She set down the vodka and pinched her eyebrows together. “For what exactly?”
“For women.”
Present
PLENTY OF OTHER WOMEN HERE. Yeah, that was a fucking bluff if I’d ever heard one. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, and I’d either have to swallow my pride and actually be nice to get into her bed tonight, or…
Or I’d have to pick another fight.
Either way, she’d have my number. She’d know I couldn’t stay away and that she was the only girl I wanted. How the fuck had that happened?
I stood outside on the patio with a few old friends—some locals who worked in town and some high school friends that never made it out of Thunder Bay—but I wasn’t listening to anything they were saying. I stayed rooted, my arms crossed over my chest, as I watched her through the windows talking to Alex at the kitchen island.
I couldn’t believe she’d called me Kai. And then fucking Trevor? She was doing it on purpose, but why would she challenge me?
She wanted me. Why not just give in?
But no, the more I tried to get her to melt for me and forget all the bullshit we’d gone through tonight, the more she opened her smart ass mouth to feed me her disdain. I couldn’t bend her anymore. She was laughing at me.
What if I’d completely corrupted her? What if she’d begun to like playing games too much, and the lust to play—and to win—overpowered her need for me?
What if her heart had hardened so much that she closed herself off in order to survive?
What if I was the one that had to bend?
Unease weighted on my shoulders, and I let out a breath. I need her.
I want her.
At least tonight I was safe. I’d won this round. No guy was going to come near her, so she’d eventually just go to bed in defeat.
She had no cards left to play.
I watched as she and Alex walked around the island, Goodbye Agony playing through the house, but then Rika stopped, looked up, and met my eyes through the glass. Leaving Alex standing in the middle of the kitchen, Rika opened the door and walked up to me, leaning in.
“You said no guys, right?” she asked, sounding mischievous. “Just making sure.”
One corner of her lips curled, and she turned, walking back inside. I watched as Alex shot me a smug, devious smile and took Rika’s hand, leading her out of the kitchen.
What the…?
I inched to the side, following them through the foyer with my eyes and seeing Rika cast one more glance behind her before they disappeared up the stairs.
No guys. Meaning…?
Charging for the door, I swung it open and bolted through the kitchen.
“Hey, where you going?” Kai grabbed my arm, stopping me. “We’ve got to talk about Damon.”
“Tomorrow.” I pulled away, dismissing him, and made my way through the foyer and up the stairs.
I couldn’t think about Damon right now. He was injured, and he wasn’t doing anything tonight.
Walking down the dimly lit hallway, I approached Rika’s bedroom, noticing that the door was open. The entire upstairs was quiet, the echoes of the music downstairs like a faraway hum.
But when I stepped into her doorway, I found the room empty. The lights were off, as they had been the last time I’d been up here, and her bed was still made.
I looked back down the hallway, narrowing my eyes. Where the hell was she?
Throwing open doors, I searched my parents’ room, my brother’s room, the guest bedrooms…But when I got to my room, I noticed a flicker of light coming from underneath the door.
Reaching out a slow hand, I turned the knob and pushed it open.
And my heart skipped a beat.
“Shit,” I barely whispered under my breath.
Alex sat on the side edge of the bed, and Rika stood between her legs, both girls with their hands on each other. Alex held Rika’s hips, staring up her and looking entirely too interested.
And Rika…
My fucking stomach was floating up into my throat, and I inched into the room, closing the door behind me.
Rika put one knee on the bed at Alex’s side, leaning her hips into Alex’s chest and threading her fingers into her hair, caressing Alex’s neck and shoulders.
Alex inched up Rika’s gray tank top, leaving soft kisses across her belly and darting out the tip of her tongue to taste Rika’s skin.
My cock rushed with blood and heat, swelling painfully.
She was going to win this round.
“What are you doing?” I was already sweating. Jesus.
Rika blinked her eyes up at me, gentle and calm. “Game change. New players,” she repeated my words. “You’re not needed. Sorry.”
And then she let out a moan, arching her body into Alex’s mouth and letting her head fall back.
I grunted, resisting the urge to adjust myself. Goddamn her. What the hell did she think she was doing?
Was she really willing to go this far to challenge me?
“You’re in my bed,” I pointed out, trying to look unaffected.
Rika grinned down at Alex who was still kissing her stomach, both of them practically ignoring me. “Your bed is bigger,” she answered. “You don’t mind, do you?”
I steeled my jaw, seeing her hands trail down Alex’s chest and grasp at her dress, pulling it up and off her body.
But I barely noticed, because I couldn’t take my eyes of Rika. She still wore her thin, pink pajama shorts, looking so sexy and innocent with her glowing skin and hair. I swallowed the dryness in my throat, not sure if she was bluffing, trying to get me to react, or if she really did want this. Both possibilities, though, would have her coming out on top. She’d know she was smarter and stronger.