Loving War Read online

  If he doesn’t stop looking like he’s going to run up behind her and mount her, I might throttle him.

  “If you’re into girls that shy and awkward. Those kinds of chicks are boring in the sack,” I lie, trying to dissuade him from doing anything stupid.

  “Man, you’re a dick,” Mav says, rolling his eyes. “The girl is still scared shitless of us. Give her time to warm up. You just pushed her into the damn pool last night, so obviously she’s skittish.”

  Shrugging, I try not to let them see my smug smile. I’m the only one at this table she is comfortable with, and I happen to like the hell out of that fact.

  ***

  KODE

  “Didn’t know Dane was going to have a bunch of ass-suckers hang out with us at that lame show,” I mumble, walking out of the magic show three—yes, three—hours later.

  Maverick laughs under his breath when a dude who seems to be in love with argyle heads our way, his grin too big for his face.

  “That douche is totally man-crushing on you,” Maverick says just before the guy reaches us.

  “It is so awesome to meet the legendary Kode Sterling. I’ve seen you in so many magazines. I bet the women flock to you on a regular basis,” the sweater-vest wearing, annoying-as-hell guy says. “What’s it like?”

  That’s all I can take. This prick took the seat beside me at the show, while Rain took the other side of me. Tria had to sit next to Corbin and Maverick, which pissed me off to no end, and now she’s all the way at the end of the sidewalk, turning into the casino with Dale. Everyone is going to steal her away with all their fucking charm.

  “It’s like hell when I’m being tortured by wanna-be guys like you,” I snap.

  His lips flatten to a thin, disappointed line. “That’s a jerk thing to say,” the argyle-wearing fool says, affronted.

  “Well, I’m a jerk who doesn’t give a shit,” I grumble while pushing through the revolving doors.

  It doesn’t take but a few seconds to find her sweet ass in her tight jeans. The high-heels she’s wearing would put her at the perfect height to bend her over. Which I will be doing. Soon.

  Maverick is laughing when he catches up with me, telling me something about not being such an ass, but my eyes are zeroed in on someone that is far too close to Tria.

  “What the hell is Rye Clanton doing here?” I demand.

  He’s talking to her with that look in his eyes that will get him laid the hell out. Tria knows him because of her cousin, Ethan Noles, and I know damn well Rye has no qualms about fucking his best friend’s cousin.

  “Rain invited him, but he couldn’t make it out here until today,” Maverick answers, shrugging as though it’s no big deal. “Guess he’s meeting everyone here. Lucky bastard. He missed that terrible, horribly long show.”

  Tria’s head falls back as she laughs at something he says. My fists are clenched before I start walking toward them with fury leaking from me, but I’m intercepted by a feisty blonde before I can reach the infuriating brunette.

  “Don’t you dare embarrass Tria anymore while we’re on this trip,” Rain says sternly, still assuming she intimidates me.

  I usually humor her, just like the rest of the guys, but not right now. Right now, my eyes are on a different Noles girl, and the prick who is inching closer to her to show her something on his phone.

  “Are you listening to me?” Rain demands. “Be nice, Kode. She’s my sister, and you being a dick to her is the same as being a dick to me.”

  “I’ve been very nice to her since the pool debacle,” I say as a secretive grin tries to tug at the corners of my mouth. “I was just about to show her how to work the roulette tables.”

  Rain stares at me like she’s unconvinced, then she glances over her shoulder. “No. Not right now,” she says, turning back to me with a grin. “Rye is talking to her, and I think she has a thing for him.”

  The tattoos running down his arms don’t bode well for me. Chicks dig ink these days.

  “If he wants her, then he can follow her to the roulette table. I’ll be drinking soon, Rain. You probably don’t want me talking to her after I drink. So I’m going to go talk to her now.”

  “Don’t drink. Problem solved.”

  I look at her as though she has lost her damn mind. “You made me sit through the worst magic show I’ve ever seen. Alcohol is a must after that.”

  She groans while playing with the ends of her hair. “It was supposed to be good. We read the reviews.”

  “It was three hours long.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Three hours,” I repeat, and she starts laughing while rolling her eyes.

  “Fine. But wait and see if Rye makes a move before you go interrupt. She could use some attention.”

  If Rye makes a move, I’ll give her some attention when I go caveman and haul her ass out over my shoulder.

  Tria’s eyes come up to meet mine, and her hazel gaze shifts from me to Rain before she turns her attention back to Rye. She looks tense now. Is she jealous of me talking to Rain?

  Rain’s phone sings some annoying song, and she holds a finger up to signal for me to stay put as she answers.

  “Raya? Hey, whoa… Slow down… Calm down. I can’t understand you.”

  Whatever is going on sounds serious, but I couldn’t care less. There’s a dark-haired siren calling to me, and I make my way over to her and the tattooed son of a bitch at her side.

  Chapter 6

  TRIA

  Kode talking to Rain doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t. Nope. Not at all. I cannot be jealous of him and her, because they are best friends. And we’re a casual whatever. So, no. I’m not jealous.

  “We can hit some slots if you want to,” Rye says in that deep voice that sounds like silk over gravel.

  Damn, he’s sexy. But… He’s not Kode. No. Kode is temporary. Rye is always a little pissy and not usually approachable, but he’s always been nice to me because of Ethan. Which is more than I’m used to.

  Just as I open my mouth to answer him, Kode’s deep, commanding voice comes from behind me and wraps around me like he’s touching me, even though he’s not.

  “Actually, I promised Tria I’d show her the roulette table.”

  He what? Is he seriously over here right now because he’s jealous of Rye?

  I turn toward him, my eyes already brighter than they should be, and I smile despite my best attempt to restrain it. He’s sexier when he’s jealous.

  His smirk curves on his lips, and I start wondering if there’s a way we can get out of here without anyone noticing.

  “Shit,” Rain says, her whole face pale as she joins us. “Where did Dane go? He’s not answering his phone, and we have to go. Now.”

  Kode’s body turns away from me when he goes to devote all of his attention to Rain. I’m not sure what’s going on, but when she wraps her arms around him, it’s more than I can take.

  “So… slots?” I ask Rye, turning away from the sight that has me wanting to bite through nails.

  I know they’re close—best friends. And we’re… just… fucking? Ugh, I hate myself right now.

  Rye leads me through the casino, walking in a way that has women turning their heads to watch the bad boy. I’m not sure he even means to own such a sexy gait, but the natural prowess he possesses can’t go unnoticed.

  “Don’t think Kode liked me talking to you. Something going on there? I thought you two hated each other,” he pries, but he does so with a careless tone that means he’s more curious than intrusively nosy.

  If he’s noticing, then others might notice as well. Crap.

  “He pushed me into the pool last night, embarrassed the shit out of me, and now Rain has him apologizing. He just doesn’t like you.”

  Rye isn’t much of a laughing person, but he snorts out a small laugh after hearing that. “Dane either. They both thought I had a thing for Rain in high school. She was cute, but she sure as hell wasn’t worth the drama. They need to get over it.”<
br />
  So Kode’s dislike stems from jealousy over Rain. Now I feel stupid.

  “You’re the only person that I sort of know here. I thought Ethan and Wren were coming, or I wouldn’t have shown up. Where the hell are the lying bastards? I haven’t been able to get either one to answer my calls since I got here.”

  I laugh at his annoyed tone. “Ethan had a last minute business thing and couldn’t leave Chicago. Wren came for a few hours, but his lawyer called about needing him to come sign papers. I think divorce papers, or maybe just something leading to divorce papers.”

  He grimaces. “Damn. Hate that. Wren is too good of a guy to have to deal with Erica’s crazy breakdown. She’s acting like he’s the one who fucked her over. I’m just glad she’s gone. She never did like me.”

  I laugh again, surprised by how sad it sounds. Kode hugging Rain shouldn’t be affecting me.

  His phone rings, and I pause by the slot machine that looks to be out of order. This place is massive, and it’s absolutely chaotic. I don’t even see anyone from our party anymore. I didn’t even realize we managed to stray so far.

  “We’re… well, I’d say by the slot machines, but there’s like a million. We’ll walk back toward the front and meet you there.”

  He hangs up, his breath coming out in a bit of surprise.

  “You sure nothing’s going on with you and Kode? That’s like the fourth time he’s ever called me, but that’s certainly the most pissed he’s ever been.”

  Swallowing hard, I follow him as he leads me back toward the front. “I’m sure,” I lie. “What’d he say?”

  “Sounded pissed and a little… I don’t know… scattered? Wanted to know where we were, and then hung up on me when I told him we’d head up front. I guess he was trying to call your phone, but couldn’t reach you.”

  That’s because I forgot my phone on the charger after changing for the horrible magic show Rain dragged us to. But he called Rye? I’m going to kill Kode. This is just too—

  “Hey!” Maverick says, jogging over to us. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. Go pack. We gotta head back.”

  Kode is suddenly there, right in front of me, and tugging my hand into his.

  “Kode, what the hell is going on? Did something happen with Rain?”

  Panic sets in. She looked worried, upset even, and I just walked away like a brat when she hugged her friend because of my childish insecurities.

  “No. I found Dane, and he took Rain back to their room.”

  He keeps pulling me, and I’m forced to run a little to keep up with his much longer strides. My panic only grows.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Raya called. We’ve got to get home.”

  Now my whole body heats with dread. “Kode, stop! What happened? Is Kade okay? Did something happen to Uncle Paul or Aunt Margaret?”

  He finally slows down, his lips tightening as though he doesn’t want to be the one to tell me. But realization slams into me almost instantly, and I know what he’s going to say before the words leave his mouth.

  “It’s Thomas Colton. He… passed away a little while ago.”

  Chapter 7

  KODE

  There are few things I hate worse than funerals. None come to mind right now. I’m the worst possible person at consoling others. It’s never been my strong suit. That’s Dane’s shining point.

  When people cry, I cringe. When people need warm embraces, I’m stiff and unsure of myself. Even Rain. When she hugged me after hearing about Thomas’s death, I didn’t know how to react.

  I tried to comfort her, but I was relieved to see Dane so I could hand her over. Never thought I’d say those words.

  Tria… Tria didn’t seem to need comforting. Or if she did, she obviously knew I sucked at it and didn’t attempt to seek solace in me. Instead, she stayed quiet—utterly silent—the entire plane ride home.

  She stared at her hands mostly, never really meeting anyone’s gaze. Rain cried a little, but she mostly talked about everything she needed to do to help out her aunt and uncle to prepare for the funeral. Tria said nothing.

  I kept looking at her, hoping she’d at least let me know she was okay, but she seemed lost inside her own mind, sorting out her emotions on the death of a man their family loved very deeply, even though he was only their family through marriage.

  Yesterday I started to call her, but I had no idea what to say. I assumed she was busy with helping everyone get things ready. Maybe I still should have called her. Ah, hell. I really hate funerals.

  Now, sitting here in this massive church while someone gives a eulogy, my eyes are three pews down and across the aisle, trained on the girl with dark hair that can’t seem to do anything but stare at her hands again.

  She’s dressed in a black dress that touches her knees, and though she shouldn’t be so beautiful right now, she’s the very definition.

  I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do, but I feel like shit for not doing something. And I never feel like shit.

  The service draws to an end, and Kade and his family stand together. Raya tries to speak to Kade, but he holds his hands up to stop her, his eyes streaked with tears, and he shakes his head while walking away. He storms through the crowd in an angry blaze, before practically bursting through the church doors.

  I’m still uncertain if I should go to the cemetery or not, and right now, Raya looks just as uncertain as I do. As her unshed tears waver on her eyelids, she stares at the doors that close on their own, as though she’s willing Kade to come back in.

  Paul Colton whispers something in her ear, and she forces a smile while giving him a hug. She knows how to comfort people.

  “They’re requesting that only the close family and friends go to the cemetery,” Maverick says, coming to stand beside me as I watch Tria go to hug her aunt and uncle.

  “That’s wise. The cemetery won’t have enough room for all these people.”

  Maverick smiles as he looks around at the two-story church that is almost filled to maximum capacity. One thing is for sure; the Colton family is loved.

  Tria moves behind the family, and I make my way toward her after offering a few awkward embraces to a couple of people who surprise me. I really suck at this.

  Hazel eyes meet mine, and I smile at her, or at least I think it’s a smile. She looks around before veering off her path and finding my side on the way out the side entrance and into a massive lobby area. Still moving away from the crowd, we head toward one of the uncrowded exits.

  “Do you need a ride to the cemetery?” I ask lamely.

  “I’m not going. It’s the close family and friends only, and I wasn’t really that close with Thomas. I feel like it’d be better to let the ones who loved him the most grieve him with each other.”

  I almost feel relieved to know she wasn’t as close to him as I thought. She’s close with Paul and Margaret, so I only assumed she had been close to Thomas, too.

  “You were so quiet on the way home. I was worried.”

  Her sweet smile does something that makes me feel stupid—stupid enough to not see the door until I slam into it. She tightens her lips, refraining from laughing at a time like this, while I grip my aching forehead and mutter a few curses. Motherfucker that hurt.

  “Damn door came out of nowhere,” I grumble as she heads outside. I follow, eyeing the door one last time, and she walks down the barren sidewalk.

  “I was quiet because I didn’t really know what to say. I never do at times like these. I’m always worried about saying or doing the wrong thing, and it was a shock. I knew he was sick, but I guess you never see mortality for what it is until someone dies.”

  And I don’t have a clue what to say to that. She’s not the only one who lacks the right words for the right moment.

  “Where are you parked?” I ask instead.

  “I rode with Mom and Rain. Mom is going to the cemetery, and Rain is leaving with Dane. So it looks like you’re taking me home, or I’m getting a c
ab.”

  I grin down at her as she leans into me, and my arm goes around her shoulders.

  “I tried calling my dad to let him know, but he ignored my call. It did a two-ring thing before going straight to voicemail.”

  “Think he’ll come to check on the family he’s been a part of for so long?” I ask mildly, trying to find a way to say the right things.

  “No. I don’t think he will. He only gets more selfish every day.”

  Again, I have no idea what to say. I hate to sound spoiled, but my parents never had any severe marital problems that stressed me out. So it’s impossible to relate to what Tria is going through.

  My car is a block away, but she apparently knows which direction I parked in. Right now, I don’t care if anyone sees me holding her to me, but no one is within view of the church from this angle. They’re all standing around the front, and we’re on the side.

  “How’d you know where I parked?”

  “Lucky guess,” she says deadpan.

  We make it to the car without her ever moving out from under my arm, and I kiss her head before opening the door for her. As she climbs in, my mind goes to the obvious. What I’m feeling for Tria is a little more than casual, and I’m not yet sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

  As soon as I get in, she smiles over at me. “Thanks for the ride. I really didn’t want to get a cab.”

  Reaching over, I grab her hand in mine to squeeze it reassuringly, unsure about what else to do. She probably needs rest, so I make a mental note to let her recharge for a few days without me.

  When she’s ready to see me, then she can always call.

  Chapter 8

  TRIA

  Frustrated, and admittedly a little pissed, I wait on Brin Waters—one of my only friends—to show up for lunch. I met her a few months ago, and I swear she was just what I needed.

  She walks in, her eyes scanning the room for me. Her dress is much too big for her small body. Her hair is pinned neatly in a bun on her head, and her tiny, black, rectangular frames are perched on her nose. She always seems so collected and put together, even though her wardrobe needs to shrink in size.