by L A Cotton
“I...” She hesitated. “You like it and that’s what’s important. And at least I can say I visited The Met now.”
“It was just so... inspiring. Her work is really something.”
“And I’d love to hear all about it sometime but,”—she pointed at the guys standing at the bottom of the steps—“Who the hell is that?”
Jason was talking to a girl, a very well dressed, very beautiful girl.
“I guess it’s Asher’s cousin.”
“He didn’t say she looked like a super model.” Flick grabbed my arm, pulling me toward them.
“I’m sure she’s nice, despite being related to Asher.”
“Hails, he's not that bad.”
“But he’s not boyfriend material either, right?”
She rolled her lips together.
“Flick?” I asked her again.
“I told you already, not interested. But it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure Asher is the kind of guy you—”
“Fee get over here. I want to introduce you to Vaughn and Riley.”
“Come on, Hails. He wants to introduce us to his cousins.” She flashed me a playful grin, bouncing down the last few steps and sidling up to Asher as if they were the best of friends.
And it occurred to me, maybe that’s where this strange thing they had going on was headed.
“Fee, Hails, this is my cousin Riley and his sister Vaughn.”
“Hey,” the guy said, his eyes running over Flick and then me. Cameron moved closer, whispering how much he’d missed me in my ear. Riley smirked. “She yours?”
“Actually, he’s mine,” I said, clasping Cameron’s hand in mine.
“Noted.” Riley’s smirk morphed into an easy smile. “And you?” He flicked his head to Flick who blushed deeply.
“Me? I’m, uh, I’m very much... single,” she croaked out.
“But you’ll be keeping your dirty paws off her.” Asher threw his arm around Riley and pulled him away.
“If I didn’t know better,” Vaughn said as she took off after them. “I’d say my cousin has a crush.”
“Hey, man, you okay?” Cameron asked Jason who was rooted to the spot, watching Vaughn’s retreating form.
“What? Yeah, I’m good.” He glared at Flick. “You know she’s joking, right? Ash doesn’t want you. He just likes playing with you.”
“I...” She snapped her mouth shut, embarrassment burning her cheeks.
“Jason don’t be such a dick,” I scolded.
“Yeah, man, come on. We only have one night,” Cameron added. “Let’s try to all get along.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled before stalking off after Asher and his cousins.
“Are you okay?” I asked Flick.
“Please, I’m fine.” She smiled but it was forced. “Come on, we should keep up with them.” Flick brushed past us and hurried after them.
“That was... weird.”
“Don’t worry about Jase,” Cameron said, “He’s just pissed his best friend is shacking up with his sister.”
“You make it sound so romantic.” I leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Later,” Cameron breathed. “Later, I’m going to kiss every single inch of you.”
“Is that a promise?” My fingers twisted into his sweater, and he smiled.
“It is.”
“I look forward to it.” I stole another kiss. “Come on, before we lose them.”
“Wait.” He snagged my wrist. “What Asher said earlier, about the thing.”
“The thing?” I vaguely recalled Asher asking Cameron if he’d told me about the thing, but I’d been too busy taking in the view of the city.
“Yeah.” Cameron’s throat bobbed. “I decided where I’m committing to.”
My heart fluttered. “You did?”
“I did.”
“It’s okay,” I said over the lump in my throat. We hadn’t talked about it much, our relationship was new and I didn’t want to make any assumptions. “Wherever you go, we’ll make it work.”
“Good, because I chose Michigan.”
“Michigan... as in...”
A slow smile broke over his face as he nodded. “Is that okay?”
“You’re going to go to school in Michigan?”
“If you want—”
“I want.” I threw my arms around him. “I really want.”
“Thank fuck because I kind of already made a verbal commitment.”
I swatted his chest, hardly able to believe it. I’d known Cameron was looking at colleges again since his mom’s surgery went well. But deep down, I’d expected him to follow Jason to Penn, and although I hated the idea, I would have never stood in his way.
“Jason—” I started but he cut me off.
“Is important to me, but this was my decision to make, not his.”
And although he was almost six years too late, he’d finally chosen me.
Cameron
“What’s up with you?” I asked Jase as we looked out over the club. Hailee and Flick were dancing below in the middle of the crowded dance floor. She’d wanted me to go with them, but I wanted her to enjoy some time with her best friend, and I wanted to talk to mine.
“You’ve had a stick up your ass all night. Is it her?”
“Her?” He eyed me coolly, taking a long pull on his beer. I had thought we might have a problem getting into the club, but it turned out Asher’s cousins knew everyone and we’d all walked right in. It was pretty cool, even if I would have rather been back at the penthouse with Hailee. Alone and naked and buried so deep inside her I didn’t know where she began and I ended.
“You know who I’m talking about.” My gaze slid back to the girls as they laughed and danced, oblivious to all the guys staring at them with hunger in their eyes.
“You’re okay with that?” Jase flipped the tables on me. “With her down there while they watch? If she was mine—”
“Are you okay with it?” I countered, and he knew full well I didn’t mean his step-sister.
“What the fuck are you getting at?”
“You watch her, you know.” I fought a smirk. “When you think no one is looking, you watch her.”
He let out a strangled laugh. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. The only girl I’ve got my sights set on tonight is Vaughn.”
“Really, man? She’s Asher’s cousin.”
“Didn’t stop you, did it?” He blew out a long breath and turned to lean against the balcony rail, giving the dance floor—and the girls—his back.
“I’m not doing this with you.”
“Doing what? I’m not doing anything.” His hard gaze flicked over me to Asher and his cousins. He looked hungry. Vicious. He looked like the Jase I knew before shit hit the fan.
I slammed my hand into his stomach as he stepped forward. “Don’t do this. You don’t need to prove anything. All you’re going to do is hurt her—”
“Hurt who?”
With a disapproving shake of my head, I let him go. Jase lived for his games but one day they would come around and bite him on the ass. And for as much as I didn’t want Felicity to get tangled up with him, maybe she was the girl to finally put him in his place.
“What’s his deal?” Asher joined me, running his eyes over the crowd below.
“Who, Jase? Just his usual bullshit.”
“He likes her, you know,” he said as if it was nothing. “He won’t ever admit it, but he does. She gets under his skin.”
I side-eyed him but he was too busy watching the dance floor... the girls.
Felicity.
He was watching Felicity.
“And what about you?” I asked, uncertain whether this was water I wanted to tread. “Does she get under your skin?”
He shrugged, playing it cool. But I saw the tightness around his jaw. He liked her. Fuck. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “She’s not into me.”
“And she’s into Jas
e?”
“I’m not sure. She says she isn’t, but I catch her watching him sometimes with this look in her eye, and I’m pretty sure something happened with them the other week at my house.”
“What look?”
Asher expelled a shaky breath as he gripped the rail. “The look you used to give Hailee. The same look that says you want something even though you know it’s a really fucking bad idea.”
“It worked out for us, didn’t it?”
He laughed at that, but it was full of bitterness. “You’re the exception to the rule. Besides, you’re not a cruel bastard like Jase. He’d tear Fee apart with his teeth and then feast on her bones just because he could.” His jaw clenched. “And yet, my money says before the semester’s out she lets him fuck her.”
“Maybe she just needs to know there are other options on the table.” I gave him a hard look.
“Maybe.” Something flashed over his face, but he quickly schooled it. “Are we going down there before some stuck-up city suit steals your girl right out from under your nose?”
My eyes zeroed in on Hailee again. Asher was right, two guys were moving in on them. “Let’s go,” I said, draining my beer and slamming it on the ledge.
We made our way downstairs, weaving through the sea of bodies. I instantly locked eyes with the fucker watching Hailee. His eyes widened and then narrowed when I stepped up behind her, sliding my arm around her waist.
“Hey,” she mouthed over her shoulder at me.
“I missed you.” I kissed the tip of her nose before tangling our hands together and resting them on her stomach. The guy sneered before stalking off. I glanced over at Asher who threw me an amused smirk as he pulled Flick into his arms. She went willingly, a sloppy smile plastered on her face.
“How drunk is Felicity?” I asked Hailee as she rolled her hips against me, sending a trail of electricity zipping through me.
“Asher will look after her,” she yelled over the music.
That was precisely what I was worried about.
“I’m not sure—” Hailee spun in my arms, slamming her mouth to mine. My hands slid down her back, finding the curve of her ass. She looked like sin in the skin-tight black sweater dress and kitten heels that made her legs appear longer.
Our tongues swirled together, slow lazy licks, mirroring the way our bodies moved. I didn’t make a habit of dancing, but for Hailee I’d walk over hot coals. There was something magnetic about her. And I was completely powerless against her charms.
“Take me home, Cameron,” she moaned against my lips. “I need you.”
Fuck.
I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and get the hell out of here, but the night was still young and there was Felicity and my friends to consider. Although she and Asher looked more than at home wrapped in each other’s arms.
“Later,” I said, stealing another kiss. “Felicity wanted to make the most of the night.”
Hailee’s eyes darkened as she gazed up at me. “I love you.” She fought a smile. “I love you so much.”
I pulled her close, emotion punching my stomach. Hailee wrapped her arms around my waist and held on tight as we swayed, dancing to our own beat.
Only weeks ago, my future had been uncertain, a black cloud hanging over me, blotting out all the light. But now I had everything I ever wanted. I had the team, and State was within our grasp. Mom was doing as well as could be expected given the circumstances. And I had a girl who loved me unconditionally.
I was a lucky son of a bitch. But if the last few weeks had taught me anything, it was not to take anything for granted.
And I intended on making the most of my life—starting with the girl in my arms.
Hailee
“Where are you going?” Cameron murmured, his hand reaching for me as I tried to untangle myself from the sheets.
“Water,” I said. “I need water.” The air was different in New York. Thick and humid, it clung to your skin and made your lungs tight.
“Get me a bottle.”
“Okay.” I trailed my fingers over his jaw, heat flooding me as I remembered how intense it had been between us when we got back to the penthouse.
Pulling on Cameron’s shirt, I quickly buttoned it up just in case anyone was still awake, although given the state of Jason, Flick, Asher, and his cousins last night, I doubted anyone would be.
Padding quietly into the hall, I hurried to the kitchen and got two bottles of water out of the refrigerator, pausing when I heard a noise. My heart leaped into my throat and I silently chastised myself. It was probably just someone snoring. But as I tiptoed back into the hall, I heard it again. A gentle creak. A muffled moan. My eyes strained against the darkness to find the source of the noise, only to be met with closed door after closed door. Until my eyes landed on the bedroom Flick had taken. The door was slightly ajar. She’d drunk a lot last night. Maybe she was sick? I hurried to her door, pausing outside. A muted sob pierced the air and I stepped into the room. “Flick, are you—”
A naked ass greeted me.
Jason’s naked ass as he thrust into my friend.
“Oh my god,” I breathed just as Flick’s eyes snapped to mine over his shoulder.
“Hails,” she cried, eyes wide with surprise and hazy with lust. Her body closed in on itself as Jason cussed under his breath, before rolling off my best friend.
My best friend.
... and my step-brother.
Together.
I turned on my heel and got the hell out of there. Cameron had been right. Something was going on.
Something between the two of them.
One of the people I loved most in the world.
And one of the people I hated most.
Life had just got a whole lot more complicated.
The Game You Play
To Nina
Thank you for believing in this story
“Stupid girl,” I muttered to myself as I flushed the toilet and left the stall to wash my hands. The music pulsed through the walls, mimicking the thud of my heart against my ribcage.
He’s doing it to get under your skin. Ignore him and he’ll stop.
Easier said than done.
Jason ‘asshole’ Ford was the bane of my existence. Arrogant. Conceited. A total manwhore.
And the guy my heart had apparently decided it wanted.
Stupid, stupid heart.
Pressing my hands against the cool marble counter, I stared at myself in the wall-length mirror. I looked good. My hair was curled to perfection, hanging in long loose waves down my back; my makeup was smoky and seductive; and the black dress clung to my curves like a second skin.
I didn’t only look good.
I looked downright hot.
“Get it together, Giles,” I commanded to the girl staring back at me in the mirror. “He only has power over you if you let him.”
And right now, the asshole was out there all over another girl.
A girl who wasn’t me.
The knot in my stomach tightened as I inhaled a deep breath. “You’ve got this,” I whispered.
Just then, a group of giggling girls spilled into the restroom, pausing to glance me over. I offered them a tight smile and hurried out of there. The New York club Asher’s cousins had brought us to was something else. Nothing like the bars we had back home in our small town of Rixon. It was moody and dark, the furnishings sleek and sexy. Frequented by young, rich New Yorkers all looking to let loose and have fun.
I slipped into the hall connecting the cloakroom and restroom to the rest of the club, determined to enjoy the night. So what if Jason was practically dry fucking Asher’s cousin? My body—and stupid foolish heart—might have wanted him, but my head knew better.
My head knew Jason Ford was a really bad idea.
What I needed was to find a nice guy who wanted to buy me a drink and dance the night away with me. And who knew, maybe I’d get to tick another thing off my list. After all, we were in New York. New freaking York.
It was a small miracle my parents had ever agreed to let me take the trip for my best friend’s birthday. Of course they only knew about the art exhibition we planned to visit and the sightseeing we wanted to do. But what they didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt them.
The thought made me smile, putting an extra bounce in my step, as I rounded the corner... and smacked straight into a hard, muscular chest. “I know you want me, Giles, but throwing yourself at me is kind of desperate.”
“Fuck you, Jason.” I glowered at him, stepping back to put a safe distance between us. Of course he took that as a challenge, the glint in his eye obvious as he inched closer.
“Jason,” I warned, but he kept coming until my back hit the wall, knocking the air from my lungs.
“I know what you’re doing,” he whispered against my ear, his warm breath dancing over my skin. I gulped, my eyes fluttering closed. His voice was low, husky even, and if I didn’t know him the way I did, it would have been easy to mistake his tone for seduction.
But I did know him.
And this was all a game to him.
“I’m not doing anything, Jason,” I sighed, ignoring the little voice in my head whispering ‘liar’.
He erased the sliver of space between us, plastering his body against mine in the dimly lit hall. “It won’t work,” he added, his tongue swiping my damp skin before nipping my earlobe. My knees buckled as a full-body shiver rolled through me.
“Jason.” It was supposed to be another warning, but my voice betrayed me, his name falling from my lips on a breathy sigh.
One of his hands glided up my body. I fought the urge to lean into his touch, to seek more. He didn’t care that he squeezed my breast a little too hard or that his fingers wrapped around my throat a little too tight. Because a guy like Jason Ford did what he wanted, took what he wanted, when he wanted it.
But I did care.
I cared that his rough touch lit up my body in a way it never had before. I cared that I wanted to let him do unspeakable things to me.
