Read Online Ready to Fall by Daisy Prescott - Free Book Online Page B

“panty-dropper” grin.
    She didn’t fall for it and rolled her eyes at me. “Is he always this bad?”
    “Didn’t we establish this the last time we were here? Yes, he’s that bad.”
    “Standing right here, you two. Standing. Right. Here.” Donnely’s voice bordered on petulant.
    “Right, you want to rack ‘em up?” I asked.
    “Racks are my thing.” Donnely stared down at Diane’s chest and then gave her shoulder a final squeeze before he covered the short distance to the pool table.
    I smiled at Diane. “If he gets too bad, give me a sign. He doesn’t know any better.”
    “Thanks, John. Really, he doesn’t bother me much. He was telling me about his wood sculptures when you arrived. I would like to see them. You don’t meet many chainsaw sculptors in Manhattan.”
    “Many?” I had to tease. “You mean you’ve met a few men who wield chainsaws to create eagle and bear lawn art?”
    “Okay, none. You don’t meet any such artists in New York. I bet Quinn would love to see Donnely’s work.”
    “You know Quinn?”
    “I do. My husband … I mean ex-husband, and I own a couple of his works. How do you know him?”
    “I met him at Maggie’s mom’s funeral and again last summer. He’s a character, for sure. I can’t imagine what his stuff is like.”
    Her answering laugh brightened her face. She was even prettier when she laughed. Beautiful even. Her brown eyes sparkled. “Oh, it’s hysterical. I’ll have to show you sometime. Everything’s in storage. My ex admitted he hated Quinn’s art, confirming not only is he an asshole, but he has no sense of humor.”
    “You’re beautiful when you laugh.” The words flew out of my mouth before my brain caught up.
    Diane stopped her chuckling and stared at me. Her smile was soft and she appeared unsure of the compliment. “Thank you. You’re more of a flirt than Donnely is.”
    Her words reminded me of my buddy a few feet away. “That’s a lie. We know Donnely considers himself the king of the flirts.”
    “I’m king of what?” he asked, handing me a pool cue.
    “King of the flirts, but I think John might be the dark prince.” Diane placed her hand on my arm. I flexed my bicep under her fingers and she tightened her grip.
    “Hey man, don’t be moving in on my lady. You might be the neighbor, but I’m the one with the mad skills with my axe.”
    Diane and I both groaned at his double-entendre.
    “Right, let’s play pool before you get too full of yourself. I’m going to kick your ass.” I nodded at her before returning to the table. “I’ll break.”
    The crack of the cue ball sounded over the music and I tried to focus on sinking my balls into the pockets. Whenever it was Donnely’s turn, my eyes tended to wander over to Diane at the bar. She leaned over the paper most of the time, but occasionally I’d catch her watching us play, a wistful expression on her face.
    “Hey, you want to play the winner?” I asked, knowing I had one ball left and the eight ball while Donnely had four solid balls on the table.
    “I haven’t played since college. You’ll wipe the floor with me,” she replied.
    “Nah, I’ll take it easy on you. I’m sure it will all come back. Like sex.” With a wink, I reminded her of one of our first conversations.
    Her blush told me she remembered, too.
    With two more plays I won the game. Donnely grumbled his way over to his pint glass on the bar. Diane hopped off her stool and grabbed a pool cue from the rack on the wall opposite the bar.
    I handed her the chalk and she rubbed it on the tip of her cue. “All right, so who breaks?” she asked, all business.
    “I won the last game. I’ll break.”
    Balls scattered across the table and two solids dropped into pockets. I reminded her of the basic rules and we began the game.
    Every time she bent over to make her shot, I caught Donnely staring at her ass. Twice he winked at me and made a rude gesture. Diane’s words about Tom and I being alike echoed in