Game Saver - BJ Harvey Page 0,69

growl, nipping her ear.

“Think of how hot it’ll be when you finally do get my lips,” she whispers.

“Do not make me walk into this party with a hard-on, Spitfire.”

“I’m just giving you something to think about when your parents piss you right the fuck off. Which you know they will, because they always do.” She reaches over and grabs my hand, giving me a reassuring squeeze as she meets my eyes. “One look, and we’ll leave. No questions asked, and no turning back. I’d rather you do that than something crazy that’ll land you on the front page of the dailies tomorrow.”

“Dad may be a dick, but he’d never let one of his sons get arrested—well, at least not at his prized event. That would take too much attention away from him,” I reply with a chuckle. “

“Right, then let’s go get this sideshow on the road.”

And with that, I get out of the car and make my way around to open Abi’s door, and we walk hand-in-hand into the party.

The moment Abi and I walk through the front door, Dad’s campaign manager pounces and tries to usher me away from Abi to ‘discuss the night’s schedule.’ Suffice to say, he’s soon put in his place and tightening my grip on Abi, I continue making my way into the party, giving false smiles and handshakes in the face of Mom and Dad’s puffed up ‘happy families’ act. We get away from my parents without saying a word, Annabel still dark at me for not attending Thanksgiving.

“That was worse than last time. I swear your mom has had Botox. Did you see her forehead? It wasn’t moving,” Abi muses quietly.

“It’s her yearly Christmas present to herself. The only reason you didn’t see it last time was because it was probably wearing off.”

“Cade!” she says, giving me a playful shove.

“Spousal abuse,” Thomas says, sounding a little too drunk for a Christmas party, even if it is at Cade Senior and Annabel’s. “I saw that, man. You tell me if you need help escaping her”—he jerks his head towards Abi—”and I’ll be your safe haven.”

Abi bursts out laughing, sending me a wink before hooking her arm around Thomas’s neck and letting him lead her in the direction of a waiter with drinks.

I spot my brother standing in a half circle with Daniel, Noah, Zander, Zach, Sean, and Jonathan in the corner of my parents’ great room—yes, they actually call it that—each of them holding a tumbler of whiskey. My eyes follow their line of sight to find their women standing in a huddle around a sitting Callie.

My mother in all her thoughtfulness, decided to issue an open invite to everyone I know it seems. Although part of me thinks all of my friends are here because they’re hoping that something will happen given that they either know what my parents are like, or know what they’ve done.

I greet the boys with a jerk of my chin. “Hey, you guys look like you’re settled in for the night.”

“The women are being entertained by your niece’s contortion attempts in Callie’s stomach,” Jonathan says with a laugh. “I’m not sure my wife is feeling so shit-hot about it but it is rather entertaining to watch.”

“I bet.” I walk over to Cam, giving him a man-hug before standing beside him.

“It’s uncanny seeing you two together again,” Daniel says, looking between Cam and I.

Noah nods his head. “It definitely doesn’t help that you both chose to wear the same tux.”

I look at my brother, not even realizing that Noah’s right—Cam and I are virtually identical tonight. “Dammit. We need to coordinate this shit,” I reply with a laugh.

“Be a man!” Cam says, in his best Russell Peters voice.

“You be a man,” I retort.

The guys go quiet, and I turn my head to see them all looking at us.

“That’s some weird private twin joke shit,” Zander jibes, Daniel and Noah chuckling while the others just grin and shake their heads at us.

“This party is awesome,” Thomas announces, arriving back from the bar, Abi following behind him giving me a weird eyes-bugging-out-of-her-head look.

I wonder if he pre-loaded at home before arriving because he looks toasted. I don’t really want contemplate what else it could be because the only other feasible option is a body-snatcher scenario.

When Abi comes up beside me, she looks at me and—as if hearing my silent question of ‘what the hell is up with him?’—she shrugs and shakes her head.

“Everything okay?” Abi asks Thomas, putting her hand