“BOWLING?” JAY EXCLAIMS from the passenger seat, leaning forward to look out the windshield as the neon letters B-O-W-L-I-N-G light up one by one.
“Cyber bowling,” I correct as I pull into the Pelican Cove parking garage. “Is that cool?” I could’ve taken her to a party, but I get the feeling she doesn’t care for high school parties. Both times, she dipped out early.
She turns to me with excitement dancing in her eyes. “Heck, yeah!” she exclaims, reaching for the door handle. “I love bowling. You’re going down, Easton,” she throws over her shoulder, hopping out of the Jeep and closing the door. She moves to stand at the back of my Jeep, looking around cautiously, while waiting for me to join her.
Jay is tense when I take her hand in mine. Gripping my hand firmly, she clings to my arm, scanning the brightly lit parking garage. I give her hand a gentle squeeze. “What’s wrong?”
She grimaces and loosens her grip. “Sorry. Parking garages creep me out. Especially at night.” She shudders.
I chuckle and look around. “Yeah, I guess they can be pretty creepy, but you’re safe with me.” I lift my arm and draw her to my side as we exit the garage and follow the walkway until we reach the doors of the bowling alley.
“Wow. This place is packed,” she says, looking around and bobbing her head to the beat of Flo Rida’s “My House.”
“Good thing I called ahead and reserved a lane. We just have to check in and get shoes.” Taking her hand in mine, we head toward the counter.
“Zach! Jay!” a female voice yells over the music. We both turn to see Lexi waving as she makes her way toward us. Surprise flashes across her face when she sees our joined hands. “Oh, my God! Are you guys on a date? That’s so cute,” she coos.
I chuckle and release Jay’s hand. “I’m gonna go pay,” I say, leaving the two of them to their girl chat.
The girl at the check-in counter looks up from her phone as I approach. She looks familiar, but I can’t remember her name. She slips her phone in her back pocket and smiles. “Hi, Zach,” she says, in a flirtatious tone, pushing out her chest.
“Hey—”
Jay walks up and wraps her arm around my waist, Lexi standing just behind her. “Z, Lexi says there’s an open lane next to hers.” She turns her attention to the girl behind the counter, who is openly glaring, but Jay either doesn’t notice, doesn’t care, or she’s going for the ‘kill ’em with kindness’ act. “Hi,” Jay says.
The girl sneers at Jay, then turns her attention back to me. “Sorry, we’re full tonight. The wait is an hour.”
I smirk. So, it’s like that. “I have a reservation.”
“Oh, uh… let me look it up.”
Yeah, you just go ahead and do that.
She stares at the screen and taps a few keys on the keyboard, suddenly taking her job seriously. “So, have you talked to Lindsay lately?” she asks.
“Who?” I ask, confused.
“Why would he talk to Lindsay?” Lexi asks, as confused as I am.
The girl shrugs. “You guys were at Brad Manning’s party together last weekend.”
Oh, I get what she’s doing. Drama.
“Oh, yeah,” Jays jumps in and plays along. “How is Lindsay?” she asks in a sugary sweet tone.
“She’s fine,” the girl answers, keeping her eyes on the screen. “Your reservation is under Easton?”
“Yep.”
“Kristen, can you put them at the lane beside Evan and me?” Lexi asks.
Kristen. That’s right.
“What lane are you on, Lexi?”
“Eleven.”
“Sure.” She taps the keyboard again. “I put you two on lane ten.”
Kristen asks for our shoe sizes, then reaches below the counter to grab them, while I swipe my debit card and enter my pin.
“Here you go.” Kristen hands over our shoes with a pair of socks, still new in the package.
“Thank you so much,” Jay beams. “Tell Lindsay we say hello.”
“I will.” Kristen smiles. “Have fun.”
I jerk my head with a stiff nod before heading to find our lane.
“Z, Lexi and I are going to the snack bar. Want anything?” Jay asks.
“Surprise me. You sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“No. I’d rather not have anyone from your fan club handling my food or my drink.” So, she’s a ‘kill ’em with kindness’ kind of girl. Good to know. “You’re gonna have to explain your relationship with Lindsay to me so that doesn’t happen again.”
“Lindsay’s just a friend.” I chuckle and lean over to kiss the spot just below her ear, making her giggle, then give her a gentle smack on the ass as she turns, hooks her arm around Lexi’s, and walks off.
“OKAY, I’M CONFUSED,” Lexi starts as we make our way up to the snack bar. “You’re here with Zach, but last night you left with Grayson. I’m not judging you and you can tell me to shut up and mind my own business, but Grayson is Evan’s brother and Zach is Evan’s best friend and—”
“Lexi, breathe.” This girl. I love that she’s protective of the people she cares about. I’m the same way with my friends and that makes me like her even more. “Grayson left with me, not the other way around. And Grayson didn’t even stick around to eat. He went upstairs to meet up with his friends and I had dinner with my mom.”
“How did you end up with Zach?”
“He came to Mac’s. We argued at first, but then he asked to drive me home and we talked.” I fill her in about Reagan answering Zach’s phone that night and telling me she was his girlfriend.
“God, I really hate that bitch. She needs a good ass-kicking.”
“I agree. But it happened and there’s nothing we can do to change it. All we can do is move on and show her that she can’t come between Zach and me.”
“So, are you guys dating now?”
“I’m not an expert on relationships, but dating sounds temporary. Zach’s mine.” I shrug. “Always has been. He’s my guy. My forever.”
“Aww,” Lexi coos. “That’s so sweet.” She gives me a sideways hug. “I’m so happy for you. And you just don’t know how freaking happy I am for Zach. Evan told me that Zach has been in love with you since you were kids.”
I’ll never tire of hearing that.
“HEY.” EVAN NODS and pounds his fist against mine. “You here with Jayla?” he asks, looking over my shoulder.
“Yeah.” I sit down in the empty plastic bucket seat beside him and drop the ugly-ass bowling shoes on the floor. “She’s with Lexi at the snack bar,” I tell him as I begin typing our names on the screen.
Evan slides further down in his seat, knees spread apart and arms crossed over his chest. “My woman better get me some nachos.”
I chuckle as I toe off my shoes and slip my feet into the bowling shoes. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Evan staring at me. “What?”
“So, you got the girl?” He smirks.
“No, I got my girl.” I shoot him a teasing grin. “Don’t worry. You’ll get your money.”
Evan raises his brows and a half smile tugs at his lips. “I forgot all about that. Keep it. Just be careful with that one.”
I frown. “What do you mean? I’ve known Jay since we were kids.”
“She ignored you for an entire year.” He scowls. “And she left the party last night with my brother.”
“She wasn’t ignoring me. She thought she was doing the right thing.” I fill him in on the details. “Jay had more important shit going on in her life than dealing with my stupid drama.”
“Dude, that’s some psycho shit,” Evan says. “If Reagan’s dad wasn’t a judge, I’d Lexi loose on her.”
“Jay wants me to leave it alone for now,” I tell him and he looks at me like I’m crazy. “She doesn’t want any more drama.”
“Z, I got you a bunch of fried stuff you probably shouldn’t eat and a fruit punch,” Jay says as she slides the tray on the empty table arranged between lanes ten and eleven. She passes me the fruit punch. “Hi, Evan.” She passes him a drink. “Lexi is waiting on your nachos.”
“Thanks,” Evan says, then looks over at me and mouths “Z.”
I flip him off and turn to Jay. “What did you get?”
“A cherry slushy.” She pinches the straw and brings it to her plump lips, and I’m instantly hard. It’s the little things. What can I say? “You wanna taste of my cherry?” She winks with a sly grin.
Damn tease.
“Oh, I definitely want to taste your cherry,” I say, then add, “Again.”
Evan coughs beside me.
Jayla laughs, dropping into my lap and smacking her cold, cherry-flavored lips against mine before toeing off her sandals. “Hey, Evan, I hope I didn’t give you the wrong impression last night. I like your brother. He’s a nice guy and we made friends.”
Evan snorts. “Grayson doesn’t make friends with girls. He was trying to get in your pants. You made a much better choice with Zach because Grayson isn’t the type of guy to stick around. I love my brother, but it’s the truth.”
Jay frowns. “There was never a choice between Zach and Grayson. It’s always Zach.”
I want to jump up and beat my fists to my chest. She’s mine.
“I’m gonna be straight with you, Z,” Jay begins as she laces up her shoes before she stands and takes a few steps backwards. “I totally suck at bowling.” She smirks. “But I hate to lose, so I won’t go down without a fight.” She picks up a hot pink bowling ball from the ball return, turns, and in three long strides she sends the ball gliding straight down the middle of the lane. Three quarters of the way down the lane, the ball veers off to the right and rolls into the gutter, yet somehow it jumps at the last minute, bounces up, and takes down one pin.
I chuckle, shaking my head as I make my way over to the ball return.
“What the hell was that?” Evan laughs from the other side.
Jay throws her arms in the air and spins around on the balls of her feet to face me, a grin spread across her face. “Did you see that?” Then she shrugs it off and skips over to Lexi.
“Get back over here,” I call out. “You get another turn.”
“Oh.” She smiles and skips back over to me. “I told you I suck at this game.”
JAY WAS RIGHT.
She is the absolute worst bowler ever. I suggested she use the bumpers but she rolled her eyes with a “don’t be ridiculous” look.
Now we’re on the eighth frame and her score is forty-two. But at least she’s having fun with Lexi, dancing to “Kiss” by Prince.
“Are you trying to distract me?”
Jay smiles at me over her shoulder. “Is it working?”
“Does it matter? Have you seen your score?”
She throws her head back and laughs, then dances over to me and snakes her arms around my neck. “I told you I sucked.”
I laugh, resting my hands on her hips. “I’m pretty sure Willow bowls better than you.”
She laughs as I slide my hands past her hips, slipping my fingers into the back pockets of her jeans. I love the way her ass fits in my palms. I give it a little squeeze before lowering my mouth to hers. Parting her lips, she teases my tongue with hers. Her mouth is cold and tastes like cherry.
Wolf whistles and clapping erupt around us, followed by Lexi and Evan shouting at us to get a room.
I pull back and narrow my eyes. “You fight dirty.”
“Is there any other way to fight?” She jerks her eyebrows up and down.
I chuckle against her lips, reluctantly pulling my hands from her pockets, and smack her lightly on the ass. “Come on, dirty girl. Let’s go.”
We say our goodbyes to Evan and Lexi and head out.
“WHERE’S YOUR MOM and Bass?” Zach asks as we walk into the quiet house.
“Out,” I tell him. “But you just reminded me that I need to text her that I’m home.” I pull out my phone. Home. Zach and I are going to raid the fridge and watch a movie.
“Where’s Grace?”
“She’s probably in her apartment, either sleeping or watching the Hallmark Channel.”
My phone dings with a reply from Mom. K. Have fun.
No twenty questions or warnings about being alone with Zach? Hmm. Someone’s been drinking.
The next text comes from Bass. Romeo better keep his hands to himself.
Romeo? I laugh under my breath at Bass’s new nickname for Zach. He must really like him.
Snickering, I type, Stop it, B. Zach is a perfect gentleman.
Truthfully, Zach is a perfect gentleman. It’s me who needs to get my lady J in check.
He better be. We’ll be late tonight, Princess. Your mom is having a good time with her friends. Security is on the property, so you’ll be safe.
I shake my head, picturing the Joes hiding in the bushes or in the trees watching me through the windows with binoculars. I text back, Have fun.
AS I SCROLL through the digital library looking for a movie, Jay walks into the media room wearing a T-shirt with the letters S-T-F-U across the front and a pair of tiny black shorts, and heads to the mini-kitchen and bar area. “Did you find something to watch?”
“There’s too much to choose from,” I tell her. “What do you like?”
“Nothing scary. Suspense is fine, but I prefer comedies.”
“You don’t like scary movies?”
“Nope,” she admits, setting down a tray of snacks and drinks on the ottoman. “I prefer to get my thrills in other ways rather than having the shit scared out of me.” She laughs, grabbing the throw off the back of the sofa and straddling my lap.
“What are you doing?” I ask, smiling, movie forgotten.
“Watching a movie.” She grabs the remote from my hand and presses a button. The whole room goes dark except for the light from the TV screen. Then she selects something with Kevin Hart—don’t ask me the title because it doesn’t matter—before tossing the remote to the side.
Watching a movie with Jay is now on my list of favorite activities.