Play Hard (The Devil's Share Book 5)

by Maxa,L. P.

  Ugh. “I will fib about that one little thing. That’s it or no deal.”

  He smiled, that cocky one that I loved when I really should have despised it. “Deal. My beautiful non-girlfriend girlfriend.”

  He turned me on, and he made me laugh. Being here, being with him like this, I was going to fall for this stupid gorgeous man. And he was going to break my heart. Clearly he wasn’t over Lexi. If I was anything to him, I’d only be a rebound. This wasn’t going to end well.

  And I had no one to blame but myself.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lexi

  My mind was working overtime as I walked down the carpeted hall and boarded the elevator. I was shocked as hell to see a chick in Luke’s room. Every fiber of my being told me he’d lied to me on the phone. He’d scrambled to make it sound real, he’d tripped over his words, and that was something Luke rarely ever did. But still, his whole body responded to her, to Harlow; his face lit up when she’d wrapped an arm around his waist. I hadn’t seen him act that way, have that reaction to another girl, ever.

  Well, not including me.

  She was stunning, I’d give him that. She was blonde like Luke, and she had a banging body—on the shorter side, but taller than me and thin. She looked young, and she looked happy. Light just seemed to radiate from her. I’d met her for all of three minutes and I already knew she was exactly what Luke needed. And I’d do whatever it took to make him see it too. I used my key card to enter our suite.

  “Hey, Kitten,” Dash called. “Did you see Luke? How did he look?”

  I smiled as I joined him and Halen on the makeshift pallet he’d made on the floor so she could play. “He looked cheerful. And tan.” I tickled Halen’s rounded tummy and kissed Dash on the mouth. “I met his ‘girlfriend’ and they are going to meet us for lunch.”

  He grinned. “Still think he’s lying about their relationship?” I’d told Dash about my phone call with Luke. Ever since our daughter was born, Dash had been much more understanding and accepting of my bond with my best friend. Which made it much easier to share that part of my life with him, to be honest about all my feelings. Even the ones about Luke.

  I snorted. “Without a doubt.” I shrugged and let out a sigh. “At least about some of it. But she’s beautiful, babe. She’s happy and light and smiles. She’s just what he needs.”

  Dash shook his head, the ghost of a smile on his face. “There isn’t any way I’m going to be able to convince you to stay out of it, is there?”

  “What do you think?”

  He picked up Halen and held her over his head, making airplane noises like a boss. “I think you should let Luke run his own life. I think you should let him make his own choices. If he and this girl are supposed to be, they will. Without your help.”

  I lay down next to him, smiling at our daughter. “It was a rhetorical question, babe.”

  “I know it was, Kitten.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Luke

  Harlow was my hero. When I asked her once again to help me out last night, I was sure I’d find her gone when I woke up in the morning. But not only had she stuck around, she’d rescued me from a week in hell. I knew the second I opened the door and saw Lexi standing there that I wouldn’t survive this promo tour on my own. I was immediately heartbroken, all over again. This beautiful girl who I had wanted, had loved for all of my adult life and would never be mine. And there wasn’t anything I could do about it. There was nothing I should do about it either. Dash loved Lexi with everything inside him. He treated her like she was the most important thing in the world. He was an amazing father to Halen. I’d lost her to a good guy, a guy worthy of her. A long time ago, that had been my only wish.

  “Hey, Lukey. I didn’t know you were coming to visit us this weekend. What a great surprise.”

  I inhaled deeply when Lexi threw her arms around my neck. I had it bad for this chick. “Yeah, I had some news I wanted to share in person.” I took a step back and set my bags on the ground.

  “Well, Ams isn’t here, I was actually on my way to go meet up with her and Patrick. Why don’t you come with? I know the bartender, I’ll get your under aged ass a drink.” She grabbed my hand in hers and led me out of the apartment.

  We walked a few blocks, talking and laughing about nothing important. I wanted to tell her my news when my sister could hear it too. We stopped in front of a place called Crown and Anchor. Everyone greeted Lexi as we walked to a table in the back. She smiled and handed out hugs. She never seemed to meet a stranger.

  When my sister saw me, she jumped up and pulled me into her arms. “Lukey! What are you doing here?”

  “Well, I had some news I wanted to share with—”

  “Hey, baby. Where the hell have you been?”

  I turned and watched in horror as some polo-wearing ’roid-raged jerk grabbed Lexi by the arm and hauled her over to him. I took a step in their direction to intervene, but Lexi just rolled her eyes and pushed him away. “I told you I was going to be a little late.” She sat down and then patted the chair next to her. “Come on, Luke, sit by me.”

  I sat down and couldn’t help but grin when the big meathead had to sit across the table. I didn’t know she was dating someone. And that guy seemed like an asshole.

  “So tell us your news.” Amy leaned forward, a big smile on her face.

  “We’re going on tour. We have three months full of gigs, from here to Oklahoma.” Amy clapped her hands and Lex smacked a kiss on my cheek. I couldn’t help but get excited all over again. Their reactions were perfect. I took a deep breath, gathering strength, then turned to the girl of my dreams sitting next to me. The real reason I’d come to Austin. “What do you think, Lex? Wanna come with?”

  Her face lit up, and she didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

  Jock ass across the table snorted. “You’re not spending the summer on tour with some band, Alexis.”

  I opened my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but Lexi beat me to it. “Yes I am. And if you keep talking to me like that, you’ll be spending a lot of time with your hand before I leave.”

  He got up and went to the bar without another word. I turned to her. “Are you dating him?”

  She shrugged. “It’s nothing serious, we’re hanging out.”

  “He’s a dick.”

  She nodded. “I know, right?”

  “Why are you with him?”

  She smiled at me, this little mischievous smile. “Who cares? We’re going on tour.”

  Lexi and Amy started talking about the tour and what film and cameras Lexi would need to pack. I drowned them out while I studied the guy at the bar. If Lexi was ever mine, I’d treat her like a queen. I’d never talk to her like that. And if she wasn’t ever mine? I just prayed that she wouldn’t end up with a guy like that. He didn’t deserve her. That was the mark of true love, right? I wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn’t with me.

  I opened the door to Harlow’s room and was assaulted with her floral scent. I grabbed all her matching suitcases and her hanging clothes. Harlow was a badass. She really was. She was funny, and odd, and sexy as fuck. I knew we’d have a great time together over the next week. But I also knew I had to let her leave. I was no good for her.

  Like she said, she’d been disappointed enough by men. Until I could put my heart back together, I was no good for anyone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Harlow

  “Thanks for getting all my stuff.” When Luke walked in, I got out of bed. For the second time that morning. These hotel beds were the bomb. There was just something enticing about a bed you didn’t ever have to make.

  “Thanks for rescuing me.” He sat everything down out of the way and then hung my clothes up next to his. I followed his movements, chuckling to myself when I saw that our clothes blended together. You couldn’t tell where his stopped and mine started. Both of us had an affinity for black, white, and plaid. “You are an angel.”

  I sighed. “No. I am an enabler.” I grabbed my
bathroom bag and went to tame my hair into something less obnoxious. “But there is nothing sadder than a hot guy who loses his swagger.”

  He frowned. “I didn’t lose my swagger.”

  I made an are-you-kidding-me face. “All swag drained from your body the second you opened that door. It was pathetic. And I meant what I said, if I see it happen again, deal’s off.” It was much easier to tell him, and myself, that was why I’d done what I did. I refused to look any closer, dig any deeper into my actions. I’d known the dude for a matter of hours, there was no way I was falling for him. Love like that didn’t exist. Now, lust on the other hand…that was a different story.

  His face paled.

  “I will stand by you, I’ll hang out. I’ll flirt. But I will not watch you lose who you are every time Lexi walks into a room. It’s annoying and I have better things to do. Am I clear?” I was being harsh; I knew I was. But fuck that noise. I refused to spend the next week watching the guy I was (maybe) accidentally lusting on (it’s like crushing on but less lame) act like a sad puppy dog.

  He hung his head. “I’ll try. I promise. For you I’ll try.”

  I popped him on the ass with the brush in my hand. “Don’t do it for me, Luke. Do it for you.” I was going to whip some sense into this man whether he liked it or not.

  ***

  Luke and I were walking hand in hand in the direction of the restaurant Lexi had texted him. It was only a few blocks from the hotel and Luke and I needed some time to get our backstory straight. The key to a good tall tale was preparation. Unless of course you were me, because I was a natural. You’d think I would be nervous about meeting the most important people in his life, but this being a fake arrangement really took the edge off.

  “Okay, so you’re on drums and Dash is the singer. Tell me about the other ‘members.’” Now I was doing the air quotes because it was cracking me up.

  He squeezed my hand when I wouldn’t stop giggling at my own joke. “Smith is bass, his girlfriend’s name is Dylan. Dylan is a physician’s assistant and that’s how we met her. She went on tour to keep an eye on Lexi and the baby.”

  I stopped and bent down to pick up a pretty yellow flower growing through a crack in the sidewalk. “Smith loves Dylan and Dylan is the smartest person in your group. Got it.” I reached up and put the flower behind his ear.

  “Jacks is lead guitar, he has a nine-year-old daughter he just found out about over the summer. Her name is Landry and he is raising her with his girlfriend, Bryan. Bryan just graduated from college and is one of Dylan’s younger sisters.”

  When I noticed the two young girls we were about to walk past checking Luke out, I lifted his gray t-shirt to show off his washboard abs. He swatted my hands away. “Okay, Jacks loves Bryan and they love Landry.” We passed the girls and I grabbed his blue-jean-clad ass because I knew they were still looking. “Dash is with Lexi, they have Halen. You have an older sister named Amy. And I’m a beautiful fairy.”

  He let go of my hand and threw his arm around my neck. “I can’t thank you enough for saving me like you did.” He brought me closer and kissed my temple. “That’s the place we’re meeting them, quick tell me some rapid-fire facts about you.”

  “Well, aside from all the lovely things you pointed out last night…I live in Miami, that’s where we moved after my mom and dad split. I was fourteen at the time. My mom’s house is ten minutes from mine and she is way too involved in my life. I’m an only child. I love classic rock. And I’m obsessed with chocolate chip cookies.”

  We came to a stop in front of a giant red door. He took the flower out of his hair, turned toward me, and put it in mine. “You ready?”

  “Kiss me.” I could see the question mixed with the sudden lust in his eyes. I did my best to talk without moving my lips. Just in case one of them had a hidden lip-reading talent. “Your friends are all watching us through the window.” This wasn’t fake girlfriend behavior. It was a friend helping another sexy-as-sin friend.

  He gave me that cocky smirk and pulled me against his body by my hips, kissing me deeply. “I think kissing you is my favorite thing to do in Nashville, Pix.”

  It was my favorite thing to do too.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lexi

  I watched Luke and Harlow through the window, a smile tugging on my lips. Dash leaned over, his cheek next to mine, trying to get a better look. “Doesn’t seem fake to me.”

  I turned to face him, placing a peck on his lips. “That is because you are a good and kind and wonderful man. With not one deceptive bone in your body.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You forgot sexy and virile.”

  I placed my hand really close to his dick. “You are the sexiest man in this room, in any room.” I put my mouth right next to his ear. “And as soon as this little girl goes down for a nap, I’ll let you prove the virile point. Over and over and over and—”

  “Enough, Kitten.” He grinned. “You’re going to make me come in my jeans. Again.”

  I laughed. “Hey, the airplane was all on you, babe.” I took Halen from B when she handed her over. “You worked yourself up.” I loved the man sitting next to me. I loved him with everything inside me. I’d do anything to make him happy. Anything. As proven by the fact that I had yet to get on birth control. But even as I played and flirted with him, my eyes were still drifting to the window on their own accord. I watched Luke and Harlow. I recorded their every move. They were into each other, that much was clear. You couldn’t fake the emotion in that kiss. Pure lust.

  Dylan followed my gaze. “Seems brand-new to me. He’s basically trying to crawl inside her mouth. He hasn’t banged her yet.”

  I turned to my friend, a chick who had morphed into my sister over the last year. Tears sprang to my eyes. “Dilly, I couldn’t be more proud of you right now if you had won a Nobel Peace Prize.” I wiped at my eyes. “And on top of all that, you said banged.”

  Dylan let out a sad sigh. “I really need to widen my circle of friends.”

  I grinned, quoting one of our favorite movies. “You know I love you more than my luggage.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Luke

  I grasped Lo’s hand tightly, letting her anchor me to my sanity as I walked into a restaurant filled with my closest friends. My closest friends who I hadn’t laid eyes on in over three months. Everyone got up. There were lots of hugs and kisses and introductions all around. When all the we-missed-yous and nice-to-meet-yous were handed out, we all sat down to order. Landry was on my right, Lo was on my left, and Lexi was directly across from me. Currently, all the most important females in my life.

  Lexi handed Halen over to Dylan who handed her to Smith. He smiled at her like she was the sun, moon, and stars. Looked like Smith was ready for a kid. Never thought I’d see the day. Once the baby was happily settled in Smith’s lap, Lexi turned her attention to us. “So, Harlow, how did you and Luke meet? He never tells us anything. Well, he never tells us anything lately because he’s been hiding in Costa Rica for the last three months and didn’t bother to call.”

  I put my hand on her thigh under the table, two seconds away from another panic attack. Why didn’t we think to cover this on the walk over here? We hadn’t discussed a meet cute. Why the fuck did I know what a meet cute was? I silently cursed my sister. Would Lo go along with it? Or would this veer too far into “fake girlfriend” material?

  Lo looked over at Lexi, glowing smile in place. “It’s partly my fault he hasn’t called, I’m sure. I’ve kept him…occupied since we met.” Then she looked over at me. “Surfing. We met surfing. I’d been watching him surf earlier in the day and I knew I was much better than he was.” She reached up and put her hand on the back of my neck for effect. “There was this monster wave brewing and I knew it’d be wasted on him. So I cut in line and stole his wave.”

  No one said anything, they were all just staring at us. Did they not buy it? Did Lo surf? Was she laying it on too thick? That was piss-poor preparation on my par
t. But I did love the fact that she’d stuck up for me with Lexi, sending her hiding comment back.

  Finally Bryan leaned forward. “And then what?”

  Lo let out a little laugh. “He followed me back to this bar on the beach everyone hung out in and accused me of stealing his wave—”

  “Which you did.”

  She grinned when I joined in on the story. “I calmly told him that he wasn’t the best surfer and that wave would have destroyed him—”

  “And then I asked her for private lessons and the rest is history.”

  Jacks leaned across the table, looking past B with his fist out. “Private lessons. Nice.”

  I rolled my eyes, but bumped him anyway.

  Landry piped in. “I want to learn to surf.”

  I chuckled then reached over and tapped her nose. “You want to learn to do everything.” She giggled and rested her head against my arm.

  “Landry, your Uncle Luke talked about you all the time.” I gave Lo’s thigh another squeeze and kissed her temple. It was obvious to her how close Landry and I were, and the fact that Lo was making her feel included in a lie she never wanted to tell, well, it made her even more of a badass.

  Landry smiled. “Did you go with him on that hike in the jungle? The one where he saw those cool frogs and that spotted-looking cat?”

  Lexi passed a baby bottle to Smith, then looked over at us. “Did y’all do a lot of backpacking while you were there?”

  I looked across the table; I was somewhat shocked that Lexi had known I’d been exchanging emails and postcards with Landry. I’d thought since she hadn’t called and texted me incessantly that she figured I had cut off all non-work-related communication with everyone. “You saw the pictures I sent Landry?” I thought I’d been completely absent from Lexi’s life for three months. I thought it had been my choice. But I was wrong.

  She smiled at me, a rank and pointed smile. “Of course I did. I know everything, Lukey.” I stifled an eye roll. I knew what that comment meant.