Playing the Player: Falling for Best friend's sister. (The Hartford Brothers Book 2)

by JA Low

  Nell

  One year later

  It’s crazy how much can change in just one year. This time last year, I was celebrating my sixteenth birthday. I lost my virginity to Remington Hartford, and it was the most amazing experience of my life. We were inseparable for the rest of the summer. I fell hard for him and him with me before he blew it up in my face at his eighteenth birthday party that Halloween. We agreed to keep things between us a secret from my brother. We knew the long-distance relationship would be hard, but I attempted to pop back on weekends to see him, and we talked most nights on the phone and texted back and forth. I was excited to get back to Bridgehampton to see him and celebrate his birthday with him, unfortunately things didn’t quite turn out the way I had envisaged.

  “Nell, can we have a moment?” Remi mumbles solemnly as he enters my room, looking like he would rather be anywhere else than here. My girlfriends’ eyes widen at his request, but they jump up and disappear out of the room. He doesn’t look as excited to see me as I am him.

  “Is everything okay?” I ask, worried. Did someone die?

  “Can we talk?” Remi asks again as he stares at the spot beside me. I pat the space and he sits. My insides do a double flip as he’s unable to look at me. What the hell is going on? My anxiety goes into overdrive.

  “I don’t know how to tell you this, Nell, but…” Remi says softly, “but I’ve met someone at school.” My stomach sinks and my insides give out under me.

  “You met someone else?” Moisture tickles my eyes, and I try to suck those tears back as hard as I can because I will not let this boy hurt me like that.

  “I didn’t mean for anything to happen, but it just did,” he explains quietly. “I know we weren’t officially dating, but…” he bites his bottom lip nervously and he still can’t look at me. I know we never said the words of boyfriend and girlfriend, but I thought we were. No boys at school have caught my attention since being with him. No one could compare to Remi. I thought we would go public at his birthday party, tell my brother that we were in love and that we would be together and now he’s telling me we were nothing and he’s met someone else. “I’m really sorry, Nell. I didn’t mean to hurt you, it just kind of happened,” he adds apologetically.

  I stand up from my bed because I don’t want to be anywhere near him at this moment. It’s all lies. What we had was all bullshit. “You didn’t mean to hurt me?” I exclaim loudly as I thump my chest. “But you did.” Remi looks up at me. His face is pale, his eyes are glassy, and his hands are fidgeting.

  “I know, and I’m sorry,” he says, pleading.

  “You led me on, Remi. You’ve been calling me every night. You’ve told me you loved me. I gave you my fucking virginity for god’s sake, and you turn around and tell me, oops, sorry, I’ve been screwing someone else.” My own words are like tiny arrows through my heart.

  “I’m not screwing anyone else.” Yet, I think. “You and I can never be together, Nell. Dominic would never allow it. Your dad would kick me off the team. I’m sorry but I have too much to lose.”

  Wow. He has too much to lose. Basically, what he’s saying is I’m not good enough for him to take a chance on.

  “Get out. Get the hell out of my room. I never ever want to see you or speak to you ever again!” I scream. He looks a little taken aback by my reaction, which angers me even more. I’d fallen for him, and he’s just thrown it back in my face. Tears stream down my cheeks as he scurries out of my room like the cockroach that he is, and my girls rush in and pull me into their arms and hold me while my heart breaks.

  The girls insisted I attend Remi’s birthday, which was being held back in the city, to show him exactly what he’s missing. They made me choose the sexiest dress I could find; they pushed me to get my hair and make-up done, and if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t feel confident walking into the after party of Remi’s birthday. As soon as I step into the club, I see Remi, with some brunette in his arms, kissing her. All that confidence that I had earlier vanishes in an instant as I see him with another girl. My besties reassure me it’s going to be okay, that I’ve got this and that I look hot. My anxiety slowly subsides. Remi ignores me all night, partying with his new friends, who I already know because they are Dom’s too. They are a bunch of douchebags, so I guess Remi’s fitting right in.

  “Is that Nell, Audrey, and Rainn?” a deep voice calls out from behind us. The three of us turn around and Remi’s older brothers Stirling and Miles are standing there looking as handsome as ever. Remi’s brothers are much older than him, but I can appreciate their aesthetics. “You girls look all grown up,” Miles adds cheerfully. He’s not saying it in a creeper way, he’s just being nice. All our families are long-time friends, so we’ve grown up around each other; these two Hartford guys are more like brothers to us. “Why are you girls not dancing?” Miles asks curiously.

  “The boys at this party are not worth our attention,” Rainn answers honestly, which makes Miles break out in a deep chuckle and the ever-stony-faced Stirling even cracks a smile.

  “Well then, I hope two old guys like us are up to par for a dance?” Miles asks Rainn, bemused. She looks him up and down and grins.

  “I was always taught to respect my elders, so I guess it should be fine,” Rainn quips back, making Miles chuckle again.

  We spend the rest of the night having a blast with Miles Hartford. Stirling lasted one song and quickly bowed out, but Miles helped the three of us girls have the best time, and I soon forgot all about his brother.

  “I’m going to the bathroom,” I tell the girls, who wave me off the dance floor. I head on over to the bathrooms on the other side of the club and do my business. As soon as I step outside to head back to the dance floor, I feel myself being tugged and pushed up against a wall.

  “What the hell are you doing with my brother?” Remi explodes angrily as he places his hands on either side of my head, caging me in. Green eyes flare with accusation and jealousy as they stare down at me, his chest heaving with exertion.

  “None of your damn business,” I stammer, surprised by his reaction.

  “Do you want him?” he questions me angrily.

  “What if I do? It’s none of your damn business.” I poke my finger into his hard chest.

  “He’s too old for you,” he growls irritably.

  “And you have a girlfriend,” I remind him.

  “No, I don’t,” he growls as his eyes dip down to my lips, and the next thing I know, they are on mine. What is happening? Unfortunately, my mouth opens for him, and he pounces at my stupidity. I don’t know why I’m not pushing him away. I should have slapped his face for kissing me like this, but I don’t. Instead, I reward his bad behavior with a pleading moan. The sound of metal releasing from the zipper and the crinkling of the foil from a condom wrapper still doesn’t stop me from making a poor decision, not even when I wrap my leg around his hip, giving him easier access. Does it stop me? Not even the animalistic grunts that echo in my ear as he takes me in a dark corridor in the middle of his birthday party as if I was his dirty little secret make me push him away. Instead, for some stupid reason the fact that we could get caught and I’m doing something so out of character turns me on. I’m sick. Has to be the reason I let him push me over the edge, and his mouth swallows down my screams. It must be the reason I let him do up his pants in silence without a single complaint. Why, I let him grab my face and kiss me savagely while he growls that I’m his, and no one else’s. And why I watch him walk back into his birthday party, back into the arms of another girl.

  I’m so stupid.

  Never again, I tell myself as I sit in the auditorium of my brother’s high school and watch him and Remi graduate. I don’t care that Remi has filled out even more since I last saw him, or that his tan has deepened, making him even more handsome than should be allowed. I watch as each student walks up and collects their diploma. Remington Hartford is by far the hottest guy up there, and I know there are a lot of girls thinking the same thing,
and probably a lot of moms too. But I’ve learned my lesson from last summer. Hot guys are bad news, and I’ve got a new boyfriend anyway, and I’m happy with him. My boyfriend’s family is coming up to the Hamptons for the summer, so we are going to spend it together.

  I’m ecstatic.

  7

  Remi

  I’ve finally graduated!

  I’m so excited to be standing up here in front of my family and friends collecting my high school diploma. It’s been challenging juggling school and polo, but I’ve done it. Now it’s time for me to concentrate on my playing future this summer and trying to move up in the world rankings before I start college. Mr. Garcia explained to Dom and me we needed to choose a college degree before we pursue polo full time, that having a fallback plan if something happens to our careers, like an injury, is a good idea. Especially as it happened to my father, who was involved in a car accident which put an end to his polo career. Dominic will be taking over the family business, but he wants to do more of the animal science side of the business, not the playing part. He’s off to Penn State doing equine studies. I chose a bachelor’s in economics at Harvard. I thought that might help me when I’m negotiating contracts and stuff. And the best bit is, Dom and I will play against each other on the polo fields in the intercollegiate competition. Can’t wait to whip his ass.

  I look out into the auditorium and wave to my family, but a beautiful blonde grabs my attention, Nell. She’s sitting there with her family smiling and happy for Dom until her eyes fall on me and she turns ice princess. Does she not realize her hate just turns me on even more? It’s well deserved, but still hot. I messed up last year. I had Dom riding my ass about flirting with his sister. I had Mr. Garcia training us hard, telling me I needed to focus on polo if I wanted to be the world’s best. There was a lot of pressure, and I didn’t mean for Reagan to turn my head at school. She was persistent. I tried to hold out for as long as I could, but when she was whispering all the dirty things she wanted to do to me all over school, there was only so much this horny high schooler could take. Nell, being back in the city, it felt like she was on the moon to me. Stupidly, I gave into Reagan but what I thought was going to be our little secret ended up turning into a nightmare once Reagan opened her mouth about how big my dick was and how well I used it. All her friends wanted a ride and who the hell was I to say no to them all, especially when they made it so damn hard to with their come-hither stares and willing mouths. I loved the attention. My ego was being stroked big time, and I fell for it.

  That wasn’t enough for me, was it? No, jealousy got the best of me that night seeing her dancing with my brother Miles and having fun as if I didn’t exist. My ego got the better of me at my birthday party, and I took what I wanted, what I thought I deserved from her. Yeah, not proud of that. Sinking inside Nell was the perfect birthday present. No one compares to her.

  “We’re free, motherfuckers!” One of my friends wraps their arm around my shoulders and almost crash tackles me as I walk through the door to our graduation party. He then hands Dom and me a red Solo cup of beer before he runs off screaming about freedom or something.

  “We did it,” Dom declares, triumphantly raising his solo cup into the air.

  “Fucking hell we did.” I raise my cup, the frothy liquid spilling over the edge and all down my arm, but I don’t care. We did it. We finished high school, and this is our last summer together before we must grow the fuck up.

  The party is in full swing when I notice Nell walk in with her friends. What the hell is she doing here? I’ve heard she’s got a boyfriend now, some preppy douche she’s been dating for months. Her first love or some shit like that Portia sprouted over pancakes one morning. Totally lost my appetite after hearing that news.

  So why is she here tonight then? And where is her guy?

  Those brown eyes land on me where I’m slumped in the corner with a couple of girls surrounding me. I have one in my lap, her ass doing wicked things to my dick, and I have my arm slung over another’s shoulder while she whispers dirty things into my ear. Both girls want me; they’ve heard the rumors. I guess there could be worse things going around about you other than you fuck like a god. I’d rather that than his dick smells of cottage cheese or something. Nell’s lip curls in disgust as she looks over at the two women vying for my attention. I can see behind those innocent eyes how much she wants me still. I’m hoping she can see how much I want her, even if my actions show differently. She throws her hair back behind her and walks off with her two best friends, who both give me the evil eye. It makes me chuckle. If I want something with Nell tonight, I’m going to have to get her away from her two bulldogs. An idea pops into my head exactly how I’m going to do it.

  Hours later, the party is still in chaos, and everyone is pairing off or passing out. I’ve kept my eyes on Nell all night, especially when some dickheads have gone sniffing around. Thankfully, the two friends I sent over to entertain Rainn and Audrey worked, and they are certainly entertaining them with their tongues down their throats. I watch as one by one the guys lead the two girls away to somewhere more private, leaving Nell exposed and ripe for me to slide in. Unhooking myself from the girls currently draped over me, I stand up and head on over to where Nell is sitting on a day bed all by herself, playing with her phone, looking miserable. Luckily, I’m here to cheer her up.

  “Nell, you’re looking good,” I say cheerily as I sit down on the day bed. Her head swiftly looks up, and a frown forms on her face as brown eyes glare at me. She is not happy to see me.

  “What do you want, Remi?”

  “Haven’t seen you in a while, just thought I’d say hello,” I say brightly. Her eyes narrow on me, and she shakes her head. Impatience falls across her face as she turns back to her cell, practically dismissing me.

  “Don’t think your harem of girls would be too happy seeing you over here. You should go back to them,” she states coolly as she looks up from her phone.

  “Don’t worry about them, they will wait till I’m ready,” I tell her cockily.

  Her eyes widen at my comment and then her face scrunches up angrily. “Who the hell are you?” she asks angrily, “This,” she waves her hands at me, “is a douche.” Then she swings her legs off the daybed and gets up, gives herself a shake, and walks off.

  Oh, baby girl, this conversation isn’t done with yet. I get up and chase after her. “What makes you think I’m a douche? I’m far from it. I think if you remember last summer, you were hanging out with a douche called Tad.”

  Nell shakes her head, ignoring me as her steps quicken along the stone path that leads back inside.

  “Nell.” I call her name, but she ignores me. She grabs the door handle and pulls the glass door open and stomps inside the house. “Nell.” I call her name again, irritation forming across my skin.

  “I told you, Remi. I don’t want to talk to you. I’ve been pretty clear in my actions, don’t you think?” she yells at me angrily.

  Then she stops unexpectedly, and I run into her, nearly knocking her over. My hands come out and wrap around her upper arms and steady her. As soon as our skin meets, a sizzle electrifies and my dick throbs with need. I know she feels it too because her eyes widen with surprise; her cheeks have a pink hue to them as she licks her lips. Her eyes dip to my lips in the briefest of moments, but enough that I felt it in my bones, and by bones, I mean my dick. Everything stops around us as if we are in a transparent bubble that only the two of us can feel. Now is my chance to taste her again. I lean down and press my lips to her. She hesitates before I open my mouth and run my tongue along her lips, which makes her moan. Yes. I’ve got her. My hands move from her arms and cup her cheeks, pulling her closer to me, which she does willingly. Our tongues meet again, and everything is right in the world.

  “Remi, no!” she yells, startled, and puts her hands on my chest and pushes me away from her. Both of us are panting from the kiss. “I have a boyfriend,” she breathes, horrified as her hands come up and touch h
er lips, realizing that she just cheated on her guy.

  “He doesn’t need to know,” I explain to her smugly. Those brown eyes widen and flare with anger.

  “Of course, you don’t care. I’m a plaything for you, aren’t I? You think I’m one of your harem girls who will fall to her knees whenever the mood strikes you. I’m not one of those girls, Remi. You fooled me last year, and finally, I let myself get over the heartbreak you caused me and moved on to someone that means something to me. Who treats me right, and then you come in like some cocky douche and think you can just take and take from me?” she states firmly, her eyes glassing over with emotion.

  “You’re mine, Nell.”

  She shakes her head at my comment. “I was yours once. But you messed it all up and now I’m someone else’s. You can’t keep coming into my life and messing it up!” she screams angrily at me as the first tear slides down her cheek. My heart cracks, seeing the distress my thoughtlessness is causing her.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell her honestly. They are the only words that need to be spoken. “You’re right. It’s just…” The words hang there between us. I’m unable to say what I really want to say to her.