Mack made the introductions, and she learned Tex hailed from Texas. Small wonder.
She gave a subtle glance to the guys suddenly surrounding her, realizing she stood in a group of manly men who would totally make her the envy of many women she knew. Including Shannon.
She stood back and snapped a quick selfie, making sure to get them in the background.
Mack blinked. “What was that?”
“Proof of life before I take it away.”
He frowned. “I have witnesses that heard you say that.”
Jed chuckled. “Oh, she means that she’ll be stealing your dignity. After she mops the floor with you at pool.”
Tex tilted his hat back and grinned. “Yeah? You want to bet on that, big guy?”
Jed stood maybe an inch taller than Tex. So big guys—plural—made a better description. Mack had leaner muscle and stood a few inches shorter. Still over six foot but not a giant, which made her more comfortable around him. Heck, she’d be able to reach up to drag him close if she wanted to plant a kiss—
Put him in a headlock, she quickly corrected. Jesus, Dad is right. I need a life if I’m even thinking of locking lips with stud muffin Revere.
He quirked a brow at her. “Thoughts in that pretty little head?” He gave her a sly grin. “Scared?”
“Of making you cry, yeah.”
He laughed.
Tex grinned. “I like her.”
“She’s not kidding. She’s pretty good at pool,” Jed warned.
Mack shrugged. “I’m not too shabby either.”
“Okay, then, go ahead and rack ’em.” Cass nodded at the pool table. “Ten bucks says I can take you in three games.”
“Oh, you’re on. Eight ball?”
She nodded.
He racked the balls on the pool table. “Yo, Tex. Grab me an ale and an order of nachos. Jed? Cass? You guys want something?”
She felt funny hearing him call her by her first name but ignored it. “I’m good, thanks.”
“I could use something to eat,” Jed said. “I’ll head over to the bar with Tex. What do you think about the team this year?” He asked, nodding to the Seahawks logo on Tex’s shirt. “Pretty damn good, yeah?”
She didn’t hear what Tex said back, watching Mack size up the table. He looked comfortable as he positioned the balls correctly. A little too comfortable. She saw him eyeing up the play after he set the flat end of the rack parallel to the end rail of the table, making sure the top ball of the triangle centered on the table’s foot spot.
“Are you planning to hustle me?”
He chalked his pool cue. “Me? Do I look like a hustler?”
“Yes.”
He grinned. “Didn’t need to think about your answer, huh?”
“You look tricky.”
“I think the word you were looking for is ‘skilled.’ Or maybe ‘spectacular.’ ‘Gorgeous.’ ‘Breathtaking.’ Yeah, that’s probably it.”
She rolled her eyes.
“No, no, you meant ‘superior.’”
She snorted. “‘Superior’? You wish.”
“Well, that remains to be seen.” His devilishly handsome grin made it tough to focus anywhere else. “But I notice you didn’t object to ‘breathtaking.’ And you wonder why it’s so hard to be me. There’s only so much of me to go around.”
“Oh my God. Stop talking.”
He chuckled.
She glanced at the bar to see Jed and Tex still chatting as they drank and waited on their order. Jed hadn’t been lying about not considering this a real date because he’d clearly left her on her own with Mack. Typically, when they hung out, he hovered like a mother hen if a guy so much as twitched in her direction. Big brother to the extreme.
She took the pool stick Mack handed her and lined up to break. She hit and managed to sink the one ball—a solid.
“Nice break,” Mack said. Then ruined the compliment with “Run with it while you can.”
What an ego. His pride made her that much more determined to crush him. She did pretty well, sinking two more balls before the last one just missed hitting the corner pocket.
Mack looked serious as he concentrated on the game. He stretched his neck and shoulders before taking position behind the table. And then he managed to sink the rest of his balls, followed by the eight ball, which he called.
“Son of a bitch.”
He blinked, all innocence. “Ready for our second game?”
“Fine. You break this time.”
“A pleasure, Officer.”
She wanted to smack him with her stick, not sure why she felt equal parts annoyance and amusement. Cass hated to lose at anything, but Mack clearly knew how to play the game. That she could respect.
“Want me to move slower so you can see what I’m doing? It might help you.”
“Shut up, Revere. Just handle that stick like you mean it.”
He didn’t look at her as he muttered, “I always handle my stick like I mean it.” Then he glanced up and smiled. “Watch.” He stared at her while he broke, and the smack of the balls as they raced around the table drew her attention.
A striped ball went in.
“You got lucky,” she groused, wondering what new and wonderful adjectives he’d use to describe his play.
Jed and Tex approached with a tray of food and pitcher of beer in time to overhear Mack boasting, “Lucky? More like freaking amazing. What a talent! That’s what you’re really thinking. It’s okay. You can say it.”
“Damn.” Tex sighed. “Thought I’d missed most of his jaw-jackin’ by hangin’ at the bar.”
Jed chuckled. “What game is this?”
“Our second,” Cass said as she watched Mack study the table before sinking another ball. “And before the chatterbox runs at the mouth, I’ll just let you know he won the first game.”
“Annihilated her.” Mack sank another.
She frowned. “You did not. You got a few nice shots in is all.”
Fortunately, after putting the third ball in the side pocket, he managed to miss his fourth ball, so she got her turn. She sank all but the eight ball, taking her time with the last one and staring Mack in the eye for a few moments to try to psych him out.
Except he was grinning at her, not at all upset about maybe losing.
“I’m not sure what I’m seeing,” Jed murmured to Tex. “Is my partner just about to whip his ass or what? Is this staring contest part of the bet?”
Shut up, Jed. This is crucial to my win.
Mack snorted. “She’s just trying to get in my loop.” Mack tapped his forehead. “Because if she misses, she knows I’m going to end her. Then our last game will be out of pity because I’ll have already taken her money and made her cry.”
Jed laughed. “Cry? Nothing makes Cass cry. Not even when she stepped on a LEGO tree and nearly broke her ankle tripping down the stairs.”
She grinned. “Last time I babysat for you, wasn’t it?”
He shook his head. “I don’t blame you. Those fucking building blocks have even made me cry.”
“I’m not gonna lie. That hurt like a mother.”
Jed chuckled. “I know. But don’t worry. Shannon got the kids in line. Ever since you nearly took that header, no playing on the stairs. Period.” He said to Tex, “My wife doesn’t mess around. The kids and I do what she says.”
“I hear ya.” Tex pushed back his hat. “My girlfriend looks sweet as pie, but she’s a total ballbuster.”
“She really is.” Mack smirked at Cass. “Though I don’t know if she’s as mean—or sweet-looking—as Cassandra.” He winked as he looked her over.
But she knew better. She ignored that smolder and said, “Eight ball, left corner pocket.” She sunk it.
“Damn.” Mack was still smiling. “Best out of three, I guess.”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll rack ’em.”
She watched as he worked, liking his hands. Long, graceful fingers, large palms, and he had the dexterity to move with quick, concise speed.
Jed nudged her. “Beer?”
Since she’d been nursing her first that had probably gone flat, she put it on the bar table next to them, where Jed and Tex had been standing, and nodded. “Sure. Who bought the tower of onion rings? I thought you were getting nachos.”
Jed shrugged. “Thought you could use some motivational calories.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. You bought them for yourself, but you’ll tell Shannon later all the junk food was my fault.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Why not just tell her you didn’t buy food that’s bad for you?” Mack asked.
“Because,” Cass answered for Jed, “one, Shannon can smell a lie from ten feet away.”
Jed nodded.
“And two, Jed doesn’t like lying to his wife. He did kind of buy it for me.” She took an onion ring and groaned. “Oh man. I really hate you. You know how much I love these things.”
Mack was looking at her in an odd way, so she wiped her mouth, hoping she didn’t have ketchup smeared on her lips.
He glanced down at the table and cleared his throat. “You ready?”
“Bring it, Revere.”
“I was born ready.”
Tex shook his head. “Such a hack.”
“Hey.” Mack frowned at Tex then took aim and shot at the racked balls. This time nothing went in, so she got a chance to take the lead.
She was doing fine until she heard Mack laugh. She glanced up to see him grinning at her partner, and the clear joy on his face took her aback. Sure, she liked the look of him. Mack was handsome. No doubt. But laughing, smiling, he was absolutely gorgeous.
Cass put her head back in the game, but her hands hadn’t gotten the memo, and she missed the next shot.
So of course Mack started sinking the balls one by one. He happened to look up as she was taking a sip of her beer, with Jed trying to give her advice on how to play.
“You can do it, Cass. Don’t give up. We never give up when it comes to beating a firedoggy.”
“That hurts,” Tex said, laughter in his voice.
Mack shook his head. “Maybe she could beat me at boxing. I can see her having a mean right hook. And we know she could crush me at soccer. That slide tackle still burns. But at pool? No way.”
Cass tried not to, but Mack made her laugh. “Show me what you got, chatterbox.”
He gave her a look she couldn’t read. “You sure? I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your partner.”
Jed snorted and muttered, “Dead man talking.”
Tex just grinned.
Cass shrugged. “You’re wasting my time. Either shoot or let me finish winning.”
He seemed to come to some decision and turned back to the table, sinking two more balls before calling the eight with an impressive bank shot. Extraordinary playing, actually, attested by the small crowd gathered to watch his final shots. Once he won, the small gathering clapped and whistled.
Mack took a small bow before approaching Cass with his hand out. “That’ll be ten dollars, Miss.” He smiled though he held himself ramrod straight.
“That’s Officer Carmichael to you.” Cass did her best not to snarl. Or laugh. “But we’re not done.”
Mack raised a brow as he relaxed and leaned back against the table. “Oh? Double or nothing?”
“At darts.” She nodded to the board currently occupied by a couple flirting with each other.
“Finally.” Jed stretched. “Our turn, Tex. Let’s play.”
“You sure, bud? Because my guy just whooped your partner, and I’m gonna crush you with my skills. That’ll put us two over on you lonely, sad little men and women in blue.”
Jed straightened and gave Tex his cop glare. “Let’s go. Ten bucks on best of three.”
Mack chuckled. “Easy money.”
“No kidding,” Cass said, trying not to be too loud.
Unfortunately, Jed heard. He shook his head. “Where’s the loyalty?”
“Jed, you said something earlier about being a smart man?”
“Ha,” Tex removed his hat and slapped it against his thigh. “Smart man? This guy don’t know a good running back from a good quarterback.”
“I can make you eat this stick,” Jed growled.
Tex didn’t have the sense to laugh, though she could tell he was just yanking Jed’s chain. “Please. You and what police force?”
Mack put his hand on the small of her back to nudge her away. “Come on. While my buddy is getting in your partner’s headspace, we have a date at the dartboard. But my darling officer, I’m a wizard at darts as well. You really want to lose ten more dollars?”
“It’s double or nothing, so that’s twenty you’ll owe me.” Cass might have lost at pool, but they didn’t call her Deadeye for nothing. She couldn’t wait to show Mack just what she could do.