In a Bind(Plaything #3)(5)

Chapter Seven





Raini





It might just have been the unusual color of his long, thick hair or the way he entered a room with that kick of confidence most people would die for, but my eyes went straight to Zane when he walked into the billiard room. My brother Garrett had tired of the rest of the partygoers and had started a pool tournament in Dad's game room. Since I'd been tired of the partygoers long before I'd even reached the ranch, I joined them. As much as I wanted to think that Zane had wandered into the game room in hopes of seeing me, the surprised look that overtook him when he saw me sitting on the arm of the couch assured me he had entered the room hoping to join in on a game of pool. I wasn't sure why the heck I cared that it was the latter but I did.

Jason, Garrett's best friend since school, walked over. "Raini rain, whatcha been up to?" He picked me up off the arm of the couch. He dropped me over his shoulder, even through my squeals of protest, and told everyone that if they rubbed my butt they'd have good luck.

I lifted my hand to wave off the few guys who had stepped forward. "Think again. You'll need that good luck because after this butthead puts me down, I'm going to break your arms."

They smartly backed off, and Jason dropped my feet to the ground. I pounded his shoulder with my fist.

"Ouch. You got stronger." He rubbed his arm as he plopped down on the couch.

As I headed over to where Zane had positioned himself for a good view of the game, I silently asked myself why the heck I was bothering. He was obviously not interested. And then I assured myself that was exactly why it was bothering me.

I stopped next to him but didn't say a word. We stood in silence, shoulder to shoulder for a good long minute. Zane finally spoke up.

"So is it true about rubbing your ass for good luck?"

It wasn't exactly the ice breaker I was expecting, but I had to give him points for being unique.

"There's only one way to find out." I turned my back toward him.

He looked down at my ass and shrugged. "I'm not in the game right now. I don't want to waste a good luck rub."

It seemed he'd come back from the bike ride and decided to put on some invisible armor. He was much more cool headed as if he had figured me out and was now prepared to meet me head on. Naturally, that made me want to ratchet up the teasing game I'd found myself in with the man.

"Suit yourself but I don't offer the chance often."

Garrett's friend, Abel, missed a shot and surveyed the room for me. "Hey, Raini, I need to rub that ass. My game is shit today."

Zane looked at me from the side of his eye to gauge my reaction. I was up for the challenge. I sashayed across the room, eliciting a lot of loud whistles as I went. I stopped in front of Abel, who was redder than he’d been a few seconds before. His brown eyes were wide with shock as I winked up at him. I turned to the table and pressed my hands against the edge, as I stuck my bottom out toward Abel. My gaze fell directly on Zane, who worked hard not to show any reaction at all. Abel gave my bottom a rub and a pat.

"For fucksake, Raini," Garrett complained between gulps of beer. "You're distracting the players. Get out of here."

"Good luck, Abel," I quipped as I walked back across the room. This time I didn't stop next to Zane because he seemed to be expecting it. I walked to the wet bar and pulled a water bottle out of the refrigerator. I turned around and found Zane standing at the bar.

He placed his bottle of beer on the counter and turned it around in his fingers. "So these are your brother's friends?"

"Grew up with most of them." I placed the water against my lips and dropped my head back for a long drink. I drank with hard swallows mostly to get his attention. It worked.

He leaned his arm up on the bar, and I found myself staring at that arm, wondering just how strong it would feel wrapped around me. "How many of them have you slept with?"

I blinked hard to fight the sting his words had left me with. Anyone else and I would have just said fuck off and walked away, but I wasn't ready to do that. We'd fallen into a competition of sorts, a game where each player was working hard to shock the other into defeat. But I was never one to slip easily into defeat. His question had hurt me, but that only made me fight harder. I was struggling to figure out my opponent, which only made the challenge that much more intriguing.

I reached for an orange slice that was sitting in the tray of drink toppers on the bar. I made sure to suck on it with a flourish, ending the whole scene with a thorough tongue lick on my bottom lip. Zane watched with keen interest. Point for my side.

"Would you be disappointed if I said all of them?"

He stared at me, trying, it seemed, to assess if I was telling the truth or not. Then he shrugged. "Just curious."

My whistle startled him and stopped the conversation and game. Everyone turned my direction. Garrett looked ready to throw the pool cue at me like a javelin. "Show of hands," I started, "how many of the guys in this room have fucked me?"

The guys looked around at each other, making a point of not making eye contact with Garrett. No hands went up because I had never slept with any of my brother's friends. Not that a few of them hadn’t given it the old college try to get into my pants, but none of them were my type. And I was still on the fence about the guy standing at the bar. He might just be my type, or he might just be the last thing I ever needed.

"Carry on, dorks." I grabbed another orange slice and walked around to the front of the bar to stand next to Zane. "There's your answer. Disappointed?"

He shook his head once and took another drink of his beer.

I pushed the orange slice between my lips. "Hmm, these oranges are good. Would you like a taste?"

He reached for the condiment tray, but on his way, I hopped up and planted a kiss on his mouth. I ran my tongue along his lip before dropping back to my feet.

His hazel brown eyes flickered with something that was hard to read. His chest heaved with a deep, steadying breath. I had either pissed him off royally or I'd just sent some major heat to his groin.

"Tasty, right?" I headed out of the room with an exaggerated sway of my hips. I had walked out with confidence but didn't get more than three steps out of the game room when I realized that my lips were still on fire from the short kiss.





Chapter Eight





Zane





I could have just lied to myself and pretended that the kiss hadn't left me standing for five minutes like a stunned fool. But it would still have been a lie. I wasn't sure exactly when the turning point had happened, when this had turned into a game, but I was highly competitive and I wasn't planning on losing to a sassy, smart ass twenty-two-year-old. I needed to regroup and figure out my next move.

Trey and Georgie had decided to head to the theater room where people were gathered to watch the original version of Psycho. Since I'd never seen the flick on the big screen and since I needed some time to devise a plan, I decided to head in and join them.

Carter's home theater was big enough to house fifty people. There were eight rows of plush recliners lined up in the room. There was even a popcorn maker and drink bar on the far side of the room. The sounds system and screen rivaled any commercial theater.

The movie had just started and the room was dark. Trey's tall head was in the second row, but his arm was curled around Georgie's shoulders. I decided not to sit next to them and break up the movie date. The last row was empty. I scooted through to the center seat and sat down. The row in front of me was filled with several of the guys who had been playing pool. I had no idea what had prompted me to ask Raini the totally rude and none of my business question about her brother's friends. I suppose it was just my way of keeping on top of things. She kept getting the upper hand on me, and it was driving me fucking nuts. But then she showed me. Instead of telling me to drop dead or slapping my face, something I deserved, she showed me up by not only acting unfazed but by embarrassing me in front of the guys in the room. Then she topped it off with the unexpected kiss and that was it. I knew I needed to be more on my toes. She was good. Really good.

I leaned back and just started getting into the movie when the door opened. Light poured in and then the door shut, bathing the room in darkness again. I was still staring straight up at the screen when someone plopped into the chair next to me.

I looked over at Raini.

"Oh, was this seat taken?"

"Nope. Be my guest."

"Oh wait, I'm going to need some popcorn." She stood up and moved to stand right between my legs. She was a pro.

I made a point of taking in every inch of her body, which was wrapped nicely in a pair of short shorts and a midriff top. The tattoos trailing along her side and disappearing below the top of her shorts were begging to be touched, and possibly even licked, but I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Do you want some popcorn?"

"No thanks." I forced a polite smile, which was the only way I could keep from grabbing her into my lap and kissing her.

She slipped past me and scurried over to the popcorn cart. She filled a bag and as she walked past her brother's friends, one of them reached for her. "Sit here, Raini, and share that popcorn."

She ducked out of reach and sent several kernels of popcorn to the ground. "Get your own bag. Besides, I'm sitting back here with my new friend, who doesn't know it yet but he's secretly in love with me."