His Game

Chapter Five

She chuckles, "Why go to these lengths to please the girls if you have no intentions of falling in love?"

I can't help the deep smirk that gets rooted to my face at that question. "Well...most of the time it isn't just the kiss they give up after I take them here."

Realization hits her and she nods, putting her focus back on the view.

"It is really pretty. I'll give you credit for that," she says.

I watch Joey's mesmerized eyes, slowly moving over the vast land out in front of us, and I tilt my head. I wonder how many views like this she's seen moving around so much.

"Where'd you move to Mountain View from?" I ask.

She keeps her eyes on the last of the setting sun, watching the shadows dance over the city. "A base on the east coast. The sunsets weren't this pretty," she hums before glancing at me. "What about you?"

I shrug, "I've lived here my whole life."

"Must get boring to stay in the same place for so long," she comments.

"Must get boring moving around so much."

She smirks slightly, "Deflection, interesting."

Her response evokes a small chuckle out of me. "Well, does it?"

She sighs and looks back out as the last few beams of sunlight disappear and all that's left to see are the lights of the city. "You learn to love it. New town every six months or so? Lots of new faces to befriend."

I scrunch up my face, "You have to start over every time."

She glances at me with a small grin, "Opens up the opportunity to screw up every now and then."

I quirk a brow, "You screw up a lot?"

She stays quiet for a few seconds, eyes focused on the city, and then turns so that her back is leaning on the old wooden fence and she's looking at our bikes instead. "I don't stay many places long enough to screw up."

"Must be tough."

She shifts her eyes to me and shrugs away any worry, "Like I said, you get used to it. Besides, I've seen a lot of this country."

"Like where?" I ask.

"New York City, we stayed at a base near there for a month or so, I've lived in three different Florida cities, been to Disney World twice, stayed in Virginia, Alabama, Chicago, Arizona. Then back to Virginia, and now here." She says, barely blinking an eye.

But I'm shocked. I knew from what Roger and Dino told me that Joey's moved around a lot, but she's only 18 and she's already lived in seven states.

She shifts the topic of conversation, however, and turns to me with the confident grin she often has. "So, Rhett Calvetti, tell me. Why'd you start this game in the first place?"

I smirk at her, "I want to fall in love."

She rolls her brown eyes, so dark now with no sunlight that I can barely make out their color. "Ha ha, now try and tell me the real reason."

I lean closer to her, "If you tell me why you were busy last night."

Joey grins and takes the small step to be closer to me, pushing off of her position on the wooden fence to gently rake a finger down my chest.

"Now Rhett, you think that just because you took me to see a pretty sunset that I'll tell you all of my secrets?"

I grin and snake my hands around her waist, "Well, Joey, that certainly was the plan. Along with other things."

She smirks and trails her hands painfully slow up my chest and loops them around my neck. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, making my mind go crazy with want, before answering. "Like what?"

"Whatever you want," I smoothly reply.

She eyes me for a few seconds, and then her hands trail down my back and I have to hold back a pleased shudder. Then, I notice her hands dip dangerously low and I quirk a brow with a small smirk.

This plan may have worked out after all.

But next thing I know, Joey pulls her hand into view with the condom from my pocket in between her fingers.

Hey, I did remember it.

She quirks a brow as she looks at it and then shifts her eyes back to mine. "Regular, hmm."

I honestly don't even know how to respond to what just happened. But Joey doesn't seem fazed and hands it back to me, walking towards her bike.

"Better keep that," she says over her shoulder.

I watch as she mounts her bike, slipping the condom back into my pocket, and follow after her.

Don't worry buddy, you'll get used eventually.

"You don't think tonight was the perfect time?" I question smoothly, showing I'm not at all fazed by what just happened.

She eyes me before putting on her helmet, "Didn't we go over this the other night?"

With that, she starts the bike and starts driving off without me, and I quickly follow. Once we get back to her house, she pulls her bike into the garage and I go to the top of her driveway.

"I actually had a good time," she says as she places it in its spot, "Thank you for showing me your not-so-secret spot."

I smirk, "Anything for you, Joey."

She snorts and starts on her way inside, but then she pauses before reaching her door, and I instantly smirk.

It took a little longer than I expected, but at least I'll get a kiss out of this night. Of course, usually I'd be getting a lot more than just a kiss after taking a girl to that view, but with Joey I've already accepted that things are going to go a little differently.

But instead of a kiss, she crosses her arms and eyes me. "By the way, you're trying a little too hard."

I narrow my eyes, "At what?"

She eyes me up and down, lingering on my leather jacket and ripped jeans, and answers as she heads back towards the front door, "To be a biker punk." Then, before I can respond, she opens the door and glances at me over her shoulder, "And to keep your record with your game."

I blink at the door after she shuts it.

I do not try to be a biker punk.

My phone buzzes a few seconds later, pulling me from my annoyed daze.

Joey: Don't be so stalkerish and watch my door after I've gone inside... Text me when you get home safe Punk.

There was potential for me to smile at the message, if it weren't for the nickname she tagged onto the end of it. Instead of a smile, I scowl deeply and go to respond, but her message sends first.

Joey: Ah ah ah, no texting and driving. Now hurry along, you'll wake my little brother with your obnoxiously loud engine.

I glance up at the house and see her smirking at me from the window above the garage, and when she catches my eye she winks before closing the blinds.

I scowl at the window. As I leave, I make sure to rev the engine extra loud to show exactly how I feel about that nickname.

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Also I'm looking for covers for this book! My email is everlarkcatoniss(at)gmail.com