Fighting Ever After (Ever After #3) (3 page)

We had two songs left.
We’d been working up to the last one of the
night
– a
new song we hadn’t performed before. When it was time, I got the crowd worked
up and roaring.

“Get Ready to
Breath
It In
,” I told them, which was the name of our new song. Chris got the beat
going,
then
the rest of us came in. I leaned in to the
mic and made sure that
a certain pair of silver eyes were
on mine when I sang out the first line.

“Feel the allure,
it’s
pure temptation”

I’m not sure that my
eyes left hers the entire song. I hadn’t even met her when I wrote it, but I felt
like I’d written it for her. I was sure as hell singing it for her, even if
every other female in the audience wanted to pretend we were playing it just
for them. I could tell that Jaxyn wanted to look away, but she didn’t. Not
once. I could almost see her squirming as I sang about the things that I very
much wanted to do to her and make her feel. When it was done and I struck the
final chord, my body was humming from whatever energy buzzed between us. My
lips curled into a triumphant grin and then I winked at her before finally
turning to the rest of the crowd. I pulled my guitar strap over my head and set
it on its stand, then hopped down off the stage.

A couple girls
immediately rushed me as I was swallowed up by our fans. This was usually the
part where I’d grab a girl or two and take them back to the house, or if no one
appealed to me, I’d look for Kaylie. She was always my standby because she knew
the score. She knew what I liked, she was good in bed, and even though I got
the feeling that she wanted more from me, she didn’t bitch, much, and she
didn’t get overly jealous. We had a solid arrangement and until she became a
problem, I’d keep her around. Tonight that wasn’t an issue. I knew exactly who
I wanted to spend the night with.

I let a few girls get
their piece of me and thanked everyone around me for coming. I asked them what
they thought of the new song. One girl said she would happily show me if we
could find somewhere private. On any other night I would have taken her up on
it. Right now I had other things in mind and someone else. I chuckled and tried
to let her down easy with a “maybe next time,” and then went in search of
Jaxyn.

I found her talking to
Spade. At least she was until his blonde from earlier dragged him off, leaving
her standing there alone, looking for someone.
Probably Bas.
He was with Lissa, had been for a long ass time, but I needed to figure out
what his deal was with Princess. The last thing I wanted to do was break my
rule about not taking another guy’s girl, especially not from a friend, but I
didn’t know if I was even capable of letting this one get away. I wanted her.
Real fucking bad.
I walked up behind her and pressed my body
into her back. “So
Princess,
did you like that song?”

She didn’t even
acknowledge me with a glance and continued to search the room for her white
knight.
"Which one?”

Ha. I called bullshit on
that. She knew exactly which song I was referring to, and I didn’t have a
problem reminding her. “The one that left your body aching for the release only
I could give you.
That one Princess."

She sucked in a short
breath and then turned to glare at me. I could tell she was about to tell me
off, but before she could, Kaylie walked up and wrapped her arms around my
waist from behind. I felt her lips on my neck before she spoke in what I’m sure
was supposed to be her sexy voice.

“Hey baby, you guys were
amazing tonight.” Usually I did find her voice sexy, but right now it just
annoyed me. Probably because she had interrupted me and Princess here before I
could really wind her up. I shrugged her off of me. Even though I knew she had
done it intentionally, she looked up, pretending to just now notice I was
talking to someone.

“How cute, another
groupie of yours
Ky
?” I watched the two of them look
each other up and down.
Jax’s
look was pure curiosity
while Kaylie’s was scathing. “You can run along now, and just a bit of advice,
change hair stylists. I‘d recommend someone who actually finished beauty
school.”
Fuck.
Kaylie was hot, but she could be a real bitch. Usually I
didn’t mind, but I minded now.

“Kaylie,
chill.
She’s with
Christian’s brother.” I hoped she would retract the claws if she didn’t think
Princess here was a threat, even though she was definitely a threat. Mostly to
me, because I was willing to do just about anything to have her, and that gave
her the power.

“Oh,
how lovely.”
Kaylie’s words dripped with disdain. “I thought he was dating that uppity
violinist. Chris really needs to talk to his brother about his taste in women.”
She was really in rare bitch form tonight. She didn’t usually pull this shit,
or maybe I just didn’t pay attention before. Just as I was about to put her in
her place, Princess surprised me and did it herself.

“Well it was great
meeting you Kylie.” I smiled because I doubted very much that she had
mistakenly got her name wrong. Kaylie clearly agreed and sneered at her, but
Jax wasn’t done. “Oh, and just a bit of advice, you should try shopping in the
women’s department instead of the little girls’. You might find a skirt that
actually fits you.”

Well damn. I had to hold
back a laugh. Princess wasn’t quite as sweet as she looked. I liked it.
Probably even more than I liked that tiny skirt that showed off Kaylie’s great
ass and killer legs. I thought I was going to have to drag Kaylie away before
she started a cat fight, but Ace jumped in at just the right moment. I doubted
it was coincidental.

“Hey Jaxyn, everyone’s
heading over to our place. Bas asked me to come see if you want to join. His
woman called so he had to go talk to her.”

“Yeah,
sure.
If Bas is
going, then I’m fine with it.”

So she wouldn’t go
anywhere without her protector. If Bas was really going to be there, I doubted
he’d let me anywhere near her. Probably a wise decision on his part, but it
didn’t mean I was giving up. I wrapped my arm around Kaylie’s waist and led her
away.

“Don’t worry
Princess. This isn’t over,”
I thought to myself. “
It’s just beginning.”

“Come on
baby,
let’s go to your room. Anyone could walk down here,”
Kaylie whined. I ignored her and ran my hands up her thighs, bunching her skirt
up around her waist. I crashed my mouth into hers to shut her up and then
pushed her back into the pool table. She knew the drill. No girls in my room.
That was my space, which is why I’d brought her down to the basement as soon as
we’d arrived back at the house. It was set up as a sort of game room and
rehearsal studio. We stored most of our equipment down here and there were a
couple couches as well as the pool table. It was where I brought girls when I
brought them home.

She kissed me back and
started undoing my belt buckle. She yanked it out of the loops and tossed it on
the ground. Our mouths broke long enough for her to pull my shirt up and over
my head and then discard it right along with the belt. “Can we at least go to
the couch?”

I picked her up and she
wrapped her long, tanned legs around my waist. I carried her over to the couch
and dropped her on the cushions, then covered her body with mine again. I
grabbed the hem of her tank top and yanked it up over her head, revealing her
full breasts encased in black lace. My mouth latched onto one while my fingers
slid her matching panties to the side.

“That feels so good,”
she purred and dug her nails into my back.

“Shh,” I told her. For
some reason, I didn’t want to hear her talk tonight. Every time she opened her
mouth, it turned me off. Maybe because the voice I wanted to hear was much
softer and sweeter. My hands went around her back to find the clasp of her bra.
With a quick flick, it was undone. I slid the straps down her shoulders while
she made quick work of the button and zipper on my jeans.

“I want you so bad,
baby,” she whispered huskily. I wished I could say the same, but I was having a
harder time getting into this than I should’ve. Usually by the time her shirt
came off, I was ready to go, but when Kaylie reached her hand into my boxers,
she had to give me a few strokes to get me there. She looked up at me with
needy eyes, only they were the wrong color. They were brown, not silver. I
grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “What is it?”

I ignored her, sliding
my hands down to grab her hips. I roughly flipped her around so I wouldn’t have
to look at her. I reached in my back pocket and dug a condom out of my wallet.
I slid it on, and then, using my fingers, made sure Kaylie was ready for me.
She started moaning, so like an asshole, I pressed her face down into the back
cushions of the couch. I had to close my eyes, because everything about this
felt wrong. It pissed me off that I was getting hung up on some other girl. I
tangled my fingers in Kaylie’s hair and tugged her head back, but that was the
last straw. Even her hair felt wrong. It wasn’t soft and silky like I imagined
Jax’s
,
it was thick and stiff with
product. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want her. I released my hold on her and
pulled back, refastening my jeans.

She turned and looked at
me over her shoulder, confusion tugging at her brow. “What’s wrong babe?”

“Just
not feeling this right now.”
I turned and picked up my belt and shirt from the floor.

“What the hell? You’re
not feeling it? That’s not what it felt like to me,” she said angrily. When I
turned to face her she was standing there, unashamed, completely exposed.

“Put your damn clothes back
on, Kaylie.”

“Are you serious right
now?”

“Do I look like I’m
kidding?”

“You’re such an asshole,
Kyden.”

“Then quit coming back
for more,” I told her before turning and climbing the stairs out of the basement.
When I opened the door at the top, I was blasted with the music and noise of
the party going on. The house was pretty packed, most of them familiar faces. I
nodded at a few guys who raised their beers as I passed by, but I was in no
mood to stop and chat. I was irritated as hell that somehow in all of a few
hours, some chick had wormed her way under my skin.

I bumped into a very
drunk Marcus, Ace’s little brother, being led out of the kitchen by his cousin
Danny. They were both roommates of mine, and this wasn’t the first time the
guys attempted to get Marcus laid by getting him drunk. He was a bloody genius,
but not when it came to socializing with the opposite sex. I just shook my head
and kept moving through the dining room into the kitchen.

There was a group
sitting around the kitchen table playing a drinking game, others were gathered
around the counters talking. I zeroed in on who I was looking for at the far
end of the kitchen. When I got closer to her, I could hear Bas taking about
some of the pranks he and his precious Jazz used to pull on Chris and his
friends and all the trouble they caused together. Some of my irritation melted
away as I pictured a smaller Princess in pigtails, running around, picking on a
bunch of boys older and bigger than her. I could imagine her wearing a crooked
grin as she got the best of them.

She didn’t notice me
come up beside the group, so I inched closer to her and said in a low, teasing
voice, “I knew you had fire, but I didn’t realize you were so devious Princess.”
I watched her closely for a reaction and was pleased at the effect I had. She
tried a little too hard to hold her posture stiff and appear indifferent, but
she wasn’t. She turned to me.

“You don’t know me so
you can save the Casanova routine. I’m not one of your weak-kneed admirers.” No
she wasn’t. She was a lot more fun.

 “Give up
man,
it’s obvious she wants me.” Spade threw his arm around
her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “It’s okay Rainbow, I’ve seen you checking
me out all night. I know I’m irresistible.”

 “Sorry to
disappoint you,” she told him, “but it was just the ink that I was checking
out. That’s some impressive work you’ve got on your body. Not the typical
generic stuff you see a lot of either.” Of course he was shirtless. Somehow he
always ended up missing his damn shirt.

 “Thanks
beautiful.” He smiled at the compliment and used his hand that was still
wrapped around her to ruffle her hair. He was my buddy and he was just playing
with her, but I didn’t want his hands on her. I wanted to be the only one to
touch her, so I was happy when he removed his arm, but then he looked at her
and fixed her with his typical grin, meant to charm, and winked at her. “I’d be
happy to let you familiarize yourself with each and every detail in private.”

“I think I’ll pass.”

 “You change your
mind, just let me know,” he told her, and then asked, “You got any tats
Rainbow?” Everyone waited curiously for her response, except me. I already knew
the answer.

 “What do you
think?” She turned it back on him.

“I’d bet that you don’t.
You’ve got the rebel girl hair going, but you’re all peaches and cream
underneath, so sweet. You practically sparkle with innocence.”

I couldn’t wait to find
out just how sweet she was under all those layers, but I doubted very much that
she was as innocent as she appeared. They rarely were. The whole good girl
routine was usually an act. There was one way to find out, and I couldn’t
resist pushing her to see if I could get a rise out of her. “Nah, she’s not a
virgin.”

Her jaw fell open at the
same time that her eyes widened and the blush that I loved so much came back.
“Excuse me?” she sputtered.

Well that was
interesting. She might just actually be an honest to God virgin. Instead of
making me want to bolt in the opposite direction, it had the opposite effect.
It turned me on and I was more determined than ever to have this girl. I
couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face as I clarified myself.
“Tattoo virgin, Princess.” Without taking my eyes off her, I said to the rest of
them, “She’s got ink. I’d bet Red on it.”

 
“Red?”
She repeated confused.

 “It’s a guitar
that belonged to Stevie Ray Vaughan.” I could tell from the impressed look on
her face that she knew who Stevie was, and she got points for that.

 “Please tell me
he’s wrong Rainbow, I want that guitar. It’s like a crown jewel among guitars.”
Spade was going to be disappointed, but he should have known I would never make
that bet unless I was sure. She looked from me to him and then back, without
answering.

 
“Jazz?”
It seemed Bas didn’t even know the answer. That was good news, because it at
least answered my question if they had something going on the side. They
couldn’t be that close if he didn’t know about her tattoo.

 “Sorry Spade, he
gets to keep the guitar,” she finally ended the suspense.

 “Damn it man. How
did you know?” Spade looked at me.

 “Lucky guess,” I
lied.

 “So Rainbow girl,
where is it?” Spade asked her.

 “What makes you
think there’s only one?” She teased him.

 “Shit, girls with
tattoos are so damn sexy. How many you got?”

 
“More
than one.”
Interesting.

 “Oh come, on!
Where are they?” He batted big puppy dog eyes at her to no avail.

 “Nowhere
you’re
going to see.”

 “Aw, you’re
killing me. Help me out
Ky.
”

I wasn’t helping him out
with anything and I didn’t need her to tell me. I looked forward to discovering
them on my own, when she was stripped bare before me. My eyes were still locked
on hers and I made sure she could read the intent in mine.
“Nope.
I’ll see them eventually.” She looked like she wanted to hit me, or do
something else. I was hoping for the something else because I was sure it would
be much hotter.

 “In your dreams,”
she retorted and I just chuckled.

 “You don’t want to
know what’s in my dreams Princess. It’d make your cheeks turn that adorable
bright red and then I’d be tempted to show you just what that does to me, and
that, would be very bad in a room full of people.” My words caused her to
become even more flushed and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and it
took everything I had not to bite it myself.

“Hey
Ky
,
where’s Kaylie?” Bas interrupted and at the mention of Kaylie’s name, Princess
tensed and it felt like a wall was slammed between us.

“Calm the hell down,” I
told him. “I’m just talking to the girl.” That wasn’t entirely true, but she
was a big girl and could make her own decisions.

“Don’t give me that
Ky.
I already told you to keep your
shit
away from her, so back the fuck off and go find Kaylie.” Yeah he had told me
stay away from her, but I wasn’t sure that I could. I glared at him, but I
think I was angrier at myself for the way I was reacting to her. I’d already
tried to bury my need in Kaylie and it hadn’t worked. What was she doing to me?
I needed to get this girl out of my system and Bas was only pissing me off by
getting in the way. I could tell he wasn’t going to back down.

“Relax Bas,” Jaxyn
stepped between us trying to ease some of the tension.
“He’s just screwing around. I can handle him, so let it go,
because nothing is going to happen.”
 
She was looking at me
when she said that last bit.

Chris came forward and
put his hand on his brother’s shoulder to try and calm him down and then all
the sudden Kaylie was there getting in my face. “What’s going on in here?” I
just ignored her and waited to see what Bas was going to do. No girl was worth
fighting with my buddy, but I needed to know how far he was willing to go, what
she was worth to him.

Still clearly pissed at
me, Bas shook Chris’ hold off and walked out of the room. Chris followed him.
Princess looked like she was about to as well, but she was still watching me
intently and for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to tear my gaze away from
hers.

Who the hell was this
girl that she could just show up out of nowhere, and in one night start shaking
up my life? Why did I want her so bad? What was it about her that drove Bas to
be her protector and why wasn’t I just walking away?

Kaylie wouldn’t be
ignored though, and put herself between the two of us, repeating her question
about what was going on. Fuck if I even knew, but Princess used the moment to
make her escape.

When she was out of the
kitchen, Danny looked at me, “That was a stupid fucking move man. You can’t
blame him for being pissed at you; she’s pretty much his sister.”

 “Whatever. She’s
just a girl.” It should have been the truth, but it felt like a lie even as the
words were leaving my mouth. It bothered me. Danny didn’t say anything after
that and I just grabbed Kaylie’s hand and dragged her from the room. I pushed
her into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind us in my need to
prove that nothing had changed, that I wasn’t going to waste my thoughts on one
girl who wasn’t any different than the rest. Somehow, even after I found my
release with Kaylie, I was still pissed off and I didn’t have any explanation
for it.

Fuck.