By Any Other Name by J. M. Darhower Read Free Book Online Page A

front of him. Somehow, at some point, he had dropped the pretense of drinking Coke at all. "You manage to beat me at a game, and I'll give you anything you want."
    "Anything?"
    " Anything ."
    "A hundred bucks?"
    "Sure."
    "Your watch?"
    He glanced at his wrist—a silver-colored Rolex, probably white gold. Genna had noticed it earlier. Considering he drove what he did, she had a sneaking suspicion it might actually be real. "Of course."
    "Your car?"
    "Genna, if you can beat me, I'll give you a hundred bucks, my watch, and the Lotus."
    Matty made a mistake... a big mistake. He had asked her if she played, and she didn't. Not often, anyway. It wasn't her thing. But that didn't mean she didn't know how to play. She had a brother, after all—a brother who regularly hustled around town for extra money.
    A brother who taught her everything he knew.
    "And if you win?" she asked. "Then what?"
    He smirked. "Then I get whatever I want."
    "Which is…?"
    "You'll have to wait and see."
    "Okay," she said. "Deal."
    He leaned his cue stick against the wall and grabbed his drink. "You can go first."
    Smirking, she lined up at the cue ball, striking it hard. A striped orange ball flew straight into the side pocket.
    "Lucky break."
    She cut her eyes at him. "That was skill, not luck."
    "Is that right?"
    "Yep."
    "Then go on," he said, his voice tinged with humor. "Show me more of your skill."
    He didn't have to tell her twice.
    Genna sunk three more balls back-to-back, catching his gaze when she struck a fourth. It hit the corner pocket at a slight angle, bouncing off instead.
    Matty gaped at her. Over half of her balls were gone. Had she not been tipsy, the game might have been over already.
    "Your turn," she said, stepping back.
    He set his drink down and grabbed his stick, eliminating four of his balls before narrowly missing the next. Genna knocked out another two, which he matched on his next turn, leaving them both with only one ball left.
    Genna sunk hers right off, casting Matty a look as she aimed for the eight ball. He appeared to be sweating. Panicked . "You hustled me."
    She shrugged a shoulder, hesitating, before shifting position slightly and hitting the cue ball. It breezed right past the black eight ball, striking his last solid ball instead. It slammed against the side, flying back toward her, right into the corner pocket.
    It ended her turn.
    Genna strolled over to the other side of the room, toward Matty, and put her cue stick away. Matty silently motioned toward a side pocket before hitting the eight ball into it.
    Game over .
    He turned to her, discarding his cue stick against the wall, his expression somber. "The little car thief almost stole my car, after all."
    "I did."
    "So why didn't you go through with it?"
    "Because there's something I wanted more than it."
    He stepped closer, the tips of his shoes flush against her painted toes as he gazed down at her. "And what's that?"
    "To know what you want from me."
    Wordlessly, his hands grasped her head, his large palms covering her warm cheeks, flushed from the alcohol. His touch was firm but gentle as he tilted her face up, cradling her like she was something precious, something he would never dare drop. He stared at her again, staring through her, like he could tell all of her secrets just by looking at her.
    Could he?
    Licking his lips, he leaned down and slowly, carefully kissed her. It was soft and sweet, but it held so much power, unlike any kiss Genna had ever experienced before. He kept her locked in place, in total control, and she easily, willfully, succumbed to his touch, surrendering in his hands.
    He pulled back much, much too quickly. Genna opened her eyes just as he did, meeting his intense gaze. After a moment, he took her hand, barely giving her enough time to grab her things before leading her away. He pulled her out the front door of the sport's bar as the sun started to set in the distance.
    Where the hell had the day gone?
    Before Genna could dwell on