When we’re on the court and done with some light stretching, I get ready to pull my weight and Luce’s as well. The last time I played with Preston he was just average, but Mom says he got some lessons to improve his backhand. And I don’t know how good Vonnie is.
Luce sounded self-assured back home, but that doesn’t mean anything. Noah was confident too, until he pulled his hamstring. Hopefully, she isn’t the type to cry over a broken nail or cracked fingernail polish. If I lose to Preston because she’s overwrought about some stupid shit, I’m going to put her over my knee.
Preston put me in a bad situation, and Vonnie was part of the problem. Nothing less than a total annihilation of this duo will satisfy me.
“Let’s get going,” Preston shouts from the other side of the net, full of self-importance. “I got things to do.”
Things. I can only laugh.
“No-ad scoring!” he says impatiently.
I look at Luce, who shrugs and says, “It’ll speed up the game.”
“That’s fine.” It doesn’t matter what he chooses, because he and his skanky ho are going to lose.
We begin. Preston serves, hitting the ball hard. Luce leaps forward and returns it in a screaming shot that lands about an inch inside the line. Well, well, well. Look at that.
She’s hyper-focused and moves with an amazing economy of motion. Her long limbs give her a great reach. Her muscles tense, sweat beading on her taut skin.
I have to admit she’s good. Really good. She must’ve trained for years to get to that level.
But I can still beat her if we ever play one on one.
Preston and Vonnie try, but they’re simply no match for us. Although my half-brother isn’t a complete disaster, Luce’s half-sister is. Her swings are wild, and she struggles to return even easy shots.
Every time she fails to hit the ball, she lets out a loud shriek. Eventually, other members start gathering around the court to watch us play. A couple recognize me and shoot pitying glances at Preston and Vonnie.
“You’re cheating!” Vonnie whines, pointing at Luce. “There’s no way you’re this good.”
Luce merely taps her racket. A confident smirk twists her lips. “Vonnie, the only player you could beat is a half-blind toddler who hasn’t been toilet trained.”
“You’re using an illegal racket!” Preston says.
An illegal racket. “Winners win. Losers blame the equipment,” I say.
Fuming, Preston serves. He mishits the ball, which arcs in the air and then falls like a dick going limp without clearing the net.
“That ball went down faster than Vonnie on a first date,” Luce calls out.
“Hey, Preston. Having trouble keeping it up?” I say.
Our audience chortles. “Just give up,” someone says. “You aren’t going to beat Sebastian.”
“Shut your pie holes!” Vonnie screams, before turning back to the match.
Luce serves; the ball comes off her racket so fast it looks like a tiny yellow bullet. Preston tries to return it, but ends up tripping and losing his balance instead. He grabs his leg and whines like a melodramatic soccer player.
What an embarrassment. “Get up,” I say.
He moans like a wounded hyena.
Luce cups her hand around her ear. “What’s that? Did you say you forfeit?”
“What?” he says.
“I think he said he forfeits,” Luce says to me with a grin and shrug.
He jumps to his feet instantly. “I never said that!”
“Then let’s continue. I got things to do!” Luce says.
I laugh. You gotta love a woman who gives as good as she gets, especially when her swagger comes with competence.
The idiot duo fails to win a single game during the first set.
Luce smiles brightly as she high-fives me. “Wow. That was brutal.”
“No mercy,” I say with a smile of my own. Victory is always sweet, but for some reason, this one feels sweeter.
“None.”
“It’s only because this side of the court has too much glare!” Preston says. “The sun’s in our eyes.”
“Which is why you’re wearing sunglasses.” I point at the shades wrapped around his eyes.
“It’s still distracting!”
I shake my head. Everyone on the court is wearing sunglasses. “Fine. Hope you do better after we switch.”
But he and Vonnie don’t play any better. I’m treated to textbook examples of what not to do on the court. And how clumsy humans can be.
Luce, on the other hand, is on fire. And more than a little distracting when she leans forward, because her ass is perfection from every angle. I love seeing her muscles flex and power her moves. The earlier set must’ve been just a warmup, because she plays with even more force and control now. Sweat glistens on her taut skin, and it’s all I can do not to stop the match so I can steal a kiss.
When the second massacre of a set is over, Luce drops her racket and raises her hands in the air. “Yes!”
The spectators clap. “Great match,” a few of them call out, as the crowd starts to disperse.
“You just got lucky!” Preston shouts.
“Yeah!” Vonnie’s shrill voice rises in agreement.
“Then quit pissing off the gods,” I say, too pleased to give a shit what they use as an excuse for the spanking they just got.
Flipping them the bird with both hands, Luce turns around and leaps over to me. Her arms wrap around my neck, and she gives me a tight hug. I squeeze her back. She smells like sweat, soap and lavender shampoo. The wall she usually has around her is gone, and she’s completely vulnerable, and blindingly beautiful.
“We won!” she says, pulling back a little to face me. The smile on her lips hits me like a bolt of lightning, sudden and powerful. The one she bestowed upon Jason in San Francisco that made me seethe was a lightning bug compared to the one she’s giving me right now.
My heart races like it’s about to burst. A hot jolt crackles along my spine, and pure elation like I’ve never experienced before swells. I dip my head and kiss her.
Her mouth softens under mine, parting to let me in. Our tongues entwine, and I swear she tastes exactly like triumph. My pulse kicks up as blood roars in my ears like rumbling thunder.
I want her right now.
The sound of rapidly slapping feet slips through the thick desire. I go still for a moment, and Luce pulls away and looks around.
Preston and Vonnie are running to the main building. Fuckers.
“Hey, you need to pay up!” I say to their retreating backs.
“Yeah,” Luce says. “Get back here and get on your knees!”
They don’t stop, but they aren’t that fast. “You want to drag them back here and make them honor their bet?” I ask Luce.
She grins. “Nah. Vonnie can’t run forever. She’ll be back soon, begging for money.”
“She doesn’t have money?” I ask, enjoying her good humor.
“Not anymore. I cut her off. She’ll be so sad when she racks up all sorts of charges on her credit cards and can’t withdraw any funds out of my accounts anymore to pay them off.” Her smile grows diabolical. I love it.
There are men who believe women are best when they’re endlessly patient, sweet, kind and understanding. Not me. The best women are the ones who take no bullshit, know what they’re worth and fight for what they’re due.
Like my wife.
Which makes me wonder… “Why have you been paying for her stuff?”
“It’s a long story, but it’s tied up with the inheritance laws and property rights in Nesovia. Anyway, I’m going to stop by the admin office and tell them Vonnie’s membership fees need to come out of another account, too.”
“I need to do the same with Preston’s membership.”
Luce looks stunned. “You pay for his things, too?”
“Not me. My family. I control everyone’s money now, though,” I say with deep satisfaction.
“How did you manage that?”
“I married you.”
“I thought they only gave you Sebastian Jewelry.”
“It wasn’t enough. Unlike Preston, I have my own money and don’t need the company. I only run it because I enjoy it. They know that, and they didn’t want to give you thirty percent of the shares. So now I’m in charge of everyone’s trust funds, and Preston’s going to have to get a job.”
“Well.” She gazes in the direction Preston and Vonnie have disappeared into. “I hope he’s more competent than my half-brother Karl. I had to let him go for not even bothering to show up.”
“Speaking of competence, you didn’t tell me you were so good.”
She frowns. “At what?”
“Tennis. Were you trying to hustle me? Is that your definition of ‘fun couple time’?” I tease.
She laughs. “You were arrogant, so I decided not to disclose that I was nationally ranked when I was younger.”
“Were you? Impressive.” That explains her skills. I respect the dedication and work that went into it.
“Probably could’ve gone pro, but I chose Peery Diamonds instead.”
She must love that company. Maybe more than I love Sebastian Jewelry. A tiny bit of guilt wriggles its way into my gut at my plan to strip her of her position, but I shove it aside. She started this war. In addition, that’s a separate matter from all this…couple stuff.
She gives me a sly smile. “So. What do you want to do about our match?”
“We could go ahead and play it, if that’s what you want,” I say, pulling her close, determined to enjoy this carefree side of her.
“Or we can say we both won.” Her blue eyes are guileless and full of happiness.
She totally forgot what we wagered. But that’s okay, because I can remember for the both of us.
