Ready or Not (The Love Game Book 4)

by Elizabeth Hayley

  Ready Or Not

  The Love Game: Book Four

  Elizabeth Hayley

  This book is a publication of Waterhouse Press.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

  Copyright © 2021 Waterhouse Press, LLC

  Original Cover Design by Wicked by Design

  Cover Redesign by Waterhouse Press

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic format without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Acknowledgments

  Continue Reading The Love Game Series With

  Also by Elizabeth Hayley

  About Elizabeth Hayley

  To the Fugees,

  because once our editor heard it,

  none of us could un-hear it.

  Chapter One

  T A Y L O R

  “I think he’s seizing.”

  My best friend, Sophia, followed my gaze to the dance floor. To Ransom Holt, more specifically.

  She hummed before saying, “Pretty sure he’s dancing.”

  “His whole body is…vibrating.”

  Her eyebrow quirked. “You know, Taylor, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were just a teensy bit obsessed with how that boy’s body moves.”

  I flashed my eyes to her, my bitch face showing just how unimpressed I was with her comment.

  She merely smirked, the asshole. “Someone’s testy.”

  “I just don’t even get why he’s here,” I muttered.

  Here was Sophia’s boyfriend’s—scratch that—her fiancé’s bar. Well, not Drew’s per se, but the one he’d gotten up and running and continued to manage. It was actually a deck built off an existing bar, but they ran the Yard as a separate entity. And despite it being part of a dive bar, the Yard had a younger, funner vibe going, with backyard games sprinkled around the lawn it overlooked, cozy seating, and friendly staff.

  Sophia looked at me like I was being ridiculous. Spoiler alert: I was. But I couldn’t really help it. Something about Ransom…bothered me.

  “Because he’s friends with Brody,” she said slowly. “And pretty much all of us by this point. Except you,” she added pointedly.

  Brody was Sophia’s brother who seemed to collect strays like he was a septuagenarian living alone in a double-wide. Unfortunately, he was unlikely to experience an SPCA raid anytime soon. He’d brought Ransom around a couple of months ago, and the guy had been a fairly regular fixture in our group since. The others had warmed to him quickly. I hadn’t.

  I wasn’t a big enough douche to try to tell myself that my not getting close to him had anything to do with him. It was all me and my fucked-up emotions. The guy was attractive: tall, athletic, light hair that sparkled against his tan face, and a wide smile that he flashed easily. He was a bit of a goof, but it was actually kind of endearing. There didn’t seem to be any pretense with Ransom. What I saw appeared to be what I’d get with him. But I’d been wrong before. Very wrong. And that was what kept me away.

  “He’s, like, undulating now. Does he think he’s a wave?” I asked rather than acknowledge her comment that I was the only nonmember of the Ransom fan club.

  “Pretty hot wave,” she muttered.

  I scowled at her. “I’m going to tell Drew.”

  She shrugged. “Go ahead. Even he’s said how hot Ransom is.”

  “Hot as in sweaty? Because he’s doing the sprinkler now, so that should probably cool him down.”

  Sophia snorted. “You’re the worst.” She stood up, taking her glass with her. As she shimmied between our stools, she leaned down and whispered, “You’re also not fooling anyone.”

  With that, she walked away to go mingle, her dark, wavy hair brushing across her back as she went. She sidled up next to her fiancé, and he pulled her into his side without even looking over at her, like he instinctively knew she was there.

  I tried to push down the swell of jealousy that rose up by taking a gulp of my 7 & 7. I didn’t begrudge Sophia for her happily ever after. I was so freaking happy that she’d found someone who complemented her so well. But watching her have the dream I’d stupidly convinced myself I’d found almost a year ago only to have reality come calling in a nightmarish fashion made me a little envious too. Not that I’d ever tell her that.

  There was a lot I never intended to tell her, which made me feel like the shittiest best friend in the world, but it was what it was.

  “Hey, you not dancing?”

  I jolted at the sudden intrusion of the deep, out-of-breath voice. Looking over at Ransom’s stupidly handsome face made my hackles rise before I could temper myself.

  “Not sure I’d call what you were doing dancing.”

  His smile only got wider at my bitchy tone. “I’ll have you know I get a lot of compliments on my moves.”

  “From who? Strippers?”

  I was joking, but his face shuttered at my words, his smile disappearing as he stepped back from me. He shrugged. “All kinds of people. See ya.” And then he bolted away from me like his hard, perfectly sculpted ass was on fire.

  As I watched him go, Brody’s girlfriend, Aamee, came and stood next to me. She was in her official the Yard uniform of jean shorts and brightly colored polo, but she’d tied hers so it cinched tightly around her trim waist. The fact that Aamee, Sophia’s ex-nemesis and ex-sorority president, was working as a server in Drew’s bar still blew my mind a bit, but I couldn’t deny she was damn good at it.

  “Wow,” she said. “Even I’ve never gotten a guy to run away from me that fast. Good work.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t even do anything.”

  “Hmm… Must be your complete lack of charm, then.”

  “Don’t you have a drink to serve or a demon to summon or something?”

  She scoffed. “You sound like Sophia.”

  “We are best friends for a reason.”

  “Lack of better prospects, huh?”

  “The summer’s almost over. Aren’t you supposed to move so you can work for your mom and begin your career in nepotism? God, how I’ll miss you.” The sarcasm dripped from my words so heavily I was surprised I wasn’t drooling.

  “Believe me, pet,” she replied as she patted my hand. “The feeling is very mutual.” She smoothed her hand down her shorts. “Okay, I’m bored with talking to you. I only came over here to see if Ransom needed anything, but you sent his hulking six-four frame fleeing in terror before I got the chance.” She gave me a once-over. “It was like watching Chucky kill Rambo.”

  “I think Thor is a more accura
te comparison.”

  She put her elbow on the back of my chair and rested her chin on it, smiling at me. “Oh, is it now? Have a little Chris Hemsworth fetish, do we?”

  “Ugh, what does Brody see in you?”

  Her smile grew even more gleeful. “I honestly have no idea.”

  We laughed together for a second before she asked me if I needed anything. When I said no, she left, but not before telling me to stop sitting alone. It evidently made me look like a spinster.

  I spun around a bit so I could survey the bar. Sophia was still chatting with Drew and whoever they were talking to, Aamee had gone over to flirt with Brody as he cleared tables, Xander—another member of our weird little group—was pumping out drinks like he was attempting to medal in bartending, and Ransom was…watching me.

  His eyes narrowed slightly, and I immediately tensed, his dark look making my breathing quicken, and not in a good way. But I couldn’t look away because fuck that scowl. Who did he even think he was?

  I was so busy returning his glare, I didn’t register the man who’d sidled up beside me until he brushed against me on his way to the open seat at the high top I’d commandeered when I’d arrived. I jolted like a lunatic, my attention dropping from Ransom immediately and focusing instead on the smiling man who was sitting so close to me his knees touched mine. I scooted back as he extended a hand toward me.

  “Hi. I’m Roger.”

  I stared at his hand like he’d just tried to hand me a viper. While I’d been caught off-guard by Ransom’s stare, this guy’s infiltration of my space was making me squirrelly.

  At my silence, his smile dimmed, and he dropped his hand. Onto my knee. And fucking squeezed.

  “Shy, huh? That’s okay. I like ’em that way.” He winked, not bothering to remove his hand.

  And I…sat there, gaping like a fucking fish. I willed the Taylor who’d inhabited my body twelve months prior to show up and rip this man’s testicles from his body, but she was nowhere to be found.

  Come on, girl. Get it together. I was nearly through with my mental pep talk, and totally on my way to verbally eviscerating this smarmy interloper when a deep voice spoke.

  “Hey, there. I’m Ransom.” Ransom stuck his hand out, which required Roger to let go of me in order to shake it.

  “Hi. Roger.”

  “Nice to meet you, Roger. You mind telling me why the fuck you have your hand on my girlfriend’s leg?”

  Roger blanched as Ransom closed in on him a bit, making sure to loom over the other man.

  My eyes widened, and my mouth might have dropped open a little. Ransom in his full alpha-male glory was a sight to behold. Most of the time, his slight awkwardness and goofiness made him seem harmless. But I had a feeling I was seeing the Ransom who used to run people over on the football field.

  Yes, I’d watched clips of him on YouTube. Sue me.

  “I, uh, I didn’t, I mean… She never said—”

  “I think it’s time for you to go, Rog,” Ransom said as he picked Roger up by the scruff of his shirt and pushed him away from my table.

  Roger stumbled a bit, but when he regained his footing, he whirled around on Ransom. “What the fuck, man? You can’t touch me. Do you even know who I am?”

  “You’re Roger.”

  “Yeah,” Roger, who was becoming an alarming shade of red, replied as if it meant something.

  “Glad we cleared that up,” said Ransom. “Hit the road.”

  “I, you, this…” Roger spluttered.

  “I think he’s going to stroke out,” I whispered to Ransom.

  “One could only hope.”

  “What’s going on over here?” Drew’s voice boomed across the space as he positioned himself in front of me and beside Ransom.

  Brody was there a split second later, flanking Ransom’s other side. Aamee and Sophia slid in behind the boys, our whole crazy little crew shifting into pack mentality.

  Roger evidently missed the clear show of solidarity. “This douchebag put his hands on me and told me to leave.”

  Drew turned to Ransom. “You did?”

  Ransom pushed his hands into his pockets. The move looked too casual, as if Ransom wanted to appear more confident than he felt. “Yeah.”

  “Okay.” Drew turned back to Roger. “It’s time for you to leave, then.”

  Oh boy. The red rooster named Roger looked like he was about to blow like an atomic bomb. “You’ve got to be kidding me. This roided-out freak can’t tell me what to do.”

  “No?” Ransom asked as he took a step forward, causing Roger to leap back. The moment could’ve only been made better if Roger had shrieked.

  “See?” Roger yelled. “He can’t threaten me like that.”

  Brody stepped forward. “You’re right, sir.”

  Straightening out his shirt, Roger calmed a little at Brody’s words. “Damn right I am.”

  Moving to Roger’s side, Brody put an arm around him and turned him around. “It’s of the utmost importance to us that our customers feel safe.”

  “Finally, someone with some sense,” Roger said, clearly not realizing Brody was slowly walking him away from us.

  “Yes, I do have a lot of sense. Thank you for noticing.” Brody looked back at us over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out.

  Fucking Brody.

  “And you know where I think you’d be safest?” Brody asked in a concerned voice.

  Roger looked at him like Brody was about to tuck him into bed and tell him a bedtime story.

  Brody dropped his arm from Roger’s shoulders. “In your car. Driving away from here.” Sophia’s brother’s voice was icy now, and the look on his face brooked no argument. Brody might have been a man-child, but he could sure dial up the mad face when he needed it. “Enjoy your night.”

  Roger spluttered and looked around, seemingly just then realizing Brody had walked him to the stairs that would take him to the parking lot.

  “I’ll ruin you for this!” Roger shouted.

  “Wow, what an original threat,” Drew deadpanned.

  We all laughed, now able to find the threat of his deck being shut down funny, even though it hadn’t been a few weeks ago when the jerk at the marketing firm Sophia was interning at gave the name the Yard to a famous client, making us all worry Drew would face repercussions for operating with the same name.

  Roger lobbed a few more threats around, but I tuned him out, instead focusing on the group that had rallied around me and stood up for me without even needing any details. This was what I needed in my life. And it was exactly what I didn’t have back at school. The thought made dread lodge in my sternum.

  Everyone had moved a little closer to where Roger was standing except Ransom. He still stood directly beside me, glaring at Roger with eyes as sharp as lasers.

  “Girlfriend, huh?” I said quietly so only he would hear.

  “Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I just said whatever came to mind.”

  I smiled at him. “Thanks. I’m glad you noticed I wanted him gone.”

  He rubbed a hand over the back of his sand-colored hair. He kept his hair a bit on the long side, and the strands swayed with the movement. “Oh, uh, I didn’t really notice that to be honest. I just saw the way he was looking at you before he came over. When he was standing behind you.”

  Ah, so it hadn’t been me Ransom was scowling at. “Well, either way. I’m glad you were here.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He gave me a small smile before he began to shuffle away.

  I reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked back at me questioningly.

  “I’m sorry. For whatever I said earlier that upset you.” And I was. I’d been sorry the instant I’d seen his smile disappear, even if the way it made me feel was unwelcome. Well, maybe the feeling wasn’t unwelcome, but the desire to act on it was. Whatever. Semantics could suck a nut.

  “You didn’t upset me. No worries.” Ransom then turned and walked away quickly, leaving me to stare after him, wishing he hadn’t just shown hi
mself to be a liar.

  “Well, that was dramatic,” Sophia exclaimed when she reached me. “What the hell happened?”

  I pulled my eyes off Ransom and looked at all the expectant faces looking at me. Even Xander had joined us. Of course they were all curious, but they looked concerned too.

  And that was when I knew.

  Zeroing in on Sophia, I said, “I can’t go back to school. I can’t go back to that campus.” Emotions made my sinuses burn, and I felt my eyes fill.

  Sophia, always knowing what I needed, drew me into a big hug. “Okay, Tay. We’ll figure it out.”

  “My dad is going to lose his shit.”

  She rubbed soothing circles on my back, and I gave in to it, allowing myself to be reassured by the person who knew me and my relationship with my family better than anyone else in the world.

  “Nah,” she said. “He’ll understand.”

  “I don’t understand.” My father looked at me like I’d just asked him to solve advanced calculus.

  My dad and stepmom had been trying to get me to come home for a family dinner since summer break had started, but I’d used every excuse in the book to avoid it. So when I called yesterday and said I wanted to come home for a meal, one would’ve thought he’d have figured out something was up. But the man looked positively gobsmacked.

  It had been a week since the incident at the bar, and Sophia and I had spent all our free time putting things in motion for me to complete my final semester of college online so I could stay close to my friends, all of whom had become my support network. We’d also discussed how this conversation with my dad was going to go.