by James, Vicki
“Won’t we get mobbed?” Hawk asked, running a hand over the back of his scalped head.
Presley shook his head. “I got them extra security a few months ago. It’s become a pretty exclusive place now. Bourbon will look after us. Come on. I’ll call Uncle Dex. You guys can load in with him.”
“We won’t all fit in one car, dude,” I told him like he was an idiot.
Presley turned to me and laughed. “The guy’s a millionaire. He has vans in his garages, too.”
“It’d save me a train fare home,” Josh chipped in.
I immediately turned to scowl at him. Cheap arse fucker. But then I saw Julia’s face soften, and I knew it was at the prospect of seeing Tessa again. The two of them had become friends, and I could only imagine how much Jules got pissed off being around us men all the time.
“Jules?” I found myself saying. She turned to look at me with surprise in her eyes. “You want to head to Hollings Hill?”
She glanced around at everyone in the room. “Sure. If you guys think you can behave for one night.”
“That sounds boring as hell.” I grinned.
She rolled her eyes, but I could see she was trying to fight off a smile of her own.
Joshua nudged her knee with his, and he leaned closer. “Hey, I’d love to show you around Hollings Hill. Be a good host like you’ve been for me today.”
I’d just about had enough of that dick.
I stood up straighter, drained my beer, and I eyed Jules like she was about to step on a landmine. I chucked my empty bottle in the nearest bin, very aware that the sound of it hitting the sides did, in fact, sound like a fucking bomb going off.
Storming over to the couches, I dropped down next to Jules, slapped my hand on her thigh and glared at her not-so-secret admirer.
“One thing you should know about our girl, Josh… she doesn’t need her hand holding. Don’t come on too strong. It’ll only scare her. And when this woman bites, she’s dangerous.”
* * *
The drive to Hollings Hill was about an hour, but it may as well have been a day. My knees were jiggling up and down as I struggled to sit still in the back of this fucking beast of a van Uncle Dex was driving. Presley was upfront with him. Julia and Josh were behind them. The middle row was taken up with Big D and Coops, while Hawk sat next to me, eyeing my shaking limbs like he was scared they were about to bite him in the balls. Thankfully, Dicky had decided not to join us.
I couldn’t look away from Jules and Josh.
Their names even sounded good together. A decent bit of alliteration going on. I could imagine their friends saying shit like, Oh, sorry we can’t make it for drinks tonight, we’re heading to Jules and Josh’s house. They’re so amazing together. Or, Did you know Jules and Josh are having a baby? Isn’t it great? They’re going to call it Jessica or James, and then they can be one perfect little household filled with Js.
I was gnawing on my thumbnail like I was fucking craving all of a sudden.
“Dude,” Hawk whispered. “I’m going to ask you this only one more time… what the hell is going on with you? You’re acting fucking crazy.”
“I’ve always been crazy.”
He shook his head. “You’ve always been manic. Fun. Now you’re… well, I don’t know what the hell you are. One minute you’re brighter than any of us have ever seen you. Song lyrics are pouring out of you, and you’re singing like you’ve been injected with some really good shit. The next minute, you’re like this—a nervous wreck, saying and doing things that don’t make sense. You’re flying off the handle at the littlest thing. You’re snapping at people you don’t need to snap at.”
I saw where this was going, and before I could open my mouth and get the denial out, Hawk leaned closer.
“Do you need help? Are you using too much? Do we need to step in?”
“Man, I don’t know whether to feel offended that you think I’m that much of an idiot, or whether to feel relief that you’re so far off the truth, it means I’ve been hiding shit better than I thought I had.” I chuckled lightly, a sense of amusement running through me.
“What are you hiding?”
“Don’t worry, Hawk. It’s nothing I can’t sort out. Just… girl trouble.” I smirked and turned back in my seat, staring straight at the back of Julia’s head again.
Hawk’s silence said a million things as he glanced between the two of us, and the only words I heard for the rest of the trip were the, “Oh, shit,” that fell from his lips.
Chapter Thirty-Four
BB’s was smart. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered three sides of the building, and it was lit up outside with orange and pink neon lights that made it look exclusive enough not to attract the trash, yet friendly enough to drag in the everyday cash of the locals. I could already see that there were quite a few people inside, but it wasn’t overcrowded.
“Tessa’s old boss, Bourbon, made it invite-only tonight. Hopefully, we’ll be okay here. Just… behave. Glass on every side means the press could be watching,” Presley warned just before we pushed through into the bar itself.
The four beefy security guards on the door looked a bit out of place for the small-town bar, granted, but even I could tell how much money had been ploughed into the place recently. Everything looked new—fresh.
Heads turned when we walked in, and a cheer went up around us. Cameras flashed in every corner, and a few women screamed, but they soon died down after we offered them a wave of acknowledgement.
Presley went straight to Tess who was sitting on a stool at the bar, and he scooped her up like he fucking missed her, which instantly made me seek out Julia who was walking next to Joshua. He was already getting handsy, a palm resting on her shoulder while he pointed up at the gigantic screens that were currently showing a music video of Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones.
“Bro.” Hawk nudged me and nodded to my hands. “Put the fists away.”
I looked down to see they were balled up tightly. A growl of frustration rumbled in my throat, and I shook them out and stretched my neck to try and loosen some of the tension.
“As soon as we’re alone, you and I are talking about this.” Hawk tapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I made my way to the bar, said hey to Tessa, called Presley a pussy, and I grabbed one of the glasses of fizzy champagne that one of the girls had lined up for the guests of honour. Leaning on the counter, I chugged it down in a few gulps, my eyes surveying the place before eventually landing on Julia.
She was looking right at me, her eyes creased at the corners, her face sombre.
I stared back, my face straight.
The fuck I was giving her a smile when she was all over that son of a bitch. He was leaning down to say something in her ear, but she was lost in me. It felt like a little victory amidst a battle I was certain I was losing, but the sense of impending defeat was the most prevalent emotion.
Jules sucked in a breath, those lips I loved to taste parting for a moment before she tucked her hair behind her ear and turned to say something to Joshua. That fake, ever professional smile was back in place, and it pissed me off that she could do that so easily. I had no idea how anyone did it. Every emotion within me was plastered all over my face the second I felt it. Most things came out of my mouth without thought, landing me in trouble.
Knowing someone was so good at putting on a facade unnerved me.
What if she’s been doing that with me this whole time?
I reached for another glass, glancing at the pretty girl behind the bar. I looked down at her T-shirt and saw her name badge.
Elle.
She gave me a shy smile, and her cheeks flushed as she scooped ice into an empty glass to prepare a drink for someone else.
“Hey.” I chucked my chin.
“Hi, Rhett. Can I get you anything?”
“Maybe later.”
“Just let me know.” She smiled.
“You can count on it.” I smirked, feelin
g a weird twisting of my gut the second I tried to flirt with someone who wasn’t Jules.
God, that was terrible. The worst chat-up line I’d ever used. Maybe later. You can count on it. What was I? Forty-five with some kind of erectile dysfunction?
Elle was a pretty woman. Pre-Jules, I’d have had my eye on her the second I walked through the doors of BB’s, and the perfect line would have slid off my tongue to tie her up in my spell. But it had taken me too long to see her tonight. That pissed me off.
“Have a good night,” Elle said before she twisted around to grab a bottle of something from the back shelf. I didn’t even look down to check out her arse. It felt like some weird kind of betrayal.
“Fuck Julia,” I whispered under my breath.
“What’s that, doll?”
I turned to my right to see a stunning woman with long flowing blonde hair and bright red lips sitting on the stool beside me. She wore an off the shoulder gold, sparkly top that showed off a very biteable collarbone and slender neck, and her tight jeans cradled her curvaceous thighs, which were currently crossed as she sat there, holding her champagne glass delicately.
I didn’t even need her to speak to know this woman was the kind who could chew you up, spit you out, and never think of you again.
“I didn’t say anything,” I told her.
“Fair enough.” She took a sip of her drink, never taking her eyes from mine. I caught a glimpse of her wedding finger and saw no ring of any kind. Maybe I could try the whole flirting thing again with this one. “Nice to finally meet you,” she said when she lowered her glass into her lap.
“There’s no name badge on you. You’re going to have to help me out.”
“Molly. I’m a friend of Tessa’s.”
“Molly,” I repeated, testing it on my tongue. “How come I haven’t seen you around before now?”
“Life on the road with a rock star isn’t exactly my style, doll. I see Tess when she comes home, which isn’t nearly enough.”
“That’s because she’s always got her lips wrapped around Presley’s dick these days.”
Molly laughed. “I can’t blame her one bit.”
“Jeez.” I scowled, offering her a sarcastic smile. “Is everyone a fan of theirs?”
“It’s hard not to swoon when you see true love play out.” Molly tipped her beautiful head to the side, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Any other time, I’d have been asking her to the toilets for a quickie already. But, fuck, every time I saw a pretty woman, my dick cried out for Jules.
Maybe my heart did, too.
I cleared my throat and ran a knuckle over the top of my nose, pushing that thought away. “Yeah, I don’t seem to have that problem.”
“Jealous?”
“Of them?” I asked sharply. “No.”
“Is there anyone important in your life?”
“Kinda nosey for someone I’ve just met, aren’t you?”
“That, I don’t deny.” She smirked. “Now answer the question.”
“There are important people in my life, sure.”
“Romantically?”
“Fuck, you’re eager.”
“Nosey. Stick to the script.”
“Why do you want to know? You interested in what you see?”
Molly tipped her head back, her long blonde hair cascading down as she let out an almighty laugh the whole bar could probably hear. Her chest bounced, and it took her a moment before she looked back at me with a bright white smile and watery eyes.
“Oh, sweetie. I would destroy you.” She chuckled.
I opened my mouth to protest—to assure her there wasn’t a woman in the damn world who could destroy me between the sheets—but I was cut short by the figure that stepped in between us.
Julia was standing beside me, staring into my eyes with hurt shining from hers. Her skin was paler than usual, and her face was tight. She didn’t have to say a word for me to understand she had a lot to say.
The two of us looked at each other for what felt like a lifetime before Jules leaned in between Molly and me, and she reached for a glass of champagne. When she leaned back, her familiar perfume floated under my nostrils, sending my head and heart into a fucking frenzy. Those eyes I’d gazed down into so many times looked foreign now.
There was so much I wanted to say to her. So fucking much.
But pride was a man like mine’s weakness, and no matter how much I wanted to reach out, take her in my arms and kiss her, I couldn’t force myself to do anything but stare.
Jules swallowed lightly before she broke away and turned to Molly.
“Hey, M,” Jules said sweetly.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Molly replied, sounding like they were familiar.
“Be careful with this guy,” Julia told her. “He’ll promise you the world.”
“I can handle anything he has to throw at me, don’t you worry.”
Jules smiled tightly, unable to fake that one.
She didn’t look at me when she turned away and walked over to Hawk, Big D, and Coops. A few seconds later, someone stood behind her, blocking my view completely. I was lost in a daydream when I sighed heavily, hating the distance between us.
“So…” Molly said. “You’re fucking the publicist then.”
My head snapped in her direction. “What?”
“You and the delicious Julia. You’re screwing, no?
“Shit. It’s that obvious?”
“Just a little.” She pinched her fingers together and smirked.
“I was fucking her,” I said, seeing no point denying it. “I think it’s safe to say that ship has sailed.”
“Honey, when there’s that much fire in a single look, nothing is over. That ship is anchored down for a long time.”
I scowled, searching her eyes.
“I’ve got a question for you,” she said, running her tongue over her teeth. “You think I’m pretty, right?”
“Jesus, you just come right out with whatever you’re thinking, don’t you?”
“Come on. Answer me.”
“Yeah, you’re pretty. Fucking stunning, actually.”
“And if your publicist hadn’t already fried your brain and made you short circuit, you’d be interested in feeling me up, taking me back, and screwing me senseless, right?”
“Christ.”
“That’s twice you’ve used the Lord’s name to stall. C’mon, pretty boy. Tick tock. I haven’t got all night to waste playing therapist. This one’s for free. Take it or leave it.”
I ran a hand through my hair, messing it up and feeling the back of my neck beginning to heat up. “I’d be interested.”
“But…”
“Don’t make me do this.”
“But?” Molly smirked again.
I shook my head, silently pleading with her to let it go as I dropped my hand and let it slap down against my thigh.
“Okay,” she said quietly, leaning in even closer with a victory grin on her face. “Let me say what you can’t. You’d be interested in me, but all you see is the woman who just looked at you like you’d stamped on her heart and tossed it to the wolves. You’d also usually be interested in Elle behind the bar, but you can’t for the life of you figure out why every time you’re in front of an attractive lady, all you can think about is that goddamn pretty publicist you should probably stay away from. You’d be interested in putting Elle and me together and seeing what fun the three of us could have before the sun comes up, but all you can think about is dragging your little short-haired beauty to the back room, locking the door, and forcing her to admit that she loves you.”
“You think she loves me?”
Molly leaned back, chuckling to herself. “I just mentioned a threesome with two women, and the one thing you picked up on was that.”
“Do you?”
“How the hell do I know? Grow some balls and go and ask her if you’re that interested.”
I growled and pushed myself off the bar to press the heel
s of both my palms into the sockets of my eyes. “This is such a mindfuck.”
“Poor, sweet, Rhett.”
Dropping my hands, I let out a breath and stared at Molly. I was officially helpless. “What do I do?”
She pressed her lips together, pushed them out, and shrugged.
“That’s it? That’s all you’ve got? A shrug?”
“I’m here to taunt you. Not point out the obvious.”
“Nothing is fucking obvious.”
“If you want the girl, go and get her. It’s that simple. Stop making it complicated.”
“But—”
“Either get over there, claim her as your own, or...”
“Or what?” I scowled.
“I’ll have to kiss you, Rhett.”
“Kiss me?”
“Yeah. That way I guess we’ll really know what she thinks.” Molly jumped off her stool, landing perfectly on ridiculously high heels without a single stumble or falter. Before I could move, she’d stepped in closer, pressed one hand to my chest, while her other slid around my neck.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Getting you the girl.” She reached up on tiptoes and released an almighty laugh, tipping her head back with enthusiasm before she shouted out, “Rhett Ryan! How can one man be so insanely hot and so damn charming?” Then she flipped her head forward, and she rose up to try and kiss me.
Her lips were an inch away from mine when I reacted, reaching up for her wrist instantly and holding it tightly. I leaned back, pulling myself away—the frown on my face almost painful.
“Molly, what the fuck?”
She paused, and Molly held my gaze with a giant grin on her face. Her mouth moved, no sound coming out, but I saw what she was saying.
Look at her now.
I glanced at Julia without thought, seeing her staring right at Molly and me.
Those sad eyes again.
Those parted lips.
Her chest and shoulders high as she held her breath.
I hated every fucking second of it, despite the jealousy I’d felt watching her with Joshua. I couldn’t do it to her. I just… couldn’t.
