Play With Me (Playing for Keeps, #2)

by Becka Mack

you’re not dating anyone, and she’s not dating any—” Cara and Emmett fold over the table at the same time, howling with laughter. “No,” Cara chokes out, swiping at the tears free-falling down her cheeks. “Holy shit. Can you imagine? Holly, we like Garrett. We don’t want him to die. Carter would kill him.” “What about you, Adam?” Holly smiles at him. “You’re so sweet. Carter couldn’t possibly ever want to kill you.” Jennie flings her arms in the air. “Mom! Can you stop trying to pimp me out? And I don’t wanna date any of these losers.” She pats Adam’s hand. “Sorry, Adam. You’re not a loser.”

So fun to meet you, Jennie. See you around.” “Bye, Emma.” She holds my gaze, sugary smile in place. “Emily. On the off chance you find yourself feeling forgetful again, you’ll likely hear Garrett calling it in the middle of the night.”

:o

And the ones you thought cared? When they blow your world up, they don’t even glance back at the rubble and chaos left by the explosion. It’s safer to have a tight-knit circle, a few people you can trust wholeheartedly, than to recklessly let in anyone who asks, even if it is a little lonely sometimes.

“Carter didn’t send me to check up on you,” I lie. “We grabbed lunch after practice and he said you lost Princess Jellybean, and I thought—” “Princess Jellybean? It’s Princess Bubblegum! Ugh!”

When I get to the third, the one labeled toys, I grin triumphantly, ripping at the tape. “Aha.” This is it; this is the box. If this doesn’t put me in Jennie’s good books, nothing will. “Here I come, Princess Bubbleg—ah! Holy fuck!” I flip the top down and scream bloody murder. “Help!” “What?” Jennie slides into the bedroom, breathless, eyes wild. “Did you find Princess Bubble—Garrett!” Her hands go to her face. She’s screeching. I think I’m crying. “What are you doing?” “Looking for Princess Bubblegum!” I shout. The box I’m crushing against my chest, the one filled with dildos and vibrators, rumbles and shakes, coming alive. “She’s not in there!” “Spoiler alert, Jennie: I fucking know that!” “This box is private!” Jennie charges at me, squishing the box between us. Something starts vibrating, trying to jump out, and I think I might be sick. “You shouldn’t have touched it!” “Why would you label a box of sex toys toys?” I shriek back. My back hurts and my face feels really hot. I don’t like it. “What else would you call them?” She tries to pry the box from my—for some reason unwilling—hands. A battle of tug of war ensues, the box ricocheting between us. “Give … it … back!” I yank the box closer—why?—and Jennie tumbles forward, plastering the three of us—me, her, and the box—against the wall. She huffs, puffs, and pulls. Hard. The box rips apart at the seams, the most beautiful rainbow of dildos and vibrators flying through the air between us in—I swear to God—slow fucking m...

“We talkin’ ’bout the baby skates?” “Actually, we were talking about the golden dicking Jennie needs.” The skates fall from Carter’s hands at Cara’s words, just as the glass falls from mine. I manage to catch it before it hits the ground, but not before water soaks my top. “No, we weren’t!” I yell at the same time Carter shrieks, “Jennie doesn’t need a dicking!” Cara and Emmett cackle, and Adam’s busy patting Garrett’s back. Because the man is keeled over, choking on his own damn spit, and I’m about to punch him right in the nuts if he doesn’t reel it the fuck in.

“Twinkle Toes will never dance again.”

“Because he got slapped across the face by Indiana Bones,” I mumble around two pieces of licorice. “Who’s Indiana B—” Cara’s question dies, words hanging in the air, before she explodes with a howl so loud the boys look up from the ice. “For the love of God, tell me you slapped Garrett in the face with a dildo named Indiana Bones, please, Jennie.” “I didn’t slap him in the face with it. We fought over the box it was in, the box broke, and Indiana Bones soared through the air and kinda … you know.”

“Oh come on, ref!” I leap to my feet as Washington’s centerman slips his stick between Garrett’s legs, sending him flying forward. “Does your wife know you’re fucking us?” Cara yells.

“Hey, ref!” Cara hollers. “Want a pregnancy test? ’Cause you’ve missed two fucking periods!” “Get off your knees!” I yell as he skates by. “You’re blowing the fucking game!”

“We get it, Garrett; you’re hot. You don’t have to stand there half-naked and rub your hotness in our face.” He beams with pride before frowning. “We?” “Yes, we.” I gesture at my nipples.

Now I’m topless and my nipples are so hard, they’re sharp enough to cut ice. But perhaps worst part of all is what Garrett sports: a massive-as-fuck hard-on, stretching his bathing suit so far it gapes at his waist. I’m not kidding. So I keep screaming, and pointing, one arm slapped across my boobs, the other flailing wildly in the direction of his junk, and now Garrett’s screaming, too, eyes ricocheting between his tented shorts and my boobs. “Tuck it away!” I shriek at him. “You tuck those away!” he shrieks back. “Stop looking!” “You stop looking!”

“Thanks for the second most awkward night of my life.” “What was the most awkward?” “The day you found my box of dildos.” Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen his face so red. He buries it behind his water bottle as I open my door. I turn back to him once more. “Garrett?” “Yeah?” “I’m sorry Indiana Bones slapped you in the face.” “Indiana Bones?” His brows tug together as he lifts his water back to his mouth, cheeks like a chipmunk as he guzzles. I see the exact moment realization dawns as the wrinkle in his forehead smooths, followed promptly by a fountain of water bursting from his lips as he keels over, choking for air.

It takes me one minute of watching her shouting at the officials to let go of the fact that she doesn’t want to talk to me about her dance partner, and another four to realize she might be my favorite person to watch hockey with. By the time the third period rolls around, Jennie’s hoarse from yelling, my stomach aches from laughing, and I’m not even bothered about missing the trip. “If all you wanted to do was watch the game, you shoulda bought tickets like everyone else. You suck, ref.” She tosses a piece of popcorn at the TV, then a whole handful at me. “Stop laughing at me.” “I can’t. Watching with you is fun.

Indiana Bones is going to have to step it up.

“Jennie can be a bit scary sometimes, but she said she had a good time watching the game with you.” My mouth falls open and my brows skyrocket. It takes a huge amount of effort to force myself to act normal, and I’m not sure chugging my drink is the right move. “She did?” “Yeah, said you ate good. Something about the dessert you brought being, and I quote, orgasmic.” He rolls his eyes. “She’s so dramatic.”

from what I gather—since you won’t come out right and tell me—you told him no. And nobody fucking touches you. Except me,” he adds with a wink. “With your permission, of course, because I don’t have a death wish.” I giggle quietly as my anger dials down to a simmer.

don’t have time to appreciate it. Carter curses loudly, and I jump, slamming my phone to my chest. This is it. It’s my time to go.

“I’m tough as fuck.” “Whatever. My sister could bring you to your knees.” She absolutely can, already has, and I’ll gladly get down on them a thousand more times to taste the sweet spot between her thighs while she yanks my hair and chants my name, begging for more.

He stops abruptly, gaze falling to the ruined carpet. The tips of my ears burn. I scratch my neck as Adam stares at me. “Uh, that’s … I was … well, see, I was—” “I don’t even wanna know.” He wobbles by, shaking my cookie butter in my face. “This is mine now, ’cause I’m not gonna tell anyone about that. Deal?” Fucking deal.

“I forgot to mention this a couple weeks ago, but your wife wants you to fuck her like you mean it.” Carter stares. “What?”

“Ow.” Garrett pins my wrists on either side of my head. “You ripped out my hair.” “You bit me.” “You like it,” he growls, mouth opening on my neck. My fingers sink into his hair. “So do you.” “This is so incredibly entertaining,” a voice murmurs, and my blood freezes. “You’re so wrapped up in each other you haven’t even realized the elevator is stopped and I’m standing right here.”

“Sue me for being a little excited.” “Oh, buddy.” Emily laughs. “There’s nothing little about how excited you are right now.” I may or may not snort a laugh. “Oh, don’t let me stop you.” She steps aside, gesturing for us to move by her. “Get in there and get your fuck on. Don’t forget to wrap it before you tap it.” “God, I think I might like her. How the hell did that happen?”

“Mmm, nope.” He sucks my clit into his mouth, rolling it gently between his teeth. “Don’t like that. I licked it. It’s mine.” A giggle bubbles in my chest. “It’s just for show.” “Don’t care. Not interested in sharing, even for show.”

can’t wait for you to let me in one day.” “You think I’m just gonna let you into my Disneyland?” “You’re not just gonna let me in; you’re gonna invite me in.” He drags his thumb along my lower lip. “Might even lock the gate and keep me from leaving.”

U snore like a trucker. Had to get the fuck outta there before I smothered you with a pillow.

“C’mon, Jennie. Dance with me.” Her grin is a slow explosion, lighting her whole face as all that apprehension fades away. “You’ll dance for me?” “I’ll do anything for you.” Spinning her into me, I wind an arm around her back. When our fingers lace, she lays her head on my chest. “Although it’s secretly killing me that I’m slow dancing to Justin Bieber right now.”

When Jennie’s bright beam fills my screen, it hits me why sunshine is the perfect nickname for her—because she’s radiating, and when she wears that wide smile, deep dimples pulled in, stormy blue eyes shining with excitement, she fucking glows.

“Please don’t brush off whatever happened because he didn’t leave bruises on your body. Bruises you can’t see can hurt just as much as the ones you can.” Her eyes lift cautiously to mine, showing me unshed tears. “They hurt a little less when I’m with you,” she whispers. “Thank you for being my friend, Garrett. I think I really needed you.”

“I think you’re my best friend.” She drops her gaze to my chest, cheeks radiating with heat. “It would really hurt me to lose you.” Hooking a finger under her chin, I force her gaze to mine. I don’t know what happened to make friendships so challenging and unattainable for her, to make her trust a prized possession, but the fear is so real for her, the fear that I’ll just leave, that she’ll lose this all. Is that why she’s refusing to see what’s right in front of her, what we might be able to have? Because she’d rather have me as a friend than nothing at all? I can’t promise her forever, not when I don’t know what tomorrow holds for us, not when she’s not ready to go down the road that takes us from friends with benefits to something more. But I can promise her one thing. “Best friends don’t lose each other, Jennie. I’ll be right here, always. I promise you that.”

“Can we get popcorn, Garrett?” “We can get popcorn, Jennie.” “Can we get extra butter on the popcorn?” “We can get extra butter on the popcorn.” Jennie spins around, eyes sparkling. “What about Skittles? I like the tropical kind. Do you want to share a drink? Maybe root beer? I haven’t had it in years.” I chuckle, making a mental note to plan more movie dates in the future. Her happiness is contagious, and all I want to do is feed it.

I’ve spent way too many years coming up with excuses, making myself smaller for people who didn’t know how to handle everything I was. I’ve never had to hide with Garrett. There were times when I’ve moved slower, tested the water before diving in, but Garrett’s always been there, waiting with open arms. He takes every bit of me, the shattered trust, the deep, never-ending grief, the bold and loud, the soft and quiet, both the confident and the timid, and he makes a space for all of it, for all of me in his big heart, and he never asks for anything more. Is this what love feels like? Is this what it’s like to be loved by someone with no obligation to be anything other than myself? Warm and fuzzy, like curling up on the couch on a cold, snowy night in my favorite of his hoodies and a mug of hot chocolate after a long day. Like my favorite person smiling down at me, pressing his lips to mine before he lifts the blankets and slides in beside me, pulling me into his warmth, the safety net he casts around me every time he’s near. Because with him, I’m safe. Safe to be myself, safe to feel, safe to want, safe to be. If this is love, I’m in it. If this is love, I never want to let go.

“I’m so fucking tired of pretending.” “Pretending what?” It’s nothing but a breathy whisper as he prowls toward me, matching each of my steps backward. His strong hands cup my face, piercing gaze locked on mine as he looms above me. My heart slams in my chest as his thumb sweeps across my lower lip, and his eyes dip, watching as my lips part on a jagged inhale, before flipping back up to mine. “I’m so fucking tired of pretending I’m not in love with you.”

I’m not going to let her be just my Sunday night anymore. I want her to be my sleepy Monday morning, my thank-fuck-it’s-Friday, my stay-in-bed Saturday, and all the other days too. I’m not going to force myself to live without the brightest spot in my world.

Why is loving myself less important than the idea of other people loving me?

If I have to love Jennie from across the country, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. And if distance isn’t going to stop me, Carter Beckett sure as hell isn’t.

Carter’s eyes darken, his battle cry echoing across the ice as he rolls on top of me. “You’re fucking my sister!” “I fucking love her!” His mouth pops open as his grip on my jersey loosens. “What?” I karate chop his wrists, gulping down air. “I said I fucking love her, okay?” He sits up but doesn’t get off me. “But I thought—” “Because you don’t fucking listen!” I scoop up a glove and chuck it at his face. “It’s not about you, Carter! This was about me and her finding each other!”

“I do want her to be happy,” he whispers, finally climbing off me, sprawling out on the ice beside me. “Jennie deserves the world.” “And I want to give her it.” His head flops so he can stare at me.“Ollie said I wasn’t being fair. Made me sleep on the couch.” “You have, like, three spare bedrooms.” “Four. She said I didn’t deserve a bed.”

I sigh, running a hand through my soaked hair. “I haven’t talked to my best friend in almost two fucking days.” Carter watches me carefully. “Best friend?” “Jennie’s my best friend, Carter.”

Nothing but pride and love shine in Carter’s eyes as he brushes her cheek and murmurs, “Meet your pseudo-grandpa, sweet Ireland.” Hank’s head whips up, Holly chokes on a sob, and Jennie swipes furiously at her cheeks. Tears brew in Hank’s blue eyes as he whispers, “Ireland?” “Ollie and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect name for our little miracle.”

“I said I just wanted to hug her. She was right there and all I wanted to do was—oof!” A body collides with mine from behind, and heat sparks, spreading through me like fire as two arms wrap around my middle, holding me tight. Jennie moves in front of me, covering my heart with one hand, the other cupping my face. “I wanted to hug you too.” She presses up on her toes and touches her lips to my cheek. “I missed you,” she whispers against my skin, and when she tries to pull back, I clutch her to my chest, burying my face in her hair. She smells the same, like warm vanilla sugar, cinnamon, and coffee, and I’m never letting go. “Break it up, lovebirds,” Emmett calls. “We’ve gotta be at the arena in fifteen, and we’re twenty minutes away.” Jennie smiles. “Good luck, big guy.” When she kisses my cheek once more, I know I’ve definitely died and gone to heaven.

Don’t you think I deserve to be loved the way you love Ollie?” “You deserve the whole world, Jennie.” “I feel like I have it with Garrett.” He stares at me for a long moment. “He says he loves you.” “He does.” “Do you love him too?” “So much.” I grin. “He punched Simon for me.” His eyes light. “He did?” “Twice.” His chest puffs. “I woulda done it three times.” “It’s not a competition,” I remind him gently. He looks away, murmuring his next words. “I’m afraid you won’t need me anymore.”

“Thought these could find a new home at your place.” “My place? You movin’ in?” “No.” She laughs. “That would be crazy. Right?” “So crazy,” I agree. “We’ve only been officially dating for, like, four weeks.” “I’ve loved you a lot longer than four weeks, though, sunshine.” Her beam is bright and warm, just like her nickname. “You have? Me too.” Linking my fingers through hers, I tug her into me, and we start swaying to the music still drifting quietly through the speaker. My lips touch her shoulder, trailing the slope of her neck, pausing at her ear. “Can I tell you something?” “Of course.” “I like crazy.”

“Don’t ever let anyone walk all over you, ladies. Know your worth, set your boundaries, and don’t let anyone disrespect either of those things. If they do, knee ’em in the nuts and hit ’em with an exploding confetti dick bomb straight to the face. Understood?”

“This is your home.” The words lick at the skin on my neck, hot and sweet. “I’m keeping you.” “Are you asking me to move in with you?” “I’m telling you you’re not going anywhere.” “Hmm. Feels very bossy of you.” “Guess you’re rubbing off on me, sunshine.”

If Jennie were a color, she’d be the most vibrant shade of yellow. She’s literal sunshine in human form.

Her words die a gasp when I pin her to the wall with my hips, wrists locked in my hands on either side of her head. “I’ll marry you right the fuck now. Don’t test me, baby Beckett.” She squirms, hips lifting. “I’m not a baby.” “No, you’re not.” I release one wrist so I can grab a fistful of her stellar ass and hoist her up to me, long legs coming around my waist. I drop my lips to hers. “You’re my sunshine, and one day, you’ll be my wife.” “Okay,” she says on a soft sigh as my mouth trails her jaw. “That sounds nice.” “I can’t wait to fuck you for the rest of my life.” “Hey, Jennie, are we gettin’ that pizza or—” Carter’s words end a shriek as he stops at the top of the staircase, horrified gaze glued to our intimate position. I can only assume he heard my last words too. I sigh, because I’m going to have to hear about his new trauma for at least the next month. Carter spins away from us. “Ollie! I need help!” “Do your breathing exercises, babe!” she shouts back. His footsteps thud so quickly down the stairs it’s a wonder he doesn’t faceplant. “I don’t remember how!” I look back at my sunshine, the smug smirk on her beautiful face. Her fingers thread through my hair, and she lifts one shoulder in an innocent shrug. “Oops.”