Endgame: An Ocean Bay standalone novel

by Chloe Walsh

  Britt’s shiny red Audi was out front in the same place she always parked it. Alongside it was a black Lexus with a ‘Jefferson Jaguars Rule’ sticker on the back bumper.

  Unable to see past the red haze of rage, I killed the engine of my Silverado in the familiar driveway and climbed out. Stalking up to the house, I didn’t bother knocking on the huge, shiny red door.

  Like always, her parents weren’t at home. It was something we had once bonded over. We both had absent parents. Not now though. She’d crossed the goddamn line.

  Not bothering to scope out the downstairs – I knew full well she wouldn’t be down there – I quietly climbed the staircase, moving in the direction of the bedroom I knew almost as well as my own.

  Like a bad dream on repeat, I placed my hand on the handle of her bedroom door and braced myself for the inevitable.

  The phrase been there, done that, got the t-shirt flickered through my mind when I pushed Britt’s bedroom door open and was met with the sight of my ex on her knees, blowing Shane Clarkson – Jefferson’s V1 tight end. Britt was completely naked, her head in Clarkson’s lap, paying his dick more attention than she’d ever paid mine.

  Lovely.

  Fucking lovely.

  Last time I’d caught her with a guy in here, it had been Jefferson’s quarterback Daniel Westbrook.

  I cleared my throat and Clarkson’s head shot u in surprise. “Mind hurrying it up, Britt. I need a word. Now.”

  The squeal of surprise that tore from her was almost comical. Even more hilarious was the pathetic way she began to apologize to me. “Omigod, Rourke,” Britt wailed, scrambling away. “I didn’t know… I wasn’t…I…”

  “Cut the shit, Britt,” I shot back dryly. “Put something on and come downstairs. I need a word with you.”

  Shit,” Clarkson growled. “Thought you said it was over between you and Owens?”

  Clarkson’s wide eyed expression told me he was expecting me to kick his ass. That’s what I would usually do if I caught Britt messing around with some other guy. Shit, that’s what I had done on more occasions than I cared to admit.

  Not anymore though.

  “It is,” I offered in a bored tone. Right in this moment, the only urge I had was to get this conversation over and done with so I could get home to Six. “You can have her back just as soon as I get done talking to her.”

  Without another word, I turned around and walked out of the room. I wasn’t getting myself into any more shit over Britt, and Clarkson? He wasn’t worth the energy it would take me to throw a punch.

  Asshole.

  “YOU DIDN’T CALL,” Britt said warily when she joined me downstairs a few minutes later. “You always call before coming over, Rourke.”

  “Didn’t need to.”

  Shoving my hands into my jeans pockets, I looked down at the girl who had held some serious power over me for a very long time.

  “We’re not together anymore,” I added coolly. “I don’t need to forewarn you I’m stopping by anymore so you have time to hide the guys you’re screwing behind my back.”

  Britt didn’t even have the decency to flinch – or deny it.

  But then again, I knew she wouldn’t.

  “Then why are you here?” she asked, looking up at my face with angry green eyes.

  “I’m here because a little birdy told me you’ve been spreading shit about Mercedes.”

  Britt looked up at me with a heated expression. “Yeah, so?”

  “So, I want you to stop,” I shot back coldly. “Immediately.”

  “I knew you liked that little bitch.” She threw her head back and laughed humorlessly. “The second you took her side at that party, I fricking knew you had something going on with her.”

  I didn’t deny it; there was no point.

  I had no plans on hiding Six.

  Britt would hear about us soon enough.

  “Leave her alone,” I said instead. “She hasn’t done shit to you, B, so back the hell off her and stop spreading your lies.”

  “Hasn’t done anything to me?” She glared at me with a mutinous expression. “She stole my boyfriend!”

  “You and I both know how differently you define the word ‘boyfriend’ to the rest of the world,” I shot back heatedly. “Considering you had another guy’s dick in your mouth less than five minutes ago.”

  “You broke up with me, Rourke,” she reminded me in a terse voice.

  “Because you cheated on me,” I snapped, losing my temper and allowing a lot of old hurt to creep back in. “Repeatedly. For two fucking years, Britt.”

  “We were together for five years, Rourke!”

  My brows shot up. “Oh, so because you were faithful for the first three, I should just forget about the last two, is that it?”

  “I loved you.” Britt flushed a dark shade of red. “I still do.”

  “Not enough,” I bit out. “You never loved me enough, B.”

  “Are you serious about her?” she demanded.

  I bristled. “That’s none of your business.”

  “To hell it’s not,” she shot back, furious. “Give me an answer, Rourke. I deserve one.”

  I ran a hand through my hair, desperately trying to calm myself down.

  What the hell did this girl want from me?

  “I gave you all I had,” I hissed out hoarsely. “Fucking everything. Five years, Britt. Never once in that whole damn time did I look at another girl. I was fucking loyal to you. I goddamn listened to you over my friends – took your side over people that have been in my life since I was a baby. And even when I knew you were on me, when they told me what you were doing, I took you back. I gave you chance after chance. Again, and a-fucking-gain. And what did you do? You fucked me up, B.” I tapped my temple with my fingers, trying to emphasize to this girl just how close she came to breaking me. “And now I have the chance of actually moving on with my life and getting over you, you want to keep me down? Why?” My chest heaved. “Why can’t you just leave me be?”

  “Because you’re mine, Rourke Owens!” she screamed. “You will always be mine, and that skanky, fat bitch doesn’t deserve you.”

  “Leave her out of this,” I snarled. “Don’t look at her. Don’t speak to her. Hell, pretend you never fucking heard of her.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do, Rourke,” Britt countered. “It’s like you said; we’re not together anymore.” Shrugging, she added, “I don’t need to do shit for you.”

  Anger coursed through my veins. “Keep your mouth shut about Mercedes,” I hissed, voice low and threatening. “I’m warning you, Britt.”

  “Or what?” she shot back, jutting her chin out.

  I leaned closer. “Or you and me are gonna have a problem.”

  “You think I’m afraid of you?” Britt threw her head back and laughed. “Rourke, I’ve known you since kindergarten. You would never hurt me, or any girl, for that matter.”

  There’s a first time for everything, I wanted to say, but I refrained, knowing it wasn’t true.

  She was right. I would never hurt her. But I could make life harder for her. And I would if she didn’t back the hell off and leave Six alone.

  “Keep spreading shit about Mercedes, and I’ll take everything from you,” I warned her. Britt must have heard the sincerity in my voice because she paled. I smirked in victory. “Your status at school? The one you claimed from being with me? Your father’s sweet little number at my company? The very fucking ground you’re standing on? Push me and I’ll take it all from you.”

  “Rourke,” Britt spluttered, clearly stunned. “You wouldn’t…”

  “Don’t tell me what I would and wouldn’t do, Britt,” I hissed, backing towards the front door. “You don’t know me anymore.”

  Maybe you never did.

  Reaching for the handle, I swung the front door open and stepped outside.

  “Do yourself a favor and stay the hell away from her,” I called out over my shoulder. “I won’t warn you again.”
<
br />   Mercedes

  ROURKE WAS IN A HORRIBLE mood when he stalked into the house a little after eight on Friday night. I wasn’t exactly sure of what I had been expecting, but considering he had spent the last several days trying to get me to agree to this weird relationship, I thought he would be in a better mood – and on time.

  Apparently, I thought wrong, because he the moment he barreled through the front door, he headed straight for the staircase, taking the steps three at a time and completely ignoring me in the process.

  Shock encompassed me as I stood in the kitchen doorway and watched Rourke disappear up the staircase, followed by a swift amount of aggravation. I had been on tender hooks – a nervous freaking wreck – waiting for him to get home. I had spent hours worrying and obsessing and overthinking because of him.

  What a jerk!

  The anger that was beginning to bubble inside of me because of Rourke’s actions, faded away the moment he reappeared and began to descend the staircase.

  “Six.” His heated blue gaze was locked on me, his lips turned up in a sexy, almost carnal looking smile. It was a smile full of promise and it made my heart leap in my chest. “You were right here, weren’t you?”

  “Yep.” I nodded, clasping my hands in front of my body as I watched him approach. “You walked straight past me. Looked like you were looking for something.”

  “I was,” he agreed with a smirk, closing the space between us.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah,” Rourke said just as he reached me. His hands clamped around my hips and then I was being dragged against a strong male chest. “You.”

  My breath flew out in a helpless sigh just as Rourke covered my mouth with his.

  The moment his lips touched mine, a fierce blast of pleasure rippled through my body.

  Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pressed up on my tiptoes and fell into his kiss. Rourke’s lips against mine were demanding, urgent and a little bit desperate. And I loved every second of it. This boy knew how to kiss. Like seriously kiss. Every thrust of his tongue was deep and deliberate, controlled and sensual. He used just the right amount of force and pressure… God, I could kiss his lips forever and never grow tired of it. I knew it was a totally cliché thing to even think, but I had never been kissed like this.

  Moaning weakly, I sagged against Rourke’s huge frame, shivering when I felt him tighten his arms around my waist and pull me upwards, taking my weight for me. He was so big and strong and he was giving me everything I had wanted for the past seven weeks. Possibly longer. I didn’t have a clue anymore.

  “Do you want this, Six?” Rourke mumbled, tone gruff, breaking our kiss. “Do you want me?”

  Obviously, I wanted this or I wouldn’t be standing in the middle of our foyer, half mounting him. But did I want the implications that arose with such a scenario? Did I want the feelings I knew would come from being with a guy like him? I had a feeling Rourke Owens would be hard to shake.

  I opened my mouth, expecting to say something sensible, anything that would prevent me from falling into this inevitable trap of heartbreak, but the only thing that came out of my mouth were the words, “I want you.”

  Rourke smiled a real genuine smile that made my stomach twist up in knots. “Thank fuck for that,” he said with a chuckle. “Because I honestly think I would have exploded if you changed your mind on me.”

  “I kind of thought you had,” I admitted softly. He was so much taller than me and I had to crane my neck up to look at his face. “When you didn’t come home after school, I thought…” I let my words trail off before biting down on my lip. “This is all surreal to me… you liking me after hating me for so long?” I shook my head and exhaled a heavy breath before admitting, “I guess I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  Rourke frowned at my words. “I’m not going to hurt you, Six.” Dropping both of his large hands to clamp my hips, he pulled me closer so that my body was flush against him. “I’ve been a dick since you got here. I get it. You don’t trust me. Hell, I don’t blame you for being wary.” His fingers dug into the skin covering my hips as he spoke. “I showed you the very worst possible version of myself,” he said huskily. “Give me a chance to show you the best.”

  What the hell could I say to that?

  Nothing, I decided.

  Absolutely nothing.

  So instead of speaking and potentially making a fool of myself, I reached up and cupped his neck with my hand before pulling his face down to mine. I was sinking; drowning in his ocean blue eyes.

  Pressing my soft body against his hard chest, I clung to him, kissing him deeply and opening my mouth when I felt his tongue’s gentle probing. I wanted this. Him. Everything he was willing to give me. And because I was a chicken with words, I told him with my lips.

  He held me close and his huge frame covering mine…it made me feel safe. I wasn’t used to this. But with Rourke, in his arms, I felt protected.

  The growl that tore from his chest made everything south of my navel clench and throb. I was in so much trouble. So much, but I couldn’t go back now. Not now I knew that he wanted me, too.

  He was surprisingly respectful, touching me in all the appropriate places; my back, my hips, my face. I was miserably dissatisfied. I wanted him to touch me like he had those nights in our rooms.

  I wanted him to lose control.

  God knows I had.

  Pressing myself closer, I rocked against him, needing more than his kisses.

  He smiled against my lips, but didn’t stop kissing me. That sort of pissed me off.

  Was he screwing around with me?

  Did he not want this?

  I was close to ripping my clothes off and begging him to make this aching feeling go away and Rourke seemed unaffected.

  Well, not totally unaffected.

  The bulge in his jeans, the one pressing against my belly, told me he was aroused.

  I wanted more though.

  I wanted him to lose himself in me the same way I was losing myself in him.

  “Take it easy,” he chuckled, breaking the kiss once more.

  “Are you serious right now?” I demanded breathlessly, looking up at him with hard, lustful eyes. “I thought you wanted me?”

  “Are you seriously questioning whether or not I want you?” he shot back. “Look at my dick, Six.” He made a point of gesturing to the obscenely large bulge in the front of his jeans. “I’m two fucking seconds away from exploding here.”

  “You’re not acting like it.” I huffed.

  “Because you asked me for something,” Rourke said with a teasing lilt of his voice. “You told me you needed my friendship before anything else.” He smiled softly before adding, “And I have every intention of giving that to you.”

  “Are you playing mind games with me, Rourke?”

  Was he?

  One minute he wanted me, and the next he didn’t?

  “Are you having second thoughts about this?” If he was going to change his mind again about us then I needed to know now. I was slipping down a steep slope when it came to this guy.

  I needed to protect myself.

  “Actually, I’m trying really hard not to fuck this up, Six,” Rourke shot back with a nervous chuckle. I heard the vulnerability in his voice, saw it in his eyes. His words caused my heart to constrict tightly in my chest. Reaching out, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and exhaled heavily. “I want you to be comfortable with me.”

  “Comfortable?” I croaked out, a little breathless.

  He nodded. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful, Six.”

  “Rourke…” The soft declaration, coming from this boy, meant more to me than I wanted to admit. He meant more to me than I knew what to do with. “You shouldn’t say stuff like that.”

  Rourke tightened his hold on me. “Why not?”

  I exhaled a breathy sigh. I was drowning. He had me snared with his eyes and his words and his...everything. “Because.”

  He
ducked his head to mine and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Because?”

  Oh fuck a duck, I was in so much trouble.

  “Come on, Six,” he chuckled, when I had no answer. Reaching between us, he laced his fingers through mine and said, “Let’s hang out.”

  HANGING OUT WITH ROURKE was surprisingly comfortable. We ending up heading out for dinner and, after grabbing some food from the drive thru, Rourke drove us up to Sailor’s Point, the highest point in Ocean Bay that overlooked the ocean, so we could eat.

  “Favorite band or singer?” he asked.

  “Pink.”

  “Favorite subject at school?”

  “Econ.”

  “Favorite food?”

  “Pad Thai.”

  “Favorite place you ever lived?”

  “Friday Harbor.” I sighed heavily. “I miss Washington.”

  “Favorite movie?”

  I leaned my head back against the rest and thought about it for a moment before saying, “Rush Hour. All three of them. I can’t choose my favorite.”

  “Nice,” Rourke chuckled. “Okay, favorite book?”

  I smiled. “That’s easy; Harry Potter.”

  He raised a brow. “Which one?”

  “All of them,” I replied. “I’m a series kind of girl.”

  I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I climbed into to the passenger seat of his truck tonight, but this amicable companionship certainly surpassed my expectations.

  He didn’t try to grope me or hit on me.

  He seemed happy to just sit in his truck and talk.

  Of course, listening to Rourke actually make conversation caused more problems for my heart than any amount of flirting. The tiny glimpse of the real him I was seeing blew my mind. I could love this version of him. In fact, I had a feeling I already did…

  “Tell me about Britt.” My voice was soft and full of uncertainty when I asked the question I’d been dying to know the answer to.

  Whether I wanted to admit it or not, Britt had played a massive role in Rourke’s life. He was in love with her once. A small part of me worried that he still was.