and told himself to ignore the fact that a beautiful woman stood watching him. Her gaze tracked his every move. Even so, he managed a creditable break, sinking two shots to her three. He lined up the next few, one after another…and made them.
But when he went for the last one, he made the mistake of looking at his adversary. Her unusual blue eyes sparkled with amusement as if lit from within. His pride suffered a nick. So much so that he bobbled the shot and had to suffer the indignity of having Annalise step up and clean the rest of the table.
When it was over, silence reigned.
She replaced her cue in the rack on the wall and flipped her ponytail back over her shoulder. “Not bad for an old man,” she said. “I guess your reflexes are slowing down.”
“Didn’t anyone ever teach you that you’re supposed to let the guy win?”
It was a smart-aleck comment, a tease, a jab. Certainly not a serious rejoinder. But Annalise blanched. And for the briefest of seconds, he saw real distress in her deep, translucent eyes. “Hey,” he said quickly, seeking to temper his blunder. “You know I’m kidding, right? You’re amazing. If you weren’t already swimming in money, you could play this game professionally. It’s true that I don’t like losing. But I’ll have another shot. You beat me fair and square.”
She had turned away during his impulsive backpedaling and was now fiddling with a portfolio of notes she’d been working on earlier. He touched her arm, making her face him. When she wouldn’t look at him, he took her chin in his hands. Though several moments ticked by, finally her eyes met his.
He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “I… Was… Kidding. Get it? No man worth his salt wants a woman to let him win at anything.”
“You’d be surprised,” she whispered. The single tear that clung to her lower lashes refused to fall.
Feeling like the biggest jerk on the planet, he kissed her forehead. “You can’t tell me all those wild Wolffs of yours wanted a fake victory.”
She chuckled weakly. “Them? No. Daddy and Uncle Vic used to give me five dollars every time I beat one of the boys. My brothers and cousins hated it, but it made them work harder to improve their game. Unfortunately, when I finally went off to college, no one told me the rules had changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“My first week on campus I was invited to a frat party with five or six other girls. The house had a pool table. One of the pledges offered to teach me the game…I guess to show off to his buddies.”
“And you beat him.”
“Three games in a row. I was too arrogant for my own good.” She paused, as if seeing a painful vision known only to her. “He called me a dyke,” she said abruptly. “Everyone laughed.”
“Jesus, Annalise.” He took her in his arms, despite the fact that she was stiff as a board in his embrace. “College guys are unmitigated jerks for the most part. They check their brains when they walk through those ivy-clad arches and don’t reclaim them until four years later. He was thinking with something other than his brain, and you showed him up. It wasn’t your fault. Good Lord, you should be proud of your talent.”
She sniffed, finally relaxing enough to lay her head on his shoulder. “Mine is more luck than skill. I’ve always had a knack for geometry. I see the angles. It’s no big deal.”
He shook her gently. “Be proud of who you are. You’re an original. A Wolff daughter. One of a kind.”
“Sometimes it’s lonely,” she said quietly.
He froze, stunned to realize that for perhaps the first time, Annalise was trusting him enough to open that closely guarded heart of hers and let him see a glimpse of the marshmallow center inside the crusty shell. “What about your sisters-in-law?” He stroked her back lightly.
“They’re nice women. But we don’t have much in common.”
“How so?”
“Well, they’re all really feminine. Gracie’s pregnant and
But when he went for the last one, he made the mistake of looking at his adversary. Her unusual blue eyes sparkled with amusement as if lit from within. His pride suffered a nick. So much so that he bobbled the shot and had to suffer the indignity of having Annalise step up and clean the rest of the table.
When it was over, silence reigned.
She replaced her cue in the rack on the wall and flipped her ponytail back over her shoulder. “Not bad for an old man,” she said. “I guess your reflexes are slowing down.”
“Didn’t anyone ever teach you that you’re supposed to let the guy win?”
It was a smart-aleck comment, a tease, a jab. Certainly not a serious rejoinder. But Annalise blanched. And for the briefest of seconds, he saw real distress in her deep, translucent eyes. “Hey,” he said quickly, seeking to temper his blunder. “You know I’m kidding, right? You’re amazing. If you weren’t already swimming in money, you could play this game professionally. It’s true that I don’t like losing. But I’ll have another shot. You beat me fair and square.”
She had turned away during his impulsive backpedaling and was now fiddling with a portfolio of notes she’d been working on earlier. He touched her arm, making her face him. When she wouldn’t look at him, he took her chin in his hands. Though several moments ticked by, finally her eyes met his.
He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “I… Was… Kidding. Get it? No man worth his salt wants a woman to let him win at anything.”
“You’d be surprised,” she whispered. The single tear that clung to her lower lashes refused to fall.
Feeling like the biggest jerk on the planet, he kissed her forehead. “You can’t tell me all those wild Wolffs of yours wanted a fake victory.”
She chuckled weakly. “Them? No. Daddy and Uncle Vic used to give me five dollars every time I beat one of the boys. My brothers and cousins hated it, but it made them work harder to improve their game. Unfortunately, when I finally went off to college, no one told me the rules had changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“My first week on campus I was invited to a frat party with five or six other girls. The house had a pool table. One of the pledges offered to teach me the game…I guess to show off to his buddies.”
“And you beat him.”
“Three games in a row. I was too arrogant for my own good.” She paused, as if seeing a painful vision known only to her. “He called me a dyke,” she said abruptly. “Everyone laughed.”
“Jesus, Annalise.” He took her in his arms, despite the fact that she was stiff as a board in his embrace. “College guys are unmitigated jerks for the most part. They check their brains when they walk through those ivy-clad arches and don’t reclaim them until four years later. He was thinking with something other than his brain, and you showed him up. It wasn’t your fault. Good Lord, you should be proud of your talent.”
She sniffed, finally relaxing enough to lay her head on his shoulder. “Mine is more luck than skill. I’ve always had a knack for geometry. I see the angles. It’s no big deal.”
He shook her gently. “Be proud of who you are. You’re an original. A Wolff daughter. One of a kind.”
“Sometimes it’s lonely,” she said quietly.
He froze, stunned to realize that for perhaps the first time, Annalise was trusting him enough to open that closely guarded heart of hers and let him see a glimpse of the marshmallow center inside the crusty shell. “What about your sisters-in-law?” He stroked her back lightly.
“They’re nice women. But we don’t have much in common.”
“How so?”
“Well, they’re all really feminine. Gracie’s pregnant and
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