Fighting Ever After (Ever After #3) (15 page)

“How long
are we going to be gone?” She asked.

“A while.
I don’t
know,
just pack whatever
you might need for a week. We can always make trips back to town for more stuff
later if we end up staying longer.”

“I can’t be
gone that long. I have a job interview on Friday I have to be back for.” Of
course she had to argue.
Stubborn girl.

“I’ll bring
you back for the interview, but you are going. It’s not up for discussion. So
unless you want me digging around in your panty drawer, I suggest you start
packing.” That was enough to get her moving. I left her to pack and went
downstairs to make us breakfast. When she came down, fresh from the shower,
with a packed bag, I had a plate of French toast waiting for her. Afterward, we
did the dishes together just like before.

 “Don’t
you guys have a gig tonight, it is Saturday?” She asked me as she took a plate
from me to dry it.

“Nah, we
cancelled it. The guys wanted a break anyway. We’ve been hitting the bars and
clubs hard the last few months.” Technically I hadn’t cancelled it yet, but I
would.

“You guys
won’t get in trouble for cancelling? Won’t that make them not want to let you
play there anymore?”

I snorted.
It was laughable that we would have to try and get gigs. Maybe that made me
arrogant, but we’d worked hard to make a name for ourselves.  “We play
where we want, Princess. We bring in a big enough crowd to make up for
cancelling one night.”

“Do you guys
play a lot of shows outside of Boston?” Her interest seemed genuine, unlike
most of the girls who thought they could suck up by pretending to give a shit
about my music.

“We play all
over the state and we’ve played a few gigs in New Hampshire, Connecticut and
New York. We’re hoping to tour the whole east coast eventually. You should come
with us to one of our out of town shows.” I’m not sure why I suggested it, but
I realized as I waited for her to say something, that I really wanted her to be
there.

“Hmm . . .
following the band around the state? Wouldn’t that make me a groupie?” She
asked sarcastically.

“No,
smartass, that
would make you a friend. You’re invited. We
don’t invite groupies. They just show up.” Usually by the dozen, and there were
a few more differences that separated her from them. I grinned at her. “You’d
also have to let me sleep with you for you to be groupie.”

“I’ll think
about it.” My eyebrows shot up and then she realized the mistake she’d made. “I
meant I’d think about going, not the other part.” She smacked me with the
dishtowel in her hand.

“Oh Princess, bad move.”

She backed
away slowly, but I wasn’t letting her get away. Her eyes were focused on me
intently, waiting for me to act, and when I did I was quick, but she still
twisted out of my grasp. I at least managed to snag the towel from her before
she turned and darted through the kitchen. I snapped it at her, just barely
grazing her ass and chased her into the living room where we circled the couch.
She was taunting me with that smile and the laughter that escaped her lips as
she escaped my reach each time. Finally I grew tired of chasing her around the
couch and just leapt over the top of it. Her eyes went wide and she bolted into
the entryway. I watched as her socks left the carpet of the living room and
skidded onto the hard wood floors, sending her sliding toward the front door
just as it opened and Bas appeared, and then Chris. She crashed into them.

I couldn’t
help myself but take advantage of her position and I got her good on the ass
with the towel. She yelped and jumped further into Bas, pushing him back into
his brother. She turned her head to give me a dirty look, but I wasn’t the
least bit sorry.

“I see you
two are getting a long great,” Bas mused.

“When we
heard all the squealing and thumping around from outside, I thought we were
gonna walk in and find you guys naked wrestling. Glad to see you’re fully
dressed Tink. Seeing you in your panties once was enough for this lifetime.”

“
Agh
!
I was fourteen!”

We all
chuckled, further irritating her.

“I’m so glad
you told us that story,” Spade pushed his way into the house. “You got your
bikini packed Rainbow? I’m looking forward to tossing you in the ocean in it.”
Ooh, Princess in a bikini. I hadn’t thought of that, but now I was looking
forward to this trip even more. “If not, it’s okay. You can go in the water in
your little Tinkerbell
panties,
or in no panties at
all. We won’t mind.” He winked at her, but I think I was even less amused by it
than she was. The only one tossing her in the lake, in her panties or
otherwise, would be . . . well it wouldn’t be him.

“Um, I would
mind. I would mind very much,” Bas chimed in. “Can we just load her stuff in
the car and get out of here?”

“I second
that,
let’s get this show on the road. I am ready for a week
of sun, swimming and getting sloshed! Woo!”
Vi
chirped, shoving her way inside as well. That girl had too much fucking energy;
she was like a damn peppy cheerleader all the time.

Chris
grabbed
Jax’s
bags off the floor and looked up at
her, “This it?”

“Yeah, I just have to lock up and put
the garbage bin out for pickup.”

“Marcus!”
Spade called out.

“On it.”
His voice came from out on the porch.

Jax went
about locking up the house and we all shuffled out, but my mind was still stuck
on my conversation with Bas this morning and how what I wanted – to push her
away and bury all feelings for her – was so at odds with what it felt like I
needed, which was just her. Or maybe it was the other way around, but either
way, pushing her away, or distancing myself from her at all, didn’t seem to be
working out so well. My only other option was just to embrace the craziness,
enjoy the ride and wait for it all to go to hell.
Although,
if hell was Princess clinging tightly to me on the back of my bike, I’d take it
every day of the week.

I watched as
Jax took in the vehicles in her driveway, everyone piling into one or the
other, and the reality of the previous night sunk in, dimming her expression.
“Where’s my car?”

“All taken
care of, Rainbow,” Spade informed her. “When
Ky
called
this morning, I had it towed to our shop and they’ll get new tires put on it
and take care of the door. I told them to leave it locked up in the garage
until you’re ready to pick it up.”

“You’re a
mechanic?”

I tuned them
out, not caring to hear just how interesting Princess found him, or how
impressed she was by his skills. I was being a bitter prick, but I didn’t
really care and I made my way over to my bike, only stopping when I heard her
ask about the cost of repairs on her car.

“It’s taken
care of,” he told her.

“That’s not
necessary, I have the money. I can pay for it.”

“No you
can’t. It’s already been paid for.”   

“By who?”

“Come on,
let’s just get going,” I interrupted, brushing past her and striding over to my
bike. I didn’t need him telling her exactly who had paid for it.  She
didn’t need to read anything into it. I didn’t ride a white horse. I had a
black motorcycle. She shouldn’t confuse the two.

 “What
car am I riding in?” She asked, but I had a feeling she already knew and was
just hoping for a different answer. No such luck.

“You’re with
me, Princess.” I waved the spare helmet at her.

She looked
like she’d rather ride on the back of a camel.

“Can’t
someone else ride on the bike and I can ride in the nice, completely enclosed
metal box that has seatbelts?”

“
Princess,
there’s no way in hell I’m riding down the freeway
with one of those jackasses wrapped around my waist. I don’t ride doubles with
dudes, so get on.”

“You had
better go the speed limit this time,” she glowered, but snatched the helmet out
of my hands.

“What do you
mean? I was going the speed limit last night.”

“Not in this
country,” she retorted, tightening the strap around her chin as I started up my
baby. She purred to life and Jaxyn wound her arms around my waist. Her grip
only got tighter when the bike shot out of the driveway and we tore out in
front of the pack.

“Are you
insane or do you just have a death wish?” She yelled over the sounds of the
bike and the wind.

“I can think
of worse ways to go than squeezed between your thighs, Princess,” I shouted
back.

Yep.
The sweetest kind of hell.

What was Bas
thinking? I had no idea, but I wasn’t going to complain. Everyone was pairing
off in rooms and I didn’t miss the grin Bas shot me when Chris announced that
the two of them would be sharing the last room on the second floor, leaving
only one on the third floor. It was working out quite nicely for me – sharing a
room with Princess, but Bas was a fool for helping orchestrate it.

“That
works,” I said. “We’ll take the room up there.” It obviously wasn’t what Jax
had in mind though.

“But . . . I
thought you and I would share Bas?” She was looking at him desperately, but for
whatever reason, he wanted to play this game, like we were a damn science
experiment. One I was certain he’d regret eventually.

“You’re the one who said we shouldn’t sleep
together anymore,” he answered her.
They all thought this was such a good idea
though, shoving the two of us together. It promised to be an interesting few
days at the very least.

“Then
rearrange someone else,” she pouted cutely.

“It’ll be
fine Jax,” Bas said and then he and Chris disappeared into the room leaving me
to deal with her wrath. She stomped her feet up the stairs and forcefully
shoved the door open, but before I could follow her in, she tossed her bags
down and turned on me.

 “What
happened to you not sharing a bed with girls?”

“Last night
might have changed my mind. Besides, it’s girls that I fu –
“
she
glared, “I mean have sex with, that I don’t sleep with. You and I
aren’t having sex. You and I are friends.” With the potential for a lot of
benefits all cozy up in this room by
ourselves
. “I’m
all about trying new things now, broadening my horizons and I think this ‘just
friends’ thing is actually going to be a lot of fun.”

“Please tell
me you at least brought pajamas?” That made me smile. “Great. Well you better
stay on your side of the bed.”

“Hey, relax. I brought shorts and
it’s only for a couple of nights. Monday morning Ace and Spade have to be at
work and Marcus has to lead some genius study group. Once they’re gone, I’ll
take one of those rooms until they come back on Wednesday, and you can have
this one to yourself. That is if you still want to kick me out then. Who knows,
you might actually enjoy having me in your bed.”
I knew I would enjoy having her in the bed. I’d enjoy
having her against the wall and hopefully in the shower as well.

“Just.
Friends.
That’s it. So keep all of your body parts to
yourself, or you may just wake up missing one of them,” she warned, but I was
confident by Monday morning I could change her mind and she’d be begging me to
stay. She needed a distraction from everything going on, someone to make her
feel good, to erase the bad memories and sweep her up in pleasure. I couldn’t make
everything right or fix her world, but I could do that for her. Even if I
couldn’t be her prince, I was at least willing to see where this took us,
because I had a feeling that just a couple of times with her wouldn’t be nearly
enough. With any luck, when whatever this was finally burned out between us, we
might actually be able to part as friends. I grinned and quietly chuckled to
myself, feeling pretty good about the next couple days.

When I
walked into the bathroom and saw the size of the shower and the
jacuzzi
tub, I was feeling even better. It lasted right up
until Bas and Princess went for groceries and I was left with the rest of them.

“Bas has got
to be the biggest fool in the world, putting her in a room with you.” Spade
looked at me accusingly while everyone else stood around the kitchen.

“Hey, I
haven’t done anything.” I left off the
yet.

“And you’re
not going to do anything to make Bas regret giving you a chance.” If Chris was
expecting me to agree with him and make some kind of promise, he had another
thing coming. I was getting a little tired of everyone weighing in on this.

“Bas isn’t
giving me shit. I’m not interested in having a threesome, so the only person
any of this concerns is
Jaxyn,
and the rest of you can
fuck off.” Chris’ eyebrows shot up into that frat boy hairline of his, but it
was Ace who spoke.

“Could you
two assholes just not do this?”

“Wouldn’t have to if he would just understand that I’m looking out
for Jax.”

“She’s not
fucking eight years old,” I pointed out.

Vi
stepped in before Chris could argue and tell me how precious and
fragile and helpless his poor little Tink was. “You know, he’s got a point.
She’s not a child and maybe everyone should just let her make her own decisions
and stop trying to make them for her.”
Finally, someone with
some damn sense.
“Even if they might be shitty decisions,” she looked at
me pointedly, erasing my satisfied grin. “They’re her decisions to make. Nobody
can make her do anything she doesn’t want to, and that goes for you too,
Romeo.” Once again she was eyeing me. “Stop acting like you getting between her
legs is a foregone conclusion. I’m the first one to say that she needs to let
go sometimes, live it up, be a little reckless and make a few mistakes,” I
didn’t like the way she implied I would be a mistake, “but if you play games
with her, I promise you it won’t be Chris or Bas you have to worry about. You
get me?”

“Don’t
worry. I’m not into playing games, unless it’s strip
poker,
really strip anything, or naked twister, so pretty much –”

“Yeah, yeah,
you like getting naked. I think we all know
that,
and
you guys,” she stared down the rest of them, “back the hell off and quit
playing big brother. I know your intentions are good, but you’ve got to let her
figure out how to fight her own battles and take care of herself.”

“I don’t
know why you guys are making such a big deal about
Ky
,
it’s pretty obvious Rainbow is in love with me.” Even I laughed at Spade, but
Chris wasn’t amused.

“Vi, I get
what you’re saying, but you also don’t know what you’re asking. I can’t just
turn it off. I’ll always want to look out for her and make sure no one hurts
her anymore than she’s already been hurt.” The reminder was sobering, but I
wasn’t looking to hurt her.
Exactly the opposite.

“And you’re
wrong about one other thing.” He stopped talking to her and turned on me again.
“I’ll let this play out and stay out of it or whatever, because I don’t believe
that you’re truly the level of asshole you lead everyone to think you are, but
if you prove me wrong, you will have to worry about me. You’re one of my best
friends, and I’m asking you to remember that before you think with your dick.”
With that he got up and walked out of the kitchen and I didn’t see him again
until later, when we were all cooling off in the ocean after Jax and Bas had
returned with groceries.

I could see
Princess already laid out on the dock when the rest of us made the walk down to
the water. This place was in the perfect spot. It was a huge property almost
right on the water and just far enough from the town to offer quiet and
privacy,
but close enough that it wasn’t an inconvenience.
Even though Jax was still annoyed with me, and Bas, who she obviously and
rightly blamed for the set up, she seemed a little more at peace here, like
she’d already let go of some of the stress and worry.

She was in
her own little world, lost in the book she was reading, seemingly so content
and enjoying the sun. That was about to change. She didn’t see them coming yet,
but soon enough she would. Chris, Ace and a few of the other guys were racing
toward the dock. They started hollering, and she looked up just as they sailed
right past her and over the edge of the dock, sending a huge spray of salt
water up. Her body tensed and she gasped in shock when it hit her.

My low
laughter brought her eyes to me as I stepped onto the dock. She was glaring at
first, with her hand up over her eyes to block the sun, but then her mouth fell
slightly open and her whole expression changed as she took in my appearance.
Even hiding behind her sunglasses I felt her eyes caress my bare chest with
their soft gaze. I watched her chest heave a deep sigh, my own eyes falling to
the curve of her breasts beneath the damp tank top. I wished more of her was on
display. I wouldn’t mind having the chance to peruse her body the way she was
mine.

I took a few
steps toward her.
“If you’re going to keep staring like
that, then it’s only fair that I get to look as well. Where’s your swimsuit
Princess?”

Realizing
she’d been busted, she quickly lifted her eyes to my face. I couldn’t see
whatever emotion she was hiding behind her shades, but the telltale blush that
reddened her cheeks told me enough. “I don’t like to wear bathing suits. I try
to expose as little skin to the sun as possible.
Skin cancer
and all that.”
The answer came so immediately and almost mechanically,
like she’d rehearsed it, or had been asked that question too many times.

I crouched
down beside her. “Is that the kind of cancer she had?”

“No, she had
a form of leukemia, but it’s still dangerous.” She sounded like she was trying
to convince me, but she didn’t need to. I didn’t know what it was like to lose
a parent. Honestly, I don’t know how affected I would even be given my
relationship with mine, but I understood that it had to have been hard for her
to lose her mom to something
so
scary and senseless as
cancer. I hadn’t meant to upset her and the downturn of her mouth made me feel
bad for bringing it up, but I could just as easily take her mind off of it.

“For the
record, those little shorts are cute as hell and I have a feeling when that
tank top is soaking wet and sticking to your skin, it’s going to be just as
good as a bikini.” I stood and watched her brow furrow and her frown deepen.

“Why would
it be-” Realization dawned on her, but it was too late for her to stop me.
“No!” She squealed as I grabbed her and scooped her into my arms. She wriggled
and fought as I moved toward the edge while the guys in the water were laughing
and cheering me on. She managed to remove her sunglasses and throw them toward
her towel just before I launched the both of us into the water. I heard her
suck in a deep breath before we went under and then I released her. I broke the
surface just a second ahead of her, knowing what was coming. Sure enough, she
came up sputtering and in shock from the cold water and immediately leapt on
top of me, trying to shove me under. I was struggling to stop laughing so that
I could shove her off, but it was no use. She was like a damned spider monkey
and determined to dunk me, which only made me laugh harder. She finally shoved
my head under, but when I came back up, I grabbed her and tossed her cute ass
off of me.

I’d started
the fight, but she turned it into an all out war, splashing and trying to dunk
everyone. She was a quick swimmer and a dirty fighter, plunging below the
surface and grabbing people’s legs, or popping up right behind them. Pretty
soon the rest of the group jumped in and joined in. It was a fucking sight to
see Princess smiling and having such a good time, and her laugh . . . Man, that
laugh; it bubbled up from inside her and then she couldn’t stop it until she
was snorting and choking on salt water with tears in her eyes, but the smile
never left her face. I couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed when she splashed me
right in the face and I got a mouthful of seawater.

Eventually
Princess declared her and
Vi
the victors of the water
war, even though they had been severely outnumbered and got their asses kicked.
Bas and Jake said something about going to start the grill for lunch. I
followed Ace up to the beach where the cooler of beer was sitting. We both
plopped down on either side of it. I reached in and pulled two out, handing one
to him. I popped the top off and then took a long pull, the ice cold beer
refreshing and perfect on a hot day like today.

My eyes
found Jax out in the water. The girls were still about ten yards out, just
floating on their backs. The breeze was almost nonexistent and the water was
calm. I imagined flying over and looking down at Princess – her arms spread,
eyes shut, all that long, colorful hair floating around her. Except for the
legs, she was like a mermaid out there: beautiful and enchanting.

“You’d be a fool
to let her go.”

I tore my
gaze away from her and looked over at Ace who was staring back at me. “Let her
go? I don’t even have her,” I stated.

“You’re a
fool if you believe that and an even bigger one if you don’t realize that she’s
already got you.”

“Maybe,” was
all I said before returning my gaze to the
water.
Even
when Ace got up and made his way back toward the house, I just sat there,
watching her. It wasn’t until the girls pulled themselves up onto the dock a
while later, that I noticed no one else was still around. Everyone had already
disappeared from the water and the beach. I sighed and took the last drag from
my bottle. I grabbed the already empty one from the sand beside me and picked
myself up. I lifted the cooler and started toward the house. I only looked back
once to see her sprawled out on her towel beside
Vi
.