Beautiful Disasters Excerpt

 

 

Excerpt from Beautiful Disasters by Avery Brooks

(All rights reserved.)

 

       Drea got a beer at the bar and walked up to two women at one of the pool tables. “I’ll play the winner next.” They looked at her, then at each other and smiled.

       “Okay.”

       She leaned against the wall watching them play. Her eye was drawn to a booth in the corner of the bar where a head of lilac hair caught her attention. Could it be? What were the odds? The woman across the table facing her looked like the same woman Cassie had been dancing with the other night. She was attractive and they seemed to be in a lively conversation. Drea absently wondered if they were a couple.

       “Sucker!” One of the women at the pool table had clearly won and was rubbing her friend’s nose in it. Drea sipped her beer and sauntered over to them.

       “You ready to play?” There was a slight flirtation in her voice and the woman gulped.

       “Kick her ass,” the friend said, but it was directed at Drea, not her friend.

       “Hey,” the friend frowned and turned around, “you’re supposed to root for me.”

       “Not with that cheap shot you just pulled.” She caught Drea’s gaze. “Make her pay.”

       Drea chuckled. “Alrighty.”

       About halfway through their game, Drea was winning easily, and the friend of her opponent was enjoying every second of the beating. She lined up her next shot, but just as she was about to shoot, she saw Cassie approaching. She whiffed the ball, sending it ninety degrees from where she intended, knocking one of her opponent’s balls in the side pocket.

       “Ohhh, she felt sorry for you, cuz you’re losing so badly,” the friend chided.

       The other woman flipped her off, but she was laughing. “Shut up. I am not.”

       Drea’s attention was on Cassie, though, who had stopped when she saw Drea and was surveying the table.

       “Hi,” Cassie said cheerily. “Which are you?” She nodded at the pool table.

       “Stripes.” Drea held on to her pool stick and sipped her beer as she watched Cassie make a face of approval. “Do you play?”

       “A little here and there.” The twinkle in Cassie’s eye made Drea suspect that statement.

       “You wanna play next?” Drea asked.

       Cassie glanced back at the booth where her companion was sitting. “I probably shouldn’t.”

       “Scared?” Drea couldn’t help flirting sometimes. It was practically involuntary.

       Cassie’s eyes locked on Drea’s. “Not at all.”

       The confidence in her words sent tingles through Drea. “Prove it.”

       “Careful what you ask for.” Neither of them broke eye contact, and Drea enjoyed the challenge.

       “Um, your turn,” Drea’s opponent interrupted.

       Drea looked over to see her opponent and the friend were waiting on her.

       “I’m going to get another round for my friend and then I’ll be back . . . to win.” Cassie’s bright purple smirk both irked and intrigued Drea, and she couldn’t help but smile.

       “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

       A short time later, Cassie had definitely backed up her bravado. Drea considered herself pretty decent at pool, but Cassie was proving herself to be a contender. It would take more than a close game to rattle Drea, though. The two women from the previous game had settled in to watch, and Cassie’s companion was leaning against the wall taking in the scene as well. Drea was used to women hanging around, but only one woman was holding her attention. She couldn’t take her eyes off Cassie, and Cassie seemed to be feeling the same way.

       Cassie perched herself atop the edge of the pool table, threading the pool stick behind her back, as she took aim. Drea had to give her points for flair. As Drea took in the view, she started to realize Cassie might be much more of a force than she had anticipated. There was something unassuming about her, which made it all the more surprising to see her take command. There was also something incredibly attractive about her that held Drea’s attention. The lilac hair for one, shaved on one side but with a wave to it on the longer side that covered her right eye. The bold lipstick, always varying in some shade of purple, that contrasted sharply with her fair skin in a way that captivated Drea. Her features somehow managed to be full of bold, sharp angles, and soft at the same time. Drea sipped her beer and let her eyes wander. Black boots; skintight, torn black jeans; and a gray oversized sweater falling off one shoulder revealing a black tank top underneath.

       The clack of pool balls slamming into each other pulled Drea’s gaze up to Cassie’s eyes, which were watching her. Perfectly arched eyebrows and hoops and studs traversing Cassie’s earlobe created a severity in her expression as she held Drea’s attention. As one eyebrow raised, a twinkle passed through those brown eyes, daring Drea. Drea never broke eye contact as she walked over to Cassie with a slight grin. Cassie never budged. As their faces came within a few inches, Drea took a moment to appreciate those eyes up close. As much as she flirted with women, the effect of Cassie’s eye contact was something new. She felt it deep in her chest, but she didn’t back away, not wanting to let Cassie know what she was feeling. She placed her finger on Cassie’s knee, still resting atop the edge of the pool table. “Do you mind giving me a little space?”

       Cassie’s eyes lingered on Drea’s finger, then she shrugged. “Sure. I’d hate to make you nervous.” She hopped off the table and grabbed her water, taking the metal straw in those lips that had Drea’s mind doing somersaults.

       Drea chuckled and shook her head. She bent down and lined up her shot, then sunk a ball in the near pocket before glancing back at Cassie with a self-assured grin. “Not at all.”

       Drea walked around the back side of the pool table and took aim to get within one shot of Cassie, who stood just beyond where Drea aimed, the weight of her eyes on Drea. She exhaled slowly, steadying herself. It had been a long time since any woman had thrown her, and she wasn’t going to let that change now. She took her shot . . .

 

Want to read more?

Beautiful Disasters is the second book in the Other Girls series but can be read as a standalone. A sapphic slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance set in steamy New Orleans. Get ready for some witty banter, dancing, quirky cats, and lots of wedding cake! This one has all the feels and characters who will stay with you long after the final page.

You can get your copy now at Bywater Books, Bella Books, Amazon, or wherever you prefer to buy books.