Down & Dirty
Book Two in the Exes Series
Cheryl Douglas
Copyright © by Cheryl Douglas
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Down & Dirty © 2017 Cheryl Douglas
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Chapter One
Olivia
“There’s only one reason I came to this godforsaken reunion,” I said to my twin sister, Kelly, as I sipped my chardonnay.
“I know, I know,” she said, rolling her eyes as she scanned the swelling crowd. “So your ex could eat his heart out.” She eyed the short, tight black dress I’d paired with my favorite five inch heels. “And I’m sure he would have, if he’d bothered to show up. But come on, don’t you think a pro baller has better things to do than hang out with a bunch of nobodies who used to kiss his ass for kicks?”
I shrugged, hoping she was wrong. I hadn’t poured myself into this dress tonight for shits and giggles. No ma’am. I wanted revenge. “It’s the off season, so who knows what he’s up to.”
She chuckled. “Or who he’s into. Knowing our boy Harris that’s more likely.”
After fifteen years it shouldn’t hurt so much to imagine him with someone else. The fact that he’d dumped me when he got a college scholarship should have cured me of the Landon Harris bug. But the fact that the bastard went on to become one of the best tight ends in the game made him tough to forget.
“You’re right, he’ll probably be a no-show.”
“But he did RSVP he’d be here,” Kelly reminded me. “Isn’t that what Ellen told you when you said you couldn’t make it?”
My high school best friend, Ellen, was on the planning committee for this little shindig and she insisted I show up in the hottest thing I owned, to stick it to Harris for dumping me. We had a nice little back and forth for the first time in years, strategizing about all the ways I could make him pay.
Lure him back to my hotel room, get him naked, tie him up, and leave him with a serious case of blue balls topped our list of favorites.
“I’m glad you brought a date,” Kelly said, eyeing the man in question out of the corner of her eye.
Justin was my… everything. My best friend. My first call on a lonely night. Yeah, we’d done the deed before, but nothing could rock our friendship. We went back too far for sex to muddy the waters. All the way back to college, when I’d been a freshman nursing a broken heart and he’d been the sexy sophomore who convinced me life goes on after Landon Harris.
He was here tonight as eye candy, sure, but mainly to make sure I kept my focus on the end goal. “Hey gorgeous,” he said, slipping his arm around my waist as he pressed a kiss to my temple. “The dirtbag hasn’t shown up yet, huh?”
That’s what I loved about Justin. It didn’t matter that Landon was a hometown hero or one of the guys who’d led his team to a championship last year. To Justin, Landon was the one who broke my heart and that made him public enemy number one.
I leaned into his shoulder. “Maybe it’s best if he doesn’t show up. This was probably a dumb idea.”
He chuckled. “You didn’t spend two hours getting ready and countless hours designing and creating this dress to back out now.”
“But, I—”
“Oh my God, he’s here,” she said, gripping my arm. “Don’t turn around. Pretend you don’t even notice him.”
That would be tough since the decibel level in the room just rose a few notches. If I turned around now I was certain everyone would be crowding him, congratulating him on the big win, trying to reminisce about years he’d undoubtedly forgotten.
I had no doubt those high school years, and me, were barely a blip on the man’s radar screen, given all the life he’d lived since then.
“Is he alone?” I asked Kelly, hiding my moving lips behind my wine glass.
“Yup, just like Ellen said he would be.”
Ellen claimed that he’d not only be stag tonight, but he’d asked whether I would be attending the reunion. Not gonna lie. Got a little excited when I heard that. But I quickly beat that excitement into submission when I remembered what he did to me.
“He looks hot, sis,” she said, her mouth forming a circle. “Fuuuccckkk.”
“Not what I wanted to hear.” Though I wasn’t surprised. Even though I refused to watch football, I’d have to live on another planet to miss his sexy mug flash across my TV screen during commercial breaks. Not to mention the magazine ads and billboards. Everyone wanted him and from sports drinks to running shoes, he was happy to oblige.
“Let’s dance,” Justin said, grabbing my hand when the D.J. slowed it down.
This was part of our plan. To let him think I was taken. It would only fuel the fire when he found out I wasn’t. At least that was Kelly’s theory, and for lack of a better one I was going with it.
“I’d love to.” He curled my arms around his neck and I smiled up at him as we swayed to the music. “Why couldn’t we have just fallen in love? It would have made life so much easier.”
He kissed my cheek. “Some people are better off as friends,” he said, smiling indulgently. “And you know I love you more than anyone else on the planet, but if I had to live with you I’d probably run away from home.”
“Hey,” I said, laughing as I slapped his shoulder. “Why do you say that?”
“I’ve seen the way you live. You’re a neat-freak. I’m a slob. You like flowers. I like plaid and shit.”
“You do not like plaid,” I said, smirking.
“Okay, maybe I don’t. But you get the idea.”
“Excuse me.”
I’d recognize that panty-drenching voice anywhere. It may be a little deeper than I remember, but there was no mistaking it. I gave him a quick once over as Justin turned me to face him. “Oh hey, Harris. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
Treat him like a casual acquaintance, an old friend you barely remember. That was the plan and I was sticking to it.
He raised an eyebrow when I called him by his last name. Everyone did and always had, but he’d always been Landon to me. “You mind if I cut in, buddy?” he asked, Justin.
“I guess that’s up to the lady,” Justin said, inclining his head toward me as he fought a smile.
“Landon Harris this is Justin McCall,” I supplied, purposely avoiding the part where I explained my relationship with Justin.
Justin merely nodded in acknowledgement rather than offering his hand and for that reason alone I could have kissed him. “I guess the whole point of this thing is to catch up with old friends,” I said sighing, as though dancing with Landon was some huge sacrifice. “So, what could one dance hurt, right?”
Jus
tin smirked. “Just remember, sweetheart. You leave with the guy who brought you.” He shocked me by leaning in for a kiss while Landon looked stunned and maybe a little annoyed by the exchange.
Landon watched Justin walk away before he grabbed my hand and tugged me against his hard chest. “I know you’re not married and that guy’s not your boyfriend. So, what gives?”
His jealous tone took me back to another time, when he’d go crazy if he caught another guy looking at me. “How would you know—”
“Social media.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t follow me on social media.”
He chuckled. “No, but my kid brother does.”
I’d always been friendly with his brother so naturally when he sent a friend request, I accepted. I didn’t think he’d pass the personal stuff I shared on to his bonehead brother. Or that Landon would even care.
“That dude’s your friend, nothing more. So why was he acting like he’s got a right to claim you?”
“I guess it depends on how you define friend,” I said, pissed that my plan was already going to pot.
“What does that mean?”
“Draw your own conclusions.” I sure as hell didn’t owe him any explanations, but if providing them pissed him off I didn’t mind.
“You’ve slept with him?”
“What the hell is this?” I asked, glaring at him. “I haven’t seen you in fifteen years. And you think you have the right to ask me who I’m sleeping with?”
The fight seemed to drain out of him as his big, rigid body relaxed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I had no right to question you about him.”
He was ridiculously gorgeous. Dark tan, gray-blue eyes, black hair and shoulders built for spreading a woman’s legs. And fighting off three hundred pound goons on the football field.
“I’d ask what you’ve been up to, but the whole world already knows.” I had to acknowledge his accomplishments, but I didn’t have to compliment him on the life he’d built since he’d dumped me.
I wouldn’t have been so bitter if he hadn’t promised that life would include me. I was going to go to the same college where he got his scholarship, study business, and after graduation, when he got the big league contract, we’d get married and start our life together.
That had been the plan. Until the weekend before he left for college he informed me he had a new plan. One that didn’t include me. Oh, and did I mention he shared that after banging me senseless and going down on me? Twice. The asshole.
“The world doesn’t know everything, Olivia. They only think they do.” His eyes drifted over me. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”
“Bite me, Harris.”
He chuckled, his muscled chest rumbling as he held me tighter. “You know how much I love that? You’re still real with me, not afraid to tell me off.”
“If we weren’t in a public place I’d have a lot more to say to you.” Going off on him wasn’t part of the plan, but now that we were standing face-to-face I was having a hard time keeping my emotions in check.
“I’ve got a room upstairs tonight. If you want a little privacy we could always—”
“In your dreams.”
“You are. Every. Night.”
I hated that he was making me feel things again. The only thing I was supposed to feel for him was hatred and the desire for revenge. I wasn’t supposed to feel all mushy and gooey and yeah, I’ll say it… turned on.
“That line may work on some dumb-ass broad who’s blinded by the big fat contract, your famous name or the size of your package, but it does nothing for me, okay?”
He tsked before breaking out in a grin that had me biting my lip to keep from smiling back. Did I mention he has dimples? Yeah, the deep, sexy kind you just wanna lick as you crawl on top of him and… whoa! Where had that thought come from? Down, girl. No, not down there!
“Such a foul mouth. I don’t remember you swearing like this when we were dating.”
“I was a kid then,” I said, throwing my shoulders back and thrusting my chest out. The fact that the girls happened to be pressed against his rock hard pecs hadn’t been my intention, but now that he’d noticed, no sense backing down now. “See something you like, Harris?”
“I like every single thing about you,” he said, closing his hands over my hips as he pulled my body tight against his.
He was sporting a raging hard-on, leaving little doubt as to what he wanted to do with it. I’d taken a ride on his pleasure stick enough times to know just how pleasurable that ride could be, but I wasn’t the kind of girl who let herself be taken advantage of. Twice.
“You remember that night in the bed of my truck?” He brushed his lips against my ear and I did not shudder. Okay, maybe I did. A little. “We’d been dating a couple of months already and I wanted you so bad…”
My lips turned up at the corner as memories came flooding back. “But I was a virgin and I wasn’t ready to give it up until I knew you were worth it.”
“I told you I was in love with you that night.” His eyes locked on mine and I could have sworn I felt our hearts beating in unison. “I’d never said that to another girl before.” The silence stretched on as we both replayed the scene in our minds. “Or since.”
It was like someone shoved a hot poker up my ass. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.” He smiled, looking sad. “I told you that you were the only girl I’ve ever felt that way about.”
I cursed the tears that sprang to my eyes. “Do you know how much I hate you?”
“Liv, I—”
I pushed him away before running to the ladies room with my sister hot on my heels. Nothing was going as planned and I was going to kill her for getting me to agree to this. If I wasn’t careful he’d be the one leaving with my heart. Again.
Chapter Two
Landon
She couldn’t possibly hate me as much as I hated myself. As I watched her run away I wanted to go after her, but I knew I couldn’t. She needed time to process the shit I’d said to her. Time to decide how she wanted to make me pay. And I’d gladly pay any price, ‘cause I came to this party with one goal in mind: a second chance with the girl who got away.
I knew she didn’t have a boyfriend. My kid brother did his homework. Lots of pics of the fam, her friends, even her toy poodle who’d died, Lila, but she hadn’t posted a boyfriend pic in six months and her status was definitely single. I knew I wasn’t going to get another chance like this, so I had to make it count.
“What did you say to upset her?” Justin asked, glaring at me.
He wasn’t a small guy, but he couldn’t take me on his best day. I’m not arrogant. I just call ‘em like I see ‘em. And I see a guy with balls but not enough brawn to back it up.
“What’s it to you, Romeo? You gonna fight to defend her honour?” I knew I was being an ass, but the fact that this dude had possibly been intimate with Olivia gave me reason enough to hate him.
“I’d lay down my life for that woman, asshole.” He stepped in my path. “So, if you’re thinking about messing with her, think again.”
I normally admired a guy who refused to back down, but when he was standing between me and the one thing I wanted more than another championship ring he was barking up the wrong motherfucking tree.
“This is none of your business, so do yourself a favor and stay out of it.”
“None of my business,” he spit out between clenched teeth. “None of my business?” He pushed a finger into my shoulder, going toe-to-toe with me. “I was the one who was there to help her pick up the pieces when she showed up to college a wreck because of you. Barely able to concentrate, not able to sleep or eat or even crack a smile.”
I hated knowing I’d done that to her, but at the time I thought I was giving her a chance at the life she wanted. She wanted to become some hotshot fashion designer. She wanted to go to a prestigious private school for the arts. And her parents could afford to send her too. According to them, t
he only thing standing between her and her dream was me. So I took myself out of the equation. For her. Because she was the only person I loved more than I loved myself.
“Fifteen years?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at this stranger who seemed to love my girl as much as I had. “You’ve been friends for fifteen years?” As much as I hated it, that gave him the right to stick his nose into our business, because he knew her in a way I didn’t anymore.
“Friends. Lovers. Confidantes. Partners.”
I closed my eyes, drawing a deep breath. I’d already suspected they’d slept together, but hearing it out loud made it difficult not to knock all of his teeth out. I knew I didn’t have the right, but rational thought never came into play where Olivia was concerned.
“What’s wrong? You got a problem with that?” he asked, rocking back on his heels.
“I think you know I do,” I said, getting in his face. “And if you were smart you’d back off before I shove my fist down your throat.”
He seemed to consider the threat before he asked, “If she means this much to you, why’d you let her go?”
“For her sake.” I’d intended to plead my case with her, not her friend, but if he was her middle man, I’d take what I could get. Maybe he could convince her I’d done what I did because I loved her, not because I was a selfish bastard who only wanted to chase tail in college.
“This I gotta hear.” He pointed to the bar in the corner. “And I have a feeling I’m gonna need a drink to get through it.”
After he’d ordered a scotch and I’d ordered a beer, I started to spill my guts. “She always had big dreams, same as me. I was on the verge of making mine come true. I had colleges fighting over me. I got a full ride. But I knew going there was my dream, not hers.”
“Because she wanted to go to art school?”
“Right. All she’d ever wanted was to be a fashion designer.” Thanks to my brother, I knew she had a private label that sold online and in upscale boutiques across the country. She’d made her dreams come true. Just like I had.
Down & Dirty Page 1
