CHAPTER FOUR
Gabe
You have got to be shittin’ me! Out of all the places to see her again… Here?
Johnny and I have known each other since we were kids. We have the same circle of friends; I thought I knew all of Jill’s friends, too.
Clearly not.
However, I did know she started working part-time at a boutique. Come to find out it’s at fucking Blondie’s. Someone is having a good laugh at the irony of it all.
I find none of it funny.
Ever since our first encounter, I’ve been haunted by the memory of her ass encased in black satin. Running into her everywhere has only added to the torture. And, of course, she walked into the party looking like every guy’s wet dream, wearing a dress that shows off her mile-long legs, and heels meant to claw into a guy’s back while he’s fucking her senseless.
She looked about as happy to see me as I was her. The introduction by Jill was unnecessary and awkward to say the least. She got a kick out of the fact that we already knew each other and was completely oblivious to the tension between Blondie and me. The kind that reels me in and calls to every primal instinct I possess. A girl I barely know has me all tied up in knots and I fucking hate it.
Since the introduction, she has avoided me like the plague. Other than tossing me an occasional glare while sipping her pink drink, she has stayed on the other side of the room.
I don’t blame her. I was a prick the last time we ran into each other. I can’t seem to help myself. There’s something about her that drives me crazy. It’s not just the fact that she’s a spoiled rich girl.
It’s something more.
The fire in her eyes challenges me, makes me want to see just how far I can push. I have no doubt there’s more to her than all that attitude she carries around, and a part of me craves to know what it is.
“You gonna fill me in on the story with Barbie over there or continue to glare at her all night?” Johnny asks, leaning against the wall next to me.
“Nothing to tell.” The lie is pathetic, even to my own ears.
“Right, that’s why you look like you’re ready to knock someone out.”
I want to hit someone all right but it’s not Blondie. My anger is directed at Travis, another longtime friend of mine who has taken it upon himself to entertain her. From the moment she walked in, he’s been trying to charm himself right into her panties. No doubt they’re the black silk ones that barely cover her phenomenal ass.
From across the room, I watch as she sits with him, my irritation growing when she throws her head back and laughs at whatever the fucker is saying. Her slender throat calls to me, my mouth watering to taste the delicate skin.
Eventually, she excuses herself and heads to the bathroom.
Travis makes his way over to Johnny and me, a cheesy grin lighting up his whole damn face. “Man, you see that chick? I knew your sister had some hot friends but she has to be the hottest one yet.”
The remark makes me want to rip his throat out.
His eyes shift to me and he rears back at my hard expression. “What’s your problem?”
“Nothing,” I answer, voice tight.
Johnny chuckles. “I don’t think he likes you getting cozy with the hot, new friend.”
“Why, you know her? Do you two have something going on?”
“No.”
What am I supposed to say? She’s a pretentious, rich girl that I saved, and I’m not sure if I hate her or want to fuck her.
I want to fuck her like I hate her.
Jesus, I have problems.
Before any of us can say more, Jill walks over carrying a large beer mug with tiny pieces of paper in it. “Pick a name please,” she says, thrusting the glass in front of Travis.
“What’s this for?”
“Our first game of the night.”
Johnny groans. “Do we really need games?”
“Yes, we do. So stop fussin’.” She brings the mug to me next.
I pull one out to appease her but I’m with Johnny. I don’t care for games.
Johnny reaches for one too but Jill pulls the glass back. “Not you. You don’t need one. Your girlfriend is your partner.”
“Partner for what?” he asks.
“You’ll see.” She leaves us with the cryptic answer, moving about the room from guy to guy.
“I hate this shit,” Johnny grumbles.
“She does this every year and every year you bitch about it,” I remind him. “Why don’t you start celebrating on your own?”
“You know how my sister is. Her feelings will get hurt. I’ll feel like shit for it, then Leah will give me even more shit and I won’t get laid for a week,” he says, talking about his longtime girlfriend. “No thanks. I’ll suffer through it.”
He’s always had a soft spot for Jill. It’s hard not to. She followed us around everywhere while growing up and has major hero worship for her big brother. Sharing their birthday means everything to her.
“Who did you pick?” Johnny asks, pointing to the paper in my hand.
Hope fills my chest but it punches me in the gut when I open up the paper and don’t find her name. “Trisha.”
A friend of Jill’s that I’ve met a few times. She seems cool and is easy on the eyes. With long brown hair, a normal sized purse, and an attitude that doesn’t put my dick in a fucking twist. I bet she doesn’t even have a rat looking dog either.
Yeah, she’s definitely my type.
“Yes!” Travis’s excitement rips me from my thoughts. “I got exactly who I wanted.” He shows us who he picked, my blood pumping violently at the name he reveals.
“The hell you did.” I rip the paper from his hand, staring down at the dainty handwriting.
“Sure did.”
My jaw tightens, every muscle in my body coiling as jealousy burns within me. Something I never feel. I’m not a jealous guy, never needed to be.
Until now.
“Fate is on my side and my dick is thankful for it,” he gloats with that stupid grin on his face.
Fate my ass.
“Okay, everyone, gather in,” Jill calls from the bar.
Travis holds out his hand. “Give it back.”
I hesitate, using the moment to make a split second decision.
Dropping the paper into his hand, I walk past him, my gaze finding Blondie’s. We make eye contact, the energy in the room shifting before she breaks the connection by looking away.
“Men, line up on one side and, ladies, on the other,” Jill instructs.
There’s about twenty of us that do what she says. Travis and Johnny squeeze in on my right. The eagerness on Travis’s face almost makes me feel bad for what I’m about to do…almost.
“A few minutes ago I had each guy pick a name from the mug. I thought it would be fun to pair up since there are an equal number of men and women.”
“What are we pairing up for?” someone asks.
Jill beams with excitement. “We’re having a scavenger hunt.”
Groans penetrate the air, most of them coming from my side of the room.
“Don’t be such party poopers. It’s going to be fun and there’s a prize for the couple that wins. A big basket filled with alcohol.”
All the guys perk right back up at the information.
“I’m going to give you a list of fifty things that you have to find and you have one hour to find them all. The first team to make it to the end with all fifty items wins.”
Travis tilts his head close to mine. “I hope some of the places are hidden and dark.” He chuckles under his breath.
The poor bastard is going to be very disappointed.
Jill points to the first guy in my line. “Garrett, you start. Whose name did you pick?”
“Cassandra.”
Across the way, a tall redhead joins him, both of them high-fiving each other with the plan to kick ass.
The line continues. Each girl who is called walks over to her partner for the hour.
Then it’s my turn.
“What about it, Gabe? Who did you get?”
My gaze locks with the girl across from me, her eyes wide and nervous. I flash her a smile and hold up my paper. “Looks like it’s you and me, Blondie.”
Horror washes over her face, giving me a sick sense of pleasure.
In that same moment, I feel Travis stiffen next to me. “What the fuck?” He opens his paper to see that I switched the names. “You son of a bitch.” His words are nothing more than an angry whisper.
Johnny laughs his ass off, finding it as funny as I do.
Blondie looks good and pissed as she walks over and takes the spot next to me, leaving a massive gap between us.
Let the games begin.
I wrap an arm around her waist and reel her in close, my eyes remaining on Jill as names are continued to be called down the line. CeCe tries to slip out of my hold as inconspicuously as possible but my grip tightens. When she realizes she isn’t going to pull this off without causing a scene, she crosses her arms over her chest, her body practically vibrating in fury.
I’ve never loved pissing someone off as much as I do her.
“Here is your list and a bag,” Jill says, passing one to each couple. “You have an hour. Starting…now.”
Everyone disperses quickly. Travis throws me a glare, promising retribution, as he and Trisha walk off.
I can kick his ass any day and we both know it.
Pain explodes through my foot when my partner stomps on it, crushing it with her heel.
“Ow! What the hell was that for?” I ask.
She sweeps a blonde lock out of her pissed off face. “For picking my name and putting me on the spot like that.”
“It’s not my fault,” I lie.
“Yeah, right.”
“Do you really think I want to be your partner? Trust me, if I had the choice, I would have chosen someone I can win with.”
The statement gets the reaction from her that I wanted.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I like to win and I sure as hell won’t with you.”
Her back straightens, that fire I’m growing to crave sparking in her eyes. “I’ll have you know that I’m a very competitive person and I always win.”
I’ll bet she does. She probably throws all sorts of fits until she gets what she wants.
She rips the list out of my hand, tears it in two then slaps it against my chest. “You go find your half and I’ll find mine. We’ll see who finishes first.”
I snag her elbow before she can storm off. “Not so fast, Blondie. We’re a team whether we want to be or not. Which means we have to work together.”
“Jill never stated that in the rules.”
“Why else would she have us partner up? Besides, what if I need things on my list that you have?”
Her teeth grind, knowing I’m right. “Fine. Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
We head out into the lobby where a few others are going through their lists. She stops right in the middle and looks down at her torn piece of paper.
“I have some of these items in my purse. Hold this.” She thrusts her drink at me then digs into the massive handbag she has hanging in the crook of her arm. The first thing she pulls out is hand sanitizer. Then Kleenex, lip gloss, perfume, a compact mirror, and a safety pin. In the midst of her digging, I even see a heel slip out that she quickly shoves back inside.
“Jesus, what the hell do you have in there? Your whole closet?”
“So what if I do? You should be grateful considering I just crossed off seven of our needed items.”
“Touché, Blondie. You got a condom in there?”
Her eyes narrow but a slight blush stains her porcelain cheeks. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I do, since it’s on the list,” I say, showing her my half of the paper.
“Oh.” She clears her throat. “Well…no, I don’t.”
“No problem. I have a few on me.” I deliver the information with a wink then retrieve my wallet from my back pocket and pull out the condom, dropping it into the bag.
With a sassy smile, she digs out the foil packet and holds it up to inspect it. “Let me guess, extra small?”
My cock hardens at the taunt. I collect a step forward, coming so close that I can see the fast thrumming pulse at the base of her neck. “Careful, Blondie. I have no qualms about bending you over and ripping off those expensive panties of yours to show you just how wrong your ‘guess’ is.”
“In your dreams, Fireboy,” she sneers, but there’s no denying the heat in her eyes, the same one I have roaring in my veins.
I lean in even closer, dipping my mouth next to her ear. “If you only knew the things I do to you in my dreams, especially that feisty mouth, you’d haul your high maintenance ass back to your side of town.”
Her breath races, skimming across my jaw. “I know what you’re trying to do, but you don’t scare me.”
My nose brushes against her creamy cheek, pushing it just one step further to see if she really means that. She doesn’t move a muscle, except for the shiver that claims her body.
“Good to know, because I don’t bite unless you want me to.” I back out of her personal space, more for my benefit than hers.
“Are you done?” The flush of her skin and need in her eyes contradicts her flippant attitude.
“For now.”
She grumbles something intangible before looking back down at the list she holds in her hand.
“We need to go outside,” I inform her. “There’s things on my list that we will only find out there.”
“Like what?”
“A pinecone, acorn, feather, and—jesus—a firefly?”
“Firefly,” she repeats, as baffled as I am. “How the hell are we supposed to catch that?”
My eyes zero in on her giant purse.
“Forget it, bucko. This is genuine leather and a one-of-a-kind Kate Spade. Only five hundred of these bags exist. No bugs will be going in my purse, got it?”
My lips curve into a smirk. “I guess we’ll improvise then, Bella.”
Her eyes narrow once more, teeth grinding. “For the last time, my name is CeCe not Bella!” She blows past me, her heels clicking on the tile floor as she storms out the front doors.
I follow her outside, unable to contain my laughter. She obviously never took Spanish in school. I could fill her in but, nah. This is much more fun.
She uses the flashlight on her phone, casting it down on the cement to search for the items. The urge to roll my eyes like a fucking chick is strong.
“We’re not going to find them here. We need to head over there.” I point to the woods behind the lodge, a dense forest I know well.
“Are you crazy?” she sputters, appalled at the thought. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not dressed to be going on any kind of nature hike.”
My eyes sweep down her body, taking in her classy dress and heels. “Trust me, I noticed the moment you walked in. But you’re gonna have to suck it up, buttercup, because it’s the only place we’re going to find these items.”
“Then by all means. Have fun, partner,” she says, gesturing for me to go on my own.
“And here I thought you were competitive and always win. Guess not.” I head for the woods, leaving her with the challenge. “See ya on the other side, Blondie.”
Her heated growl penetrates the night air as she catches up to me, just like I knew she would.
“Lose the smirk, asshole!” she snaps.
“Damn, you’re a spitfire. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re rude and completely obnoxious?”
“Never. Only words of love have ever been directed toward me.”
She scoffs at the lie, making me chuckle.
She reaches for my arm as we enter the woods, her nails biting into my skin as she wobbles in her heels. The sting shouldn’t turn me on but it does. It makes me wonder how they would feel being raked down my back while I’m fucking us both into oblivion.
I slow my strides, making it easier for her to keep up. As much as I get a kick out of torturing her, I don’t want her to get hurt.
The flashlight on her phone guides our way, dancing all over the place as she swats at the bugs in front of her face. “Maybe we should mark all the places we pass. The last thing I want is for us to get lost out here.”
“I know these woods like the back of my hand. Johnny and I used to come out here every summer when we were kids.”
“How long have you two known each other?” she asks, sounding genuinely interested.
“Since elementary school. We lived on the same street for years until his family moved to a different neighborhood.”
Where poor people didn’t live.
“My bestie moved away to another state a few years back,” she shares, a hint of sadness in her voice. “She married her high school sweetheart who I always thought was a killer. I even beat him with my purse one time.”
I grunt. I’ll bet those bags she shoulders can cause serious damage to someone, especially with a spitfire like her behind them.
“Anyway, turns out he’s an all right guy. When he’s not stealing my best friend away.”
I side-glance her, wondering why she’s sharing this with me.
Before I can ask she comes to a hard stop, a gasp leaving her lips. “Wait. I found something.” She bends down where her light is trained and picks up a pinecone. “Yes!”
“Good eye, Blondie.”
“I know.” Pride fills her voice as she drops the item in my bag. “What’s next?” She leans in close to look at my paper. Her scent, both sweet and intoxicating, penetrates my senses, my mouth watering for a taste.
I clear my throat to answer the question when she lets out a blood-curdling scream and jumps on me.
“What the hell?”
“Snake! Snaaake,” she wails, climbing up my body like a damn koala bear.
I fight to remain upright, her long legs locking around my waist, squeezing like a goddamn vice. My arms move to cradle her ass before we both careen over. “Whoa, Blondie, chill. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. It slithered across my foot.”
“It was probably just a twig.”
“Gabe, get me out of here!” Her voice is thick with fear as she clings to me.
“All right. Calm down. We’re leaving.” My boots crunch the dry earth beneath them as I walk out of the dense forest.
Her breath is hot in my ear, coming out in short, frantic pants as her heart thunders against my chest. One arm remains under her ass while my other is banded across her back. Her grip around my neck is so damn tight that it begins to cut off my oxygen.
“Will you let up?” I ask. “You’re choking the shit out of me.”
“I’ll let up when you get us out of here!”
Once I step on the pavement, she unwinds her legs from around my waist and quickly finds her footing. “I should have never let you talk me into this,” she snaps, acting like it’s my fault.
Typical.
“What’s wrong, Princess? Daddy never took you camping?”
I realize my mistake too late.
Her entire body stiffens, a stark pain flashing in her eyes that strikes me to my core. “No, asshole, he didn’t and he never will because he’s dead.”
Guilt slices through my chest like a hot blade. Before I have a chance to apologize, she turns her back on me and storms inside.
“CeCe, wait!” I call out, following in after her.
She gives me the finger over her shoulder, her heels tearing up the tile as she blows through the lobby.
A few couples stop their search, watching our dramatic scene unfold.
I finally catch up to her down one of the hallways. She stands outside her door, searching for the room key in her purse.
“Will you fucking wait?” I growl, snagging her arm. “I’m trying to apologize.”
She turns on me and the pain that was in her eyes seconds ago is now replaced with fury. “I don’t want your apology! I’m done with your shit. It’s obvious you feel the need to tear others down to overcompensate for what you are so obviously lacking.”
Her eyes dart to the center of my jeans, her insinuation loud and clear. It has every muscle in my body tightening.
She takes a step forward, entering dangerous territory as she jabs her pink fingernail into my chest. “Well, Fireboy, you and your small penis can take out your bitterness on someone else.”
Her purse hits my stomach as she turns on a heel to storm inside, attempting to slam the door in my face. A primal instinct comes over me, one so powerful there’s no stopping it.
“I don’t think so, baby.” Catching the swing of the door, I follow her in and slam it behind me. “You are not going to challenge my dick like that and just walk away.”
She spins around, eyes widening and mouth dropping.
Before she has a chance to breathe one word, I pin her against the wall and take her sassy mouth like I’ve been wanting to since that first night.