Endgame: An Ocean Bay standalone novel

by Chloe Walsh

  “Taste your quiche?” she demanded in an infuriated tone, not giving me a chance to respond to her first question. “You’re a big dick, Rourke Owens.”

  Smothering a laugh, I tried to keep a straight face as Six ranted at me. It wasn’t easy though, not when she looked so fucking sexy all flustered and outraged.

  Standing in the middle of my bedroom dressed in tank top and tight cotton shorts, Six looked like she had just walked out of one of my dreams. She had her hands planted firmly on those fucking fantastic hips of her, and was glaring at me with fierce silver eyes. Her dark hair was free and flowing down her body.

  Christ, she was beyond beautiful.

  “Are you listening to me?” she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

  No, I wasn’t listening to her; I was too busy fucking looking at her. “What’s up?” I managed to muster up, tone thick and gruff, eyes locked on her curves. I knew what was under those scraps of clothes Six had on and I was dying to see for myself again. Over and over again.

  “You are what’s up,” Six growled, stalking towards me like a wild animal would its prey. “You and your stupid comments.” Seconds later, she flung herself onto my bed, tackling me. “You think you’re funny?” she hissed, shoving against my chest. “Teasing me about Rourke Jr. in front of Amelia of all people?”

  “What’s the problem?” I taunted, enjoying every minute of her outburst. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. And besides, we both know it’s me you were thinking about that night.”

  Her voice rose and her eyes flashed with fury. “I’ll give you Rourke fucking Jr.!” Straddling my lap, Six pushed me down on my back. “I’m going to kick your ass,” she grumbled before pulling my hair.

  I grinned, happily letting her shove me down. “You’re the one still calling your rubber dick Rourke Jr..” Reaching around, I patted her ass with my hand. “Is this your version of kicking my ass? If so, feel free to kick my ass daily.”

  “Like that, do you?” she huffed, yanking hard. Yeah, the girl actually pulled my fucking hair. “How about this?” she added, digging her nails into my upper arms. “Still think you’re funny?”

  If she expected me to fight her off, she was going to be disappointed. I’d never been so turned on in my life.

  “Christ, you’re so fucking hot right now, Six,” I groaned in pure delight. “Never thought I would, but I’m loving this dominatrix thing you’ve got going on, babe.”

  “Dominatrix? Babe? Are you serious?” Six screeched. “Oh my god! Leave me alone, you jackass!”

  “You’re the one pinning me to my bed,” I shot back, chuckling.

  She looked down at me then, eyes wide and full of awareness. “Omigod,” she muttered, face flushed. “What the hell am I doing?”

  “You’re kicking my ass?” I offered with a rueful smile. “And I’m enjoying every fucking minute of it.”

  “What are you doing to me?” she whispered, her grey eyes trained on mine. “You’re making me crazy, Rourke.”

  “Good,” I shot back gruffly. “Because you’ve been doing the same to me since you walked your ass through my door.” My hands moved to their hips of their own accord, her body on mine too much of a temptation to even try and resist.

  How I had managed to resist Six for as long as I had was a miracle in itself. I’d been fighting and losing battle, I realized. Thinking I could resist that girl was fucking insanity on my behalf. There was no resisting Six. There was no denying how attracted I was to her either.

  She looked fucking beautiful tonight. Every sexy curve was on full display and, for once, I didn’t have to pretend I was unaffected.

  “You’re lying,” she challenged, her lustful gaze locked on my face.

  “I’m not a liar.”

  She raised a brow in challenge. “No?”

  “No,” I confirmed, tightening my hold on her. “I only deal with honesty, Six. It’s who I am.”

  She stared at me for a long moment before whispering, “Me too.”

  Without thinking twice about it, I slipped my arms around her waist and rolled her onto her back.

  Six rewarded me with a small scream that I erased with my mouth. I kissed her hard and fast before pulling back to gauge her reaction. I wanted her with a desire that bordered obsession, but I wasn’t about to take from her anything she wasn’t one hundred percent willing to give me.

  “Why did you do that?” Six whispered, panting, her fingers knotting in the front of my wife beater. She was looking up at me, cheeks flushed, silver eyes dark with desire. “Rourke?”

  “Because,” I shot back gruffly.

  “Because?”

  Settling between her legs, I lowered my face and brushed my nose against hers, exhaling a shaky breath when she shifted beneath me.

  I adjusted my weight onto one elbow then and the friction of our bodies caused me to growl and Six to whimper. The soft moan that came from her throat was almost too much for me.

  I hadn’t realized I’d been waiting for this. Looking forward to this. To her.

  Unable to stop myself, I leaned into her neck and kissed the skin covering her fluttering pulse, inhaling a deep breath through my nose in the process. Fuck, even her scent was perfect. She smelled like coconut lotion and the ocean, and…Six. Jesus.

  Clenching my eyes shut, I fought back a shiver and swiped my tongue across the bare skin of her neck. Tasted perfect, too.

  “Rourke,” she moaned, wrapping her legs around my body. “Mmmm, god…Rourke,” she repeated, her words a breathy moan.

  “What, Six?” I whispered, latching onto her neck with my lips. Suckling on her skin, I rocked against her and used my free hand to hitch one of her thighs up. “What do you need, baby?”

  “More,” she pleaded, thrusting her tiny little body against mine. “Please.” Her voice was laced with aching longing. “I need...more.”

  I knew exactly what she needed and I sure as hell planned on giving it to her many times over. I wondered if she was a screamer? How she’d sound when I finally buried myself inside her? How she would feel…

  My thoughts caused my hunger for Six to grow and soon enough, I was frantic with my lips on hers and my hands under her shirt.

  Her lips were soft and plump and melded perfectly to mine. She held me tightly against, her, small arms caged around my neck, pulling my face down to hers.

  Six was clinging to me like she was afraid I would pull away at any moment. She didn’t need to worry tonight; I had no intentions of leaving her again.

  “Rourke, Dad’s on the phone. He wants to talk to… I knew it!” The sound of my sister’s voice caused Six to freeze beneath me and me to groan in pure fucking frustration.

  “Oh my god,” Six hissed, shoving against my chest. Reluctantly, I rolled off her and watched as she jumped off my bed and ran from my room, passing a grinning Amelia on her way.

  “Nothing’s going on?” Amelia said in a mocking tone as she held her cell to her chest. “Sure thing, big brother.”

  Flinging myself onto my stomach, feeling tortured, I grabbed a pillow and shoved my face into the fabric before groaning loudly.

  God fucking dammit.

  Mother fucking cock block…

  “Um, Dad’s still on the line?” Amelia giggled and I reached behind me to flip her the bird.

  “Sorry, Dad,” I heard her say, still giggling. Her voice grew softer, a clean sign she was retreating from my room. “Rourke’s having some…um, personal issues.”

  Personal issues?

  Oh, I was having personal issues alright; my balls had turned blue and were growing intimately acquainted with my stomach right about now.

  I waited a few minutes, allowing my body time to simmer the hell down, before chasing after Six.

  I knew the moment I knocked on her bedroom door that I was stepping over a line I wasn’t supposed to cross. But there was no going back for me. I was on fire for this girl and if she didn’t put me out of my misery soon, I had no doubt I would go up in flames.
<
br />   Mercedes

  I WAS LIVING PROOF that shame didn’t actually kill a person. If it did, I would have died on the spot last night. Amelia walking in on me and Rourke making out on his bed had to be the most embarrassing moment of my life.

  Never mind had to be; it was the most embarrassing moment of my life.

  There was something very wrong with me.

  Had I left all of my scruples and morals back in Kansas?

  I must have.

  Having come very close to falling into bed with Rourke last night, I was seriously beginning to question my sanity.

  Was I one of those masochistic girls who loved a bad boy that treated her like shit?

  I never would have thought so, but since coming to this godawful town, I wasn’t so sure.

  He was wrong for me, so incredibly wrong.

  Boys like Rourke Owens were dangerous. I wasn’t a fool. I’d grown up around a different jackass every month. I knew a player when I saw one – kissed one…

  Whatever sick and twisted game Rourke and I had been playing with each other, I was ending it now. Before I got hurt, or worse, fell so deep I couldn’t back out.

  Locking my bedroom door and not answering his soft knocking last night was the first sensible thing I had done since I got here.

  I needed to cut him off. Break away from this twisted connection that seemed to be growing between us. Rourke had a hold on me I was determined to break.

  I vowed to give all of my attention to school and cling to Molly like the pathetic, friendless person I was. Monday and Tuesday had passed in a new-kid-at-school-trying-to-find-her-feet sort of way. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling to me.

  By lunchtime on Wednesday, I was feeling settled. I knew it probably took other new students a hell of lot longer to feel that way, but three days was long enough for me.

  Taking a bite of my pasta salad, I listened to Molly as she rambled on and on about the Falcon’s first game of the season tomorrow night – and the fact that she was hosting the after party.

  “You don’t have to throw the stupid party, you know,” I informed her when she began to hyperventilate for the third time during lunch. “It was just a joke.”

  “A joke?” Molly squeezed out, wide eyed. “Daryl agreed to come over!”

  “So?” I shrugged. “If it’s making you feel this uncomfortable then cancel.”

  “I can’t just cancel,” she spluttered, like the thought alone was lunacy. “Daryl King agreed to come to my party.”

  “Your imaginary party,” I chimed in between bites of my lunch. “And so what? I thought you said you didn’t care about those guys?” I specifically remembered Molly telling me she didn’t give a shit about the prestigious it crowd. I scoffed at the thought. “They’re a bunch of jackasses.”

  “Cute jackasses,” she countered with a grin. “You’re going to come, right?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded and speared a pasta noodle with my fork. “I’ll come by for an hour.”

  “And the game?” she added. “You’re coming with me, right? It’s the Falcon’s first game of the season.”

  Swallowing a mouthful of pasta, I dropped my fork on my plate and leaned back in my seat. “I don’t think so, Molls. I’m not big on football.” I was trying to avoid Rourke as much as humanly possible. I hadn’t told Molly anything about our encounter last night, and I had no plans to, but going to a football game he was playing in didn’t sound like a good idea. “And anyways, don’t high school football games usually take place on Friday nights?” I asked. At least that’s what I remembered from my previous school.

  “They do,” Molly confirmed. “But every so often the game has to be switched to a Thursday or a Saturday. Oh come on, Mercy!” Molly begged. “Please say you’ll come? I need you to come with me.”

  I frowned. “Why?”

  “You don’t get it, Merc,” she explained in a pained voice. “For two years, I’ve been invisible to Daryl King and his friends. Two years! Now, he’s interested in coming to my party? At my house?” Molly sighed heavily. “I’m not dumb enough to believe Daryl’s sudden interest has anything to do with me.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying, you’re the common denominator here, Mercy. The boys want to go to my party because of you.”

  “And I told you, I’ll come to the party –”

  “It’s not enough,” she blurted out, cutting me off. “What if, when they don’t see me with you after the game, they decide to go somewhere else?”

  On a Thursday night? “Do you even care?”

  “I shouldn’t,” she muttered. “But I do.”

  “Fine,” I replied in defeat. I didn’t understand Molly’s need to feel accepted by these rich pricks, but I liked her. “If you really feel that way, then I’ll come with you to the stupid game.”

  “Thank you! Oh, you’re going to have such a great time,” Molly said enthusiastically. “Our boys are so good to watch, Mercy. The Ocean Bay Falcon’s kick ass almost every game.”

  “I doubt it, considering I don’t even like football,” I made the mistake of saying.

  “Are you serious?” Molly squeezed out, wide eyed. “You don’t like football!”

  I shrugged. “Not really.” I didn’t understand the game and I didn’t care to learn. Life was short and I didn’t plan on wasting a second of it learning useless facets of information I would never need. “Football. Soccer. Basketball. Lacrosse?” I gestured with my hand. “They’re all the same to me.”

  “Omigod,” she spluttered. “What planet did you come from?”

  “The real world,” I chimed in between bites of my lunch. “You know, the one where being on the football team won’t pay your bills and being a cheerleader doesn’t put food on the table.”

  Molly flinched. “That sounds…terrible.”

  I bit back a chuckle. “Not really. I actually sort of miss it.”

  She looked at me like I had spoken a foreign language. “Why?”

  I sighed, but didn’t bother replying. I loved Molly. She was sweet, good-natured, and my only friend in this town, but she was rich. Just like every other kid at this school, Molly had been born into wealth. She would never understand my feelings, so I didn’t bother voicing them.

  “Did you understand a word of what Mr. Trimble said in Trig this morning?” I asked, deftly changing the subject.

  “I don’t think Mr. Trimble knows what he’s saying half the time,” Molly shot back, happy to move on to a new subject. “That man is the worst. If I pass Trig this semester, it will be a miracle.”

  Content, I listened to Molly as she rambled on and on about the different subjects she was taking for the duration of lunch.

  When the bell rang, signaling the end of break, we were deep in conversation, discussing whether or not Miss Black, my biology teacher, was having an affair with Coach Joe.

  I didn’t really care if they were banging or not, but I was glad to have something to think about. It helped me to ignore the pair of blue eyes boring into the side of my face.

  Yeah, it hadn’t passed my attention that Rourke had never once taken his eyes off me during lunch.

  Mercedes

  THE COFFEE SHOP WAS, once again, insanely busy after school on Wednesday. Hurrying out back, I dropped off my backpack before pulling my overly long hair into a loose ponytail and slinging my apron on over my uniform.

  The after-school rush was in full swing when I took to the floor, taking orders and clearing off dirty tables for awaiting customers.

  I had served fifty-six coffees and nineteen iced teas when Rourke walked through the door just before closing that night.

  Donning our school’s regulatory grey V-necked sweater and navy slacks, Rourke walked into Madame Jory’s like he owned the place.

  The sleeves of his sweater were rolled up, revealing the best pair of forearms I’d ever seen. Like seriously, the corded veins and muscles made me ache. Talk about forearm porn.

  Knowing the h
ands attached to those forearms had touched me in places no one else has, made me feel a little lightheaded.

  The moment his eyes landed on my face, my heart slammed against my ribcage and the air thinned around me, making it hard to breathe.

  Goddammit…

  “Evening, Six,” he acknowledged with an incline of his head. The smile he was wearing did little to calm my frazzled nerves.

  “We’re closing,” I blurted out. I was having a hard time trying to get past the last conversation we’d had; the words ‘I’m willing to fuck you’ still haunting my every waking hour.

  “I’m not here for coffee,” Rourke replied with a wink.

  “Then what are you here for?”

  “You.” He grinned, revealing those deep dimples.

  Goddamn…

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you,” he replied, still grinning. “We need to talk.”

  “But I’m working.”

  He raised a brow. “I thought you said you were just closing?”

  I flushed bright red. “I still have clean-up to do.”

  “Then I’ll wait.”

  My jaw fell open and I watched as Rourke walked over to a table and lowered himself onto a chair. He began to drum his fingers impatiently against the table, a clear sign he was restless.

  “Does he want something?” Alec asked, appearing at my side. His face was set in a deep frown as he glowered at Rourke. “He knows we’re closing, right?”

  “Me,” I whispered, cheeks burning. “He’s waiting on me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because…” When I didn’t finish, Alec looked over to where Rourke was sitting and then back at me.

  “So, Owens is the reason you’ve been turning me down?” He didn’t sound mad, but he didn’t sound thrilled either. “Bad idea, Mercedes,” he added quietly. “That guy has serious issues.”

  Yeah. I had gathered that.

  “You done here, Six?” Rourke asked then, coming to stand by the counter, eyes focused on Alec.