Matchplay A New Adult Romance - By Dakota Madison Page 0,61

me with a seven day Caribbean cruise for Spring Break. I’d better get packing!”

I smiled. “That sounds awesome.”

“Totally awesome,” she agreed.

“So I guess things are going well with Marney.”

She gave me a wicked little grin. “And how are things with Aaron? I heard through the grapevine that the two of you hit a bit of a rough patch.”

“The grapevine being Josh and Lucas?”

She gave me a look that said, “Who else?”

“He invited me to his parents’ lake cabin for Spring Break,” I said.

She lifted an eyebrow. “That sounds promising.”

“Except that Evan and some of his other buddies from The Clubhouse will also be there with a few girls.”

“Not as promising.”

I nodded. There was a knock at the door and Lucas entered.

“You’re both packing?” he asked when he saw our suitcases.

“It’s Spring Break,” Olivia stated.

“Oh, yeah,” Lucas replied. “I’ve been so busy with my internship, I kind of forgot.”

Olivia rolled her eyes at her brother. “How does anyone forget about Spring Break?”

“Where are you going?” Lucas asked. Olivia and I looked at each other because he seemed to have aimed the question at both of us.

“Marney invited me on a Caribbean cruise,” Olivia said. “And Rainy is going with Aaron and his buddies to a cabin by the lake.”

Lucas looked at me with concern in his eyes. “You’re going with guys from The Clubhouse? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“No,” I admitted. “But Aaron really wants me to go with him.”

Lucas seemed to give this some thought. “I’ll be staying in town all week working. Please call me if you need to.”

I nodded. “I don’t think Aaron will let anything happen to me.”

“I mean it, Rainy,” he continued. “You have no idea what those guys are capable of. The lake is only a few hours from here. I’ll pick you up day or night if anything happens.”

“Thanks, Lucas.” I really hoped I wouldn’t need to call him but a small part of me was glad he offered because I was afraid I might have to take him up on his offer.

Thirteen

The Foursome

I had a bad feeling the entire drive to Aaron’s family cabin. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why but something just did not feel right. I knew we’d be spending the week with a few of the guys from The Clubhouse and several girls they’d chosen to invite. None of the guys had actual girlfriends, at least that I

knew about, so I wondered if they were still going to be engaging in The Tournament while we were on break. The idea kind of repulsed me. I didn’t want to bring up the subject with Aaron. Things had been going so well the past few weeks, I didn’t want anything to ruin our break.

When Aaron mentioned his family had a “cabin on the lake” I guess I was expecting an actual cabin in the woods. I would never use the word “cabin” to describe this place. It was larger and more substantial than the home I grew up in and my parent’s had a pretty nice house. The secluded setting and the idyllic surroundings made the scene feel like one of the massively reproduced Thomas Kinkade paintings.

Aaron grabbed our bags and we headed inside.

Evan was already there and he greeted us at the door. “Hey, Rainy,” he said and gave me a forced smile. Then he gave Aaron a half hug that guys often give to each other. “The bar is stocked and we’re ready to party.”

Aaron just nodded. I could tell he was a little uncomfortable with Evan and I was sure it was because of me. I wondered if he was afraid of something Evan would inevitably say to hurt me. Aaron sure did a great job picking friends.

A few seconds later, a beautiful raven haired girl came from what looked like a bathroom and headed in our direction. She was stunning and she carried herself with such confidence, I was sure she turned the heads of both men and women wherever she went.

As soon as Aaron saw her, he dropped our bags to the floor. When I saw how fast Aaron’s expression changed, I knew something was definitely up.

The raven haired girl didn’t even seem to notice that I was standing right next to Aaron. Her steely gaze was planted firmly on Aaron as she marched up to him.

“Hey, good looking,” she said as she threw her arms around him.

I noticed that he embraced her and didn’t make any attempt to push her aside for