Kit and Ivy: A Red Team Wedding Novella (6 page)

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Rocco and the kids walked down the hall that led to the north wing. His suite was right above Kit’s. He paused at the stairs. “Get in your PJs,” he told Casey, “and do your teeth, then come up and join us.”

“Can’t I stay in my costume?”

“You could. But you might be more comfortable in pajamas. Besides, Kathy’s bringing us a treat she sneaked out of the party. You don’t want to get that outfit dirty.”

“Okay. I’ll be right up, Uncle Rocco.”

A few minutes later, with Zavi tucked against his side on the sofa, Rocco started the movie previews. Casey came upstairs, then quietly started down the hallway to the bridge overlooking the main living room, creeping forward slowly so she wouldn’t be spotted.

“Case, come on back here. Let the adults have their time.”

She returned to the sitting room. Zavi was leaning over a tray of cocoa mugs and a selection of
petit fours
and stunning cupcakes. “Oh, those are beautiful. Which one are you having, Zavi?”

“Pink is for girls. I don’t like pink.”

Casey laughed. “There are some yellow ones, or you can have the chocolate one.”

He took a chocolate cupcake then settled back against Rocco. Casey put a couple of goodies on a plate then sat on Rocco’s other side. She didn’t eat immediately, just stared at the plate.

“What’s up, Case?” Rocco asked. The movie had started and Zavi was thoroughly absorbed in the cartoon characters.

“I helped decorate the party room. It was beautiful,” she told him.

“I bet it was.”

“Everything’s going to be okay, right, Uncle Rocco?”

Rocco didn’t immediately answer. He couldn’t. He’d been wondering the same thing. He blinked. What she feared wasn’t at all what he feared; they were talking about her, not him. “What’s worrying you?”

“My grandparents are coming tomorrow. My mom hates them. They hate my dad. And me.”

Man, he wished she weren’t laying this on him. Not now. It was a convo she needed to have with her parents. He looked down the hall, considered grabbing Kit and letting the two of them talk things out. But Kit was neck deep in fun.
 

And she’d come to him.

It was such a weight for her slim shoulders to carry. “Listen, baby. Sometimes life doesn’t go quite as planned. People screw up. Sometimes…sometimes it’s just nice to start over. Think of it this way. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” Probably a stupid analogy. She was too young to be haunted by her choices.

“I told my mom I hated her once. But I don’t. I wish I hadn’t said that.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have a do-over? Make that mistake go away? Forgive yourself for saying that, and forgive your mom for whatever it was she did that made you so angry with her, and just start again?”

“That would be nice.”

“Maybe that’s what’ll happen this weekend with your grandparents. Maybe you’ll find they want a new start. Maybe you should give them that chance.”

“Does that work for everyone?”

He looked at her, feeling the shadows press in against him. He wished it did. “Not always.”

She still studied her plate of treats, then set it aside and turned toward him, tucking her feet beneath his thigh.
 

“But, why, Uncle Rocco? I just don’t get it. Why would they hate my mom?”

Rocco looked down at her, into her big blue eyes. Like he had any fucking answers for anything at all relating to humans. Or life. Or reality. He looked away. Maybe he could ignore her question, ignore her fragile belief in humanity before he crushed her innocence and told her the truth. Life was fucked up and she should quit believing in sweetness and light, because that was a fast road to madness.
 

“Life isn’t fair, Case. And most of the time it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Let’s just watch the movie. Tomorrow will resolve itself.”
 

“You girls need a bartender?” Val asked the females in the room as they were leaving for the billiards room.
 

“Yes!” one of the costumed women answered. Kit recognized her voice as that of the waitress from Winchester’s. “Fee, please. We need a man thing in there with us.”

“No,” Kelan answered for the men.
 

Fiona laughed. “It’s up to Mandy. She organized everything.”

Mandy deferred to Ivy. Before Ivy could answer, Val pulled off his tee and was snapping that damned bow tie around his neck. He looked at her and held out his hands, ever the irrepressible sex-bot. “I’ll stay behind the bar.”

“He’ll divulge all of our secrets to the guys,” Ivy warned.

“Nope. They won’t get a word out of me,” he vowed.

“What secrets?” Kit asked.

“Nothing,” Ivy answered, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “Fine. He can come. But give Kit your phone.” Val handed it over. “And your earpiece.”

“Not wearing one.”

“And any other listening or watching device.”

He held up his hands. “I’m clean.”

“Make him pinky swear to keep our secrets secret,” Fee suggested.

Val held up his pinky and hooked it around Ivy’s. “I pinky swear that what happens at your bridal shower, stays in the shower.”

Ivy laughed. “That didn’t sound right.”

“You gonna let him do this?” Kelan asked, frowning at Kit.

He shrugged. “It’s their party. He knows his boundaries.” The girls started to file out of the living room. “Besides, we’re gonna crash it in a little while. We need someone on the inside to let us in.” Kelan didn’t look convinced. “Relax. The girls are with Fee. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“Ivy.” Greer stopped her before she stepped into the hallway. “You’ve got the room for two hours. After that, you turn into pumpkins, the lockdown releases, and these yahoos can see what you’re doing.”

Ivy grinned and waved to him. “Thanks, Greer. Love you, Kit!” She blew him a kiss.

The guys settled down to an uneasy game of poker. Kit tried to focus on the game for a few hands, but his ears were straining for sounds of the party. He looked at his watch. For the hundredth time. Five more minutes had passed. When the next hand held useless cards, he folded.

He grabbed a beer, then leaned against the bar and watched the guys. Blade looked up at him, then back at his cards. “Greer, you know this is Kit’s bachelor party.”

“Yep.”

“Unlock the game room. Let us at least see what’s goin’ on in there. Kit needs some entertainment.”

“No can do.” Greer didn’t look up from his cards. “I gave my word. Ivy entered her own password for the room. Don’t know what it is.”

“Bullshit. You’ve got an override,” Blade growled.

Greer laid down his cards, winning the hand with an ace-high straight. “So I do.”

“Leave them be.” Kit sipped his beer. “I’m grateful they had the party here. Made logistics easier. Besides, they only have an hour and twenty minutes remaining.”

“Is Max coming in for the wedding?” Angel asked, looking from Kit to Owen. Kit thought about Max, deep undercover with the White Kingdom Brotherhood motorcycle gang. His absence was the only shadow over Kit’s joy this weekend. Well, that and his worries about Ivy’s parents.

“He knows about it. He’ll be here if he can,” Greer answered.

A door down the hallway banged open. Female laughter spilled into the hallway, pooling in the living room. Tension lifted the hairs on Kit’s arms as a pair of high-heeled shoes clicked on the hardwood floor, heading this way. One of the women appeared at the entrance to the living room. All the men looked at her. Her gaze swept the room and settled on Kelan. She ran to him, sat on his lap, and assaulted his mouth with her own. K’s arms wrapped around her, bringing her tighter as he deepened the kiss. Watching them make out, Kit felt heat pool in his groin. After a minute, Fee pulled back and snapped a selfie of her on K’s lap.
 

“Fiona—” Kelan complained.

“It was a dare. I didn’t want to answer the question, so I had to kiss the closest man.” She bit her bottom lip then added, “You were the only man I saw.” She kissed his nose, hopped off his lap, and ran out of the living room, lipstick smeared across her mouth.

“Uh, K?” Blade made a motion with his finger, indicating the smeared lipstick she’d left on him.

Kelan dragged the back of his fist across his lips, slowly, as if breathing in the scent of her lipstick. Kit set his empty beer on the bar and crossed his arms, wondering what more tortures the girls would send their way. He didn’t have to wait long. Another woman came into the room. Kit didn’t recognize her, so she had to be one of the friends the girls had brought in. She scanned the room.

Owen was behind the bar, getting a bottle of his Balcones. When the girl saw him, she headed in his direction, slipping behind the bar to stand in front of him. He frowned down at her, giving her the look that made grown men stutter. The girl reached a hand to his shoulder, then retracted it before making contact. The awkwardness of her indecision stretched the moment thin before she pivoted and hurried out of the room.
 

Owen shook his head. He’d no sooner retrieved a glass than another of the females came into the living room and made a beeline for him. He ignored her while he poured his drink. Lifting the glass to his lips, he casually looked at the girl over the rim. Kit actually felt sorry for her; he’d gotten a similar glare when he’d fucked something up on a mission. The girl gave him a silly smile and waved at him as if it had been her intent to merely stand within three feet of him and survive. She turned away and walked quickly out of the room.

Owen caught Kit’s amused look and narrowed his eyes. He topped off his drink, then started toward the end of the bar. He didn’t get any farther before a third woman marched into the room, followed by Selena. The newest member of the team stayed in the foyer, watching the proceedings with a Mona Lisa smile. Owen ignored the girl coming toward him as his gaze locked on to Selena’s. After a second, he looked down at the girl offering herself to him.
 

He slammed his glass on the bar. “What’s it gonna be? A kiss? A fuck? Your call. Right here. Right now.”

In a haze of alcohol-induced courage, the girl stepped toward him, reaching an arm around his shoulder. Owen hooked a hand around her neck and drew her in close, bending to touch his mouth to hers, maneuvering her jaw open for full tongue contact. His arms tightened around her, lifting her against himself, grinding against her until she moaned. His eyes opened. He looked over at Selena, even as his tongue was busy with the woman in his arms.
 

Selena’s smile slowly died, replaced by that same hard-edged look she’d given Amir Hadad when she’d caught him here in the house. If the kiss went on much longer, Owen was going to be gutted, Kit thought. Owen released the girl, but spared not so much as a look at her. His gaze never left Selena. The girl stumbled back a step, then sent Owen an appreciative smile. Before she could move back into his arms, Selena came forward and grabbed her arm, leading her out of the room.

“I told you I could do it,” the girl boasted as they went into the hallway.
 

Kit turned and looked over at Blade and the others, wondering if they’d seen what had just transpired. All of the guys looked at him, then quickly resumed their card game. Kit checked his watch. A half-hour to go before the pumpkins opened the room. Jesus. Some weird shit was going on in there.

“That’s it,” Owen snapped. He threw back the rest of his Balcones, then slammed the glass on the counter and started for the hall.
 

“What are you doing, Owen?”

“It’s time to rout the pumpkins.”

“No. No, it is not.” Kit followed him out of the living room, sending a look back at the others for backup.

“They can’t keep sending females out to assault us.” The door to the game room was locked. “Greer, open it.” He stepped back and looked at the IT guy.

“Can’t do it, boss. They have twenty more minutes.”

“They have no more minutes. Override it. Now.”

The door opened and one of the wigged women came out. She hesitated, her gaze bouncing from man to man before a red flush overtook her face. “Excuse me—I was just headed to the powder room.” She pointed to the bathroom across the hall. The guys parted, letting her through. Someone came over to close the door, but Owen put his foot in the opening and pushed inside.
 

Kit and the others followed him into the room but came to an abrupt stop a few feet inside. Piles of lingerie were draped over the leather sofa and side tables, sexy bits of lace and silk spilling out of boxes. It looked like an orgy was taking place in the middle of the room. Three women, still in their costumes, were tangled on a section of the carpet, bordered on two sides by the other women. Folded paper tents marked rows of the foot-long squares in the checkered carpet as Green, Yellow, Blue, Red. Two other women were holding cards. One called off a color, one a left or right foot or hand.
 

Twister. Not an orgy. When the girls became aware of the guys, they crumpled into a giggling heap. Angel and Greer went over to help untangle them.

“What the hell are you guys doin’?” Val hissed from behind the bar counter. From where he stood, he’d had a perfect view of the women in their compromising poses. “They have the room for another half-hour or so.” He leaned over the counter and lowered his voice as he explained, “Things were just getting good. They accept a dare when they step onto the board. The first who falls has to execute the challenge.”

Kit made a face. “Your idea?”

“Oh yeah. And believe me, I am the beneficiary of their enthusiasm.”

“Mm-hmm. You and Owen,” Kit snapped.

“It’s far less scandalous than what was going on over there. ‘Pin the Peen on Kit’ and ‘Ivy’s Dildo Toss.’”

“
What
?”

The girls from the makeshift Twister board were dragging the guys over to the other side of the room. A life-sized poster of a man holding a target over his privates had been taped to the wall. Where the man’s face should have been, a color printout of Kit’s face was. Taped in the vicinity of his groin were a variety of pseudo penises: a cartoon of a large carrot and two tomatoes, a twisting snake, a bent penis, and a dozen other cardboard phallic images.