13. Party Crashers
CHAPTER 13
PARTY CRASHERS
BAY
“ H oly shit,” I gawk as Lakyn and Luca give me and Ryker a tour of their mansion. “This is amazing. Sis, you live in a castle.”
Lakyn shakes her head. “Not to sound pretentious, but wait until you get to stay at the Royal Palace for the wedding. This is a shack compared to it. Luckily Luca didn’t leave my side when we visited last summer, or I swear he would have lost me there. If you took a wrong turn and you’d be wandering around for hours trying to find your way back to your room.”
I pull Lake into a hug. “Maybe he should have put an air tag on you,” I tease her.
Luca chuckles. “I did. Well, sort of. I asked Lake to turn on location on her phone, so I could find her whenever I had a private meeting with the king.”
“Did you ever get lost in your own castle?” I ask.
Luca’s smile widens. “Yup. I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t on purpose most of the time though. Mine and Heloise’s favorite game as kids was nascondino (hide and seek). Especially when our private tutors came over.”
I tilt my head, confused. “You had private tutors? I thought you went to a private boarding school and then you did your senior year in the US as an exchange student?”
“I did,” Luca confirms. “But formal education covers only a fraction of the things a royal is supposed to know. King Gilberto had tutors hired for extra classes during the school year and for every school holiday. They covered stuff that our regular school curriculum didn’t. Like the history of Montebello and a ton of extra foreign languages.”
Even Ryker, who doesn’t look as impressed by the huge house, since he comes from money, is surprised by that.
“Man, that sounds intense. My parents sent me and my siblings to boarding school, but the summers were ours. How many languages do you speak by the way?”
“Seven,” Luca bites out.
“That’s impressive,” I observe. “I guess it’ll help once you’re king.”
“It helps now too,” Luca explains. “Our team has a few international players who aren’t necessarily that fluent in English, especially if they’re young and out of their own country for the first time. We have a rookie from Sweden and a couple of Russians. It helps to have someone who speaks their native language.”
Ryker soaks in Luca’s words. “I had never thought about that. Maybe I should try to learn at least another language. Do you have any other extra tips you think I could use for next year?”
Luca and Ryker walk behind us, absorbed in their own ‘shop talk’ as we return to the ground floor where the party has already started.
“I like him,” Lakyn whispers. “The way he looks at you? Ryker is in love with you, Bay.”
I can’t help but cling to her every word. “Do you think so? He said he’s falling for me, but he hasn’t exactly used the L-word.”
Lakyn nods. “It’s as clear as day. It’s good that he’s waiting to tell you that he loves you though. You have just started dating and I like that he’s taking it seriously.”
I nod. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“What else is on your mind, Bay?” Lakyn asks.
Sometimes the fact that my twin sister knows me better than I even know myself is a pain in the ass. “Nothing,” I shrug.
“Bay?” Lakyn insists, not buying my answer for a second. “Something is wrong and don’t even bother trying to deny it. Is it about Ryker? If he isn’t treating you right, I?—”
“No, it has nothing to do with Ryker.” I pull her into the empty kitchen, grateful that everyone is in the living room where there’s a proper bar area getting their drink on.
I come clean about how Cole has been avoiding me lately and about what happened with Jagger.
“Aww baby girl,” Lakyn wraps me up in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry. Do you want me to go talk to them?”
Her tone is soft but her eyes are shooting daggers behind my back, in the direction of the living room. “No, I—I don’t know if something else is going on.”
I explain what Ryker told me about Topher without really saying anything.
“That motherfucker!” Lake seethes. “I bet you a million dollars that he’s blackmailing them somehow. Like he tried to do last year.”
I hate to think that my twin sister might be right. Everything I’ve discovered about my ex since the end of our relationship tells me that if Topher is involved, the situation is going to be one hell of a lot fishier than it appears. But there’s still a part of me that refuses to believe that.
While I’m no longer in love with Topher, I can’t believe how wrong I was about him for over three years.
“I don’t really know what’s going on,” I admit. “Maybe I should try to speak to Cole and Jagger tonight. If they don’t keep avoiding me like I have the plague. By the way, Sis, I get that Bridgeport has casinos like Vegas, and you might be getting used to gambling, but you should be careful with your bets. Unless you won big, neither of us has a million dollars.” I tease her.
Lakyn sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Yeah, about that. If Dad saw my bank statement, he’d have a heart attack. I can’t sleep at night if I think about how much money is in there.”
“Did you really win big at a casino or the lottery?” I ask.
“Worse,” she explains. “King Gilberto is giving me an allowance. I tried to tell him that I don’t need any money since the guys insist on paying for everything while I finish my degree online. He wouldn’t have any of it. He said that the future crown princess of Montebello needs the necessary funds to live according to her status.”
I can’t stifle the laughter that bursts out of me. “No shit. And he gave you a million dollars?”
My sister shakes her head. “Not quite. Money appears in my account every month. It’s an outrageous five figure sum each month, it just arrives faster than I can spend it. Like I said, the guys pay for the house and groceries. They spoil me rotten, they buy me things even before I can think about wanting or needing them. And last summer Luca’s Mom got me an entire new designer wardrobe. Luigi drives me anywhere I want to go, so I literally have no chance to spend a cent.”
That fills my heart with joy. It’s not the money in itself, it’s the fact that the people in my sister’s life love her so much that they want to care of her beyond her wildest dreams.
“That’s great, Lake. I’m happy for you, you deserve all this and more.”
Lakyn grabs my hand, the same way she used to do when we were kids and I was worried or scared of something. She might be the quietest between us, but she’s always been the one who gave me the courage to dare more.
“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about. You have to promise to hear me out before you say no. I know you didn’t want Luca’s help with the money you need to rebuild the Zeta house. But I was thinking, what about if I help you? Like I said, I have no chance to spend all that money and?—”
“No.” I nip whatever this is in the bud. “I can’t take your money, Lake.”
She isn’t just the quietest between the two of us, she’s also the stubborn twin. “Why the hell not? You paid for my studies. I would have never been able to afford going to Star Cove with the partial scholarship I got. Not even by working at the library. You made it possible for me to get a degree in an Ivy League school. This would be me reciprocating that help.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m going to figure this out on my own. The Zeta house isn’t your problem.”
Lakyn grabs my shoulders, glaring at me. “Any problem you have is my problem, Bay.”
It doesn’t matter. “No. I’m grateful for the offer, but I can’t let you do that. The king gave you that money to live up to the royal title you’re going to have come next summer.”
She’s so stubborn. “And I already told you how I have more clothes and jewelry and money than I know what to do with. If you’re worried about what King Gilberto might say, I’m going to ask him first. But he told me that money is mine to spend for whatever I want. Including any charitable donations. I?—”
“No, Lake. Seriously this is final. I already applied for a loan with the central chapter of Zeta Theta Beta. It’ll be virtually interest free if it’s to build a new house. It’s technically for new charters, but I’m going to plead my case with them that our situation is special. I’m also going to look for a sponsorship of some kind to come up with the rest of the money. This is my mess and I’m going to deal with it myself.”
Lakyn exhales a frustrated huff. “You’re so stubborn, Bay.”
“Me?” I snort. “You’re literally the most stubborn person I know.”
“After you, maybe.” She argues.
“I’m still not taking your money, Lake.” I insist.
“Fine,” she bites out. “Have it your way. But remember that if you change your mind, my offer still stands.”
That pretty much does it. Tears well in my eyes at the thought of how much I love my sister. “I’ve missed you so much, Lakey.”
She hugs me even tighter than before, her voice breaking. “Me too. My life with the guys is perfect but I wish you could move in with us.”
“Shut up,” I giggle. “As if I want to hear you being ravished by three hot hockey players every night.”
Lakyn, my sweet, shy little sister offers me the naughtiest smirk I’ve ever seen on her pretty face.
“Don’t knock it until you try it. There’s something to be said about having more than one mouth, two hands and one dick to make you feel good.”
“Lake!” I gasp, the tears of a second ago totally forgotten. “I can’t un-hear this. But I think you might be onto something.”
She immediately latches onto what I just said. “Bay Vivianne Woods, what have you been up to? And don’t pretend you didn’t just imply that you have experience with more than one guy in your bed.”
I’m not a shy person by any means, but I feel heat rising to my face. I’ve always shared all the details of my sex life with my twin sister—leaving out only my inability to come until Jagger helped me figure it out—but the memory of my afternoon with Ryker and Jagger makes me hot in all sorts of inappropriate places.
“I don’t know if it counts, but…” I tell Lakyn about it.
“You can bet your cute little ass it counts,” she beams. “And I’m impressed with Ryker. I immediately liked him, but he definitely earned brownie points for this.”
Excitement bubbles in my chest. “Why are you so surprised?”
My sister shrugs. “Ryker is smoking hot and he gives major alpha male vibes. The way he comes off, a little brooding, reminds me of Cash. And my sweet, grumpy goalie was the hardest to convince that having two more men in the relationship could work.”
I remember Lakyn telling me that last spring. “I’m glad Cash came around to the idea of sharing you with Blaze and Luca. I wish I could say that my situation was similar, but the truth is that I don’t think Jagger and Cole care about me. At least not in a romantic way.”
“What makes you say that? Have you seen the way Cole looks at you? And Jagger?—”
I sigh, frustrated. “You’re wrong. Ryker is too. I don’t care if Topher is fucking with them, Lake. If they cared about me, they should’ve at least talked to me. Instead, Cole has been acting like I’m invisible and Jagger dumped me with a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ text.”
Lake wraps me in another hug. “You’re right. They should have talked to you. But…”
“But what?” I’m shocked she wants to defend them.
“You know Topher better than me, Bay. He found a way to keep me from telling you what he was up to last year. Is it so hard to believe that he might be doing it again?”
As if summoned by our conversation, my ex-boyfriend’s voice drifts into the kitchen.
“Seriously? I’m not invited to your lame-ass party? Is this how you treat your old teammates and frat brothers? Do you think that being professional hockey players makes you better than all of us?”
I inhale deeply, struggling to keep my temper in check. I’ve always thought that Topher was a little arrogant, but lately he seems on a mission to be a grade-A asshole to pretty much anyone who crosses his path. “Let’s see what this is all about.” I say, marching toward the living room.
COLE
Jesus.
Just when you think that Topher couldn’t be more of a douche, he has a way to prove you wrong. Every single time.
I know for a fact that he wasn’t invited to this party and neither was Bianca. But sure enough, those two just walked into Lakyn’s living room as if they owned the fucking place.
I probably should stay out of this, but as team captain I feel kinda responsible that Topher and Bianca managed to crash this party.
Bay was really looking forward to this reunion with Lakyn and I hate Topher a whole lot more for coming here tonight and for bringing the Dean’s daughter. That motherfucker has no regard for anyone’s feelings but his own.
Or maybe he’s here to make a move on Bay.
The thought hits me suddenly and luckily we’re no longer on the ice, or I swear I would slam Topher against the boards so hard that it would leave a permanent douche bag size indentation on the glass. Like laser engraving, but way more painful.
I stay back, letting our hosts deal with Topher’s unwelcome ass, but ready to intervene in case they need backup.
Luca crosses his arms over his chest, a stony look on his face. “No, I don’t feel like I’m better than my old teammates and frat brothers. The fact that I invited them proves it. You on the other hand? You’ve been an asshole and a pain in all of our asses from the second I set foot on campus last year. That’s why you weren’t invited.”
Before Topher can say anything in response, Cash stops next to Luca, mimicking his teammate’s stance. “Yup, Luca is right. You did everything in your power to ruin things between us and Lakyn.”
Blaze completes the line, as he crosses his arms and glares at Topher. “I agree with my brothers. You’re a selfish prick with no regard for other people’s feelings. Bay might have to put up with your presence on campus, but not here. You aren’t welcome in our house. Let me escort you to the door.”
As expected, Topher doesn’t take the rejection lying down. “Fine. Throw me out. I’m going to talk to the press about how you treat your former teammates. Your team might not care about your deviant sexual preferences, but I’m sure they’re going to love seeing what kind of people they really signed to represent them. King Gilberto is going to love the publicity too, am I right?”
I know what Topher is doing. He’s baiting them. I have no idea if talking to the press about being thrown out of this party would really cause problems between the guys and the Bridgeport Warriors. A fight however? No team wants players who get into fights off the ice on their roster and this is what Topher is trying to accomplish.
I exhale a frustrated breath, steadying myself to intervene. My future team won’t be ecstatic either if I end up in a fight, but maybe they’ll cut me some slack after the way we lost tonight.
Bay’s voice reaches me before I can get involved.
“Guys,” she says, flanked by her twin sister. “I appreciate your support, but Lake and I don’t want you to get into a fight on our accounts. Unfortunately I have to put up with Topher’s ass every day, so what’s one more night? The house is big enough that I can easily ignore him.”
Cash looks at the Woods sisters. “Are you sure?”
Lakyn nods, patting her fiancé’s bicep. “Yeah, he isn’t worth it. If Topher wants to stay at a party he isn’t welcome at, that only speaks volumes about how lame he is.”
I swear to God, Topher Mumford must have a death wish. If I were in his shoes, I would leave.
“Aww, thanks. I miss you too, Lake. You look good.” The leering once over he levels in Lakyn’s direction makes me feel like I need a shower.
Lakyn looks equally disgusted and angry. “The fact that I’m not getting you kicked out of here doesn’t mean we’re friends, Topher. You have to thank Bay for asking us to tolerate your presence. And for the thousandth time, I told you not to call me Lake.”
“Whatever,” Topher laughs, totally unfazed by the hostility his presence has been met with. “Let’s see if there’s any decent booze at this party.”
Bianca perks up at the mention of drinking. “Yes. All this unpleasantness made me thirsty. I would like a glass of?—”
Topher ignores his “date,” addressing Bay instead. “Can I get you anything, sexy girl?”
For someone who should know Bay as well as I do, probably even better, Topher is remarkably tone deaf. Everything in his ex-girlfriend’s demeanor, from what she just said about his presence, to the disgusted way she’s looking at him, should make him steer clear of her. If he thinks pretending that they’re still friends, or worse together, will get him a second chance, he’s even more delusional than I thought.
“There isn’t enough booze in the world, I swear.” Bay mutters. “I’m fine, Toph. Just hang out with your frat brothers and leave me alone, ok?”
He winks at her. “Your loss, babe.”
Bay rolls her eyes, turning on her heels and making a beeline for where I’m standing. “Hey Cole,” she looks so beautiful, but when she smiles my fucking knees go weaker than if someone had slammed into me on the ice. “I’m glad you’re here. We haven’t seen much of each other lately, and I’m looking forward to hanging out with you tonight.”
Sweet fucking Jesus. Now my heart is pounding like after a grueling cardio session. I’m about to say that I’d love to hang out, but I catch Topher watching our interaction with his fresh drink in hand. The smirk on his face is pure evil and it reminds me that he has my balls in his pocket.
“Yeah, sure.” I do my best to sound bored. “But we can hang out any time, make sure you get some quality time with your sister.”
The disappointment in her eyes feels worse than a slam against the boards. She walks away from me without another word and I feel like the worst human being that ever lived.