Million Dollar Mistake (17 page)

Raven and Jackson, who’d joined her, watched the dancing couple.

“What do you make of that?” Jackson asked, jerking a thumb at Lorianne and Nicholas.

Raven shrugged when she wanted to bare her teeth. “What am I supposed to make of it?”

“He’s dancing with Lorianne.”

“I know. She asked him.”

“That’s not right.”

Raven’s brows arched curiously. “Why not?”

“’Cause Lorianne doesn’t just waltz up to someone and ask them to dance.”

“Newsflash—just happened.”

“Yes.” Jackson frowned, watching the other couple for a moment before shaking himself like a dog coming out of a river. “So that leaves us to amuse ourselves. What would you like to do?”

Her eyes still on the other couple, she threw a zinger over her shoulder. “Just don’t suggest a sleigh ride.”

Jackson grinned. “Don’t worry. How about a fresh drink instead?”

“Good.” She needed a drink to cool down since she’d started steaming as soon as Lorianne slipped both arms around Nicholas’s neck and pulled his head down to hers.

“Then we’ll have a game of pool.”

“Hmm?” she asked, her mind suddenly busy with thoughts of boiling Lorianne in oil, then throwing her to wild boars. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t want Nicholas, so why did she care what Lorianne did or didn’t do? And why should she care that Nicholas was cuddling her in his arms under the pretense of dancing with her?

“Pool, I said.”

“It’s too cold to swim.”

He chuckled, shaking her shoulder to capture her attention. “Pool, pool cues, little round, colored balls.”

She turned back to him. “Oh, pool! Okay, that sounds good.” Plus, she wouldn’t have to watch Lorianne cooing to Nicholas. Who knew the woman had it in her? All the time acting as if she was too sweet to need dessert and here she was trying to spread chocolate syrup all over Nicholas. Raven frowned. Boy did she have everyone fooled. Even Nicholas from the look of it. He was practically salivating over the woman, making a complete idiot of himself. She didn’t care. She just didn’t like to lose. No, she didn’t care, not one damn bit.

 
“Here you are, Raven.” Jackson handed her a new glass of wine and then led her toward the door. Raven couldn’t help but glance back at Nicholas, who hadn’t even noticed she was leaving. Her temper flamed. Sliding her arm through Jackson’s, she plastered herself against his side and forced a tinkling laugh that carried above the music. “What do you say to a game of strip pool, darling? It’s such fun.”

Still seated in her chair as if she was watching a performance, Nana grinned as Nicholas first swore over Raven’s outrageous comment, then declared, “She’s playing strip pool over my dead body. Come on, Lorianne, we’re going to join the fun.”

As Nicholas dragged Lorianne from the room in the wake of the other couple, Nana finally let her laughter escape. She hadn’t had so much fun in years. She lifted her glass high to toast her dead husband, missing him now more than ever. “Here’s to you, my love. May they enjoy all of the pain and glory we’ve known.” She drank deeply before putting her head back with a soft sigh.
A life without love is no life at all.

In the billiards room, Raven and Jackson were just chalking the tip of their cue sticks when Nicholas, and a somewhat-breathless Lorianne, appeared in the doorway.

“Mind if we join you?” Nicholas said, sending Raven a hard stare as he pulled Lorianne into the room behind him.

Raven arched a brow. “I thought you were dancing.”

“It wouldn’t be good for Lorianne to push her luck after her mishap this morning.” He looked back at Lorianne. “Isn’t that right?”

“Um…yes, my knee was getting a bit tired.”

“Then you should have stayed sitting instead of galloping over the dance floor,” Jackson snapped, handing Lorianne a pool cue.

“First, it was a regular floor, not a dance floor, and second, I wasn’t galloping, I was gliding. Nicholas is a wonderful dancer.”

Jackson sent Nicholas a quick resentful look. “I’m sure.”

“He’s one of those people who does everything well. Don’t you think, Raven?”

“In his opinion, yes he does.”

“And what about in yours, sweetheart?” Nicholas asked Raven, his voice as smooth as a double Dutch chocolate sundae.

“You have some talents, I suppose.”

“Remind me to show you a few more,” he warned with a smile. “Now, Jackson, what do you say we play a game? Me and Lorianne against you and Raven.”

“You want a foursome for strip pool, darling?“ Raven chuckled. “I had no idea you were such a voyeur.”

Nicholas glared at her. “Regular pool will do for tonight, sweetheart. Stripping’s more fun in twos, I believe.”
 

Raven gave in at his glinting glare. “Ah well, perhaps another time, Jackson.”

A slightly sulky Jackson focused all of his attention on aligning the triangle and racking up the balls for the breaking shot.

“Who goes first?” Lorianne asked. “Should we draw straws?”

Jackson looked over at her. “Do you have any straws?”

Lorianne giggled a bit nervously. “No, I don’t. I guess that would be a problem, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes,” Jackson agreed, rolling his eyes. “Definite problem.”

“Let’s flip a coin instead,” Nicholas intervened, fishing a coin out of his pocket.

“Heads,” Jackson called as Nicholas flipped the quarter in the air, snatching it as it fell.

“Heads it is,” Nicholas said. “You break.”

Jackson looked at Raven. “Shall I do the honors, or would you rather—”

“Please go ahead,” Raven answered. “Make it a good one, darling.”

Jackson winked at her as he bent over the table. “I think I’m about to get lucky.”

“Don’t bet on it,” Nicholas muttered as he watched the cue ball hit and scatter the balls, sinking a solid-colored ball in a pocket in the process. “Okay, you and Raven play solid, Lorianne and I will play the striped balls.”

And the game was off and rolling.

Nicholas watched Lorianne attempt to put a ball in a pocket and for the fourth time sink the cue ball instead. Luckily for their team standing, pool was Nicholas’s game.

It was also Raven’s.

Nicholas could read Jackson’s thoughts as he stood both admiring and resenting Raven’s prowess. The one thing the younger man seemed happy about was Raven’s continual flirting with him.

Not to be outdone, Lorianne tried her best to keep up with both the flirting—focused on Nicholas—and with the game. One more successfully than the other, Nicholas decided, wincing as her cue stick missed the ball and streaked across the table instead.

“Whoops.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nicholas soothed. “We’ll make it up.”

She smiled at him, before sending a baiting look at Jackson. “That’s so sweet, Nicholas, so reassuring. Jackson would have been suicidal if we were partners and I’d just done that.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Jackson denied, sending her a hot look in return.

“You would too.”

“Would not.”

“You’ve been telling me to take lessons for years.”

He cradled his pool cue and folded his arms, the picture of a satisfied male. “Maybe you should have listened.”

“Jackson, darling, gloating is so common,” Raven commented with a chuckle, stroking a hand down his arm.

“You’re right.” Jackson shrugged. “At least you didn’t rip the felt, Lorianne. You’ve done that before, remember?”

Lorianne flushed at Jackson’s comment, getting all nervy as she lined up her next shot, instead of relaxing as she’d been encouraged to do. “I was only thirteen.”

“Here, let me help.” Nicholas moved to Lorianne and put his arms around her, moving his hands over hers to demonstrate, catching a glimpse of Raven’s scowl as he did so. “This is a better way to hold your stick. Move one hand toward the tip and make a bridge, and use the other one for leverage.”

“Like this?” she asked, looking up at him, smiling as if the angels had just given her a valuable gift.

“That’s it,” Nicholas encouraged, “move your left hand a bit. Now aim for left of center on the cue ball and try the shot.” He stepped out of the way, crossing over to get the chalk as Lorianne twisted around for the proper angle.

Then Lorianne gave a gasp and collapsed to the floor as if a bowling ball had knocked her off her feet. Jackson was the first to reach her.

“My knee gave out,” Lorianne said as Jackson slipped his arms around her and lifted her to her feet. She leaned against him, her face a bit pale.

“Are you hurt?” Jackson asked.

“No, my knee locked, then all of a sudden let go and I couldn’t stand up.”

“That’s because you pushed too hard on a bruised knee,” Jackson said. “Didn’t I tell you to stay seated? But no, you had to dance.”

“That’s not what did it. I was fine when I was dancing. It happened because I was twisting to make this shot. I must have gotten into the wrong position.”

“No. You tired yourself out on the dance floor.” Jackson stuck to his refrain like a one-note chorus. “I shouldn’t have let you.”

“Let me?” Lorianne adopted a haughty tone, even as she was brightening at Jackson’s interest.

“Why don’t we call it a night?” Raven said.

“Probably a good idea,” Jackson agreed.

“Lorianne, can I help you to—” Nicholas started to ask.

“No,” Jackson stated, his expression resembling a kid who wanted to keep all the candy for himself.

“Oh, Nicholas, that would be wonderful,” Lorianne said, ignoring Jackson to send a melting look in Nicholas’s direction.

Jackson puffed up like an angry pigeon. “I’ll see she gets to her room.”

“Oh, well, I…” Lorianne trailed off, making it look as if she was reluctant to leave unless Nicholas was involved.

Jackson slid his arm around her and forced her to lean on him. A fact that amused Nicholas as he watched the other man help Lorianne to the door.

“You don’t have to treat me like an invalid. I can walk.”

“Your knee could give out on the steps. Then your father would hunt me down for letting you get hurt.”

“You didn’t let me get hurt.”

“That’s debatable. I’m the one who lost control in the marsh today, remember?”

Lorianne patted his arm. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

“No, but it happened all the same.”

“Anyone can make a mistake, Jackson,” Raven declared with a look at Nicholas. The look telling Nicholas she wasn’t referring to the accident.

Jackson looked over his shoulder. “Oh, Raven.” He blinked as if he’d just remembered she was there. “Sorry, I’ll get Lorianne settled and then come back to—”

“Not necessary,” Nicholas interrupted, purring his response, “I’ll see that Raven gets to bed.”

Jackson flushed at that, while Raven sent Nicholas a “just try it” look before she waved Jackson away.

“Go ahead, Jackson. I can take care of myself. I hope you feel better tomorrow, Lorianne.”

“I’m sure I will.” Lorianne nodded with a hint of a smile as she nestled a bit closer to Jackson, accidentally tromping on his foot.

“Ouch, you’re standing on my instep. Can’t you walk? Do you want me to carry you?”

Her gaze flew to Jackson. “You want to carry me?”

“Sure, I’ll just sling you over my shoulder and—”

“Romantic, but I’ll pass.” Lorianne shuddered, her mouth drooping at the corners. “I can make it if you keep your arm tight around me.”

“Okay, but watch where you’re stepping.”

Nicholas smiled. Luckily, Jackson seemed unaware that she was making her recent accident seem bigger than it was. For the next few minutes all they could hear was Jackson scolding Lorianne all the way out the door.

Nicholas walked over and shut the door, then turned back to Raven. “Your turn, I believe.”

“I don’t need you to carry me anywhere.”

“We’ll see about that later,” he said, grinning before strolling back and nodding at the pool table. “Meanwhile, let’s set the game up again. It’s your turn to break.”

Raven reached for the rack and set up the balls again. “You asked for it.”

Nicholas chuckled. “Get ready to lose, sweetheart.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Nope, more a number-one fact.”

Raven picked up the chalk, rubbing it on the tip of her stick as she refocused on the table, then on him.

As her eyes met his across the green felt table, Nicholas recognized the look—determination mixed with a bit of taunting. Just the attitude he’d come to expect when he goaded her.

“Facts can be disproved. It all depends on the interpretation.”

He grinned at her tart response and sparkling eyes. He loved the way she threw herself into things, that joy she could summon on the spur of the moment—and never more than when she was trying to give him a hard time. “Still up for that game of strip pool, sweetheart?”