“Yup.”
“Best friends?”
“Yup. Crazy, right?”
Shit.
Kensie needed a minute—no, she needed a fucking month. It was bad enough Carter turned out to be Reagan’s brother, but the fact that he and Trey were mortal enemies, that was catastrophic. “Are they always like that?” Kensie asked. She’d done her best to keep it together, but her voice betrayed her true feelings.
“They never used to be.” Reagan shook her head. “When we were younger, they were like each other’s shadow, they were inseparable. You’d never see one without the other.”
“But they’re so different! I mean…they seem so different.”
“Not really. Physically, yes, my brother takes the black sheep thing to a whole new level, then again, he never does anything halfway.” She smiled, her expression softening ever so slightly. “But appearances aside, Carter and Trey are cut from the same cloth. They’re both selfish assholes. Trey’s just better at hiding it.”
Kensie considered it for a moment. She thought back over the previous few weeks. She hadn’t noticed it before, but Reagan was right. They were both arrogant and stubborn and possessive. Apparently, Kensington had a type. “So, what happened? How did they go from best friends to archenemies?”
“That’s the thing, nobody knows.” Reagan shrugged. “Whenever you bring it up to either one of them, they just shut down. It’s like we aren’t supposed to talk about it. Like we’re supposed to pretend that them going from being joined at the hip to not being able to stand the sight of one another was normal.”
Of all the men in Seattle, what were the chances that she’d fall into bed with the worst possible one? She exhaled and raked her fingers through her hair. It was karma. Kensie was the cheater. The hurt and pain that was sure to come from all this was her fault. She wasn’t the damsel in distress, she was the villain. She didn’t deserve happily ever after with either of them.
Kensie glanced over towards the cabana. Carter and Grant had disappeared, and Trey stood there with his little brother. His handsome face was marred with tension as he lifted a red clown cup to his mouth. He tilted his head back, swallowing whatever it was. She only ever saw the man nurse more than one or two drinks, and now he was taking shots.
She wasn’t sure when the music started playing. She hadn’t noticed people in the pool until that moment. The party raged on, unaffected by Carter and Trey’s little showdown.
Kensie followed Reagan in silence toward the yard and over to the makeshift game station. The warm summer breeze blew Kensie’s hair all over, causing the chestnut strands to tangle in the clasp of her necklace. She tugged on it, hard, but karma wasn’t letting go. “Can you show me where the restroom is?” she asked, pointing to the hair knotted in her pearls.
Reagan inspected the damage. “Ouch, that’s really stuck. Yeah, here, use the one in the guest house. It’s easier than walking back up to the main house.”
Kensie nodded, following as Reagan led her around to the other side of the yard to the smaller building. The guest house was simple, quaint. If Thayer Manor was Cinderella’s Palace, this place was Snow White’s Cottage. There was a small eat-in kitchen, a fully furnished living room, two bedrooms, and a master bathroom. “Thanks.” Kensie smiled politely as Reagan pointed her down the narrow hallway.
“You take care of that and I’ll get us some shots!” Reagan grinned. “We’re not going to let their ridiculous rivalry ruin the party, are we?”
Kensie shook her head enthusiastically. “No, we aren’t.” She smiled. Alcohol was probably the last thing she needed but there was no way in hell she was getting through this day sober.
Once she was safely inside the bathroom she pulled out her phone.
Kensie: Holy shit, Jam. I’m freaking the fuck out!
Jam: What’s wrong? Are you ok?
Kensie: I’m at a party for Trey’s brother and you’ll never guess who just walked in.
Kensie stared at her phone, waiting for Jam’s reply. She tugged nervously at her necklace, ignoring the pain caused by pulling out the hairs at the nape of her neck. “Fuck,” she grumbled, snatching the damn thing off, nearly breaking it.
Ring.
Her phone chimed. “Jam,” she groaned.
“What’s going on?” Jam’s voice was laced with concern.
“Oh nothing, you know, just hanging with my boyfriend at his brother’s surprise party and the guy I’m cheating on him with just so happens to walk in,” Kensie quipped.
“No way. No. Fucking. Way.”
“Fucking way, Jam, and that’s not even the most fucked-up part. Trey’s brother is marrying Carter’s sister.”
“WHAT?!” Jam yelled so loud that Kensie had to pull the phone away from her ear.
“Their parents live next door to one another. They all grew up together. Carter and Trey had some huge falling out years ago, and now they hate each other. They almost got into a fist fight.”
“Shit. Ken, he did say he was from Bellevue, but he never really talks much about his life pre-Lithium. I can’t believe I didn’t put it together,” Jam said, and Kensie could practically hear the wheels spinning. Jamie was a reporter and curious by nature. If Jam didn’t see it, then she didn’t feel like as big of an idiot—an idiot—just not as big a one.
“Yeah, well, now I’m hiding in the guest house bathroom, praying for a miracle.”
“Do you want me to come and pick you up?” Jam asked.
She could hear keys jingling in the background. If nothing else, she could always count on Jamie to rescue her.
“No, I think Carter left. The party is at Reagan’s…well Carter’s too, I guess…it’s at their parents’ house. He just came by to see his dad. He didn’t even know we’d be here.”
“You don’t think…he didn’t know about you and Trey, right?”
“No. He seemed just as shocked to see me as I was to see him, and even so, how could he? They go out of their way to avoid each other. Trey’s never even so much as mentioned his name, and you said yourself he’s never talked about his life before Lithium Springs.”
“Yeah.”
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
“That’s probably Reagan,” Kensie whispered into the phone. “I should go, but I promise to catch you up to speed as soon as I get home.”
“Okay. Just please call if you need me.”
“I will. I promise.”
Kensie hung up the phone and shoved it, along with her necklace, back into her wristlet and opened the door. If there were ever a time when she needed a drink, now was it. “Reagan, you’re a lifesaver…ugh,” she groaned, rolling her eyes at the sight of the other Thayer. Against her better judgment, she pushed open the door, allowing him access to the confined space, before locking it behind him.
“You shouldn’t be here, Carter,” she said, still facing the door. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She couldn’t get sucked in, not with Trey just a few yards away.
“Trey fucking Knight?” he barked, placing his hands on either side of her head. His body warm against her back as he surrounded her. She couldn’t think when he was this close. The logical side of her brain knew that him being in there with her was a terrible idea. If someone found them it would be a disaster, yet there she was, body trembling from his close proximity, reminding herself to breathe.
“Carter fucking Thayer?” she countered, once she regained her composure. “You never once thought to mention your last name?”
“You never asked,” he whispered, leaning into her. He reeked of whiskey and bad intentions, but he was right, she’d never asked. She never wanted to know. She had done her best to keep him at arm’s length, a fact she had since grown to regret.
“Did you know?”
“You walked into my life, Kensington. You turned my world upside down. I didn’t tell you my name because that’s not who I am anymore. I don’t fit in here. I don’t belong. I love my family, but this world isn�
�t for me. I’d much rather be in my little house with friends who have my back unconditionally than here, surrounded by everything I could ever want, with vultures like Trey Knight. I’m not Carter Thayer, I’m CT, and I never lied to you about that.”
She let his words marinate. Jam never picked up on it. Trey never picked up on the fact that Jamie was dating the front man of his arch nemesis’ band. If two of the smartest people in Kensie’s life hadn’t seen it, then she had to take Carter at his word. “What are we going to do now?” she asked, turning to face him.
His stormy eyes were trained on her. His jaw tensed as he searched her face for answers to unspoken questions. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I can’t.”
The noise that escaped his mouth was raw, primal. He grabbed her leg and wrapped it around his waist, digging his fingers into her hip. “You. Are. Mine,” was the last thing he said before his mouth found hers. She parted her lips, granting him full access. Their tongues danced wildly.
“Carter. We can’t do this here,” she breathed. “They could—”
“Fuck Trey,” he growled, tugging hard at her bikini string until it came loose. He pulled back, just enough to unbutton his shorts, the head of his erection probing her entrance.
“He’s my boyfriend,” she moaned as he rubbed his tip through her folds.
“Do you think I give a fuck about that title?”
She gasped as he pushed inside of her. God, she wanted him, but she knew she needed to stop him now, while she still possessed a shred of willpower. “I get it,” she squirmed, “I do. I was like this the other day when I saw you with Tiff, but we can’t do this. Go home. I’ll come over after the party and you can have me any way you want me. You can bite me, and spank me, and choke me until you feel better. You can take all of your jealousy and anger out on me, you can lose yourself in me, you can fuck me until you can’t feel anything but me, just not here—not now.”
“I’m not leaving without you. I can’t stand the thought of him touching you,” he whispered into her neck, forcing her back into the door. He pulled her other leg around his waist, as he ground his hips into her.
“Carter, you have nothing to worry about,” she moaned, clawing at his shoulders. She was barely keeping it together. If she couldn’t think straight when he was near, then she completely lost all brain function when he was inside of her. “He and I aren’t even having sex.”
He laughed, but there was no trace of humor in the sound. “I’m sure you’ve made similar promises to him, and I bagged you the night we met.”
Kensie stilled. His harsh words hit her like a bucket of ice. “I’m such an idiot.” She pushed him back, fighting hard to untangle her limbs from his. “You don’t get to treat me like a whore because you’re mad at him.”
He ran his fingers through his hair, tousling his brown locks. “I’m sorry.” Guilt flashed on his face. “Shit, Kensie, I didn’t mean it like that. I just…”
She hastily tied her bikini before checking her appearance in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lip gloss was smudged. She looked like shit, but it would have to do.
“Kensie, please,” Carter begged, grabbing her arm.
“Look, just go home. Nothing good can come out of this if you stay.”
“I’m not leaving without you.”
“Where’d you go, Kensie?” Trey asked, shifting her on his lap. Much to Carter’s annoyance, he’d kept up some form of physical contact with her for the past two hours. If she wasn’t on his lap, his arm was around her neck, and if his arm wasn’t around her neck, then his fingers were laced with hers. If he wasn’t touching her, he was kissing her.
She did her best to plaster a huge grin on her face. “I guess I must have zoned out. All the sports talk.” She shrugged.
Trey smiled, kissing her shoulder. “Sorry, babe.”
“It’s fine, but I think I’m going to need a drink if I have to sit and listen to one more stat.”
Trey’s smile faltered as he glanced towards the bar. Carter was there flanked by two bikini-clad bimbos. They cheered him on as he chugged from a champagne bottle. “You want me to come with you?”
“No, it’s fine. Talk to your friends. I’m sure there’s some arbitrary aspect of this season that you have yet to cover,” she teased.
“Are you sure?” he asked looking back at Carter. The girls were jumping and clapping as he slammed the now empty bottle back into the table.
“Babe, I think it’s safe to say, he’s moved on.”
Trey nodded reluctantly as she slipped out of his arms. She threw one more smile over her shoulder before storming over to the bar. Her happy façade was slipping, her anger boiling over. Carter was goading her, she knew it—but seeing him with other women made her irrational.
Carter eyed her smugly as she approached. “Susie, Emily, why don’t you ladies go for a swim?” he said dismissively, nodding in the direction of the pool. They pouted but begrudgingly obliged and trotted off.
“Why are you doing this?”
“It’s a party, Kensington.” He crossed his arms over his chest. She couldn’t help but notice his biceps flex with the movement.
“And Emily and Susie?”
“Options.”
“Options,” she repeated. She was so angry she couldn’t see straight. “Are you intentionally trying to hurt me or do you just not give a damn?”
“You don’t get to have your cake and eat it too, Friend. You’ve gotta choose, it’s him or me, but I can’t do this,” he motioned between them, “anymore.”
“I think I already have—” Just as she started to speak, a man and a woman walked up to the bar. They stood in awkward silence while the couple poured their drinks. Carter swallowed hard, his expression unreadable.
“CT, we saw you play last month at the Coliseum. You guys are killing it,” the man said.
“Thanks, bro.” Carter nodded.
The man looked to Kensie. “You’re Trey’s girl, right?”
Kensie gave the man a tight smile. She didn’t need to look at Carter to know his eyes were focused on her response. “Kensie,” she said, extending her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Kensie. I’m Jensen.”
“Alright, J, I guess I’ll see you at the wedding.” Carter’s voice was rough, and there was no mistaking his meaning, go the fuck away.
“See you around. Nice to meet you, Kensie.”
She exhaled, watching them as they walked away. “I think I’m falling in love with you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth so fast that she wasn’t sure if he even understood her.
“What?”
She shook her head, looking around. “Are you really going to make me say it again?”
“Come home with me.” He stepped towards her.
“I can’t do that to him,” she said, taking a step back.
“Why not? You don’t owe him anything.” Another step.
“He deserves better than that.”
“What about me?”
“Carter, you won. I’m yours. What would humiliating him in front of his friends and family prove?”
His jaw tensed as his eyes darted over her shoulder. Trey’s arms wrapped around her body and his hand slipped up the front of her sundress and inside her bikini bottoms.
“Babe, stop,” Kensie protested, trying to remove his hand from between her legs.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, this is mine,” Trey sneered.
“Trey,” Kensie gritted as she tried to wiggle herself free. Her eyes pleaded with Carter. “Just one more day,” she mouthed.
Carter shook his head, snatching a whiskey bottle off the bar. He brushed past them, storming toward the pool.
“Trey, get off me. You’re drunk.” Kensie pushed him back, causing him to stumble.
“Why is it okay for him to act like a drunken idiot and not me? Why does he constantly get chance after chance and I make one mistake, one time when I was fucking seventeen, and
I’m the asshole?” Trey’s eyes were glossed over. He wasn’t talking about the party anymore.
“Tell me what happened? Help me understand.”
“It’s nothing. Never mind.” He leaned down and kissed her. She allowed him to pull her into his arms. This had gotten way out of hand and she was the only one sober enough to put a stop to it.
She pushed Trey back. “I need to use the restroom, then let’s get out of here.” The lie came easy, she didn’t have to pee, but she needed another minute alone with Carter. She needed to make sure he was okay. She needed to tell him that she was going to end things with Trey.
Kensie scanned the yard. She’d nearly given up when she spotted him, dragging Susie into the guest house. “Go tell your brother goodbye, I’ll just be a few minutes.”
With each step towards the guest house, her heart pounded. Her subconscious begged her to turn around, but her legs continued pushing her forward. She wanted nothing more than to walk away. Ignorance was bliss, right?
It felt like she’d been walking forever and, yet, when she reached her destination, she wasn’t ready to face whatever it was she might find.
“Hey, Kensie, what’s wrong?” Grant asked as he exited the bathroom.
She didn’t bother answering him. She was focused on her mission. It didn’t matter that Trey was just a few yards away. It didn’t matter that there was a party raging on just outside the walls of the guest house. It didn’t matter that Carter’s brother was staring at her as if she’d lost her mind. The only thing that mattered was finding Carter.
“Kensie, what’s going on?” Grant asked as she stormed through the living room. She turned down a narrow hallway, opening the first door she saw, a linen closet.
“If you tell me what’s wrong, I can help you,” Grant pleaded.
She headed for the door at the end of the hallway. Her stomach sank as an uneasy feeling flooded her body. He was there, she could sense him. Her body always knew when he was near.
Turn around, Kensington.
Turn around and go find Trey.
She steeled herself, pushing the door open, Grant hot on her heels. Carter was sitting on the bed, lying back on his elbows, as Susie kneeled before him, her head bobbing up and down.
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