I clear my throat before continuing. “I started going home with McKenna the last couple of years.”
“Sorry about…all of that.” Note to self: Lucas Fletcher is not good where feelings and sympathy are concerned. Then again, what man is?
After a thirty minute drive, we pull up to a gorgeous mansion that childhood me would’ve killed to grow up in. I gawk at his home, not believing this place is real. It looks like something out of a Disney movie, not a real home.
His parents, Christopher and Alice, greet us in the foyer. They are both warm and welcoming—which makes me wonder if Lucas is adopted.
“Lucas, you didn’t tell us you were bringing a date.” There’s a twinkle in his mom’s eye as she beams at us together.
“Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Olivia.”
My jaw drops. “We’re not—” I’m cut off before I can set them straight.
“Uncle Luke!” A tiny redhead throws herself at my date with a broad smile etched on her freckled face.
“How is my favorite niece?” His smile is broad and genuine as he talks to the kid. She regales him with stories about school and her very dramatic seven-year-old life. When she finally notices me standing here, she gives me an evil eye.
“Did you know it’s not polite to stare?” A laugh bubbles out of me at her bluntness, but I clear my throat to stop myself.
“I do. I’m very sorry. I’m Olivia, Lucas’ friend.” I grit out the final word as if a child will even know what I mean.
“I’m Ava, also known as the number one girl in Uncle’s life.” She gives me a sassy side-eye and I bite my cheek to keep the giggles at bay. It’s obvious she’s very protective over Luke and their closeness surprises me.
“Sweetheart, don’t scare the poor girl away.” A gorgeous brunette with stunning blue eyes says as she enters the living room. Her hair is almost black, making the contrast of her eyes and alabaster skin even more beautiful. “I’m Carson, though I believe we’ve briefly met.” The CVS incident. Right.
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I’m Olivia.”
“No worries. It’s about time someone put him in his place.” We chat and I meet her fiancé, Wren. She tells me how her daughter is very close to her brother and not to take her sass seriously. I mean, she’s seven, if she’s the worst I come across today I’ll consider it a success.
Unfortunately, I’m not so lucky.
It’s right before dinner when I meet Luke’s second sister. She barrels into the kitchen with bitch face in place. Her long black hair and tan skin give her an air of fierceness. She stands out compared to her siblings’ pale complexions, obviously opting to tan her skin. She’s a beauty of her own force and her dark brown eyes slice through me.
“Who invited the nun?” Oh, and she’s a bit of a bitch. I guess assholery runs in the family.
“Flynnie, be nice to your brother’s girlfriend. We don’t know if he’ll ever get another one.” Alice winks at me and I smile in return.
Her gaze flits from her mom to me with a sneer. “It’s nice to meet you, Flynn.” It’s a clear lie, but I can’t call her out in front of her family.
She makes a snide remark under her breath as she makes her way to the table. We all follow suit and take our seats while Alice profusely denies anyone’s help.
Christopher is at the head of the table with his wife to his right. Ava demanded the seat between Lucas and his mom and I’m at the end of the table beside my date. Carson and Wren are across from me and on the other side of Mr. Fletcher is Flynn, who is giving me nasty smirks from across the way.
The Fletcher family has the tradition of saying what they’re grateful for every year and I just found out the newbie always goes first. Lucky me.
“I’m thankful for your hospitality and welcoming me into your home.” A safe statement, though I swear I hear Lucas call it lame under his breath before we move on. I’m tempted to elbow him in the ribs, but instead, I take a large gulp of wine.
We bounce around the table as everyone says classic things they’re thankful for—family, love, kids, and so forth.
Until we reach Flynn.
“I’m thankful for vodka, weed, and that I know how to throw a punch. Also that I got a chance to meet the human version of a pocket square.” She lifts her glass in cheers which is full of an amber liquid that I’d bet isn’t apple juice. She stares right at me with a smirk pulling at her lips.
Both of her parents yell at her and Lucas leans over to me to apologize for her behavior. Hearing him apologize at all throws me for a loop and feeling the need to apologize for someone else is even more outrageous.
Dinner starts in an awkward silence after that, aside from Ava humming to herself. After the uncomfortable dinner, Mrs. Fletcher brings out her famous pumpkin pie. Flynn disappears for a solid ten minutes, likely performing a virgin sacrifice or something equally evil. When she returns, it’s obvious what she was doing as a cloud of smoke practically follows her in.
“Flynn Elizabeth, are you high?” Alice grabs her arm and the she-devil laughs in her face.
“Duh. Isn’t that, like, the point of Thanksgiving? I needed another hit before pie.” She cuts herself a large serving and vanishes upstairs.
“She seems nice,” I say and everyone in the room chuckles. I’m glad to lighten the mood and move past the obvious tension.
I help Mrs. Fletcher clean up, ignoring her insistence not to. She asks the normal questions like, how Luke and I met and I water down the truth, giving her a lighthearted version and leaving out all the nasty parts. She has her hands full enough with her youngest daughter. I don’t need to drag her son down to those depths too. Besides, everyone still believes the ruse that Lucas and I are dating and it’s too late to correct them now.
After a while, I go to look for my date. I stand in the doorway to the living room, watching from a distance as Luke plays board games with his niece. He laughs at all her jokes and lets her win over and over again. Watching how he acts with her warms my heart. This is the side of him I was desperate to witness. Despite all the bullying and shit he’s done and said to me over the years, I knew he had a heart in there somewhere. I just never expected a seven-year-old to be the one to thaw his iciness.
Eventually, he spots me spying on them and waves me over. I join in on the fun and at least Ava has warmed up to me since Flynn sure hasn’t.
The relationship Lucas has with Carson is heartwarming as well. They seem close, which I didn’t expect. He’s especially protective of her and I’d love to learn more about their relationship.
I’m also curious as to how both Carson and Wren have dark hair but their daughter’s is bright red. It’s a conversation I don’t feel comfortable having with Carson myself, but I hope Lucas will clue me in on what I’m missing.
It’s a hard pill to swallow as I realize I’m already invested in his family and I want to know more about all of them. It’s a consciousness I wish I didn’t have since I’m sure this is a one-time occurrence. It’s not like I’m actually dating Lucas, which means I’ll likely never see his family again.
I didn’t expect that realization to sting so much.
But…seeing this side of Luke, a side I wasn’t sure even existed, gives me butterflies. I think I’m actually starting to fall for Lucas Fletcher.
On the drive home, my fake boyfriend is contemplative and I should’ve seen the next words coming from a mile away.
“Care for another bet?” Maybe this means he likes spending time with me too.
“Depends on the terms. I’m not doing anything else illegal.”
He laughs. We reach my apartment and he parks and turns his body in his seat to face me.
“Fair enough. If I win, you have to join me for a weekend away at my parents’ cabin.”
“In the woods where you could murder me? Pass.”
He rolls his eyes as if I’m being ridiculous. “You just don’t want to be alone with me. Are you afraid of what will happen, Livvy?”
I must admit he’s not totally off base. But now he’s baited me, which means I have to give in. “Fine, but when I win, you have to…” I tap my lip as I debate how I want to play this out when I get a brilliant idea. “When I win, you have to set me up on a date. You have a lot of hot friends. I’m sure one of them can’t be completely disgusting.” His jaw ticks, but he nods in agreement.
“Fine.” He grits the word out. He turns off the car and gets out, inviting himself into my apartment.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” I jog to catch up to him.
“Heading inside. Are you coming?” He raises his eyebrows at me, taunting and tempting me.
“Depends on what you think is happening here.” My heart is racing but I’d sooner die than admit it.
“We’re playing Monopoly.”
I exhale a heavy breath. “Now? It’s late.” It’s after nine, which in real life isn’t late, but I enjoy my sleep.
“Scared, Liv?”
God, this man is infuriating. But it’ll all be worth it when I kick his ass in Monopoly.
Fifteen
Lucas
God, what the fuck am I doing? I keep pushing this girl to spend time with me when not even six months ago she hated me. And I don’t even blame her. I’ve spent the better part of my four years in undergrad torturing her and now I’m inviting her to my parents’ cabin for a weekend? What is wrong with me? It doesn’t even make sense.
It’s more than just the enjoyment of picking on her anymore. I…shit. I like spending time with her. She’s funny and annoyingly hot. I don’t care how our friendship started. Hell, I’m glad my friends forced me to pursue her.
But Olivia can never find out about that.
And speaking of Olivia and my friends, there’s no way in hell I can let her win this game. I’m not above cheating to ensure I kick her ass tonight. There’s no way she’s going on a date with any of my friends. Fuck that.
As I’m lost in thought, the girl is busy playing smart and getting ahead. She’s close to beating me, but she’s also drinking and distracted. I skim off the top of the bank when she’s not looking.
“Wanna play Battleship next?” I’m trying to distract her and it works.
“You know, I’ve never actually played Battleship.”
“What?” I’m almost horrified. “You’re lying. You’re trying to hustle me.”
“How do you hustle someone in Battleship?”
“You tell me, Liv.” She throws her head back in laughter. I use the opportunity to place another hotel on a spot I don’t actually own. I’m surprised she hasn’t caught on yet.
In the entire history of the world, I’m not sure how many games of Monopoly actually get finished, and Liv is determined to win. Unlucky for her, I’m not letting that happen.
“I’ve never lost a game of Monopoly. You cheated, didn’t you?” Maybe she wasn’t as unfocused as I thought. Her eyes are full of skepticism and anger.
“Did you ever think that maybe people just let you win?”
She doesn’t like that answer either. “I demand a rematch.” She’s loud and her movements are jerky and sloppy. She’s tipsy at least, bordering on drunk.
“It’s late. I better get going.” I help her up because she’s unsteady. “I’ll text you the details for the cabin.” I’m ready to leave, but she grabs my arm.
“No. Rematch now. You can crash here.” Visions assault my mind of crawling into bed with her and being with her.
“No, he can’t!” McKenna yells from her room and Liv rolls her eyes.
“I’ll talk to you soon.” She’s wobbly as she tries to stop me from leaving. I grip her hips to steady her and she looks up at me from under her thick lashes. Her lips are parted and stained slightly red from the wine she’s been drinking. She presses up on her toes and her chest brushes against mine.
I’m tempted to lean down to press my lips against hers, but I restrain myself. I step back and exhale the breath I was holding. I don’t want to take advantage of her any more than I already have.
Like a ball-less sack, I leave the apartment without another word. I drive home, assuming my place will be empty as my roommate was with his family. I just want to jerk off to the image of Liv in my mind and go to bed in peace, but I’m sorely mistaken.
The distinguishable thump of music permeates into the hallway outside my door. My three friends and their girlfriends are sprawled over the couches, drinking and smoking and being overall obnoxious.
“Dude, it’s almost one a.m., what the hell?” I’ve never been one to shut down a party which makes everyone give me shit.
“Not getting laid really puts your panties in a twist, Fletch.” Bryce, my roommate, laughs and high-fives our other friend, Trey. Trey lives down the hall with his roommate, Kyle, and we’ve been friends since we all moved in four years ago before freshman year.
The girls get up and go to the bathroom, whispering along the way.
“Fuck you guys. You put me up to this. And just ‘cause I’m not sleeping with Liv doesn’t mean I’m not screwing anyone.” The words leaving my mouth make me want to cringe.
“She’s Liv now? What happened to calling her Mary and making fun of her chastity belt?” Bryce picks up the bong and lights up the weed as he inhales deeply. They’re practically hot-boxing the apartment. I take a deep breath, hoping some of the residual pot in the air helps chill me out.
“I can’t call her Mary if I’m trying to get in her pants. She’d kick me to the curb in a heartbeat.” The girls come back, climbing on their boyfriend’s laps sideways. I’m a fifth fucking wheel in my own house.
These douchebags are giving me shit over Olivia when they’re pussy-whipped more than I am. Granted, they’re probably only cuffed for the winter and will be back to their usual shit by spring.
I head into the kitchen and grab a beer out of the fridge, turning the music down on the way. My parents pay for this place. I’m not about to be a bad neighbor and have it fall back on them.
“Is she falling for you yet?” Trey asks as his girl, Alyssa, mauls his neck with her lips.
“Of course she is.” They laugh and make snide, fucked up remarks as I finish my beer. “We’re heading to my parents’ cabin for a weekend in a couple weeks. I’ll seal the deal there.” I feel like the biggest piece of shit as the words pour out of my lips.
After another hour or two of shooting the shit, we all head to bed. Guilt weighs me down and sits bitterly in my stomach like a mushroom cloud taking root and waiting to explode.
Even though I like Liv and my feelings are real, I could never bring her around my friends. She can’t find out about any of this. I’ll never get a real shot with her if she does.
“How much did you pack?”
I’m loading up the car with Liv’s bags. Both our schools had half days today and once the final bell rang I hopped in my car and picked Olivia up.
“I didn’t know just how rustic this weekend would be. I wanted to be prepared.”
“It looks like you bought out every sports goods store in the state.”
She shrugs and I shake my head.
Christmas is in two weeks and we’re starting break together heading almost three hours west to my parents’ cabin in High Falls. I’m going to be trapped in a car with Olivia Hart and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.
When did I turn into such a little bitch about chicks?
Well, this chick, anyway.
“Ready to go?”
Liv groans and rolls her eyes, but I don’t miss the small smile pulling at the corner of her lips. She’s as excited as I am, but neither of us will admit that to the other.
The radio is on and we’re fifteen minutes into the drive. I keep sneaking glances at Olivia’s legs sheathed under skintight black leggings. Her head is down as she reads a book on her phone and her chestnut hair it piled in a messy bun atop her head.
“Do you like road trip games?” I ask and her head snaps up to look at m
e through narrow eyes.
“No more bets.”
I guess she’s getting sick of my shit. Still, I laugh at her outburst.
“Fair enough. What about padiddle?”
“What’s that?” Her tone is full of skepticism. There’s no way she goes for this game.
“The first person to see a headlight out yells ‘padiddle!’ and has to smack the roof of the car. The loser then has to remove an article of clothing.” By the look on her face, I’d say she’s not interested in playing. It was worth a shot.
“It’s the middle of the day. I’m not playing strip-anything with you when a bunch of strangers could see me naked.”
“But if we were alone you’ll play a strip game with me?” I wiggle my brows but she couldn’t be less amused.
“Pick a new game.”
“Okay, what about twenty questions?”
“Oh, I love this game.” Good. I’ll even let her go first. I motion for her to start and she taps her lips. “Okay. Are you a thing?” I laugh, realizing my mistake.
“Not that version of the game. The getting to know you version. You know, with personal questions.” She groans this time.
“Hell no.”
“Nope, you already agreed to play. But if it makes you feel any better, you can still go first.” I smile at her expense.
“Fine.” She’s quiet for a minute as she mulls over what she wants to ask me. “Okay, got one. What’s the riskiest thing you’ve ever done?” She’s probably looking for a more intense, dangerous answer, but I give her the actual truth.
“Had sex without a condom.” From the corner of my eye, I catch her reddened cheeks. “My turn. So, are you intentionally waiting for marriage or…?” She huffs and I smile knowing I got under her skin.
“I’m not a fucking virgin. Sorry, I don’t sleep with anything that moves. Which brings me to my question: why are you such a manwhore?” She’s a spitfire when she’s pissed and it has me shifting in my seat.
Fearless (A Carolina Coastal Novel Book 2) Page 7
