Whipped (Hitched, #2)

"Good." Tate's words are slurring. He's getting drunk. "Because you know, Vi's not a one night kind of girl."

"And I'm not a one night kind of guy. Not anymore. I insisted on three dates before sex."

His eyes go wide. "Three. Man, I'm not sure I could do that. Nice. Okay, listen, you seem nice. And you dance well. So, I won't get in your way. But if you break my girl's heart…" He makes a stick with his hands and pretends to break it.

I'm not sure he could actually take me. But it’s a sweet sentiment.

"I have no intention of leaving her," I say firmly.

He nods. "Good. I'll get back to the bar. You get back to your girl."

As he wobbles away, Kacie walks up next to me, swiping her stylishly messy blond hair off her face. "He give you the Tate Test?"

Is this Vi's party? Or the Lachlan experiment? But hey, I never spent a lot of time with Vi's friends. I should have expected this. "I think so."

Kacie smiles. "He didn't hit you with a bottle of vodka. So that's a good sign."

I raise an eyebrow. "He's done that before?"

"He used to be the bouncer for all of our bachelor parties. A few times, things got wild."

I nudge her shoulder. "So is this the Kacie Test?"

"Yeah. But it's pretty simple." She changes her voice. It reminds me of someone from the Godfather movie. "You gonna be the perfect guy for my girl?"

"I'll do my best."

"Yay. Now, I have to go find Sebastian. The babies are with a sitter, and we're getting crazy tonight." She saunters away to her husband.

I glance around for Vi. Instead, I see Zoe running toward me, her purple bob bouncing with each step. Did they plan this?

I raise my hand, stopping Zoe in her tracks. "Vi's awesome. I have no intention of leaving her. I'll be the best boyfriend ever. Did I get everything?"

She gives me a thumbs-up and disappears back into the crowd. Am I drunk, or does she look like Tinkerbell?

The doorbell rings. How many friends does Vi have?

I open the door. A guy with blond hair stands in the doorway, guitar case in one hand, flowers in the other. "You here for the party?" I ask.

"Yeah. I'm Chad. I used to be Vi's boyfriend."

I grit my jaw. That unfamiliar feeling enters me again. "I don't think you're invited."

He smiles. "It's okay. I used to live here." He walks forward.

I stop him with my hand. "Well, Chad. I'm Lachlan. And I live here now."

The fucker's still smiling. "Vi would want to see me." He notices something behind my shoulder. "Hey! Vi, it's Chad."

I turn around. Vi walks up to us, a red glass in her hand. "Chad, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you. Here, for you." He holds out the flowers.

Vi doesn't move. "Chad. You need to leave."

"Come on, Vi. We need to talk."

"We have talked. Goodbye, Chad."

Before he can protest, she closes the door on him. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. I like it. "So that's your old boyfriend?"

She gulps down her drink. "Yeah. We lived together for a while. It was…You know what, I don't want to talk about it right now." Right. Don't bring up points of contention. Vi takes another sip. "I need a refill."

"I'll join you."

We walk over to the bar, and I order a Buttery Nipple. Yes, it's a drink. Vi orders a Miami Ice. Tate is a speed demon as he mixes the drinks. He passes us the glasses. "Here you go, guys. Sorry, but we're out of ice."

A thought crosses my mind. "I'll run out and get some."

Vi grabs my hand. "You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll go down to the corner store. I'll be just a minute."

She gives me a kiss. "Thanks."

I run out of the apartment. I pass a red bouquet on the stairs. I see Chad in the lobby and grab his shoulder. "You shouldn't have showed up."

"Get your hands off me, man."

I don't. I squeeze harder. "If Vi wants you to leave her alone, you leave her alone."

"She doesn't know what she wants."

I smirk. "Because she's not with you?"

"Because she's apparently with you, mister tough guy. She doesn't like that. Not really. She needs a sub." He sure looks like a sub. Small and thin. Pale. I imagine snapping him in two.

I lean closer and whisper in his ear. "If she really needed a sub, then she'd still be with you."

"Fuck you." He yanks my hand off and opens the door. He turns back for a moment. "Tell her happy birthday from me." He leaves.

I drive down to the corner store, buy a bag of ice, and return to the party. Tate mixes us more drinks. Vi caresses my face. "You okay? You're shaking?"

"Just tired. Happy birthday, babe."

But I’m not okay. We drink and dance and kiss, and Chad’s words replay in my head. And I wonder if I am what Vi needs.

And if I’m not, if I can change.





CHAPTER 15





VI


The night of my birthday party, Lachlan and I fucked like we'd never fucked before. It was as if he had to prove how much he wanted me. I know seeing Chad there probably messed with him a bit. Honestly, it messed with me, too. Not that it made me doubt my feelings for Lach. But it was unsettling to consider how different I am with Lachlan compared to Chad.