Chapter 12
twelve
Reese
"Where do you want this?" the man at my door asked, looking down at the keg on his dolly.
"The bar area is fine," I grumbled, pointing toward the family room where the bar was set up. He nodded and maneuvered past me.
"Okay, cool. I have three more coming in," he called over his shoulder.
"Are you having a party?" my sister asked, standing behind me with her hands on her hips. "Is this what you do when we're gone for summer?"
"Yes," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Don't you have a best friend's house you can stay at tonight?"
"I'm sixteen, Reese," she shot back. "I'm old enough to hang out with you."
I looked at her, deadpan. "Like hell you are,” I said. “Especially not around my shithead teammates.”
"Why don't I just tell mom and dad and see what they think about your little gathering?"
"Nice try," I shrugged. "I could give a damn if they know."
"Fine," Lo broke the standoff, "but if I'm exiling myself to Breana’s for the night, then I need extra cash. They're hitting the mall and I refuse to be the only one just window shopping."
"Here," I sighed, pulling out my wallet and thrusting money into her outstretched palm.
"Always a pleasure doing business with you, brother."
After Lo left the front door swung open repeatedly, bringing in more guests until they were everywhere—some talking, others dancing. And then of course, in walked Chandler with Willow at her side.
"Carrington," a voice called, as a cluster of my teammates walked over to me.
"Hey," I managed, my eyes locked onto Chandler as I patted them on the back. She looked good like always. I was still a little fucked up about her, still a little bitter about stepping aside for Boston. I still thought I’d made the right decision, but I was doing my best to relinquish my feelings for her, and things with women were strange at best lately.
"Everything cool?" one of the guys nudged me.
"Never better," I lied, the words as hollow as the bottle I tipped to my lips. Pretending not to give a shit came easy to me at this point.
A yell made us all turn to look, "The champ is in the house!" Some guy at the party leapt onto our unsuspecting left fielder. The two of them hit the floor, their limbs entwined as they began to wrestle.
"Hey—" My voice sliced through their grunts. "If you fuckers break that table, you can pay to have the next one shipped in from Italy."
They paused, one mid-headlock, eyes locking with mine.
For a brief second they silenced. Then, a burst of laughter erupted from them, and they resumed their wrestling match.
I shook my head with a grin. Sipping on my Jack & Coke, I made my way through the pulsing bodies that filled my house.
These parties always ended up being bigger than I anticipated, word spreads like wildfire in Bayside.
But I was not expecting to see the second baseman from one of our rival teams—one who’d tried to start a fight with me last week.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I said, jaw twitching. His eyes widened as he froze in place like I caught him red handed.
"H-Hey, man," he stuttered, "just here to chill, not start any drama."
"Chill elsewhere," I replied, my tone was dark. "Or I can make sure you can't ever walk in here again." Then my eyes shifted to the girl with him as I took another sip of my drink. “But she can stay.”
He scoffed, his ego bruised. "No fucking way. If I go, she's going with me."
"You can leave with that loser or stay," I drawed, locking eyes on the girl still standing by him. "Choice is yours."
He fumbled for composure, but she paused, her gaze flickering from him to me. Slowly, she licked her lips, and her cheeks flushed with color.
"Well," she hesitated, her voice barely rising above the music, "I'm not ready to go home yet."
His response was immediate rage. "What the fuck?"
Without missing a beat, I gave a subtle nod to my teammates. They were standing nearby watching. In one fluid motion, their hands were firm on his collar as they marched him toward the door. The scrape of his heels against my hardwood floor was satisfying.
As he struggled, having no power against the two kicking him out, I slipped my arm around the girl's slender shoulders. "Have fun," I called out, just loud enough for him to hear as the door swung shut in his face.
The girl I had my arm around tilted her head up to me, a curious gleam in her eye. "You must be Reese," she ventured.
I flashed her a half-smile. "Guilty," I admitted. My eyes locked onto hers just long enough to let the connection simmer. "Treat yourself to whatever you like." I gave her a quick wink as I nodded toward the bar.
I made my escape to the backyard, needing to get out of this crowded space inside. But before I could push open the door, a firm grip on my arm yanked me off course. The bedroom door slammed shut behind me, and I found myself staring down at Blair, a devilish look on her face.
"Blair, what are you—" I started, but she cut me off, her hands pushing against my chest until I fell backward onto the bed.
"Shut up and just listen," she demanded, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw as she straddled me. The alcohol in my system had dulled my reflexes, and although I didn’t feel the way I used to about her, I was all too familiar with this move of hers.
She kissed my neck, sending a familiar heat coursing through me.
"I really miss you," she whispered, her lips grazing my skin with every word.
"Miss me, or miss me fucking you?" I asked, keeping my voice casual—even if my body was fighting the urge to react.
Her response came with an intentional roll of her hips, emphasizing my point.
"Does it matter?" she breathed as she continued to grind against me. Just as her mouth hovered over mine, about to lean in to kiss me, the door flung open.
"Sorry to interrupt whatever is about to happen here, but could you please get out? Reese and I have an urgent matter to discuss." Caroline stood there, dressed in a bright pink top and tight ripped jeans that screamed peppy—an obvious contrast to the annoyance in her voice.
"Can you give us forty-five minutes?" Blair snapped, irritation clear in her tone.
"Try forty-five seconds," Caroline shot back, arms folded across her chest.
"Buzz kill," Blair muttered under her breath as she climbed off me.
"She’s stubborn. You should probably go unless you want an audience," I said to Blair, half-amused by the situation.
"Should've locked the damn door," Blair huffed, exiting the room with a dramatic slam.
Left alone with Caroline, I couldn't help but appreciate the irony of the situation. The look she gave me was calm, collected, but possibly ready to unleash havoc at any moment.
”What?" I asked, playing dumb. “You miss me?”
Caroline settled herself beside me on the bed. "Forty-five minutes, huh?" she quipped, an impressed look on her face.
I leaned back, propping myself up with my elbows, the mattress sinking slightly under my weight. "Not including the foreplay, Blondie," I winked.
"Touché," she conceded with a roll of those striking eyes, her expression shifting. She bit her lip, hesitation flickering across her face, as if she wasn’t sure how to say what was on her mind.
"What’s up, Caroline?"
"Were you really about to hook up with Blair?"
"Nah," I said casually, the corner of my mouth twitching upwards. "I was just about to ask her to leave."
"I'm sure," she replied, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.
"Her and I don't work," I confessed. "She just hasn't realized it yet… but you and I, we can make that happen if you want."
"Reese, can we be serious for a minute?"
My posture shifted, spine straightening as I met her gaze head-on.
"I'm always serious," I said, my tone suggesting amusement, but I kept my eyes focused on her.
"Whatever," she dismissed, rolling her eyes. "You know that arrangement you propositioned me with?"
"Yes… I have Maggie Little helping my sister at the moment, she jumped right on it. Unlike you."
"No way," she shot back. "You cannot have Maggie helping your sister."
“Why can’t I?”
"Because she's terrible." She folded her arms across her chest. "She barely made the team and isn’t even a cheerleader anymore. I'll make sure she gets on the cheer team.”
"Oh, you will?" I asked, intrigued. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. “Which means you want me to be your date to your sister’s wedding?"
"Let's call it a mutually beneficial arrangement," she replied, unable to say the actual words. "But we have to make this believable. We need to convince them we're together, or they would think you being my date to the wedding is suspicious."
"Knew you'd come around," I said with a smirk.
"Even though you’re probably the last person I’d ever expect to go with," she said, as she flicked an imaginary piece of lint off her top, "I do need a date to the wedding, and I know you can impress my family."
"Is that so?"
"If anyone is confident enough, maybe too confident about themselves, it's you. And I know you could handle them. I’ll get your sister on the team, we will make it to the wedding, and then we can break up right after."
I flashed her a dimple. "So, you think I'm impressive?"
"That's what you took from what I just said?" she asked, dropping her hands to her side.
"No, while you were talking I was actually wondering if this deal comes with any benefits." The words slipped from my lips, knowing I was pushing it now.
"You mean the benefit of getting to fake date me and be my date to the wedding?"
I swung my legs off the bed and inched closer, my feet silent on the carpet. "That's not what I mean."
"No benefits, Reese." Caroline's slender body tensed, like she was preparing to fight off an active threat. "Nothing changes between us."
This was a challenge, then. One she laid before me with a shiny red bow attached to it.
"What's the fun in that?" I let out a small chuckle. "If we're going to act like we're dating, we might as well enjoy the fun part of dating."
The look she gave me then was almost worth the words—her blue eyes flared, daring and defiant, but something else was going on with her.
Some sort of battle was happening in her mind.
Her lips parted, but it wasn't just any response that escaped them—it was pure Caroline, and the force of nature that she was.
"I'd never date you under normal circumstances," she declared, but her voice held a softness that betrayed her, a vulnerability she couldn't quite hide.
"And I definitely would never hook up with you.
" The defiance was there, yes, but so was the uncertainty—a fleeting glance, the hitch in her breath, her shaky voice that told a different story.
She was seated on the edge of the bed, her hands fidgeting with the rings on her fingers—had to be a nervous habit. The scent of her perfume, a blend of vanilla and something wild, like a forest after rain, filled my nostrils and clouded my senses.
"Why don't I believe you?"
She swallowed hard at my question, the delicate movement of her throat drawing my attention momentarily. When she spoke, her voice was stronger than before, but I sensed the effort it took to maintain that composure. "This is just an agreement, Reese. When we get what we both need, this is over."
"Whatever you say, Chaos."
Her eyes sparked with that familiar glare. There was always a fire in her that never seemed to burn out where I was involved. "You think you're so irresistible but there are women in the world who aren't obsessed with you, you know."
There was no missing my grin. Not from her words but at the frustration behind them. Even when she was angry, I could feel the air between us crackling with electricity, and I was drawn closer to the flame of her spirit more than ever before.
"I know," I drawled, a small smile still on my face. "And maybe those are the kind of women I'm into. I like the challenge."
Caroline was still for a second, and then she turned. "Well, this isn’t some game you can win," she retorted as she got up and walked to the door. That spark in her eyes, the quickened pulse at the base of her throat, they told me everything she refused to confess.
"You must not know who I am," I shot back, and only silence answered. The door clicked shut, soft but final, the sound echoing with more conviction than any of her previous protests.
I remained perched on the edge of the bed, running a hand through my hair as I gathered my thoughts.
That woman had no idea what she had just done.
By walking out that door, by trying to keep me at a distance.
Caroline Matthews was a mystery to me, and I was now fully committed to figuring her out.
To finding out what made her the way she is—to understand the unwavering stance she always took against me, the vulnerability she thought she hid so well.
"Challenge accepted," I whispered to the empty room. The thrill of the chase pulsed through my veins.
She was one hell of a firecracker, and I so badly wanted to unravel her. Not because I couldn't resist a challenge, but because for the first time, I couldn't resist her.
And she had no idea.