Distracted By You: Book 1 in The Exeter Running Girls Series, стр. 14
“How did you learn to play like this?” He leaned next to me on the table.
“My dad owned a pub,” I smiled before sinking another. “I could hold a cue before my baby bottle. Probably wise not to play darts with me either. Excuse me.” I stood straight and slid past him, enjoying the way his eyes followed me. I was lining up another when Sam shoved Tye forward.
“Do something, Tye.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to lose my money and you brought her here.
“I think it’s your girlfriend that set up the hustle.”
I tried to focus on my play, but I suddenly felt Tye move closer to stand next to me. He was being urged on by Sam who was waving madly. Tye didn’t do anything so I felt safe to take my shot. As I pushed the cue forward, a hand tickled my waist and the cue went flying as I jumped up.
“Tye! That’s cheating.” I leapt away from him.
“My turn now,” he smiled with mischief as he picked up the cue I had dropped. It turned out he was also a good player. Most of his angles were accurate, but he sometimes put too much force into the shot. The problem was, he was sinking balls very fast.
Savannah looked at me with a pleading gaze from over Sam’s shoulder, I nodded back, showing I had understood the cue. Two of us could play the game of distraction.
I could never be like Leonora and Ellie, but I had watched them enough to know how to get a guy’s attention. It wasn’t as if I was completely inexperienced anyway. Perhaps it was time to try out a few of their moves. Besides, I had watched them do it. A lot.
As Tye moved around the other side of the table from where the four of us stood by the stools, I followed him. He looked up at me briefly, recognising I was up to something, but I faked interest in his shot, watching as he leaned over the table with his dark eyes narrowed on the white ball.
Just as he was about to take the shot, I moved closer and shifted my weight to run my boot-clad leg up the side of his knee to his thigh – it certainly grabbed his attention. He missed the white completely and stood straight.
The other three fell about laughing as I walked away, looking elsewhere as though completely innocent.
“I think they’re playing a different game to the rest of us,” Savannah giggled as she took her turn.
I returned to the stools and Tye followed, leaning across me to pick up his own drink. He said nothing, just stared me down as I reached for my own glass.
“Fancy a taste?” I offered him my cider. He took it hesitantly, sniffing the rim with suspicion and wrinkled his nose.
“You shouldn’t tempt me, Ivy. I can be dangerous.” This statement only made me laugh when he coupled it with a wink.
“You should try the cider before you dismiss it.”
“It’s not cider I have an issue with. It’s the toffee part.” Nevertheless, he took a taste and the resulting scrunched face showed his disgust. “I’ll stick to lager.”
“Ivy, girl! You’re up.”
I followed Savannah back round the table to take my shots, but after another three balls, Sam and Luke were begging Tye to intervene again.
He came to my side of the table. The smart half of my brain nagged I should move away to a safer place, but the part that was drowning in alcohol knew I had found a good shot and wanted to take it no matter what. So I stayed were I was and lined up my cue.
I took my sweet time with the shot, hoping he would reveal his new distraction technique too early, but sadly he didn’t. He was patient. Too patient.
Eventually, I took the shot, but it was met with a light touch on my neck – I recoiled away, still hitting the ball, but missing the angle I needed to sink anything.
“You don’t play fair,” I whined, handing him the cue.
“I think fairness went as far out the window as possible when you two decided to hustle us.”
“It’s not a hustle,” Savannah called from her place on Sam’s lap by the stools. “It is just a different way to play the bet.”
“You’re conning your boyfriend out of his money,” Sam shook his head. “Have you no remorse?”
“None,” she smiled widely up at him. In her punk way, she was adorable.
“Tye, you take my turn,” Luke was shaking his head. “You’re our best bet at us keeping our money.”
Tye lined up a shot quickly and potted a ball before I could think of a distraction, he moved just too quickly.
Savannah and I exchanged panicked glances as Tye walked round the table. I went to follow him, but he saw.
“No more distractions – go stand on the other side,” he pointed at me, sending me back round to stand opposite him.
I sighed with disappointment, just as a new perfect opportunity presented itself. I stepped close to the table by the pocket he was aiming for and into his eyeline. I had seen Leonora do this trick once, it was a good time to see if it worked. I hooked my thumbs through my belt loops and watched his eyes.
The cocoa irises were mostly trained on the balls and the pocket, but they did occasionally glance up to me. This showed he wasn’t immune to this trick, even if he were just