by L. J. Woods
“Relax, I got it.” Glancing at Coach, his eyes are as narrow as Rayne’s, both Roses seething in the presence of us over-privileged kids.
“Relax?!” I can’t see it through the sludge dripping down her face, but I know she's angry.
“Natasha,” I call above Rayne’s head. “Get the fuck out of my rink.”
“But she—”
“It wasn’t a question, Tash, and the next time I'll let her knock you out. ” Raising my voice, I make sure everyone hears it as I point at those around me. “Rayne Rose is off limits! You all got that?” I see some nods from the guys and they know I’m talking to them too. If anyone lays a hand on Rayne, they’re dealing with me. A King. Natasha tries to say something but that's when I notice Rayne slipped away.
My eyes land on a trail of oily footsteps leading to the rink entrance.
Fuck.
Pushing through the crowd, I follow her path before I finally find her against that Camry. She holds a cigarette in her shaky blackened hand. That outfit I didn’t think she’d wear sticks to that perfect body and even like this, my cock jumps for her.
Her eyes tilt up before her hunched shoulders drop when she sees me. “Take one step closer and I’ll fucking cut you.” She points her cigarette my way.
“You leaving?” My lips still burn from hers, a mix of fire and ice.
“Think I'm tapped out on humiliation by your friends today. Or girlfriend. Whatever.”
I chuckle. “Natasha’s jealous. Toughen up.” She gives me a look that says she doesn’t appreciate my comment, her cigarette hanging off those lips. And all I want to do is taste her again. Taking slower steps so she doesn’t swipe, I end up by her side enough to nudge her. “I mean, you’re the girl who threatened me with a knife. The girl who clobbered Jasper Hawthorne when you were half your size. And you’re gonna shy away from a girl who wears heels to a hockey game?”
She looks down, sludgy hair hanging off her face. “You didn’t see the look on my dad’s face,” she explains. “Like he knows I should’ve known better. Like he knows I have no business fucking around with people from Eden Gardens much less the King of Eden.” She sighs. “He’s gonna kill me.”
I understand that kind of pressure, never able to fall out of line. At least not for our parents to see. Looks like Emery Rose hasn’t changed a bit.
Still, I try to reassure her. “Nothing would make that guy more proud than seeing you stand your ground. This is child’s play, Rose. You know you’re tougher than this.” I nudge her again, warmth on my skin.
“Coming from the guy who’s blackmailing me.”
“Perez!” Hoffman’s voice comes from behind me. “The afterparty begins now! We killed it!" He still sounds pumped from the game and when I turn to him, he points at Ray. "Perez’s girl! You coming?”
“Perez’s girl?” she scoffs. “Does no one here remember me?”
I laugh, “Yeah, but that’s what you are now. My girl.” I lift a brow, waiting for an answer. “So what’ll it be, Perez’s girl?”
She looks up at me and even below those oily bangs, I catch her eye roll. “Will Natasha be there?”
My shoulders drop. “Yeah, that's likely.” While part of me wants Rayne by my side tonight, I’m starting to feel like I’m pushing her too far. “I’ll take you home.”
“No.” She flicks the end of her cigarette to the ground, sparks appearing when it skips against the concrete. “We’re going to that party, boyfriend.”
I’m not sure what Rayne has in that twisted mind tonight.
But there’s something about her on my arm as we enter Isaac’s party that feels right.
My ankle, on the other hand, feels all sorts of wrong. It's been like that since the game, like I pushed it too hard. Fortunately for me, Rayne is a damn good distraction.
Having her on my arm at a party like this solidifies that we’re more than casual. Usually, I’d be flirting with every cute girl in a tight dress but tonight, my eyes are on her. So is every other guy’s.
“You sure I shouldn’t change into …” Rayne trails off as a brunette walks by us in a long shiny cocktail dress. Ignoring Rayne, she locks eyes with me, swirling a hair around her finger as she bites her lip with fuck-me eyes. “A ball gown that costs twice my enrollment? Geez, you're drooling.” Rayne brushes by her.
I’m usually annoyed at girls claiming territory on me, but there’s something about it being Rayne that stirs my insides.
She’s also a great shield from Natasha, eyes on us from the second floor landing the minute we entered the house. Tash gives no fucks about her former friendship with Rayne. All she sees is competition.
“You look fine,” I say, leaning into her ear.
I’m lying. She looks fucking amazing. After taking Rayne back to the locker rooms so she can use one of our private stalls, she threw on one of my backup jerseys over those fishnets and boots. I haven’t seen anything this sexy since I found my dad’s Playboys in sixth grade.
Rayne’s eyes wander around the space, her arms coming across her chest. Isaac’s parties are pretty lavish but they’re not usually this over-the-top. The light show he has tonight is insane, the Hawks logo flashing on the walls and ceiling. He's even hired go-go dancers, moving in cages on either side of the DJ.
It’s clear Rayne isn’t used to any of this anymore, the way her hands come up and down her arms. The way she glances back at the front door, planning her escape.
“C’mon, let’s get you a drink.” Putting her hand in mine makes warmth spread through me as we push through the crowd. There’s a bar set up in Isaac’s backyard, before the end-to-end infinity pool.
“Rye and ginger,” Rayne says to the bartender.
“No,” I protest. “Scotch. Neat. Two.”
“What’s wrong with my order?” she asks, turning around to face me with those fiery eyes.
Shifting my weight on my other ankle I fire a question of my own. “You want to fit in?”
She takes another look around. “I’ll never fit in. It’s like I never did.”
The backyard is as lavish as the inside tonight and I’m wondering who Isaac is trying to impress. He hasn’t been this over-the-top since Marion. To one side is a stage, glittering lights above it. Lexi stands with a mic in her hand, singing a rendition of “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone.
My elbows rest on the bar. “Kinda what happens when you take off after stealing everyone’s stuff.”
Rayne’s eyes narrow and it’s not hard to get on her bad side, but she can’t keep acting like she didn’t do anything. We all remember. Me especially. I remind myself that this is exactly why I can’t forget that this isn’t real.
“Is that why you’re doing this? ‘Cause I stole some jewelry you rich assholes hardly give a shit about?”
“No, I’m doing this because—”
“She’s ruining my life.” Isaac appears beside us, a half-empty bottle of scotch in his hand as he slams into the bar.
Rayne scrunches her face, taking a scotch off the bar. “Lexi? She sounds amazing.”
The words scroll by in the background but Lexi doesn’t even look, way too into the song but Rayne’s right. You can record this girl and have her selling in no time. She sounds like a raspy Ariana Grande. High notes and all.
“You guys might be five-year-olds but I’m not into this campy shit. A karaoke stage? That shit’s cheesy as fuck.” He turns to Rayne, standing tall in my jersey. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Didn’t expect to be here.” She tilts her glass to him.
“In Perez’s jersey too. The last girl he let wear that thing—” Nudging Isaac with a firm elbow gets him to shut up. I’m happy he’s not too drunk to get the hint. “Where’s my stash, Rose? Here to steal from me some more?”
“Funny, Perez reminded me how easy that is." She takes a sip of her drink. Like she’s proud of it all.
“I’d retaliate but Tash will likely kill you for me.” Rayne turns around and I follow
her gaze to Natasha, standing at the entrance to the yard, and fuck, Isaac’s right. Don’t stick your dick in crazy. “Can’t fuck your way back into that friendship, can you?”
Nudging Isaac with my foot makes him chuckle, but Ray's not amused.
Her jaw tightens before she turns towards the bar. “Two shots. Two limes.” She signals to the bartender, her foot already on the stool beside her. She uses my shoulder for leverage, warmth rising through me as I catch a glimpse of her ass when she gets up on the bar. I’m not sure what she’s doing but I wait for it, watching as she pushes her long hair back, laying down on the table. It's hard to fight the urge to get on top of her. “Body shots. You and me, Perez. Let’s go.”
My dick pricks up when my jersey flies off her frame, black bra and panties underneath. The crowd claps around us and I’m sure the applause is for her until I hear Lexi thank her audience.
All those years ago I never expected Rayne to look like she does now. My eyes trail her curves in all the right places, her tattoos on her soft-looking skin.
The room slows when Rayne calls my name again, holding a salt shaker out to me. “You do know how to do this, right?” she asks, an eyebrow raised and fuck she looks way too good laying on that bar. A rendition of Britney Spears’s “Toxic” plays behind us and I’m not sure if it’s a new singer or a recording. I’m way too distracted.
“If he doesn’t, I will,” Isaac steps forward but my hand comes to his chest like a frog catching a fly.
“My girl. My body,” I say, taking the salt shaker from her hand.
“Your body?” she repeats, about to rise with a push of her elbows but I’m by her side before she can.
“We doing this or what?” I ask, my eyes falling to the Ace of Spades tattoo between her tits. It trails into something else, but her bra hides the rest. The room muffles again when I stare into those eyes and I don’t even have to touch her to feel that warmth billow through me. Looking over my shoulder, Natasha stomps towards us, her nose scrunched and her face red. “‘Natasha’s coming over like a raging bull.”
Ray downs one of the shots before she hands the other to me. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Putting a lime between her lips, she nods before I sprinkle some salt on her smooth stomach. Her back arches when I pour the shot of tequila into her navel and when my tongue slides over her skin, my cock twitches in my pants.
“Damn,” Isaac says. “This is hot.”
My best friend doesn’t help the tense air falling over us. Sucking down the shot of tequila keeps my head in the game but when I come to her lips, taking the lime in mine, her eyes lock on my gaze. Those pretty, mischievous eyes. It’s hard not to spit this lime out and put my lips on her again.
So I do.
And she doesn’t even stop me.
Her arms come around my neck, pulling me in closer and before I know it, I’m on top of her, bottles crashing to the side, the smell of alcohol around us.
A hard tap comes to my shoulder but it’s not enough to pull me away. Every time I kiss Ray, it feels more and more intense. There’s anger there this time like she’s still reeling from what I mentioned before, but I’m angry about it too. How she left. That she left. And she’s right. This is my way of making her pay.
“Chrisitan!”
Rayne smirks against my lips and that’s when I realize the little game she’s playing. She’s getting back at Tash, using me like I’ve used her and something about that makes my stomach twist.
Lifting my head, I add fuel to Rayne’s fire. Looking behind me, I see Natasha staring at me with a face redder than her painted lips. “I’m a little busy in case you didn’t notice.” I tilt my head towards Rayne on the bar, looking like a sexy pinup model in those fishnets.
“You’re too distracted by her trailer park moves to realize she’s beneath us.”
Ray’s body tenses but I take this one. “I kinda like her beneath me,” I say, my hand moving up her waist as I slide my tongue across her cheek. I don’t miss the ragged pull of her breath. This turns her on as much as it does me. “But sometimes I prefer her on top. Something about seeing a woman in charge makes me fuck harder.” I catch the way her nipples pucker and something in me hopes they’re from my words. “You want a show? Cause Ray’s so hot I can fuck her right here. Then you’ll realize I’ll always be way more into her than I’ll ever be into you.”
Rayne takes another shot off a tray near me and smiles. “Looks like you’ve earned yourself another shot, baby.” Why do I love it when she calls me baby? I’m not supposed to be under this spell after all these years, but fuck, I am. She slips a shot glass between her tits and a drink has never looked so good. She does a little shimmy as some liquid sloshes out onto her soft skin. She’s trying to push the knife in Tash’s side, and hell, I’ll hold the handle with her.
My tongue comes to the top of her tits, the taste of tequila on my tongue before I slide it over the other. If Natasha’s still watching, she’s in for quite the show. My tongue lingers on her skin as my hand falls to her ass. A little gasp escapes her before I part her legs, the same way I did in the bathroom, and pull her closer to me.
I’m so hard there’s no way she doesn’t feel it against her panties. The warmth of her center only makes me harder. Sliding my tongue to her lobe I say her little nickname, “Loca,” before I down the shot with nothing but my mouth.
“She’s from The Grove!” Natasha yells. “She doesn’t belong here.”
I don’t know what Natasha has against Rayne, but she’ll never win whatever war she’s waging.
“And you’ll be in a grave if you don’t back away from my man,” Rayne pipes up, proving my point. A smile tugs at my lips hearing her speak that way but I try to keep a stoic face to drive her point home. “And me.”
“You can’t be serious,” Natasha spits, her cheeks red.
“You heard my girl.”
Natasha makes a sound like a steaming kettle before she grabs a bottle of wine off the bar and storms back inside.
A smile grows across Rayne’s face and I’m this close to kissing her again before I’m nudged to the side. “Melody wants a photo of the team, loverboy.”
It’s Hoffman. I’m about to ask Rayne if that’s okay when pain strikes my ankle again. My brows furrow, the pain intensifying.
“Uh, you okay, Perez?” Ray asks, hopping off the bar.
Taking a step forward, I try to shake it off but that only makes the pain worse and before I know it, I’m falling to the floor.
Eleven
Christian
Smoke fills the room, trance music playing in the background.
“How you feeling?” Rayne asks, her hand on top of the icepack sitting on my ankle.
With the mix of weed, booze, and whatever pill Isaac gave me, the pain I felt in my ankle now feels like tingles on my skin. Funny how some injuries only present themselves hours after it happens.
A smile spreads across my face, Rayne looking like an angel under the dim lights. “Perfect.” My eyes meet hers before they dance around her face. Smooth. Tempting.
She laughs, a melodic sound ringing in my head. “You’re stoned.” But with the high-pitch titter she gives, she’s as baked as I am.
Isaac knew what to do to take the pain away, but Rayne knew what to do about a strained ankle. With the help of Hoffman and Johnson, she had me bandaged and iced in no time. Perks of fake-dating the daughter of a former NHL champ. Or in this case, the coach’s daughter.
“Best to stay off your feet for a couple of days,” she says, a small slur in her voice. I imagine the whiskey, weed, and tequila are starting to all blend together. “You played well but you pushed yourself.”
“Awe,” Isaac chuckles, a stoned croaky one. He sits in front of us in one of the leather swiveling chairs in his studio, soundboard in front of him. “She’s playing Nurse Betty. Don’t mind me, I like roleplay.” Turning around, he leaves us looking at the back of his head from the white leather sofa.
; Isaac’s house is interesting but this room is one of the tackiest. It’s like his dad decorated this studio after a porno in the eighties and never updated it. Zebra print rugs, mirrored ceiling and all.
The music changes to a familiar song, the party still going on outside. When the beat drops I start bopping my head, a smile spreading across my face. “Shit, I remember this.” It’s a song Isaac and I used to mess around with when we last lived here.
Isaac laughs, a clap of his hands. “This is a banger!”
“You made this?” Rayne puts my hand on the ice to keep it in place.
I watch her walk with a sexy sway towards Isaac. “He’s the son of a musical genius.”
“That I can confirm," he agrees, a couple of lines on the table beside him. “My dad’s been ripping me off since I was ten.”
My voice comes over the stereo as the first verse starts and it’s hard not to sing along. That makes Rayne’s eyes narrow even more. “Okay, Harry Styles. When the fuck did you learn to sing?”
Isaac laughs, “Oh, you didn’t know? Dude kills it in the studio.”
When I wink, her eyes dance around my face, like she’s seeing me in a new light. The chorus drops and it’s hard not to belt out the words. It’s like a mix of R&B and grunge. Cobain and Miguel. Messing around with this song was one of the only things that got Isaac and me through that rough patch at the end of high school.
It was therapeutic when the third King of our trio, Damien, went off with the love of his life. It was a way to belt out my emotions. Especially since I got my wires crossed with said girl. The new Ray reminds me of her, but better. Spunky and full of attitude. A spark to this dried-out town.
“Fucking ridiculous,” she laughs with a shake of her head, taking it all in. “You guys can sell the hell out of this.”
My brows knit. Being friends with celebrity kids, this was a thing we did for fun. While I love it, hockey was always what my folks had in store for me. What my dad had in store for me.