The Punk and the Plaything (When Rivals Play #3) - B.B. Reid Page 0,98

the fully stocked shelves and the door a few feet away. Pushing it open, I peeked to confirm the kitchen was empty before stepping inside.

Memories from my time spent here as a kid helped me navigate the dark home. I climbed one of the winding stairs to the second floor and wondered if Jamie still slept in the same room he had as a kid. He and Ever had to share a bathroom then.

There was one memory in particular that still mortified me to this day. I’d come over and shown myself up and somehow walked in on them, measuring their dicks to see who was bigger. Luckily, I hadn’t seen much before slapping my hands over my eyes. I ran from the room and all the way home.

I didn’t talk to either of them for an entire week after that.

Reaching Jamie’s room, I pushed inside. I didn’t doubt that it would be unlocked. Jamie didn’t hide, and when people told him what they thought of him, he’d laugh in their face.

“No fucks to give” should have been tattooed on his forehead.

Every day, I wished that could be me.

The faint smell of cigarette smoke and potpourri filled my nose as I stepped inside. On one of the black nightstands was a small guitar-shaped tray filled with ashes and several butts. There were several other things cluttered on the surface, including his iPod and speakers.

Black rumpled bedding covered the headboard-less bed. Above it hung the American, Scottish, and Irish flags. I smiled. It was so like Jamie to embrace every part of himself.

Seeing his father’s guitars—two Stratocasters, a Firebird, and a Fender Jaguar—I rushed across the room, stepping over piles of dirty clothes, video games, and magazines. Slowly, I reached out, rubbing my fingers gently across the surface of each one.

I’d only met Jamie’s father a few times, but I could instantly tell that he’d been a soulful, spirited man.

Like father, like son.

I was bent over, busy admiring the vinyl records that weren’t hanging on the wall when I heard the snick of the door shutting behind me. I barely had time to stand up straight before Jamie was across the room, gripping my arms and pulling them behind my back.

“There you are,” he said, sounding mostly amused but a little pissed off too.

I swallowed hard. He must have been looking for me. I was the reason he sped out of here fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ago, like a bat out of hell.

“Here I am,” I replied. I only hoped I sounded braver than I felt.

“What the fuck are you doing here, and how did you even get in?”

“What? You think you’re the only one with skills?”

His only response was to trap me against the wall. My head was resting between the Firebird and the Jaguar, my breasts mashed against the wall. His breath tickled my ear when he leaned in close. “Well, now that you’re here, let’s discuss some things, shall we?”

“Let me go!”

“In a minute.”

I started to scream, to wake his uncle if I had to, but he spoke again, turning my world upside down once more. “How long has your father been broke?” Before I could answer or even ask him how he knew, he said “How long have you been plotting to marry my cousin for his money?”

I gritted my teeth as I struggled to break free, but his hands simply tightened on my arms, keeping me imprisoned. With a huff, I decided to answer him, hoping he’d free me.

“I was never going to marry Ever.”

Jamie chuckled, but there was nothing humorous in the sound. “Hard for me to believe, kitten, since you’re still wearing his ring. Even Jennifer knew when to let Brad go.”

Suddenly, the band felt too tight around my finger, the weight too heavy, the implications scalding. I knew what he thought, but typical of us, nothing was ever as it seemed.

“I’m still wearing the ring because my father still thinks we’re engaged.”

And when I was finally free of him, I had every intention of pawning it and starting a new life with the money. Ever must have known it too, which was why he hadn’t asked for it back. Even after he’d bowed out, he was still searching for ways to be there.

My eyes stung with fresh tears.

Friends like that came along once in a lifetime. It only made me sadder that I had to leave them behind.

I felt Jamie’s grip on me loosen in surprise before tightening again. “Why haven’t you told