Fair Game (The Rules #1)

by Monica Murphy

  I shrug, mortified. “Beyond my mom? Who has to think I’m beautiful since she created me?”

  He looks shocked. “What about Noel?”

  Of course, he can’t get his name right. “You mean Joel? What about him?” Why are we talking about my ex on this so-called date?

  “He never told you that you’re beautiful?” Now he sounds disgusted.

  “No.” I want to shrink into the smallest ball possible and disappear. I keep my gaze fixed on the menu in front of me but the words are blurry. And I can feel him watching me, examining me bit by bit, feature by feature. What does he see? Or more important, does he like what he sees?

  I’m almost scared to know the answer.

  “Can I take your drink order?”

  I almost faint with relief. Saved by our server. She reminds me of my grandma, with short graying hair and glasses, a friendly smile plastered on her face. “Just water please,” I say.

  “Hey Barb, can I ask you a question?”

  Oh, no. He knows our waitress by name? What in the world is he going to ask her? I stiffen my shoulders, bracing myself for what he’s about to say.

  “Hit me with it, sugar.” Barb sounds amused but I can’t even look at her. Or him.

  “Do you think my date is beautiful?”

  “Oh my God,” I groan under my breath, holding the menu in front of my face.

  “I love her hair,” Barb says sincerely. “Though I can’t see the rest of her, what with that menu hiding her face.”

  “Come on, Jade. Don’t be shy,” Shep encourages.

  I drop the menu onto the table, where it falls with a loud clatter, and I glare at him, wishing I could silence him with my eyes.

  But it doesn’t work. He just grins at me, then looks up at Barb. “Even when she’s mad, she’s gorgeous.”

  “Very pretty,” Barb agrees with a nod of approval. “Considering you don’t bring girls around here ever, I can finally say you have most excellent taste. Not that I’m surprised.”

  Wait a minute. He doesn’t bring girls around here? Ever? I don’t understand.

  “Thanks, Barb. And I’ll have a beer. You know what I like.”

  She smiles and with a promise to be right back, scoots off. I watch her go, turning over what she said again and again. He doesn’t bring girls to this restaurant, yet he’s a frequent visitor since he knows the waitress. And she knows what type of beer he likes.

  What in the world is going on?

  “I always come here for lunch, usually with Gabe or my cousin Tristan,” Shep explains, like he can read my mind. “Barb owns the restaurant with her husband Jim.”

  “Oh.” I nod and reopen my menu, deciding I need to get the shrimp basket and just be done with it. So it’s fried shrimp with fries. So it’ll be packed with a bazillion calories. So what. I’ll make Kelli go running with me tomorrow morning to make up for my pig out.

  “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” He sounds sincere. I don’t know why he’s acting like this. Being so…

  Nice.

  That night when he caught me signaling to Joel, he’d been such a jerk. I gave him reason to be angry, I won’t deny that, but he’d been so smug, so rude. I could handle him then. Last night and earlier this afternoon too.

  But now? With him offering up compliments and behaving like a gentleman? He’s throwing me off.

  “Um, it’s okay.” I lift my head but thankfully this time he’s not looking at me. Which allows me to blatantly check him out. His head is bent, his golden brown hair falling over his forehead, his eyes cast down and I see that even his eyelashes are tipped with gold. Everything about him is gold, gold, gold. He’s gorgeous and rich and the epitome of the perfect golden boy and what the hell is he doing here with me when I am the farthest thing from perfect or golden.

  “I can feel you staring at me,” he says, his head still bent but I see the smile stretch across his face. Makes me want to throw my menu at him.

  Okay, fine. Not really.

  “I’m mad at you,” I tell him.

  He lifts his head, the smile fading. “Why?”

  “Because you embarrassed me.”

  “I was only speaking the truth. You’re going to have to get used to people telling you that you’re beautiful,” he says.

  Like that’s going to happen all the time. I am nothing special. “I don’t even know if I can take what you say seriously. Everything’s like a big joke to you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You always look like you’re ready to burst out laughing. Your life is so easy. Nothing bothers you. It must be nice.”

  His eyes flicker with some unrecognizable emotion. Could that have possibly been…hurt? Anger? “You have no idea what you’re talking about. My life is the farthest thing from easy.”

  My mouth goes dry and I return my focus to the menu even though I already know what I want. I feel like a jerk. He’s been nothing but nice to me tonight and I’ve been nothing but a jerk to him. I’ve probably blown my chance at another date with Shep, even though that was already blown the moment I agreed to go out with him.

  He must hate me.

  Why’d I have to get all serious on her? I’m annoying the shit out of myself, let alone Jade.

  But she doesn’t know who I am or what my life is like. I get tired of everyone thinking I have it easy. I don’t. Dad is an asshole, Mom medicates herself to function and my sisters got their asses out of the house as fast as they could. I have no plans on going back either. I chose this college for a reason—it’s on the complete opposite coast of where my parents live.

  Barb shows up and takes our order, shrimp baskets for the both of us. The moment she leaves Jade blurts out, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—upset you.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” I wave a hand, dismissing my mood, her words, all of it. “I don’t want to talk about me. Let’s talk about you.”

  Her expression goes from contrite to uneasy. “There’s not much to tell.”

  “I barely know you. There’s plenty to tell. Where are you from?”

  “A small town about two hours north of here.” She shrugs, drawing my attention to her chest. If I could will her to take off her sweater with my mind, I’d be working it hard right about now. “I lived there all my life. It’s very boring.”

  “This town isn’t much better.” Santa Augustina isn’t awful but it’s a small, typical coastal college city.

  “More exciting than where I grew up, trust me.” She flashes me a small smile, then turns it on Barb when she shows up to deliver our drinks. “I haven’t lived all over the world like some people sitting at this table,” she says pointedly after she takes a sip of her drink.

  My gaze is now locked on her lips. Those fantasy-inducing, bee-stung lips that look damn good wrapped around a straw and would look even better wrapped around my…

  “You have any brothers or sisters?” she asks, her sweet voice breaking through my dirty thoughts.

  “Two older sisters,” I answer before I grab my beer and down half of it in a few swallows. I need to get my shit together and stop acting like a leering jackass. Considering Jade’s strung pretty tight, I don’t want to piss her off.

  “So you’re the baby of the family.”

  I smile. “The prodigal son.” With all the expectations and bullshit that comes with it.

  “Did your sisters dote on you?”

  “If by doting on me you mean did they paint my fingernails and toenails and put makeup on my face, all while having me model their clothes? Yes, they totally doted on me.” They were mean even when they were young. Not that I was much better. I was a holy terror—direct quote from Mom.

  “Aw.” She smiles and it’s genuine. I can tell because it lights up her face and steals my breath so all I can do is stare at her. “I bet you were an adorable girl.”

  “Gorgeous,” I agree, never missing a beat. “I missed my calling. Maybe I should’ve become a drag queen.”

  “Then
you could share shoes and clothes with your girlfriends,” she jokes, that smile still in place.

  “I don’t have girlfriends, remember?” The smile fades and I feel like an ass. Way to remind her I’m nothing but a player who only hooks up.

  “Then you could share clothes and shoes with your sisters,” she suggests with a little shrug. “Makeup tips. Braid each other’s hair.”

  “No braids. Only wigs will do. Those giant ones, made with the finest hair you can buy,” I correct, making her lips curl. Now I’m determined to make that smile reappear. “I’m sort of tall for a woman so I’d want to stand out, you know? Add a few inches with a wig. And heels.”

  “Four inches?” she asks, raising one delicate, perfectly arched, perfectly red eyebrow. I have never had a thing for redheads before. I don’t know if I’ve even hooked up with one before…have I?

  I don’t think so. What a prejudiced bastard I am, discriminating against redheads. Might make my hooking up with Jade that much sweeter.

  Because I will hook up with her. Get her naked. Get her beneath me. However you want to say it, it’s going to happen. By the end of tonight, preferably.

  “Is that as high as they go? Maybe five inches? With platforms or whatever?” I ask.

  The smile is back. Subdued but there, lighting her eyes, lighting up her entire face. “You sound like you have more knowledge about women’s fashion than you should admit.”

  Leaning across the table, I lower my voice, “There are things you don’t know about me, Jade.”

  Her eyes widen the slightest bit. “Like what?”

  “Like I’m a kinky bastard who enjoys wearing women’s panties in my spare time.” The horrified shock that washes over her face makes me burst out laughing. “Kidding. I swear.”

  She slowly shakes her head, her smile turning into a smirk. “Very funny.”

  “It was pretty funny, the look on your face,” I agree.

  “You’re just proving my point.” She takes another sip of her water and I die a little inside. Fuck, her mouth. It should be outlawed. “Everything’s a big joke. Ha ha, so funny. Har har.”

  “Better to laugh than be sad all the time?” I ease back against my chair, trying my best to hide the smile that wants to happen but failing. “And did you just har har me?”

  Her cheeks turn crimson. I love that I can make her blush. I love her pale skin, something I never found attractive before. I’m struck again with the question—just how many freckles does this girl have? Will she let me spend enough time counting each one?

  The thought of her naked and sprawled across my bed as I meticulously count every tiny freckle on her body is exceptionally appealing.

  “You’re a pain in the ass,” she mutters, making me laugh.

  Oh, yeah. I like this girl. A lot.

  “Har har,” I tell her and she looks ready to throw her glass of water on my face. Thank God Barb shows up at that precise moment with our dinner.

  “Listen, I don’t know why you’re putting me through all of this torture, but I’m done,” Jade hisses at me the moment Barb is gone. “We’ll eat dinner, you’ll take me back to my dorm, and that’s it. The date is finished. We’re finished.”

  I raise a brow. No girl has uttered those words to me before. Ever. I sound like an asshole even in my own head but it’s the truth. I never give them time to want to be finished with me. “You don’t mean it,” I drawl, my stomach growling. The shrimp and fries smell fucking delicious and I’m starved.

  “I definitely mean it. This has been a joke to you from the start. Winning me in a hand of poker. Give me a break,” she mumbles just as she plucks a giant shrimp from her basket and sinks her teeth into it. The sound of pleasure she gives at first taste has my cock twitching.

  Damn it.

  “This is good,” she says once she swallows. Her eyes are wide, her expression a little dazed, like she’s shocked I’d take her to a place that serves, you know, delicious food.

  Her expectations of me seem incredibly low. But I’m thankful for the distraction. At least she’s not griping at me about what a shit I am anymore.

  “You sound surprised.” I give in and start eating, thankful for that first awesome bite. I haven’t been here in a while and I always wonder why I don’t come more often.

  “Well, look at this place. It’s kind of run down.” She glances around and so do I. She’s right. The interior isn’t the most impressive but the restaurant has been around for ages and we’re right by the ocean. The food and the view are what make this place.

  That and the fact it’s far away from campus so I’m ensured we won’t run into anyone we know. Or I might know, like some girl from my past.

  Talk about a mood killer.

  “Usually the worst looking places serve the best food,” I tell her because it’s true. I learned that a long time ago, traveling as much as I did growing up. The hole in the wall is where all the locals eat. It’s practically law.

  “You’re right,” she says as she grabs another shrimp and holds it aloft. “Looks can be deceiving.”

  “Definitely,” I agree, never letting my gaze stray from her face. I wonder if she’s referring to me. I can only hope she’s referring to me. She thinks I’m one thing but fuck.

  I’m tempted to prove to her that I’m another.

  The second we leave the restaurant my phone dings, indicating I have a text from Gabe.

  It’s out of control here dude.

  I type out a quick reply.

  I could give two shits. Handle it yourself. I’m on a date.

  My phone immediately rings, earning me a dirty look from Jade.

  “Please don’t tell me it’s one of your skanks,” she says.

  “It’s Gabe,” I tell her before I answer the phone. “What the hell do you want?”

  “A date?” Gabe asks incredulously. “Give me a break, fucker. Who you banging now?”

  “Get a life, asshole.” I’m about to hang up but I hear Gabe yelling at me not to. “What?”

  “I was serious when I said it was out of control here. Some dude is losing his ass at the blackjack table and he’s about to come unhinged.”

  “Kick him out then,” I suggest, already bored. We’ve had guys lose their shit before when playing our tables. Some don’t know when to stop. Some are up so high with a fat stack of chips in front of them and then they lose everything, which in turn, enrages them. We’ve had to deal with drunken assholes, fights, accusations of theft, and we’ve always been able to bring everything under control.

  More like I’ve always been able to bring everything under control. Gabe is useless. He’d rather charm everyone rather than deal with angry people. Tristan isn’t much better.

  “He won’t go. He’s drunk as hell and literally gripping the edge of the table like his life is depending on it. Making all the other players nervous, including our dealer.” Gabe pauses and I hear a guttural roar in the background, like something you’d hear in the jungle. “Did I mention he’s about six-foot-five and easily three hundred pounds?”

  Exhaling loudly, I let a string of curse words fly, earning a weird glance from Jade. We’re standing beside the front of my car and she’s watching me with curiosity in her eyes. “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” I say before I end the call. Freaking Gabe can’t handle the tough shit on his own. He always leaves it up to me.

  “You need to be somewhere?” Jade asks hopefully.

  I head over to the passenger side and open the door for her. She gives me an odd look, pausing before she slides inside the car. “Yeah. And you’re coming with me.”

  “Oh, no I’m not.” She starts to protest, her mouth opening to spew out something else negative but I shake my head, cutting her off. Then I gently shove her shoulder, pushing her into the car so she has no choice but to land in the passenger seat with a plop. She glares up at me, her green eyes shooting daggers, her pale legs at an awkward angle that draw my attention because she has a great pair of legs, damn it.
But I don’t say a word. Just slam the door shut and round the back of the car, opening my door and getting in so I can get the hell out of there.

  “You’re taking me back to my dorm,” she says as I start the car. “Right?”

  “No.” I press my foot against the gas, making the engine rev. It sounds good. Fucking great. I love this car. It’s fast as fuck and I need that right now because my plan is to go to the house, help drag that gorilla drunk away from the blackjack table and then return my attention to Jade. Fuck this fucking problem and Gabe taking me away from her. Jesus. So much hate for my life right now.

  “What do you mean, no?” She sounds furious, which somehow turns me on. I’m fucked. Hearing the anger in her voice actually arouses me and I have no idea why. Angry chicks usually piss me off. Or I walk away from them, not wanting to deal with the drama.

  With Jade, every time she gets angry at me—pretty much every time we’re together she’s angry, I can’t lie—all I can imagine is if she’s that passionate when she’s mad? Imagine what she’d be like in bed.

  Or on a couch.

  Against a wall.

  In the shower.

  On the floor.

  In the backseat of my car.

  Clearly, she distracts the shit out of me.

  “I mean, this date isn’t over,” I tell her as I throw the car into reverse and wrap my arm around the back of her seat, glancing over my shoulder so I can back out. My fingers dangle treacherously close to her shoulder and I’m tempted to touch her. Just a casual brush of fingers, nothing major.

  But I’m nervous that once I touch her, I won’t be able to stop. More like I won’t want to stop.

  “You took me to dinner. Isn’t that enough?” She crosses her arms in front of her chest, plumping up her breasts and I sneak a glance at them, only to immediately regret it because damn, her cleavage. The girl’s body is bangin’.

  “No, it’s not enough.” I keep my gaze focused on the road in front of me, speeding but not too much over the limit. “I just need to make a quick stop. It won’t take long.” Better not take long. I have way more important things to do.