Excerpt of Rules of the Game by Sandy James

“No, not like that, Maddie. You’re holding the cue all wrong again.” Scott slipped behind me, pressed his broad chest to my back and put his big hands over mine.

Heat raced through me like an electrical shock. I had never been much good at pool, but four beers and Scott standing too close sure weren’t helping matters much. I really should have eaten something for dinner other than the stale pretzels the bartender had brought with my last refill, but I hadn’t expected to be drinking so much. Or shooting pool. Or having a gorgeous man rub up against me. Repeatedly.

“Like this.” His hands guided mine to make a perfect shot. “Seven ball in the corner pocket.” His breath brushed warm against my ear, sending a delightful shiver racing over my skin.

“Thanks,” I mumbled as I awkwardly tried to brush his arms aside. Having him this close had started to wear on my already frayed and very tipsy nerves. We’d played several games of pool, and I’d grown steadily worse.

Scott must have seen how flustered I was getting, because he started taking on a concerned teacher voice and showing me how to make tough shots. Every single time he touched me, my stomach did a delicious flip-flop. If skin touched skin, my whole body flushed hot. The guy was turning me on more than any man I’d ever met, and he wasn’t even trying.

It’s just the beer.

I was still sufficiently sober to know how stupid that excuse was. Checking his watch, Scott frowned. “I hate to end the evening, but it’s time to get going. I’ve gotta get up with the sun.”

In my dirty little mind, all I could think about was a certain part of his anatomy that probably also rose with the sun. I gave my head a sobering shake.

Did that mean he worked construction? Didn’t they always start around dawn? I tried to picture what a rugged guy like Scott did to earn a living. He had to work hard to build muscles like those. Was he a carpenter? Or a mechanic? I even pictured him working some highway crew, pounding a jackhammer into the concrete.

I wanted him to pound into something else.

Me.