Lead Player: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by Alex Grayson

  I snort out a laugh while Juliet glowers. She grabs the pillow behind her back and throws it at Nikki. “You stay away from my husband, or I’ll snatch out all that pretty blonde hair you like to fawn over.”

  “He’s not your husband yet,” she says with a laugh, stuffing the pillow under her chest so she’s leaning on it.

  “He will be in a few days. So, we’re practically married.” She caps the nail polish while I stick my other foot under the light. “Are you going to see this guy again?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why the hell not?” She jerks her eyes to me.

  Leaning back against the arm of the couch, I say nonchalantly, “Because apparently our night wasn’t as spectacular for him as it was for me.”

  “What?” Nikki shouts. “Why would you say that? The guy was practically fucking you from the bar with his eyes.”

  I shrug. “When I woke the next morning, he was already gone. No note, no goodbye, nothing.”

  I say the words with no emotion at all, pretending like I’m not still hurt from waking up the next morning to find him gone and no signs of him ever being there. It’s dumb. We both agreed to one night of fun with no strings. He was simply following through with our plan. My feelings should have never come into play. But damn it, he played my body like a fiddle and left me wanting more.

  “What was his name?” Juliet asks.

  “He said Taylor, but I got the feeling it was fake.”

  “You never know, he knows where you live. Maybe he’ll show up sometime.”

  I shrug again and spin around on the couch to plant my feet on the floor. I wiggle my newly painted light-blue toes in the plush carpet. I really fucking love gel polish. It cuts down the drying time to only minutes.

  “I’m not really sure if I want him to,” I admit. “I mean, there’s bound to be something wrong with him. He can’t be perfect in looks, in the sack, and in everything else. No one is that perfect.”

  “James is.”

  “James is an anomaly.”

  “That he is,” Juliet says with a big grin. She claps her hands and hops up from the couch. “Our toenails are done. You both need to finish getting ready or we’re going to be late.”

  Nikki groans and rolls over to her back. “I still can’t believe you talked us into this. Skydiving? Really, J?”

  “Hey, you know I’ve always wanted to do it. And what better way than to have my fiancé and my best friends with me?”

  “Umm… because it’s really going to suck for you if we all plummet to our deaths. You’ll lose your fiancé and best friends all in one day.”

  “The probability of your parachute not working is like one in over a hundred thousand, so the chance of all of your parachutes not working is about one in three hundred thousand. I think we’re pretty safe.”

  “Yeah, but the probability isn’t zero like it would be if we stayed on the ground. I don’t like playing chance with my life.”

  “You’ll get over it. Now get up.” She lays a loud smack on Nikki’s ass as she walks by. “James will be here in fifteen minutes.”

  Grumbling, Nikki rolls out of bed and tears off her shirt, switching it out for one from her suitcase. I shimmy out of my sleep shorts and pull on a pair of loose fitted jeans.

  Although I’ve put in my fair share of complaints about this skydiving adventure Juliet is forcing us into, a small part of me is excited. It scares the shit out of me to think I’ll be plummeting to the earth from fifteen thousand feet in the air, but it’s also exhilarating to know I’ll be totally free. It’s not something I’d ever do on my own, and I’d refused when Juliet first came to us with the idea, but eventually I said fuck it. The way I see it, if my parachute fails, it’s pretty much a guaranteed death sentence, so it’s not like I’ll live to regret it.

  “I swear, if I die today, one of you bitches better wipe my computer,” Nikki gripes as she pushes her feet into a pair of sneakers. “The last thing I need is for my parents to see all the shit I’ve looked up.”

  “You’re not going to die,” Juliet replies exasperated. There’s a rap at the door and she drops her phone on the nightstand to go answer it.

  “But still. If I do, my computer gets wiped.” She stands and faces me. “Promise me you’ll do it.”

  “You know I’ve got your back.” I give her a wink.

  Nikki writes dark romance novels for a living. I’ve seen some of the shit she’s looked up. I’ve even looked up some of it myself. I can understand her worry about her parents finding some of her research. Lord forbid if the government ever got a hold of her computer. She’d be accused of being a deranged psychotic stalker-slash-killer.

  “You ladies ready?” James rumbles from the doorway after he’s managed to unseal his lips from Juliet.

  “Yes,” I say at the same time Nikki says “No”.

  He chuckles. “You aren’t still scared, are you, Nikki?”

  She shoots him a glare so hot it could boil water. “Fuck yes, I’m scared. And if you were smart, you would be too.”

  “Just think of it this way.” He grins. “If your parachute fails, you’ll die on impact, so it’s not like you’ll feel any pain.”

  See? Even James thinks of it the same way as I do.

  “People do survive skydiving when their parachute fails.”

  “Yeah but the chances of that happening are pretty damn slim.”

  “Well, I’d be the one to survive. Then be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, talking through some computer and getting liquid food shoved down my throat with a tube. Just so you all know, my will states if I become incapacitated, it’s you and Alaina who will be taking care of me. I better not be put in some home or sent to my parents’ house.” She shudders.

  With a laugh, Juliet turns back to James. “Where’s Enzo?”

  “He had something come up last minute. He’ll meet us there.”

  “I still can’t believe he actually made it. I’ve heard so much about him I feel like I’ve already met him.”

  With an eye roll, I turn away from them and begin making sure I have everything in my purse.

  Enzo Bishop. Lead guitarist and sometimes singer for the popular band called Phenix. Sexy as hell, arrogant, womanizer. I’ve never met the man, but I’ve seen his concerts on TV. And while he’s a damn good guitarist and singer, I’ve also seen the tabloids, many of which have shown him with a new girl each time. I realize the media can be ugly and paint the wrong picture, but from the many stories James has told us about his best friend, I’d bank my money on the media being more accurate than fabricated.

  He’s been on tour for the last two years, which is the reason Juliet hasn’t met him. He’s been with Phenix since the band formed ten years ago. Although he loves being part of the band, he has no desire to continue on with them. According to James, he hates touring and has decided to step back so they can hire someone else who does.

  Juliet and James scheduled their wedding for when his final tour ended because James wanted his best friend there as his best man.

  I have exactly zero interest in meeting him, and even less interest in spending the next week with him. No matter how irritatingly hot he looks. Arrogance isn’t something I tolerate well in men, and I’m pretty sure Enzo will be the epitome of the word.

  The shit I put up with for my best friend.

  “Oh goodie!” Nikki chirps, clapping her hands and replacing her sour look with a lavish smile. “At least there’s something to look forward to.” She’s had a crush on him since they first became popular. “Come on,” she calls, walking toward the door with a pep to her step. “Let’s get to the yummy part.”

  With a head shake, I follow behind her, Juliet, and James. Thanks to James’ reminder of the fifth wheel we’ll be adding to our group, my mood has suddenly plummeted.

  I pull my hair back into a ponytail to keep the strands out of my face. Stepping out of the car, I take a look around. My eyes focus on the building with the purple letter
s in some fancy font that reads Wings Out. Before Juliet mentioned her idea of skydiving, I had already heard about this place, being that we live only an hour away. My stepmom’s brother has a thing for danger. Skydiving was on his bucket list. Wings Out was who he used. It used to be called Blue Skies, until some chick named Emerson Reeves took it over, renamed, and revamped it. I have to admit, I like the name Wings Out more. It seems more fitting and, in a weird way, sounds delicate.

  There’s already a small plane on the tarmac and a man with a clipboard is walking around it, I assume going over some type of checklist.

  “Didn’t you say you used to come here to Sunnyville when you were younger?” I ask James.

  “Yeah. Enzo and I’d come here on weekends. We had a couple of friends in the area.” He looks down at his watch. “We’re a few minutes early. I’ll go let them know we’re here. There’s paperwork we all need to fill out.”

  He takes two steps before he comes to a stop. A black car has just turned down the road, heading toward us.

  “That’s Enzo,” he says with a grin.

  Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I start scrolling my social media, completely ignoring the crunch from the tires on the approaching car. There’s an adorable picture of an orange cat a friend of mine just adopted. She named him Pika after Pikachu. I press down on the like button until a heart pops up, then drop a gif of Patrick Star leaning on his elbows with stars in his eyes. I scroll to the next post on my timeline. Oh look, there’s drama going down between my cousins. Apparently, Cristen has been trying to steal Leddy’s boyfriend behind her back. I snort as I swipe right on by without thought.

  I’m sliding through the new memes on one of my favorite pages when I hear a quietly muttered curse. “Oh shit. This is going to be interesting.”

  I shoot my eyes to Nikki, then follow her line of sight. The car has stopped beside James’ and the owner is walking our way. Even with dark shades covering his eyes I’d recognize him anywhere. My jaw drops in shock.

  You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. No one can have this much shitty luck. How is it even possible that I didn’t recognize him at the bar? I remember the familiar feeling I got when I first saw him, but I played it off as him having one of those faces that seem familiar to someone else’s.

  I narrow my eyes. The last magazine article I saw him in was a couple of months ago. He’s always been known for his long, dark hair. He’s since cut it off and has grown a beard. Looks like he’s not only leaving the band, but also taking on a new appearance.

  “I thought he looked familiar,” Nikki murmurs quietly, staring dreamily at Enzo.

  Taylor, I inwardly snort. I knew that name was a phony. He doesn’t look like a Taylor.

  He flips his shades up to rest on top of his head and his surprised gaze briefly flickers to me. James has a big grin on his face as he walks toward him, hand outstretched. Enzo’s dark eyes move to him, and a smile slowly forms.

  “Damn, it’s good to see you again,” James says, clapping hands with him and pulling him into a man hug. “I almost didn’t recognize you with all that hair on your face. And fuck, you cut your hair, too.”

  I sure as hell didn’t recognize him either.

  Enzo slaps his back and pulls away. “Figured a new look would fit with the new life. That and it might keep me inconspicuous.”

  “Not likely,” I mutter under my breath, ignoring Nikki’s questioning sideways look.

  “Where’s Hudson?”

  James grins. “He pussied out.” He pulls Juliet to his side, his expression turning prideful. “Meet my fiancée, Juliet. Juliet, this is the asshole I’ve been talking about for the last year.”

  Juliet smiles and holds out her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I kinda feel like I know you already.” She gazes up at James lovingly. “He’s told me so much about you.”

  Enzo chuckles. “And I’m sure most of it doesn’t paint me in a good light.”

  She wrinkles her nose and laughs. “Eh, maybe just a bit.”

  I cross my arms over my chest and roll my eyes, barely refraining from snorting. Enzo, sensing my annoyance, moves his eyes to me.

  “Oh!” Juliet exclaims. “These are my two best friends. Nikki and A—”

  “We’ve already met,” he says, cutting her off. His eyes barely graze over Nikki before they blatantly run up and down my body, like he’s remembering in vivid detail our night together. An unwelcome flush coats my cheeks. He notices, and being the asshole he is, he smirks.

  “You have?” Juliet asks, bewildered. It doesn’t take her long to connect the dots and her eyes go wide. “Wait. This is Taylor, Alaina?”

  “Middle name,” he grunts.

  So, he didn’t outright lie. Not that I’ve got any ground to stand on even if he did. I wasn’t exactly truthful either.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Alaina.” He says my name with a twist of his lips.

  “Wish I could say the same, but….” I trail off, letting him finish the sentence on his own.

  He opens his mouth to respond, but he’s interrupted.

  “Hey, you must be the Anderson party,” a guy says, walking across the parking lot. “I’m Leo. Welcome to Wings Out.”

  He does a double take when Enzo is introduced.

  “Are you…?”

  How is it that Leo recognized him right away, but I slept with the guy and didn’t? I had part of his freaking anatomy inside me and didn’t even know who he was.

  “Yeah,” I hear Enzo say.

  “My cousin knows every one of your songs. She’s a huge fan.”

  I glance at him to see if he’s offended that Leo didn’t say he’s a fan. His smile is easy.

  “I might have a shirt you could give her,” he offers.

  “Sweet! She’d love that.” He looks back to the others. “I have some paperwork for everyone who’s jumping to fill out. Make sure you bring your IDs.”

  I fall into step beside Nikki and we trail behind James and Juliet. Enzo is behind us.

  “You’re one lucky bitch,” Nikki whispers and bumps her shoulder into mine, flashing me a grin.

  “Yeah? How so?”

  “Come on, don’t play coy with me. You bagged Enzo fucking Bishop. What I don’t understand is why the hell you aren’t climbing him like a tree right now. The hounds of hell couldn’t keep me away if I were in your shoes.”

  “Could you keep your voice down?” I hiss. Looking over my shoulder, I catch him eyeing my ass. He slowly slides his gaze up to meet mine. Even though his shades are back in place, I can still see his raised brows over the lenses, as if saying he’s not in the least bit sorry he was caught ogling me. I look back at Nikki. “You can have him.”

  “Hell no. As irresistibly hot as he is, there’s no way I can sleep with him now. You may say you don’t want him, but there’s going to be a time when you do. It’s inevitable. It’s Enzo Bishop.” She says his name like it’s a forgone conclusion that every female on earth would be enamored by him. “He’s off limits now.”

  “Whatever.” There’s no way I’ll want him again. Not after finding out who he is.

  When we reach the office, I take the first step, but I’m pulled to a stop when Enzo grabs my arm. I look from his hand up to his face.

  “We need to talk.”

  “I beg to differ. There’s nothing to be said between us.”

  I try to pull my arm free, but he tightens his hold. I look around and find that James and Juliet have already gone into the office. Nikki looks back at me from the stoop and tosses me a wink before strutting through the door.

  Bitch, Nova growls at her back.

  It’s not until I turn and give Enzo my full attention that he lets my arm go.

  “What do you want?” I demand, keeping my voice low.

  “To talk about what happened between us.”

  “We had sex. One night, that’s what we agreed on. What’s there to talk about?”

  “Things are different now.”
r />   “Why? Because our best friends are getting married? It changes nothing between us.”

  He takes his glasses off and rubs a hand roughly through his hair. “Maybe I want things to be different.”

  I laugh derisively. “You sure didn’t act like it when you hauled ass while I was asleep.”

  He has the grace to grimace and look away. A moment later, he brings his eyes back to mine. “I had something come up and had to take off immediately. I’m sorry…”

  I hold my hand up, not needing or wanting his excuses. “It doesn’t matter. My word still stands. I only wanted one night, and that’s what I got.”

  He takes a step closer, and I’m forced to tilt my head back. “You say that now, but I bet I can change your mind.”

  I narrow my eyes. “You wanna know why I know I won’t change my mind?”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re arrogant, and that’s one trait in men that’s a huge turn off for me.”

  “You don’t know me enough to say I’m arrogant,” he says, throwing my words back at me from the other night.

  “Oh, I’ve heard plenty from James. He’s been very loose in telling us about your exploits.”

  He leans down, and what the hell is he doing? Sniffing me?

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve been home. James doesn’t know me anymore.” He grabs a lock of my hair that I missed when I put it up, and his wrist grazes my boob. I have no doubt he did it on purpose.

  I suck in a breath and take a step back before my body betrays me and leans into him. Memories of that night filter to the surface. The way he made me feel. How my body lit up for him. The sounds he made and the way he felt beneath my touch.

  I curl my fingers into my palms, fighting the urge to reach out to him. I have no doubt Enzo has many notches on his bedpost—hell, I’m one of them—but I refuse to be played with any more than I already have. James told me about all of the girls Enzo used to bring around while they were in high school and college. How he refused to settle on one, instead preferring a variety. He’s a rock star—a sexy one at that—so it’s almost a sure bet that hasn’t changed unless it’s gotten worse.