In the Dark (The Rules 2)

Though I might not rebel against my parents verbally, I am the one who’s off screwing everything in a skirt, drinking myself into oblivion and running an illegal gambling house for the past three years while I’m in college. So I’m sowing my oats. Getting it out of my system. Whatever else Mom says with obvious disdain when we discuss my college life. As if she knows what it’s like to let loose and be bad. She left my grandparents’ home and married my dad at the ripe old age of nineteen.

She’s been miserable ever since.

“Not in the mood to head back onto campus tomorrow,” I finally mutter, knowing it’s a lame excuse. I’d rather be in school and give myself something to do than sit around and daydream about Lucy all day. That gets me absolutely nowhere.

“Isn’t your work load easier this semester?” Tristan asks as he moves about the kitchen, grabbing himself a beer out of the refrigerator.

I’m at Tristan and Shep’s house, hanging out since I have nothing else better to do. School starts tomorrow. We reopen for business on Wednesday. In the meanwhile I’ve been prepping and getting ready since I’m the one who actually owns and lives in the house where we run the gambling house.

“I have a couple of extra courses I’d been putting off that I need to take care of this semester. I really don’t want to deal but not like I have a choice,” I tell him as I flick my chin in the direction of the beer clutched in his hand. “Grab me one of those, will you?”

Tristan reopens the fridge, gets a beer and turns to toss it at me. Luckily enough I have quick reflexes and catch the bottle of beer before it could land on the floor and make a shitty mess.

“You’re lucky you caught that,” a female voice says from behind me.

I turn to find Jade scooting past me, a scowl on her face as she heads for Tristan. “And you’re a jackass for throwing it,” she says, stabbing him in the center of his chest with her index finger.

“Ow.” Tristan rubs his chest where she poked him. “Why are you so hard on me all the time, J?”

“Because you’re a complete asshole, T,” she says, mimicking his tone.

I smirk as I twist the cap off my beer and set it on the counter. “She in charge of keeping you in line now too?” I ask before I take a swig.

Tristan scowls at the both of us. “More like she keeps Shep in line.”

“I’ll have you know that I keep her in line,” Shep says as he enters the kitchen from the other doorway that leads to the living room. He comes up behind his girlfriend and slips his arms around her, his hands resting across her stomach. “She needs a firm hand, let me tell you.”

“Stop,” she mutters, slapping his forearm. But she’s smiling and Shep is kissing her neck so I assume they’re not really angry. And maybe she likes a firm hand. Lucy always seemed to like it when I bossed her around in bed.

Watching them together these last few days since I’ve been home has been difficult. Makes me miss Lucy a lot, which is the craziest thing ever. There is no reason I should miss her. We had a fling. That’s it. That’s what I kept telling myself the entire time I was in Texas. Hell, after a few days of daily texting I started to wean myself off. Put distance between us.

It was easier that way. I could convince myself that it was working, that I wouldn’t miss her as bad. Want her as bad. Funny thing is, I haven’t texted her in a solid two weeks. Haven’t seen her pretty face, kissed those amazing lips or touched that sexy body in a month and I want her so fucking bad I can hardly see straight.

But I refuse to call her. Refuse to text her anymore. I need to let her go. Find some other pretty girl and get laid. That’ll help me move on, I’m sure of it.

“We should go out tonight,” I suggest.

“Oh, no,” Jade starts as Tristan offers a resounding hell yeah in answer.

At least I have someone on my side.

“Come on, Jade,” I say, watching as she turns back and sends a look in Shep’s direction. “You should go out with us tonight. Let Shep here come out to play.”

“Fucker,” Shep says with an easy smile.

“She’ll ruin our game,” Tristan says unapologetically. “Trust me, I’ve done this before. Shep used to be my wingman. Now he brings a cock blocker with him and she ruins everything.”

“Did you just call me a cock blocker?” Jade sticks her tongue out at Tristan. “You are so incredibly mean.”

He shrugs. “Just stating the truth.”

They go at it like this all the time. I’ve come to discover it’s their thing. I’m the nice one, the one Jade likes the most. Besides Shep, that is. That’s our thing.

“You don’t care if I go out with the boys, do you?” Shep asks, his voice low and intimate. He sounds like he’s asking permission—or being respectful of Jade’s feelings.

I can’t quite tell the difference.

“No, go out. Have fun. I’ll stay home and roll around in bed naked, waiting for you.” She slips out of Shep’s arms and turns to face him, kissing him on the cheek. “I need to go. I’ll see you later?”

“You know it. Love you,” Shep murmurs before he swats her on the ass and sends her out of the kitchen.

I shake my head the minute she’s gone. “You are so gone over her.” I hadn’t seen it much in action since I was away all summer but those two seem to have it really bad for each other.

Shep shrugs. “I’m in love with her.”

He says it so matter of fact, like it’s no big deal while I’m standing here trying to wrap my brain around the concept of love. What the hell is love anyway? My parents act like they were forced to be together most of the time. None of my friends have ever admitted to falling in love before. Not until Shep.