He laughs. “Well, there’s the easy ones like stealing his clothes and towel when he’s in the shower or setting the alarm clock in his room to go off at a really odd hour. We can mess with him while he’s sleeping, like putting shaving cream on his hand and tickling his nose so he gets shaving cream all over his face, or we can fuck with his bed and take all the screws out so it collapses when he gets in.”
I giggle at the thought of it. They’re all harmless pranks, which is funny...but it feels a little off. I don’t necessarily want to piss him off, and I don’t want the sort of revenge I might face with those types of pranks.
No, that’s not what I want at all.
What I do want is to distract him from the challenges.
And so I say, “I love all those, but they’re not exactly what I’m going for. I’m just looking for a way to throw him off his game.”
“Then use your best weapon.” He says it like the answer is obvious, but I have no idea what he’s getting at.
My brows dip down. “What do you mean?”
He glances up and down my body, and then he nods. “You know what I mean. Be a woman. Be the woman he wanted over the weekend. Guys are pretty predictable. All you need to do is be you, unapologetically, and maybe turn up the flirt a little. Maybe show off your legs or bend over in front of him or let him see down your shirt. That would be enough to throw him off his game.”
“You really think so?” I ask. I don’t even know what it means to be unapologetically me, but I do kind of get what he’s saying. Gage and I spent the entire weekend together. I know what he likes. All it would take is to shake my booty in front of him a few times to distract his thoughts from music.
Tyler’s eyes widen as it seems like a light bulb goes off above his head. “Oh, shit. I just had the best idea.”
I take a bolstering sip of my whiskey sour, and this time I can’t hide the wince at the taste. “What?”
“Let me preface this by saying one thing before you get the wrong idea. I like you. A lot. But I’m not into going after a woman who belongs to another man, so what I’m about to propose will be strictly between two friends who are going after the same prize.” He finishes the liquid in his glass before he pours another for himself.
“I don’t belong to another man,” I say. “I don’t belong to any man.”
“Oh give me a break,” he says. “Everyone here can see it. You two didn’t just fuck all weekend. You’re in love with each other.”
I raise a brow and then, because he got me all fired up, I stand up for myself. “First of all, Tyler Caldwell, what we did or didn’t do over the weekend isn’t anyone’s business. Don’t be so crass. Second of all, I may have developed feelings for him, but the second he started acting like a total jerk here in the house, those feelings disappeared. In fact, the second I saw him here, I realized neither of us really knew anything about the other one after all.”
He rolls his eyes. “Okay, sure.” He nods and the whole exchange is dripping with sarcasm. “And that’s why you’re exacting your revenge. That’s why you’re doing anything you can to sabotage his chances. Because you feel nothing for him.”
I blow out a breath of total frustration. “Fine. Whatever. What’s your idea?”
“You and me.” He says it like that’s the whole idea.
“Um...what?”
He gestures between the two of us. “You and me. The accidental roommates who met on a reality show competition and fell for each other. It was instant, and it was fire. If he thinks you’re over him because you’ve fallen for me, he won’t be able to see straight.”
I narrow my eyes at him again and purse my lips as I study him for a beat. “What’s in it for you?”
He shrugs. “If I don’t win this thing, I want to see you win. There aren’t enough women in bands like MFB, and I’d love to see more. Besides, he’s a top contender, Lex. He’s an amazing bassist, he’s got the look, and he’s got the right personality. He’s got stage presence, which most of the other guys we’re competing against are lacking. We both know that. You, me, him.” He ticks us off on his fingers. “Top three. He’s our biggest competition, so distracting him works to my advantage, too.”
I stare at him for a beat. If I was in a different headspace, I’d totally want Tyler. He isn’t just attractive with dark, mysterious eyes and a beard that’s slightly longer than super hot scruff. He’s a classic bad boy rock star, and he’s got the look down pat. He’s got the talent, and he’s smoking hot, and he’s got tattoos that snake down his arms and legs. He sleeps without a shirt, and his chest, stomach, and back are covered, too—and he’s in great shape. Abs for days, lean from lots of cardio.
But Gage is on my brain. I’m not the girl who can switch from one guy to the next without a little space in between to grieve what I lost.
And the thing I lost is shoved in my face day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute.
Tyler’s right. I need to do something about it, and this may be my best shot. It may be my only shot.
I draw in a deep breath, and I exhale. “All right. Let’s do it.”
He grins. “You sure?”
I shrug. “A fake relationship? Sure, why not.”
He shakes his head with a laugh. “Just don’t go falling for me, okay? It’s all just pretend. Even if I have to kiss you.”
I laugh. “Don’t you go falling for me,” I warn. “Even when I have to kiss you back.”
CHAPTER 27: GAGE
They told us to celebrate, so celebrate we do.
Decker and I race to the bottom of our glasses of whiskey, and then we get some more.
I’m feeling good—a little lighter than I have since I first saw Lexi here, like maybe after a couple days here in the house together I’m finally starting to get used to the idea that she isn’t mine anymore. What we had was just for one weekend, and we agreed that was where it would end.
And it ended.
Done.
Game over.
I don’t even care that she’s been in the food room with Tyler for the last ten minutes. I care even less when they walk out of the room together, laughing, both sipping from drinks and smiling like they share a secret.
Maybe they kissed in there.
A little bit of the lightness I felt a second ago takes a tumble.
Okay, so I’m not used to the idea that she isn’t mine anymore. I’m not even used to the idea that we hate each other now after how fast and hard I fell for her.
We both said things we can’t take back. We’re both at fault, and even in my semi-drunken haze, I can admit that maybe I’m a little more to blame. I didn’t mean to blurt out that we’d hooked up...I was just so damn surprised to see her here.
At first, it was a happy surprise.
But it quickly took a turn.
And then she put me in my place in front of everybody. She embarrassed me and hurt my pride. And that’s just not something I can so easily push aside.
I drain my drink and head in for another.
When I come out, my eyes search the room until they land on her.