Resurrecting the Enemy: (Standalone) Read online

  “Right?” Maddox added, laughing.

  I flipped him off, too.

  “Oh, c’mon, R.J.,” Mad chuckled. “This shit doesn’t happen every day.”

  “You guys enjoy watching me lose my shit?” I asked, though I really haven’t yet. I’ve been actually decent to Lake, considering. Well…I guess, my definition of decent. I hadn’t even come close to losing my shit, but I could feel the possibility getting closer and closer with each roadblock she put up.

  Chance scoffed. “Oh, please,” he drawled out. “I’ve seen you lose your shit, R.J., and you’ve been hitting that girl with kid gloves all week.”

  “It’s true,” Mad agreed. “You’ve been playing nice with the girl, and maybe that’s why she’s not scared to block you.”

  Dash raised an ebony brow and fastened those bright green eyes on me. Like his brothers and sister, he took after Uncle Deke in coloring, so they all sported the same inky-black hair and those eerie green eyes. Really, all us kids took after our fathers. Even D.J. and Maggie took after Uncle Ace.

  Being the oldest in the bunch, me and Dash were super close. Even though he lived in Port Lucia and Chance lived in Sands Cove, Dash was second to me behind Maddox. I’d say Dash was my best friend where Chance was Mad’s best friend. Of course, Mad and Chance were both seventeen and in the same grade, so there was that.

  “Why?” he asked. Just one word. One question.

  I met his stare. “Why am I going easy on her?” He nodded, and I knew they were all waiting on my answer. “Because there’s still a chance she’ll come to me on her own.” I told them. “She’s attracted to me, even if she doesn’t like me.”

  “And if she doesn’t?” Dash asked.

  I shrugged a shoulder. “Then all bets are off,” I said truthfully. “I’ll transfer to SC High and make her life a living hell.”

  Chance barked out a laugh. “And that’s the R.J. we know and love.”

  Maddox snorted. “And what would you tell Mom and Dad about transferring to SC?”

  I looked over at my brother. “Dad already knows about Lake,” I informed him. “So, what do you think he’d say?”

  Dash let out a dark chuckle. “Uncle Ramsey’s the last person who would stand in your way, considering.”

  While none of us knew the details, we do know that my parents’ relationship hadn’t been all beautiful barbwire and razor blades when they’d first met. Like Dad said, Mom had made him fight for it. But we did know something pivotal had happened in their relationship once, that had been so significant, my dad would get on his knees and bow to my mom in front of the world if she asked it of him.

  So, if I had to switch schools or outright kidnap the damn girl, we all knew Dad would support my madness fully. I might have to keep the details of the kidnapping from Mom, but I knew Dad would back me. However, she wouldn’t balk at me switching schools.

  And I would.

  I’d do anything to have Lake Warren, at this point. And that included placing a phone call to SC High’s principal this morning. The second I had given my name, his secretary had patched me right through, and Mr. Hughes had assured me that Lake would have no troubles her senior year of school.

  I had also instructed him to call her into his office, so that they could chat about it. While I couldn’t be there to witness it, I could only imagine how lovely that meeting had gone.

  Then there was also the fact that, as soon as we’d gotten home from school this afternoon, Mad had gone to work on hacking all her social media sites and unblocking me. He’d also gone a step further and had changed her relationship status on all her sites. It was obvious my brother was having way too much fun with all this, but he was still doing what needed to be done.

  “So, what are the rules tonight?” Dash asked. “Are we there to make nice? Or are we there to make a statement?”

  “Please say make nice,” Chance whined. “I haven’t gotten laid in over two weeks.” All our heads reared back as we looked at him in surprise. “What?”

  “Aren’t you the one who believes his dick will fall off if he doesn’t use it every weekend?” Maddox asked, jokingly-but not really.

  “Seriously. I think Trojan stock just plummeted,” Dash added.

  “Oh, fuck you, guys,” he bit out. “I’m not that bad.” When his statement was met with silence, he conceded a bit. “Fine, but you guys don’t have to be assholes about it.”

  “So, why haven’t you been laid?” Mad asked. “Decided to save it for marriage, after all?”

  Chance flipped him off because Maddox deserved it most of the time. “I’m bored,” Chance admitted. “I’m fucking the same girl over, and over, and over again.” We watched as he rolled his neck, popping his joints, trying to explain. “It doesn’t matter if she’s blonde, brunette, bald, real parts, or fake parts. They are all the same fucking girl. Their exaggerated moans and porn promises are all the same, and they never fucking deliver.”

  “Oh, the tragedy,” Mad deadpanned.

  Chance ignored him and looked over at Dash. “I know you know what I mean,” he told him.

  Now, while I did my best in the bedroom, I wasn’t in there for anything other than a good fuck. I always made sure the girl knew what she was there for and it wasn’t to reenact some cheesy porno scene. I didn’t need her promising me the best sex of my life, and I didn’t need her telling me I was the best sex of her life, because both were bullshit. I’d have to be invested in a girl to put in the effort to give her the best sex of her life, and I’ve never been. I got in and got out and made sure it was good enough for both of us. Did she see God? Probably not. But did she cum? Fuck yeah, she did. And at the end of it all, that was the goal; for the both of us to get off.

  I’ve also never forgotten when Dad gave us ‘the talk’. He said he’d skin us alive if we ever forgot the condom, and we took that one seriously. But he had also spoken to us about more than protection and the mechanics of it all. He’d also told us that if we were going to fuck around, don’t do it indiscriminately. He had told us to pick something and hold it back for that one girl who would, one day, matter more than all the rest. He had told us that his biggest regret had been that he’d had nothing to give Mom that he hadn’t already given to a dozen girls before her, and that had stuck with us. So much so, that I didn’t eat pussy and I’ve never fucked a girl up the ass.

  Dash shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t let them do much talking once I get them naked, Chance,” Dash replied. “But I see what you’re saying.”

  “So, you’re hoping to stick your dick in a new batch?” Mad asked him.

  Chance shook his head. “No. I’m hoping to hook up with a normal girl who’ll just bend over and let me fuck her, nice and easy, with no theatrics. Just some moaning, groaning, and mutual release.”

  I chuckled at his forlorn tone. “We’ll play nice,” I told him. “Of course, unless we get there and Lake’s fucking around with someone else.”

  “Do you really think she’s that reckless?” Dash asked.

  “Right now, I wouldn’t put anything past her,” I told him. “Because you guys are right. I’ve been going easy on her, and I think she’s feeling unwisely brave because of it.”

  Mad’s grin took up his entire face. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

  Chapter 16

  Lake~

  Standing in Keri’s backyard, a red solo cup in my hand, bullshitting with Eden, Tina Reynolds, and Kira Dennison, enjoying music coming from inside the house, and feeling just a teeny bit tipsy was just what I needed after his week from hell.

  The plan was to stay at Eden’s since her parents were a little bit more lenient than mine. While my parents wouldn’t lock me away or anything, I would get that dreaded lecture on teenage drinking. Plus, I didn’t want to give them any reason to cancel their getaway next weekend. And, yes, one could argue that if I cared that much, I wouldn’t be drinking. But if anyone’s been paying attention, I needed to freakin’ drink. Ramsey’s been driving me
insane all week.

  If it wasn’t enough that Mr. Hughes had lectured me on a boyfriend I didn’t have, and that disaster with Curt in the hallway, this afternoon when I’d gotten home, my phone had started blowing up with notifications that I was in a relationship. I had no idea how the bastard had done it, but Ramsey had hacked into all my social media accounts, unblocked himself, and changed my relationship statuses.

  So, hell yeah, I was drinking.

  “I can’t believe Roger Deeds’ brother actually got all this beer for Keri’s party,” Tina said. “I think this is the first party I’ve been to where there was more than one keg.”

  “Roger’s trying to get into Keri’s pants,” Kira remarked. “His brother was probably just trying to do Roger a solid and help get him laid.”

  I laughed. “Well, if Keri takes one for the team, I won’t be mad at her.”

  “Amen,” Eden chuckled. “I’m have a great time.”

  “Well, Patrick Sullivan is looking hot tonight,” Tina commented. “And I heard he’s looking to move on from his breakup with Hannah.”

  “Well, it’s been over a month,” Kira replied. “It’s about time.”

  “Yeah, but-ohmyholyjesus,” Tina exhaled. “Is that…Is…that…?”

  We all turned to see what was holding Tina captive, and Holy Jesus, indeed.

  Walking through Keri’s backyard, like it was an everyday occurrence, were Ramsey, Chance McCellan, Maddox Reed, and a guy who seemed rather familiar, but I couldn’t place.

  Holy shit.

  Walking through the yard, commanding everyone’s attention, were four six-foot-something gods. Two with brown hair and brown eyes. One with blonde hair and blue eyes. And one with black hair and green eyes. And you want to know how I could recite those details? Because they were headed straight towards me, and I was getting a good damn look at every single one of them.

  They stopped when they were only a couple of feet away from our little group. And when Ramsey smirked down at me, I let out a low, deep snarl. That happy tipsy feeling I had going was quickly deteriorating, and it was all his fault.

  “Are you lost?” I asked, knowing he must be.

  “No,” he replied. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

  It wasn’t lost on me that we’d exchanged these exact words once before. “Doubtful,” I retorted. “Or else you’d be balls-deep in some Windsor blonde right now, I’d imagine.”

  Everyone was stone-cold silent as those whiskey eyes of his scanned me from head to toe. And when they traveled back up to my face, he said, “Oh, I plan on being balls-deep in someone tonight, but she’s not blonde, and she’s not from Windsor.”

  Anger took away my ability to be witty, so I said, “What are you doing here?”

  “We were invited,” Chance chimed in, lying through the skin of his teeth.

  I turned to face him. “Oh, really? Who invited you?”

  He jerked his chin towards Kira and said, “She did.”

  Kira let out tiny shriek, and it was guaranteed that all thoughts of Patrick Sullivan have left the building with Chance McCellan looking at her the way he was.

  “No,” I said, calling him out on his lie. “She didn’t.”

  The guy smirked, and I wanted to smack it off his face. “Sure, she did.” He turned towards her and said, “Didn’t you, babe?”

  And because, who could blame the girl, Kira said, “Uh, yeah…I…I did.” Then I watched in absolute horror as Chance walked up to her and put his arm around her, claiming her for the night. And poor Kira just stood there, shocked and uncertain.

  Join the freakin’ club.

  Then Ramsey did something I couldn’t ignore. Something that turned this entire game around. Something that had my heart tripping over itself and my stomach turning in knots.

  “Anyone but Erica Chambers,” he stated, and I could hear Eden let out a soft gasp. And even though I was staring at Ramsey, I could feel Kira and Tina’s eyes on me. After all, Curt’s cheating on me wasn’t a secret.

  Maddox Reed tipped his head at Tina. “Are you Erica Chambers?”

  “Me?” she squeaked out. “Uh, no...uh, I’m…Tina.”

  Maddox cocked his head at her. “Do you have a last name, Tina?”

  “Uh, Tina Reynolds,” she answered, her voice high-pitched and confused.

  “Do you have a boyfriend, Tina Reynolds?” he asked.

  I finally tore my gaze away from Ramsey to look at Tina, and she was shaking her head. “N…no.”

  Then Chance asked Kira, “And who are you?” Which was strange, considering he already had his arms around her.

  “Uh…Kira. Kira Dennison.”

  I wanted to shake my head. It was clear they were already lost to the Windsor pheromones, and if I kicked Ramsey and his band of demons out of this party, Kira and Tina were likely to burn me at the stake. And, hell, I wouldn’t fault them. These boys were hotter than Hades, and if the girls had been looking to hook up, nothing came better than these four standing in front of us.

  Then the guy who’d I never seen before addressed Eden. “And who are you?” And that’s when I realized what was happening. Not that Eden, Tina, and Kira weren’t beautiful, but the guys were picking girls who I’d approve of. They were clearly on my side here, and that further confused me.

  “Who are you?” Eden countered, and I turned towards her, almost chuckling.

  Where Tina was a stunning blonde with legs for days and a doll-like face, and Kira was a lovely brunette with a nice hour-glass shape and classic beauty, Eden’s dark auburn hair matched her fiery spunk. Her green eyes were sharp and calculating, and she wasn’t easily played.

  “Dash Marlow,” he replied easily, and I gasped along with all three girls.

  Dash Marlow was like an urban legend. We’ve all heard of him, but because he didn’t live in Sands Cove, no one outside of Windsor or the hills of Sands Cove had ever seen him. If they had, it had been in passing or something like that. It also triggered my memory. He was one of the guys with Ramsey Sunday night. And wouldn’t you know that he’d be just as scorching hot as the rest of these bastards.

  Eden’s eyes darted my way. She would play this however I wanted her to, and I totally loved her for it. And I really wanted to grab her by the hand, walk out of this party, and never look back. Except for one thing.

  Anyone but Eric Chambers.

  I gave her a tiny nod, and she returned it before turning towards Dash. “I’m Eden Rudolph,” she told him. “Lake’s best friend.”

  And before I could turn back towards Ramsey and ask him to do me a solid and just let me get drunk in peace, Dash Marlow walked up to Eden, slid his hands up her neck and into her hair, and started kissing the hell out of her, right there, in front of all of us.

  Eden let out a muffled squeal, and that set off a chain reaction. Chance and Maddox took control of Tina and Kira and led them off to God knows where. And too shocked to fight him, Ramsey grabbed me by my hand and pulled me with him to go…I don’t know where, because I was too busy craning my neck to look behind me, watching Eden not push Dash Marlow off her.

  What in the hell was going on?

  When I finally lost sight of Eden and Dash, I looked around to find myself on the south side of some shed or something. We weren’t exactly hidden, but we weren’t in the middle of the crowded backyard.

  Now that it was finally just the two of us, I lost my shit. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I hissed. “What in the hell is the matter with you? Why are you doing this?”

  Ramsey crowded me, and that’s when I realized he wasn’t feeling, at all, casual. “No, I’m not fucking kidding you. You are what’s the matter with me. And you are the reason I’m doing this,” he glowered down at me. “And you know what else? The guys were right. I have been going too easy on you, and that shit stops now.”

  Oh, crap.

  Chapter 17

  Ramsey~

  Staring down at this spitfire, I knew the guys were right. I’d
been going easy on her, and that’s why she was pulling all the shit she’d been doing lately.

  It was time to fix that.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen,” I growled down at her. “Unless you want me transferring to SC High, which I will if you don’t rein your shit in, you’re going to pull out your phone, un-fucking-block me, and give in gracefully.”

  “You wouldn’t,” she hissed. “There’s no way you’d give up Windsor for SC High.”

  “You think not?” My lip curled. “Try me, Lake.”

  She pushed at my chest and yelled, “Stop it!”

  Though I pulled her behind a shed, we weren’t exactly hidden from view. Keri’s backyard was big, and people were everywhere. More so, when it had gotten around that me, Chance, Dash, and Mad had shown up. People had started filling up the backyard, and anyone could see us fighting if they were paying attention.

  Looking down at Lake, she was wearing a simple green blouse that was untucked over a pair of dark jeans and pair of flat sandals. It was nothing fancy, but I thought she looked beautiful. Her dark brown hair was hanging loose over her shoulders and down to the middle of her back. And I was pussy-whipped enough to note that she must have straightened it because the other two times that I’ve seen her, and in most of her social media pictures, her hair usually had a light curl to it.

  But taking in her outfit, luck was on my side. While, normally, I’d love to see her in a skirt for easy access, her wearing jeans was just what I needed for what I did next. No one else was ever going to see what was underneath her clothes ever again. Only me.

  Reaching down, I hooked my arm around thighs and tossed her over my shoulder, her drink cup gone. Lake started screaming like a banshee as she rained her fists on my back. “Oh, God! Put me down!” I could feel eyes on us, and good. This would definitely get the point across that Lake was mine. “Ramsey! Put me down! Ramsey!” And the fact that she was calling me Ramsey as she screamed the party down was telling, too. No one outside my family called me Ramsey, and everyone knew it.