Forbidden

Stacked Odds

Van

"Like this?"

"No," Luca laughed, reaching for Van's hand, his calloused palm as sensual as silk against her skin. He adjusted her grip on the putter and stepped back. "Like that."

A small part of her wanted to move her hands again, to feign ignorance so he would help her again, but she shoved that small part away. To like his touch was to grow dependent on it, and Van refused to depend on anyone but herself.

"Ok, let's see if this actually helps," she said, eyeing her bright pink golf ball with trepidation. Luca had been surprised when she'd asked for pink. Hell, she'd been surprised- the request had fallen out of her mouth the moment she saw it sitting among the white, greens, and purples. Like a piece of herself she'd been missing.

Metal clacked against plastic and the ball went careening down the path, smacking into the brick barrier and bouncing into a corner. It was nowhere near the small entrance into the volcano that would drop it down to the second platform. Luca burst into laughter.

"Your form was much better. You might not want to hit it like you're playing baseball and going for a homerun."

Van ignored him, her competitive streak out and proud. She wedged her putter between the ball and the wall and frowned. There was no room to swing. She opted for what she hoped was a gentle push, sighing when it went flying over the hole.

"You sure this is your first time playing?" Luca asked, his eyes twinkling as he leaned against the plastic mountain, his putter propped on the toe of his shoe.

"I think I would've preferred the party." Van tried to muster some of the old ice back into her words, but she failed. Being angry and mean to Luca felt like kicking puppies.

"We can always go back," he promised with a wink, "but we have four more holes to finish before we can leave."

"Four more? Good grief, this takes forever."

"Not usually. At least not when you get par on most of the courses. But you've got an average of seven strokes per course, so..."

"Did you pick this place just so you could feel good about yourself? If you needed a self-esteem boost, I'm sure Hailey would've indulged you." Another hit sent the ball straight to her target. She hopped up on her tiptoes when the ball fell into the hole and began its descent to the lower portion of the course. It popped out at the base of the volcano and shot straight to the green, sinking into the hole with thump.

"Whoa," Luca shouted, wrapping his arm around her waist and lifting her in a side hug. "Atta girl."

Wiggling free, she aimed for a nonchalant shrug, "I don't think I can take credit for the volcano's amazing aim."

"True, but this is a best record for you! You actually got a birdie."

"A whata?"

"A score of one under par."

"That's good?"

"Very," he responded, lining up his own shot as she took her ball and waited on the sideline. Van watched him closely, telling herself she was critiquing his form. Drooling over the well defined muscles of his arms was just an added perk.

All appreciation for his physique went out the window when his ball went down a small ramp she'd missed and found its mark on the first swing. Van chucked the golf club in the bushes and crossed her arms. "That's your fifth hole in one!"

"Awe, Van! Don't be angry," he shouted, chasing after her as she marched to the exit. Even before the accident, good sportsmanship wasn't a quality she possessed.