by Zoe Forward
“You’re killing me. Both of you,” Michael choked out between laugh sobs. “God, it’s good to see you, Bec.” He pulled her against him in a one-arm hug while swiping his eyes to clear moisture with the opposite hand.
“So, Jake, what’s your take on the shaving issue? Or do you prefer to wax?” Her eyes held challenge when they met his.
Folding his arms, he remained silent. No way he was stepping into this discussion with her, not with the images his brain conjured at the mere thought of balls and her in the same context.
Michael said, “I’ve tried it. Shaving, that is. Had this girlfriend years ago into everything being smooth and all kinds of kinky shit. She was a kickass gamer too.” He gazed over the bartender’s head as if remembering the experience. Michael might not be a part of NJ Legacy, but he was a leading video game developer in the industry at a competing company who had at least one big hit a year. Noah had dubbed him an honorary Game Lord. The video gaming public labeled Jake and Noah the Game Lords after their first game, Zoneworld Warrior, skyrocketed into an international success.
Michael shrugged. “Interesting experience, but not sure you’d want to have, uh…chafing going on during the ceremony, bro. First-time shave’s a bitch.”
Jake barked out a laugh at the imagery of Noah squirming out an itch in front of the pastor.
Noah held up a hand. “Enough. Forget I brought it up.”
Becca signaled the bartender and ordered a margarita.
“Where’s your other half?” Becca asked Michael.
Michael’s humor fled. He shrugged.
“Trouble in paradise again?” Becca sipped her drink. “How many times until you break up with her for good?”
Michael grumbled something Jake missed.
But Becca hadn’t. “I never trusted her. I mean, come on. She cheated on Noah with you in the early phase of dating him. What kind of way is that to kick off a relationship? I’m shocked you guys made it almost a year, even if it wasn’t an all-the-time thing. If you think she’s cheating, she probably is.”
Michael cast a furious glare at Becca before resuming his stare at the TV screen.
Jake never got Michael’s relationship with Darcy. The woman was as warm as a block of ice. For a man who’d be open to shaving, she seemed like a straitlaced, one-position-sex kinda girl. Maybe that kind of thing rocked Michael’s boat.
“Where’s Tori?” Becca asked Noah.
“She and Emma are visiting with their mom, who got in this afternoon.”
“How’s Dad been doing? Well, before the accident today.” She directed her question at Noah but glanced between all of them.
“There’ve been a few bad moments.” Noah met Jake’s gaze. Mrs. Harrison made them promise not to tell Becca about last Sunday when Mr. Harrison went out to grab the paper and ended up wandering the streets for thirty minutes in his pajamas until their mom found him. “You should ask Mom.”
Michael said, “Your date bailed, Jake? You pulling out your black book for a fill-in?”
Not the direction he wanted the conversation to go. Becca’s gaze scorched into him.
“Aw, come on, man. I need my vicarious hit of hotness.” Michael’s eyes glistened with interest.
“Doesn’t a serious relationship mean you don’t look at women other than Darcy?” Jake asked.
“Hell, no. Means I don’t hook up with anyone else. I can look. Your dates are epic.”
Jake risked a glance at Becca. Bad decision. Storm clouds settled into her eyes, which meant trouble.
“My date bailed, too, and I was thinking of finding someone else fill in.” Becca pointed to a standing-only table near the window. “I went to school with them. Got to go say hi. Never know where that might lead.”
She picked up her drink and walked to the table. Her skintight jeans accented all her curves in ways he shouldn’t be noticing with her brothers here.
Noah mumbled something and headed off to the restroom.
Becca hugged the lone girl at the table and then got enveloped in a hug from one of the four guys, a tall fellow who looked like an off-the-clock bouncer. She laughed at something the hugger said, her hand landing on the guy’s chest. Did she realize she was coming on to him? The hugger was probably thinking his chances of getting laid tonight just went up.
Jake pushed off of his stool to a stand, intent on pulling her away from the guy. What the hell was he doing? She wasn’t his problem.
Resuming his lean against the bar, he gritted his teeth until they ached. The hugger had his arm around her waist now. Who the hell did that guy think he was?
“She’s not a kid anymore,” Michael said.
“No shit. She doesn’t seem to realize what she’s doing to that guy.” Anger pricked at him.
“So?” Michael’s tone changed as if he suddenly understood. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Jake’s head whipped around. “What?”
“Don’t try to pretend.” Michael shook his head and chuckled. “You’ve got it bad for my sister.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Noah might not get it if you…with Becca, at least not at first, but I think he’d come around. I always thought there was more to it when the two of you went for each other’s throats. She couldn’t do much better than you.”
“It’s not going to happen.”
Michael was quiet for a long moment while he watched Becca laugh at something one of the other guys said. “Why not?”
“I don’t even need to answer that. You know why.” Jake refused to think about it.
Michael chuckled. “Figures the two most relationship-challenged people I know would be hot for each other. I love Becca to pieces, but my sister sucks at choosing guys. She’s only had that one loser boyfriend in college and a couple of dead end dates in high school.”
Jake scowled. “Neither of us are…nope. Family means everything to me. I value you guys, your parents, and all of it too much. Becca and I would end badly. Like you said, relationships always go south for me. If that happened and you and Noah had to choose sides, you’d come down on hers. So, it’s a no.”
Michael nodded as if he had a valid point. It hurt to know their loyalty only went so far.
Becca’s laughter rang out over all the noise. The guy had his arm tighter around her waist.
Jake stopped thinking. He pushed off the bar counter, but Michael caught his arm and leaned in. “She’s not serious about him. Not with the way she keeps eyeing back at you. Chill out. She’ll come back.”
Jake sipped his cranberry juice, tempted to get it spiked. But he wouldn’t. No alcohol for him. Ever.
Michael rose. “Ugh. Noah’s over there freaking out over a girl who’s hanging off him outside the restroom. The boy just can’t handle women hitting on him. It’s a miracle he ever managed to snag someone as cool as Tori. I’m taking him home and calling Tori. Can you get Becca back to the hotel without”—Michael glanced to Becca, who giggled at something the big guy said—“killing someone?”
“Yeah, I’ll get her back. I thought Noah was under a no-sex mandate.”
“Noah needs to get laid. Like tonight. It’ll go better for all of us tomorrow.” Michael typed on his phone as he stalked off toward Noah.
Now the hugger had maneuvered Becca into a corner. Jake prowled to the corner and came up behind the guy.
For a few moments, neither noticed he was there, but then Becca’s gaze drifted over the guy’s shoulder and widened. The guy turned around, his eyes narrowing in challenge when they met Jake’s.
“Becca,” Jake said in a tone much calmer than the ferocity rolling through him. “Your brothers are headed out. Time to go.”
“I just got here.” She stared at Jake, cheeks flushing.
He glared, hoping she got the point he didn’t feel the need to explain himself. “It’s time to call it a night.”
Becca pursed her lips into a cute pout. “It’s early. I just got into town. I’m not ready
to leave. Chris, did you see if they dropped off my refill yet?”
“She’s not for you,” Jake said to Chris. He brushed past the guy, wrapped his fingers around Becca’s arm, and pulled her toward the exit. No way in hell so long as he was alive would he allow some tool like Chris to make Becca his one-night-stand.
He hoped like hell Chris wouldn’t push this. Miracles of miracles, Chris backed off.
Outside, she yanked her arm free of his grip and tilted her head back to glare up at him. The move exposed her long, elegant neck. “Who shoved a stick up your ass?”
“Becca…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t.” She held up a hand and marched up the street away from him, threading through the few people in her way.
He jogged to catch up to her, latching her arm. “Hold up.”
She pulled her arm free. “You made it perfectly clear how unattractive you find me.”
“Whoa. This has nothing to do with that.” He rocked back onto his heels.
“I know I’m not as pretty as your normal dates. Besides, you acted like you committed a mortal sin when you kissed me.”
He compressed his lips to suppress a smile that he bet would escalate her anger to the next level. “That’s not how I acted. You know I don’t go to church, and I definitely don’t believe in mortal sins.”
“Convenient excuse to justify sleeping your way through life with anyone who’s not me.”
“That’s right.”
Becca flinched.
Damn it, not what he meant to say. But he needed distance the width of the Atlantic Ocean between them.
“You can be such an ass.” She strode up the sidewalk.
He should let her go. Let her hate him.
But he didn’t.
Jake caught her arm again and whipped her back around. “You don’t have a freaking clue.”
She tugged to pull her arm free, but he held on this time. “About what?”
“This has nothing to do with me not being attracted to you.” He pulled her into the alley between two buildings and pressed her against the wall, his body flush to hers. “Does that feel like I’m not attracted to you?”
She swallowed hard and met his gaze but didn’t answer. The challenge in her eyes indicated she was turned on too. He leaned in.
What the hell was he doing? He almost kissed her again. He stepped away. “We’re not doing this. Not because I don’t find you attractive. Not because I don’t think you’re good enough. We’re not doing this because this is one risk I can’t take.”
5
“Here’s the coffee,” Becca yelled as she pushed into her parents’ condo in Greenwich Village at eight a.m., balancing eight to-go cups.
“Your mom said put them in the kitchen. She’s devising her master plan for today in the dining room, which scares me a little bit.” Tori greeted her in the entryway. She came off edgy and total badass with tattoos peeping out of the edges of her tight black shirt and her little silver nose ring. She’d pulled her long dark hair up into a ponytail. Becca couldn’t believe her brother, the guy who freaked out if a girl spoke to him, was about to marry someone as incredible as Tori. She was also more than a little jealous Tori had escaped Symphis’s clutches.
Becca pecked her on a cheek as she relinquished four of the cups. “She scares all of us sometimes. Is Dad back from the hospital?”
Tori nodded. “He’s asleep upstairs.”
“Oh, okay. I won’t bother him. He seem okay?”
Tori glanced toward the stairwell. “They were already back from the hospital when I got here. How’re you? How’re things out in California in the big bad life of a grad student?”
She couldn’t meet Tori’s game. “Fine.”
“That wasn’t at all convincing. Let me guess. Guy trouble?”
Becca shrugged. “Busy. Really busy. Stressful. How’re you doing with everything happening with your game about to launch and the wedding?”
“Hanging in there. Grateful that Noah’s a god in bed. He proved it last night, but don’t tell your mom.” Tori’s face flushed red. “You probably didn’t want to hear that about your brother.”
“Not so much. That’s…eww.” She fake shivered. “But I’m glad you guys are happy. I can’t believe you only met six months ago. And you got out of the Stadium with Symphis…”
“The swiftness of the wedding seems to be a popular topic today. I know what I want, and it’s Noah. I love everything about his geekiness and, well, everything. If given a chance, we’ll make it. Our rush down the aisle is about fear we might not get the chance to prove we can make it.” Her voice wavered on the last bit and then lowered as if worried about eavesdroppers. “That business with Symphis and the gaming… It’s not exactly over despite what we say publicly. Not even your mom knows this, but I still get threats. It’s like he’s planning something big and just wants to remind me he hasn’t forgotten that I screwed him over when I left. Scares me every time my phone dings with a text message. We’re worried if we don’t do this now, there might not be a tomorrow to get it done. The day Symphis retaliates is coming.”
Becca swallowed past the dryness of her throat. She was pretty sure she played a big part in the impending retaliation. “I wish there was something I could do.”
Did that sound as apologetic as she thought it did? Oops.
Tori waved a dismissive hand. “This weekend is about celebration. Thank your lucky stars you didn’t get sucked into the Stadium.”
She grimaced and checked her phone for messages to cover her look.
Tori said, “I heard your date bailed. Screw him. You need to find a hot guy to make the trip worthwhile.”
“Maybe.” Found one. But it’s complicated.
“Speaking of hot guys, I heard you got a ride with Jake yesterday. How’d that go?”
“Is Jake here?” Becca’s stomach fluttered.
“Not yet. He texted your mom that he ran into you at the airport. I’ve heard many stories about the two of you having knock-down, drag-out fights.”
“We’re not that bad. We just rub each other the wrong way sometimes. How’s Jake been doing without your sister as his assistant this week? I heard Mom commandeered her for wedding stuff.”
“To see your mom butt heads with my sister over wedding details has been hilarious. You know my sister is all about perfection when it comes to organization. I can’t believe you and I will be sisters-in-law in two days.” Tori grinned, then chewed on her lower lip. “Heads up, there’s been talk about the bouquet thing. Do you have a plan?”
“Bouquet?” Crap, she’d forgotten she’d caught the bouquet at her cousin’s wedding last year. Her great-grandmother predicted every Harrison woman who caught a wedding bouquet would either be engaged within a year or remain unmarried and alone forever. The family believed in the prophecy with a scary zeal. “I hoped they’d forgotten.”
Tori stress smiled.
“I need to find a date to distract my relatives.” Hadn’t exactly gone well last night. But Jake wanted her, and that was a start. Kissing him had been incredible. Much better than anything she’d dreamed of.
Her face warmed.
Tori’s eyes narrowed. “Did you devise a nefarious plan again?”
“My plans aren’t nefarious.”
“The last time… You remember sucking down those shooters at my bachelorette party last month while claiming they’d make all of us enjoy Vegas even better? I ended up puking my brains out the next morning. You ended up wearing some guy’s underwear and singing karaoke when it wasn’t even a karaoke bar.”
Not one of her finest moments, but she had escaped gaming in the Stadium for the night. She also got docked three hundred dollars for doing so, pushing her gambling debt tab to over four thousand.
“We had a great time, didn’t we?” Becca asked.
“I don’t even remember how you got that guy’s underwear. Bad morning after.” Tori�
��s face broke into a smile. “But it was fun.”
“No foolishness involving alcohol this weekend. Scout’s promise.” She held up two fingers.
“It’s three fingers.” Tori laughed. “What’s your plan to thwart the bouquet insanity?”
“I’m going to get Jake to help me.”
“Jake Allen? The Jake who you can’t spend five minutes with without trying to kill? At least, that’s what Noah said.” Tori shot her a you’re kidding me glare.
“I asked him to be my date, but he didn’t commit. He’s worried Noah will blow a gasket.”
“You two as a date to my wedding?”
“It won’t be a real date. Just an escort situation.” Her face scorched. “I don’t mean that I want to hook up with Jake. I only need someone to take me there and then get me home. Someone to keep the family off my back about the bouquet catch.”
“A real fake date? Uh-huh.” Sarcasm oozed from Tori’s words. “As if anyone would believe you and Jake had something real going on. Everyone knows him, and they know you. Wait a minute, do you actually want Jake to be your date? What about the guy who was supposed to be coming as your date?”
“Nothing was going on with Stuart. That was a fake date.”
“You want to date Jake? As in a real date-date.” She compressed her lips against laughter. “Your face has gone so red. I’d say that’s a yes. But, Becca. You and Jake? The man seems to be a business genius and generally okay guy when he’s not being a hardass about something he wants done his way at work. But I’ve heard he’s got the worst track record with women.”
“I’m not looking for anything real with him. No date-date. I need a real fake date to get past the bouquet business.” Their kiss blasted through her mind. Suddenly, the room was way too warm. She tugged at the edge of her blouse. “It’s a stupid plan.”
“You being the sister-of-the-groom will be a problem.” Tori’s face scrunched up.