Chapter 17
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
REBEL
Chance reads the tension in the dark, empty lobby right away and makes a break for it, mumbling about being late for a date with April.
I wish I could follow him.
But I’m stuck here.
With Carol Kinsey.
And Victoria.
I can’t decide who between the two women I dislike the most. Carol—for her snobbishness, her disdain for anyone who doesn’t own a significant piece of land in Lucky Falls and her obvious favoritism when it comes to Lady Luck Society members?
Or Victoria for… well, for being Gunner’s ex.
That’s as far as her list goes for now, but I’m sure I can rack up more reasons to despise her once I get to know her. After all, she’s real close to Carol Kinsey. The two women must be more alike than not.
“ Honey , what took you so long?” I chirp, slipping my hands around Gunner’s giant bicep.
His eyes widen and he jerks back as if he’s seeing a ghost.
I reach for him again and pull him back to me, baring my teeth at him while my eyes scream ‘ play along’ .
His eyebrows cinch together. Not necessarily the look of a man in love with his girlfriend.
Well, too bad.
I don’t like this either, but I don’t have a choice. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
“Son,” Carol steps forward, each step light and graceful, “I reserved a table at a restaurant in the city to celebrate your first win of the playoffs. Your father’s working the night shift, but he’ll meet us there.”
“You didn’t need to reserve a table,” Gunner says. “I’d rather celebrate quietly.”
“But what would be the fun in that?” Carol coos, her mouth tilted into a tight but firm smile.
Oh, she’s good.
Someone published my Lady Luck Society membership on the Jumbotron. Since the entire town was here, it was basically like a debutant ball for a nervous teenager of one—me.
I didn’t turn around to look at Carol or Victoria during the announcement, but I felt the negative energy coming off them.
Carol was livid. Right after, she asked what I was doing after the game tonight. I couldn’t exactly tell her that I planned on going home, setting myself a strawberry bubble bath and drinking strawberry wine while binge-watching Netflix.
I lied that I was celebrating with Gunner and she invited me out to a family dinner with them.
Except this ‘family dinner’ also includes Victoria.
I have no idea when Gunner’s ex became a Kinsey. Maybe there was a secret adoption? I don’t know, but I recognize a trap when I see one.
“It’s okay if I go, but Rebel must be tired,” Gunner says, his cold eyes dropping to me. “Go home first.”
My muscles tighten and it takes every thread of self-restraint I have to keep from scowling at him.
I know he hates my company. He’d rather break his favorite hockey stick in two than spend one measly dinner sitting across from me.
But does he have to make it so obvious?
Carol and Victoria are watching our every move. We need to sell that we’re in a relationship or Carol’s going to see right through us.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I already asked Rebel and she said she’d love to come,” Carol pipes up.
Gunner frowns at me. I can tell he really doesn’t want me there. Why? Does he regret claiming me as his girlfriend now that Victoria is hanging around? Does he want to get back with her?
I blink my eyelashes twice in warning. You better play along. He can have Victoria or any other woman he wants. After I’ve secured my place in the Society.
Is that selfish of me?
Yep.
Am I potentially standing in the way of Gunner’s one true love.
Pfft, so what ?
He’s the one who announced we were in a relationship and convinced me to go along with it. It’s too late to change his mind.
Besides, he and Victoria’s family have been close since the town was founded. They’re practically an arranged marriage waiting to happen. Fate itself can’t stop these two distinguished families from forming an alliance.
I’m not cocky enough to think that I’ll make a dent in the illustrious Kinsey history books. I’m just a tiny footnote in a chapter of Gunner’s life.
“Enough chit-chat,” Carol says, gesturing to the door. “We better get a move on or we’ll be late. Rebel, this way.”
I follow Carol, noticing how Victoria walks a little slower to keep step with Gunner. Twisting around, I watch them together and feel a pinch in my heart.
They look perfect as a couple. The tall, quiet Gunner Kinsey, the darling child of Lucky Falls. And the polite, classy Victoria—the fancy lawyer who lowered herself to come back to a small town like ours to lend her skills to our community.
Pouting, I whirl back around and make my way into the parking lot.
Carol tries to link my arm in hers. “You can ride with me, Rebel,” Carol says. “And Victoria can?—”
“Why would I drive with anyone other than my girlfriend, mom?” Gunner interrupts in a quiet, firm tone.
“Rebel doesn’t mind, son.” Carol speaks for me. “Plus, Victoria’s just got back and you two need time to catch up on all her adventures. After all, Rebel’s never left town, and you see her all the time, so you won’t be missing out on much.”
The dig at my lack of travel history lands where it’s supposed to and I flinch. Would I like to travel more? Sure. But there was never any money for that growing up and now I have the garage to take care of, so I still don’t have time to travel.
I hate that I can’t snap back at Carol but, until I secure my position at the Society, I’m not getting on her bad side. Resigned, I take a step toward her car.
Suddenly, Gunner’s large fingers wrap around my wrist and he tugs me behind him. I stumble, nearly slamming into his large frame.
Victoria’s eyes assess Gunner’s hand on mine and she frowns.
“My passenger seat belongs to Rebel,” Gunner growls. “No one else can sit there but her .”
My heart skips a beat. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip.
Without another word, the solemn hockey player tugs me to his car on the other side of the parking lot. I’m surprised when he opens the door for me, but I figure his mom or Victoria are still watching us.
Off-kilter, I scramble into the car and Gunner closes the door behind me.
When he climbs into the driver’s side, I stare at his face. The street lamps above, brush his strong profile in streaks of silver. He’s wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a long, white shirt beneath a grey pullover.
On and off the ice, Gunner is a picture of the perfect male athlete, muscles hewn to perfection, chest broader than a V8 engine. From this angle, I can sorta- maybe get why the girls in town call him ‘mouthwatering’.
He’s still a cold jerk though.
His fingers are tight around the steering wheel and a muscle in his jaw is flexing.
“Are you angry?” I ask when the silence becomes unbearable.
“No.”
My gaze returns to his very active jaw muscles.
Gunner Kinsey has always been a little scary to me. As a child, he’d been smiley and carefree but after we stopped hanging out, he turned extremely sullen and quiet. Everything about him was cold and heavy.
I’d resented that about him. Here was a guy who had everything. Everything . Money. Parents who were together and loved each other. A big, happy family. A name that could unlock every door that was closed, every loan from the bank, every opportunity—what did he have to be sad about?
I didn’t understand him at all.
But I do have eyes.
And even if I don’t understand Gunner Kinsey, it’s very, very obvious that he’s upset about something.
“Is it because you don’t want me to come to the dinner?”
Surprise enters his gaze and he whips around to look at me.
I guess I hit the nail on the head.
“Wow. Look at us.” A dry laugh bubbles free. “We are never going to convince your mom we’re into each other if we keep going like this. Why did we agree to this arrangement when we both can’t stand each other? We were setting ourselves up to fail.”
Gunner turns his attention back to the road. More silence. More jaw clenching. What did I expect?
My entire life, I’ve struggled to be seen as more than a pretty face. I’ve longed for a guy who didn’t make me uncomfortable by confessing his feelings. Longed for someone who didn’t constantly tell me how pretty I am and how good I look on his arm, as if being eye candy is the beginning and end of my value.
Gunner fits that bill to a T, but I guess I traded one extreme for another. Not only does he not find me attractive, but he genuinely, truly hates me down to his bones.
“There’s no way we can pretend to be in love. It’s impossible.” Shaking my head, I add, “Forget it. Just drop me off on the side of the road.”
“No,” Gunner grunts.
So he finally speaks. “April is probably out with Chance right now. I’ll ask her to pick me up and you can give your mom an excuse. Tell her I have an upset stomach or something.”
The jaw flexing gets worse and this time, it’s joined with an aggravated swipe of his tongue across his lips.
“Gunner.”
He flicks the indicator and the car screeches as he yanks the steering wheel to the left. I grip my seatbelt, my heart flying to my throat, but he parks safely on the side of the road.
I’m annoyed and frustrated, but there’s also some disappointment in there too. I’m not sure what the disappointment is for, but I do know that I need to get out of this car.
The seatbelt whirrs as I unclip it and free myself from the passenger seat. My fingers stretch out to snap the handle.
Before I can open the door, I hear Gunner’s seatbelt whirring too and a moment later, his strong fingers grip my chin, turning my head so I have to face him. Then he pushes forward with a fierce look in his eyes, sweeps his mouth over mine and kisses me.