“Come on,” I tease. “It’ll be fun.” I follow Caleb around the kitchen island as he snatches up his keys, fills his travel mug with coffee, and snags a banana off the hook. Poseidon dances at my feet.
“Dude, no,” Caleb huffs, slipping the banana in his pocket.
We’re all on totally different schedules this week. Rachel has already been gone for over an hour. She’s doing some kind of PT training down at the hospital. Cay is ducking out now, and I bet I won’t see him again until after dinner. Meanwhile, I have the day off. Only problem is that everyone I like is busy. Novy is at the dentist and Morrow had to drive down to Orlando to help his mom move. The married guys never want to hang out on off days. I guess I’m alone with Sy.
Fuck, I’m already bored.
If Caleb would just agree to play the game, I could set my mind to coming up with my plan. “Why don’t you want to play?”
“Because it’s not a game,” he says. “She’s not some trophy, Jake.”
“I know that, asshole,” I huff. “It’s just for fun. Come on, we each pick a night this week to take her out and show her a good time. Points for each time she breaks her rule about no PDA. What are we thinking? Maybe one point for a kiss, five for a handy, ten for a BJ?”
He stills. “And what’s the point value for sex?”
I laugh. “You really think you can get Rachel to have sex with you in public?”
He shrugs. “I just think it needs to have a point value.”
“Fine,” I say. “Fifty points for full P-in-V sex.”
This is all wishful thinking, of course, because our girl was crystal clear. There will be no funny business of any kind outside the four walls of this house. No fuck me eyes. No kissing. No tender embraces. Nothing. We all have to be totally cool and professional at all times.
Which is fine for around the Rays. But I feel like her rules are a little strict for the general public. I mean, no kissing? Like, at all? Not even on a nature hike where only the trees can see us? No hand jobs in a parked car as we watch the sunset?
Of course, Caleb is on board. Mr. No PDA will have no problem following the rules. In all our years of friendship, the only time I’ve ever seen him intimate with a person was when I was in the room. I think that’s why their moment at the club shook me so deep. He let her show him off. It melted his brain a little, but I could see the truth there too. He liked it. Loved it. Fucking craved more of it. He wanted her to claim him in front of the guys like that, in front of Aspen. He definitely wanted her doing it in front of me.
Our Cay may think he doesn’t like PDA, but I know better. Which is why I thought up this game. There’s nothing Caleb likes more than a little competition. And there’s nothing I want more than to ruffle Rachel’s feathers. I’m thinking, between the two of us, we can break her. I want that girl ravenous to kiss me. I want her all over me—hand in my pants, lips on mine, moaning my name as a little old lady rushes past us in the cereal aisle.
Okay, so maybe we won’t get freaky in a Publix. But still, she can’t possibly mean no PDA ever…right?
“Jake, you need to cool it,” Cay warns, giving me one of his serious stares. “She set her limits, and we need to respect them.”
I scoff. “You just know you’ll lose.”
He rolls his eyes and walks off towards the front door. “See you later, asshole.”
“Come on,” I call after him. “Just play the game!”
“Why would I bother playing the game when I know you’ve got no game?” he teases, slipping his feet into his shoes.
“Oh, you wanna bet?”
He huffs again.
“I bet you ten thousand dollars that she’ll sleep in my bed tonight,” I say, jabbing my thumb at my bare chest with a cocky grin. “And I’ll be shutting the fucking door. You can just lie in your own bed hearing us moan as she comes all over my dick.”
We haven’t quite figured out our sharing arrangements yet. It’s been pretty much open door on my end. If he wants to join, he can. But when he’s had her in his room, the door shuts. Let’s see how he likes it.
“I’m not betting with you, Jake—”
“Yeah, because you don’t have the money,” I tease, folding my arms across my chest.
Caleb pauses, hands on his shoelaces. Tying the knot, he slowly stands. “And on that note…” He steps around me.
Then the world comes crashing down as my brain catches up with my dumb fucking mouth. “Cay—wait! I’m sorry!” I throw myself at the front door, slamming it shut as he pulls it open.
“Move, Jake,” he mutters, not looking at me.
“Shit—no,” I pant, one hand on his shoulder.
He shrugs me off.
“Cay, I didn’t mean it. You know I sometimes say shit without thinking. I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t mean it like that. I’m totally done. No more betting.”
“Move,” he mutters again.
“Not until you look at me,” I plead, desperate to feel his eyes on me. “Not until you forgive me. I’m sorry—”
With a growl, Caleb turns and points his finger in my face. “You and I both know I don’t need the money or the flashy cars or the big fucking beach house to steal her right out from under you.”
I snort, trying to pretend I’m not intimidated by his vampire death glare. “Shows what you know. She likes it on top—”
Yep, it’s too late. The words are out my certifiably stupid mouth. Oh my god, he’s gonna kill me. Or leave me. I don’t know which would be worse. He’s reaching for the door again.
“No!” I squawk, throwing myself harder against it. “Fuck—goddamn it—please don’t take her from me!” I beg.
Caleb stills, glancing over at me. “Are you seriously worried that I will?”
“Of course, I am! You’re both so fucking smart. She’s a doctor and you were a chemistry major in college. You won all those awards,” I say with a wave of my hand. “You have way more in common with her than I do, Cay. The minute you set your tough guy bullshit aside and actually try for her, she’ll fall in love with you. Hard. And then I’ll lose her. She’ll walk away right into your kinky daddy dom arms. I’ll be the ring bearer at your wedding.”
That asshole has the confidence to smirk at me. “Let that be the fun thing you do on your day off today. Sit in this awful fucking feeling of knowing how fragile your position really is. You can’t win this girl with flashy spending. She’s not a bunny, Jake.”
“I know—”
“She doesn’t want us playing games either, putting her in the middle.” He levels his dark stare at me.
“I know. Totally. It was a dumb idea.”
“And I’m allowed time to figure out what the fuck I’m doing here,” he adds. “I’m allowed to shut the door and keep her to myself for a few hours.”
“I know,” I say again, nodding.
“If that’s too fucking hard for you, or you feel like you need to throw it in my face that I’m trying here—I’m trying to build intimacy with her, Jake—”
“I know!”
“You two already had your kismet moment in Seattle. And you’ve got the weird twin thing. You even breathe in sync, like you’re a pair of damn aqua lungs. You practically finish each other’s sentences. You think you’re the only one dealing with feelings of being on the outside? To be in a room with you both is to be on the outside, Jake.”
His confession tears at me. I had no idea. He’s such a damn closed book. “Cay—”
“You’re already locked all the way in,” he goes on. “She’s never letting you go. Stop worrying and stop trying to control this. It’ll happen how it happens. I’m doing this my way. I’m taking my time, and I’m figuring this out. And if you don’t like it, then I can have my shit out by the end of the day—”
“No!” I say, grabbing his shoulder. “Cay, I’m sorry. I was being a dick. Let’s start over. Let’s forget the bet.”
“Good idea,” he deadpans.
“Say you forgive me,” I beg. “Please, Cay.”
He huffs, shaking his head. “Forgiven.”
I sigh with relief.
But that’s when he leans in, dark eyes flashing. “But unless you want me to test the limits of your nightmares, you’ll watch your fucking mouth when you talk to me. Understood?”
“I will,” I say with a determined nod. “I’ll watch it so hard. I won’t say anything to piss you off ever again, Cay, I swear. Scout’s honor,” I add, holding up two fingers.
Rolling his eyes, Caleb jerks the door open and leaves.
Fuck, he’s not gonna let this go. Cay forgives, but he doesn’t forget. And he can be diabolical when he wants to be. I don’t know how, but he’s gonna find a way to make me pay for my smart mouth. And fuck if I won’t deserve it.
