I wanted all those things, but right now…what I really wanted was a nap.
Instead I got Bianca, Avery, and three other girls from the drama department. “We heard you were working on the fair,” Avery said as they raced down the aisle toward me and Hannah, who’d finally let me out of her bear hug. “We’re here to help!”
Bianca, the one girl who was actually deluded enough to think she stood a chance as my competition on stage, was eyeing me oddly. “Is it true you got Jax Hadley to take part in the kissing booth?”
The other girls laughed as I struck a pose and buffed my nails on my shirt. “Of course I did.”
“How?” Avery asked.
I gave her a little grin. “I have my ways.”
“I heard he’s making his friends do it, too,” one of the girls said.
“And his band is going to play,” another one said.
“I would totally pay for a little lip time with Jax,” a sophomore girl said with a sigh.
I gave a little snort of amusement. “Sweetie, there’s no need to pay. Just show up at a party and look in his direction.”
The other girls laughed, but I saw Hannah scowling out of the corner of my eye.
When the others were talking amongst themselves, I went over to her. “The cavalry has arrived, so you have officially been relieved of duty. Go call your boyfriend and be all gross and mushy.”
She laughed. “You sure?”
We both heard Bianca starting to give orders about who would call local vendors to ask for food donations. “I think we’ve got it handled.”
She nodded but her expression was still wary. “Are you sure?” she asked. “About tonight, I mean? About…” She glanced at the drama girls as well. “About your game plan?”
“My plan to play the player?” I laughed. “Of course, I’m sure.”
“Because you don’t have to go tonight,” she said. “And we can come up with a new plan of how to deal with Jax.”
I gripped her by her shoulders and started steering her toward the exit. “Go. Text River. Tell him how much you love him and adore him and how cute he is and—”
Her laughter cut me off. “That’s not all we talk about, you know.”
“Oh, I know. I’ve had to sit through endless conversations between you two on the stimulating topic of soccer.” I feigned a yawn as I pushed her through the swinging doors. “Go. Talk soccer with your sexy stud. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay,” she said as she walked away. “But you don’t have to do this, you know.”
She was still saying that hours later when she and River picked me up to drive up to the lake house for the party. She’d insisted on coming along to make sure I was all right, and River had insisted on going wherever she was going so without even having to try, this diva found herself driving to the party with an entourage.
This diva also had the start of a killer headache and wanted to go home and crawl in bed more than anything.
“We could still turn back,” Hannah said as she turned in the passenger seat to face me.
I was busy watching the last of the suburban houses fly by my window as we headed out of town and toward the mountain where the lake house was located.
They could turn back, but I couldn’t go home. Not when my mom had her new boyfriend coming over for dinner tonight. She didn’t want me there—and I had no interest in crashing her big date.
“Why wouldn’t I want to go?” I asked. “It’s a party.” I flashed her a smile. “You know I live to be seen at parties.”
She rolled her eyes before fixing me with a serious look. “You look tired.”
I resisted the urge to rub my eyes. I’d just done a fantastic job with the cat eyeliner and there was no way I’d risk smudging it now. I shot her a haughty glare. “I look fabulous, thank you very much.”
She laughed as she eyed my outfit. “Only you could make the outdoorsy look seem like a Project Runway challenge.”
I grinned as I shifted from side to side making silly fish-faced pouts. “You like?”
“Very Sporty Spice,” she said as she took in my jeans, boots and the tousled bun that took way too long to get right. “I like it. What about me?” Hannah narrowed her eyes and puckered her lips as she posed, showing off the same baseball cap and long ponytail she sported every day of the week.
“Chic, darling,” I drawled in a silly accent. “Trés chic.”
River shook his head as he drove, but I could see him smiling in the rearview mirror. “You two are nuts.” He glanced over at his girlfriend. “And you look beautiful. As always.”
I groaned. “You two are killing me.”
Hannah laughed. “Just wait until you fall in love, Rose. You’ll be singing a different tune.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right. Never gonna happen. You know I have my rules.”
Now it was Hannah’s turn to roll her eyes. “If you think you can make rules around who and when you fall in love—”
“I can and I have.” My tone was pert and she laughed in response. “Besides, I have to show up tonight. I’ve got to teach Jax a lesson, remember?”
“I can’t believe you’re actually going to this thing when that guy—” River gave a growl as he smacked the steering wheel.
Hannah patted his arm, turning to tell me, “River wants to beat him up for you.”
His gaze met mine in the mirror. “Just say the word, Rose. He’s toast.”
I grinned, enjoying the mental image of a beaten and bloody Jax more than what was acceptable by society as a whole. Turned out I had a vicious streak I never even knew about.
“Thanks, but I’ve got my own punishment in mind. It involves crushing humiliation and a heavy dose of heartache.”
Hannah sighed up in the front seat. “For the record, I do not love this plan.”
She turned to face me again and her gaze was so earnest it was hard to keep a flippant smirk in place.
“Have you thought about being honest with him?” she said. “Giving him a piece of your mind?”
“No,” I said in all honesty. I hadn’t even given that a thought. “He doesn’t deserve honesty from me.”
“No,” Hannah said quietly. “I guess not.”
“Besides, I’ve already got his band lined up for the fair, and he and his buddies enlisted for a kissing booth.” I grinned even though I wasn’t really feeling it. “Who knows what more I can get out of him.”
Hannah didn’t laugh as I’d hoped. “I guess. I just…I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Me?” I scoffed. “Never.”
I saw the two of them exchange a look, but I ignored it. I needed to reserve my energy, anyway. It had been a long day already, and the thought of putting on a happy face for the party to come was making me feel weary. I pressed my fingers to my temple as if that may help the headache. “Everyone knows the best way to play a player is to beat him at his own game.”
“I just…I really don’t like this plan,” Hannah said.
“Do you have a better idea?” My voice was more peevish than intended. Ugh, it was this headache that was starting up. “Sorry,” I muttered. “But I really can’t think of another way to handle this.”
River straightened and I saw his eyes light up.
“Another way that doesn’t involve violence,” I added quickly.
His shoulders slumped in disappointment. It wasn’t like River was some macho tough guy—well, he sort of was, but he wasn’t always looking for a fight. He was just overprotective, that was all. It was sweet when he was all protective of Hannah, but he hadn’t yet gotten the memo that her best friend could take care of herself.
I’d been doing just that for as long as I could remember. The headache was starting to pound as we pulled up the long winding drive that led back into the woods.
Tim’s family’s lake house was the perfect spot for parties, and it was his claim to fame. Anyone who was anyone wanted to see and be seen at these parties.
And t
hat’s why I was here, right?
Make an impression. Leave ’em wanting more.
Ugh, all my usual mantras made me want to curl up and nap.
I was about to open the car door when Hannah stopped me. “Just think about it, okay?”
I knew what she meant. We had friend ESP like that. She wanted me to be straightforward with Jax. She wanted me to put an end to this.
But where was the fun in that?
The pulsing music did nothing to help my headache.
Fun. That’s what I was here for.
I put my game face on, but I knew my friend well enough to know that she would probably not be having much fun tonight. “How about this?” I said as the three of us walked toward the sound of a booming bass. “I’ll think about being honest with Jax tonight if you promise to get out of here early.”
She glanced over in surprise. “But you need a ride home.”
“I’ll find a ride,” I said with a wave of my hand. “But you have a game in the morning.”
River nudged her arm on the other side. “She’s right. You do need to be on in the morning.”
Hannah pulled a face. “Okay, fine. I’ll leave early but you need to promise to call us for a ride if you can’t find a safe way home.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
I spotted Jax laughing it up with some of his buddies on the other side of the lawn. “There he is.” I grinned at my friends. “Wish me luck.”
I was just about to peel away from them when Hannah caught my arm and leaned in close so River wouldn’t hear. “You know the real way to play a player?”
I arched a brow as she echoed my own words. “Yeah. Beat ’em at their own game.”
She shook her head. “Don’t play along.” She bumped my hip with hers. “He can’t win if you don’t play.”
I looked up to the night sky with a groan. “I hate it when you’re all reasonable.”
She laughed. “You hate it when I’m right.”
I nodded. “And that.”
10
Jax
She was here.
My heart started thumping way too hard when I spotted her.
Of course she was here. She’d said she’d be here.
Ryan shot me a look from where he stood by the keg. His scowl spoke volumes and I was certain my smirk didn’t help his foul mood.
The fact that her eyes lit up when she spotted me?
Yeah, that didn’t make him look any happier.
“Here comes your girl,” one of Ryan’s buddies from the wrestling team said, making every guy around me laugh. Word had spread quickly amongst my friends and there were side bets going about whether I’d do the unthinkable and get Rose Parson to commit.
I didn’t laugh. I was too busy maintaining eye contact with the freakin’ goddess of camping.
Seriously. How did this girl manage to make outdoor-wear look hot?
She broke off from her friends and her gaze never strayed from mine. My breath was coming in weird gulps as she got close because—man, when she kept you in her sights like that, it was hypnotizing. Mesmerizing.
It was dangerously intoxicating this pull she had. She was everything bright and shiny, and it had nothing to do with her neon-colored hair. She had this ability to turn something on inside of her that had every eye focused on her, it had every guy wanting her and every girl wishing they could be her.
It was charisma, I supposed. It was why she’d be a star one day, whether she had any talent or not. To be honest, I had no idea if she had talent. I’d never been to a high school play before. What was there to see? A kid from my class singing about heartbreak or something stupid like that?
No thanks.
As she drew close, she reached for the red plastic cup in my hand. “For me? You shouldn’t have.”
I let her have it, grinning at the attention she’d just called to herself without even trying.
No, scratch that. She had tried. She was always trying. She was on even when she was sporting an L.L. Bean vest. She just played it like she wasn’t trying.
I shook my head as I watched that knowing smile flicker on her lips. Her eyes were filled with mischief and a seductive edge that would have made any male with a pulse react.
I was definitely a male and I had a pulse, so yeah…I reacted. Even as I reminded myself that it was all an act, my body was turning to lava beneath her stare.
“You made it,” I said.
“I told you I would.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say her voice was a purr and the guys around me were leaning in to hear.
If she noticed the attention she’d grabbed from the guys around us, she didn’t let on.
Man, she was good. I’d give her that.
“You’re late,” I said. The party had officially started two hours ago and I’d been here for at least an hour.
She smiled. “I like to make an entrance.”
“Mission accomplished.”
She smirked and then looked down at herself, striking a pose. “Don’t you think it was worth the wait?”
Ah crap, my mouth went dry at the open invitation to ogle her. I kept my eyes fixed on hers. “You’d be gorgeous wearing a burlap sack and a mud mask, and you know it.”
She laughed. A tinkling, lighthearted sound that made me feel like I’d just singlehandedly conquered a small nation.
Dangerous. The girl was freakin’ dangerous.
She was also ridiculously easy to get along with. I’d almost forgotten that about our short time together. But once the guys around us realized they weren’t going to get some big show, they started talking about the upcoming football game and Rose and I were left in our own little world.
“So, tell me about this band of yours,” she said, leaning against the tree behind her in a way that showed off her killer body as her eyes glinted dangerously in the firelight.
What was a guy to do? She wanted to hear about my band, so I told her about it. I answered every question. Before I knew it, I was talking her ear off, telling her stupid stories from band practice, making her laugh with all the things that had gone wrong while making our demo.
The girl was all over me.
The longer we talked the more handsy she got until I was so wrapped up in the warmth of her that I almost forgot what game I was playing here.
Ryan didn’t.
He came over, standing in front of us, his bulky frame casting a shadow in the firelight and interrupting my story, which had earned another adorable laugh from Rose.
I was killing it over here—or I was until Ryan had to show up.
Rose didn’t seem to care, though. Her smile grew when she saw him glaring and she sprang toward him with a giggle that said she’d had more than a few drinks before she’d even showed. “Hey, babe,” she sang sweetly, kissing his cheek and marking him with her lipstick like she was a puppy and he was a fire hydrant. His scowl faded fast.
And so did my smile.
What the…? They’d broken up. She was here with me…wasn’t she?
“Jax was just telling me the cutest story about his band.” She widened her eyes. “Did you know he had a band?”
Ryan smirked over at me.
Cute.
I’d been telling her a cute story?
She gave Ryan’s cheek a friendly little tap—a move I remembered well. “Good to see you again, babe.”
The last of his anger seemed to melt under the glowing attention that she wielded like a weapon. She pulled a phone out of her back pocket. “If you boys will excuse me…” She jiggled it meaningfully. “I’ve got to return some calls.”
She was off and Ryan and I were left standing there wearing matching frowns of confusion. “Thanks for killing the buzz, man,” I said.
He arched his brows. “You chat her up at one party and you think she’s yours?” He smirked. “Think again.” He nodded to the area where she disappeared into the trees to make her calls. “Did you see the way she greeted me? She wants me
back.”
I snorted with amusement. “In your dreams, dude.” I shook my head. “Why would you even want her back anyway? She dumped you and left you high and dry. Why would you want to go back to that?”
He scoffed like I’d said something truly hilarious. “Look at her, man. Who wouldn’t want to date that?”
Rage shot through me plain and simple. It wasn’t jealousy just…anger. Inexplicable, just like the effect Rose had on me. “Too bad you’re paying me to get the girl then, isn’t it?” I mocked.
His eyes narrowed. “I’m only paying you if you manage to keep her around for a month. The way I see it…” His gaze followed in her wake. “You can’t even hold her attention for one night.”
I turned to see that she’d disappeared completely.
Crap. He was right. For all I knew that was the last I’d see of her tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found her making out with another guy next time I turned around.
A panicky sensation I didn’t want to acknowledge had me tensing at the thought.
Where was she? Where could she have gone? She was my date, dang it, whether we arrived together or not.
That anger was back and it had me moving into action, Ryan’s mocking laugh following me as I set out after her.
“Where are you going?” Simone stopped me. I’d almost missed her standing there with a group of girls from the art department. Unlike Rose, Simone had a tendency to blend in with the woodwork. Or…the woods, as the case may be.
I nodded toward the thicket of trees behind the house. “Got a date to track down.”
“So you’re really doing this, huh?” She trotted alongside behind me. Being as tiny as she was, she always had to half-run to keep up with me if I didn’t shorten my strides.
I didn’t shorten my strides right now because I was so not in the mood for one of her lectures. “Look, we agreed to disagree on this one, right?” I looked down with one eyebrow cocked and she frowned.
I had her there and she knew it.
She huffed. “What kind of friend would I be if I just stood by and watched them get hurt?”
Kissing the Player (The Dangers of Dating a Diva Book 1) Page 9