The Punk and the Plaything (When Rivals Play Book 3)

by B. B. Reid

  “Done pouting?” she greeted when I reached her.

  Wren merely lifted an eyebrow before swaggering away.

  “He’s nice,” Bee remarked. “Doesn’t seem to like you very much, though.”

  “Probably because I tried to sleep with Lou when she first came to town.”

  I watched as Bee curled her lips in disgust. She’d fixed her lipstick, but all it made me want to do was fuck it up again. “Of course you did.”

  I shrugged because what was there to say? I was a dog. I see a bone, I sniff a bone. That was all there was to it. “Jealous?”

  She took a sip of the punch I hadn’t noticed her holding as she scanned the ballroom. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  Stealing her punch, I finished it in one gulp before setting it down and pulling her close. “Very much.”

  Her eyes glistened as she sucked in a breath. “I never stopped thinking of you as mine, Jamie. I just… I realized you never could be again. Not after what I did to you.”

  She didn’t seem so sure. Was that hope in her voice? It was the last thing I wanted to give her. “Dance with me,” I said instead. I saw the disappointment in her gaze, but she didn’t resist me as I pulled her onto the dance floor. I had no idea what song was playing—some slow, lonely tune with an easy rhythm.

  “A live band would have been so much better,” Bee remarked. Her body trembled in my arms, and I realized she was grappling for something to distract her from her nerves.

  Unconsciously, I began to slowly stroke her back, offering her comfort. “DJs offer more variety,” I rebutted. Sighing, she laid her head on my chest, and her trembling slowed until she was so still that I thought she’d fallen asleep. “Bee?”

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered, and I didn’t. I couldn’t stop touching her if I tried. The song changed to something up-tempo, so I led her off the dance floor and found an empty table. Sitting down, I pulled her onto my lap, shoved my fingers in her hair, and kissed her for everyone to see. I didn’t give a damn what any of them thought. I saw Bee when no one else had. She was mine first, and no one and nothing could change that. Least of all me.

  “You were right,” I said when I pulled away from the kiss.

  “Right?” Her eyes slowly opened, and her vision took a few seconds to focus.

  “A band would have been better. This DJ fucking sucks.”

  She laughed, and I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the sound. So much so that I wanted to punch Ever when he suddenly appeared at our table. The light that had been in her eyes died, too, as sorrow replaced them. I shouldn’t have expected her to be over him so soon, but I couldn’t help the urge to toss her the hell out of my lap.

  She stood, saving me from doing so. “Ever.”

  My fists balled at the hope in her voice. No way was he taking her back. I swear I’d murder them both before I allowed that to happen. Maybe Four could help me bury the bodies. As if I’d spoken her up, she appeared by his side a moment later.

  Confusion chased away some of my anger when Bee said Four’s name with the same note of desperation. What the hell was going on?

  “Hey,” Four greeted with a gentle smile. She was a lot more gracious than I would have been.

  “I think we should talk,” Ever announced, breaking the awkward silence.

  “It’s okay,” Bee said. “I already know. You don’t have to explain. You’ve both done enough.”

  I sat up straight at that while Ever shoved his fingers through his hair.

  “Believe me, I didn’t mean for it to go down like that,” Four said. Why did it sound like she was apologizing?

  Sure, technically, she’d been the other woman, but Ever made his choice. No one should ever have to apologize for falling in love.

  At that moment, I felt like the world’s biggest hypocrite. And asshole. I’d given Bee hell for choosing Ever. Except… whatever Bee thought, she wasn’t in love with Ever. I knew what Bee in love looked like, and it damn sure wasn’t what she’d felt for him.

  Not even when I’d promised to help her get my cousin to notice her. Instead, I’d stolen her for myself. Slowly, my fists balled in my lap. Maybe what had happened between us was my own damn fault. I’d given Barbette my word, knowing I had no intention of keeping it.

  “Neither of us did,” Ever added. He slid his hands in his tuxedo’s pockets.

  “It was never your fight, Ever. This is between my father and me.”

  My ears perked at that. What did Elliot have to do with Bee dating Ever?

  “Ever has a plan,” Four informed her. “I wasn’t so sure you’d go along with it but”—her gaze drifted to me when before I’d been pretty much invisible as they talked freely—“now I’m thinking Ever is on to something?”

  I lifted a brow at her question. I had no idea what the hell she was talking about, but it was clear this plan of theirs involved me, and they’d seen us kissing.

  “I don’t understand,” Bee said slowly.

  That made two of us.

  “Look,” Ever said as he scratched his brow, “let’s just talk about this in the morning and enjoy tonight.” The girls didn’t look like they were budging, so he looked to me for help. Even though I wanted answers now, I stood to my feet just as the rest of our crew joined us.

  “We should bail,” Vaughn suggested as he came to stand beside Ever.

  Tyra gripped the front of his tux as she stood on the tips of her toes. “And I told you not before I got my dance.”

  Yanking her even closer, he growled against her neck, “I’ve got something better we can do.”

  “You do know we can hear you,” Lou said, wrinkling her nose.

  Just then, the cha-cha began to play, making Ever groan. “You guys do what you want, but that’s my cue to leave.”

  Taking Four’s hand, he headed for the nearest exit. When he glanced over his shoulder seconds later, he smirked when he found everyone following them. He held open the door that led to the hall’s back lawn as we all filed through. There was an unlit path with a soft glow up ahead that we followed.

  “You guys,” Tyra cautioned, “I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to go toward the light.”

  Vaughn quickly scooped her off her feet when she stopped in her tracks. “Don’t be a baby,” he teased before tossing her over his shoulder.

  “Can you blame her?” I said. “We all know the black characters are always the first to go.”

  “Exactly,” Tyra chimed in, shocking everyone, including me. She wasn’t exactly my biggest fan, but I was slowly winning her over. I think.

  The music had almost faded when we eventually stumbled upon a small gazebo. Vines and rose garlands wrapped around the stone columns while pink gossamer curtains draped the entrance like a canopy. The filigree carving the iron of the domed ceiling allowed the full moon to cast its welcoming glow despite the lanterns. Pink rose petals littered the ground and were crushed under our feet as we reached the end of the path, which sloped up onto the small hill.

  It was perfect for a late-night rendezvous, and one glance at Ever, Vaughn, and Wren told me they were thinking the same thing. The girls rushed up the stone steps, leaving us behind and oblivious to our lascivious thoughts.

  Before long, we were all silently arguing over who’d get to take advantage of the intimate space.

  “Are you kidding me?” Wren hissed when Vaughn and I faced off with our fists lifted over our palms.

  Vaughn shrugged as we pounded our fists three times. “Rock-paper-scissors, bro. It’s the only way to avoid bloodshed.”

  “Best two out of three?” I heard Ever ask.

  A moment later, they were pounding their fists. Vaughn and Wren both lost, and Ever and I faced off. Before we could even begin the first round, I heard a throat clear. Four stood next to Ever with her arms crossed. Not the least bit sorry, he lustfully stared her down as Bee pinned me with a glare of her own. I slid my arm around her waist, but she swayed into me with a sigh before I could pull
her close. As if I’d done it a million times before, I skimmed my lips across her forehead. The feelings stirring in my chest from the action were familiar but long-lost.

  Afraid that I might be falling into her trap all over again, I whispered, “It must be killing you to see them together without you in the middle.”

  She stepped away with her painted lips curled, and I let her go. It was for the best. I couldn’t stay away, but I couldn’t let her get too close either.

  Lou’s voice broke through my thoughts, chasing away the turmoil. “You guys weren’t seriously playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets laid out here, were you?”

  Wren scratched the back of his neck as he avoided Lou’s gaze.

  Four was still glaring at Ever, waiting for a response.

  “What?” he asked, feigning innocence. His voice came out high-pitched, making him seem even more guilty. Four’s lips pursed, and he grinned before pulling her back inside the gazebo.

  Since I wasn’t about to let them enjoy it alone if I couldn’t, I grabbed Bee’s hand and pulled her inside along with the rest of our crew. Vaughn slyly pulled the cord holding the curtains open until we were hidden away inside. For a few seconds, we all stood around awkwardly, resigned to sharing the space. Deciding to set the mood, I pressed a few buttons on my phone before tossing it on the single long bench. “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls began to play, and the look in Bee’s eyes told me she remembered. It was the first song I’d played for her on my father’s guitar. I didn’t know then that I’d fall for her. I’d merely acted on instinct when I realized she was the first person I ever cared to know the real me.

  If only I’d known it would send her running the other way.

  “Jamie…”

  I wrapped my arms around her waist and skimmed my lips over her ear. “You remember, don’t you?”

  “Of course, I do.”

  I shook my head as I inhaled her scent. “I should have never played that song.”

  I felt her fingers clutching at my tux. “Please, don’t say that.”

  “You wanted the fantasy, Bee. You didn’t want the real me.”

  She pulled away enough to meet my eyes. “If you believe nothing else, Jamie, believe that you were more than a fantasy. You were a dream come true.”

  The song ended, and I pulled away. For some reason, I had trouble meeting her gaze. What if I looked into her eyes and saw that she was telling the truth? What would I do then? We’d gone too far to turn back now.

  I pulled away, putting some much-needed space between us. It hurt like hell when she let me go.

  “One day,” I announced, needing to distract myself, “when our kids are old enough, we’re going to start our own little league.” As if I hadn’t just been slow dancing with the only girl I’d ever love, I put my hands together and swung my imaginary bat. Bee was now sitting on the stone bench next to me with her fists clenched tight in her lap and a frustrated look in her eyes.

  “How many kids are you guys expecting?” Four questioned. She looked a little nervous to hear the answer. Thank God she couldn’t see the devious smirk her boyfriend wore.

  “Two,” Ever answered, lying through his teeth. I had no doubt they’d make beautiful little devil babies. No way he’d stop at two.

  “That’s mighty presumptuous of you,” Four said after turning to face him.

  He rubbed his hand down her naked arm, and even though I was happy to see them beat the odds, I couldn’t help glancing at Bee. I wasn’t expecting to see relief in her eyes as she watched them. This just kept getting weirder and weirder.

  “We both know how lonely it was as an only child,” Ever said.

  Four rose on the tips of her toes, and Ever eagerly met her halfway.

  “Get a room,” Lou said, disguising it as a cough into her fist.

  I fucking concur.

  Watching the two of them struck chords of envy within me while, at the same time, I was happy as fuck for them. They’d clawed and fought their way to this and sometimes with each other. I gazed down at Bee, and a part of me I thought had died wondered if we’d tapped out too soon.

  “What about you?” Tyra asked Vaughn, breaking through my perilous thoughts. I almost laughed when I caught the hostile expression on Tyra’s angelic face.

  Vaughn offered her a gentle yet shy smile. “Two.”

  While I saw straight through his bullshit, Tyra nodded, obviously pleased and completely missing the devious grin he flashed over her shoulder.

  Not one of us was surprised when Lou spoke for Wren and said, “Four. I like things even. Two boys, two girls.”

  Wren sighed and rubbed his forehead when he should have been rescuing his balls back from her. “Baby, that’s not the way it works.”

  “Well then, we’ll keep having kids until it does,” she stubbornly replied. The startled look on Wren’s face was completely fucking priceless.

  “And you, Jamie?” Four asked me when the laughter died. “How many kids do you want?”

  I was the one who started the fucking discussion, but the question had me digging in my pocket for my second smoke in less than an hour. Even though I’d technically quit, I kept a handful on me at all times. You know…for emergencies. Like women with their tampons. I chuckled to myself. Yeah, that sounds about right, Buchanan.

  “Ten,” I finally answered while lighting up. I was pretty sure that I’d pulled that number out of my ass just because. “Each spaced a year apart. I want them to be close.” It was all I could do not to throw my head back in ecstasy on the first pull. Grinning at my captivated audience, I continued. “Besides, if I give her the chance to snap back, she’ll only worry about messing up her figure. We put in the extra effort, get them out back to back, and in ten years, boom, we’re done.”

  Watching my friends struggle for words was almost as enjoyable as the nicotine flooding my system. My gaze slid to Bee, and I smirked at the defiance in her eyes. Married to my cousin or some other chump, there was no question that she’d be the one flooding the world with mini versions of me. And she fucking knew it, too.

  “Jamie,” Tyra uttered. “It’s not like paying off a mortgage.”

  “Of course not.” I couldn’t stop my grin when I felt Bee’s gaze boring into me. “Making babies is a lot more fun than paying off a mortgage. And in case you haven’t realized, Ty-baby, I’m rich as fuck.”

  Okay, I realized I was beginning to sound like a douchebag, but I couldn’t help myself. Put a big red button in my face, and I’m pushing the motherfucker.

  Ha…maybe that’s why I’m such a great lay.

  Collectively, their sympathetic gazes traveled to Bee—as if they also knew she’d be the one.

  “How do you know the mother of your children will even be skinny?” Lou argued with a tilt of her head. “When you saw a picture of Eliza, you couldn’t stop drooling, and she’d never be caught dead wearing a double zero.”

  I’d been flicking ash on the ground, so my gaze slowly lifted and zeroed in on Bee. Just in case anyone still had their doubts. “Because I know.” Although I’d staked my claim, there was still a part of me resisting the urge to give in. “If Eliza is interested, tell her to give me a call,” I added while holding Bee’s gaze. “A lot of powerful men have outside children.”

  Unable to take the hurt flickering in her eyes, I hopped the rail, and even though it felt like I was running away, I didn’t turn back.

  I walked until I found a lone bench surrounded by tall hedges and a thousand fucking rose bushes. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there with my head hanging between my shoulders before I heard a voice.

  “You sure as shit know how to make an exit,” Vaughn drawled.

  Lifting my head and seeing how close he stood, I realized he’d snuck up on me. A thick cloud of smoke flowed through my nostrils when I sighed. All I’d wanted was some time alone, but with friends like mine, that was too much to fucking ask. Usually, I was the one doing the meddling. Now I understood just how fucking an
noying that must be.

  “Are you seriously over here pouting, man?”

  “It’s called brooding,” I argued. “You wouldn’t know anything about that. You’re not hot enough.”

  “That’s not what your mother said last night.” The moment he popped a squat next to me, I pressed the lit end of my cigarette into the back of his hand. “Fuck!” He yelped like a little bitch. After inspecting the burn mark on his hand he glared at me. “What the fuck, dude? Recognize a joke?”

  Shrugging, I flicked the butt away and immediately reached for another. “Wrong mom to joke about, bro.”

  “Jesus, you’re such a fucking mama’s boy.” I didn’t respond, so he watched me light up with a frown before saying, “I thought you quit?”

  Wordlessly, I unbuttoned my dress shirt enough to rip the damn patch I wore from my chest. I felt like an idiot for even trying. I couldn’t quit smoking any more than I could quit her.

  Fuck it.

  “What the hell is going on with you?” Vaughn prodded.

  “Why do you care?”

  Frankly, I found his nagging ironic since his problems were ten times more fucked up than mine. I guess the quarterback enjoyed throwing stones too.

  “I don’t fucking know… maybe because I’m your best fucking friend? Is that a good enough reason for you, asshole?”

  “A friend would have told me when my cousin started fucking my girlfriend behind my back.”

  If he was surprised by my statement, it didn’t show. It’s been five years, but it still felt like it happened five damn days ago. “And that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you, bro. That was family shit, so I stayed out of it. Besides, I seriously doubt they ever fucked.”

  “Just as I expected… copping out like a pussy.”

  “Okay. What would you have done?”

  “Pray you never have to find out.” This pain was one I wouldn’t wish on anyone, not even my worst enemy. Ironically, she happened to be the girl who caused it all.

  “You have to shake this funk, man. You came back, and you’ve been given a second chance, but instead of making things right with Bee, you’re sulking in some fucking bushes. Yet I’m the pussy?”