The Keys to Jericho (44 page)

Rio laughs. “But you’re so
bad
at it, Douche.”

Dash loudly whispers, “Right, but Jericho’s not really paying attention, so I think I might have a chance.” When I don’t look away from watching Kat, he adds, “See?”

Rio asks, “You with us, Jare?”

Looking to Rio, I nod before grabbing the back of Calder’s blue shirt, growling, “I thought I told you to stop marrying off Kat.”

“Well,
you’re
not making any effort to marry her! If she doesn’t marry me, she’ll marry a complete stranger.”

“Why in the fuck would I want her to marry
you
?”

“Jesus, Jericho. I was only kidding, but it is a reality. Some indiscriminate asshole will snatch her up soon.”

“Just keep your damn mouth shut, Dash.”

He throws his hands up as I hold him like a trapped cicada. “Why does it matter to you who she marries if you don’t even believe in it, or aren’t even dating her?”

“Because you’re fucking annoying.”

Letting go of his shirt, Dash straightens it out as Rio frowns at me. I roll my eyes at him before glancing back to Kat, watching her talk to Rio’s bitch, and shaking her head. Is she talking about our so-called first kiss? Our having sex here? My having sex with her while she was drunk? The promise we made to each other?

I’m quiet for the rest of the way to the bar as I contemplate the conversation she could be having. It’s probably best if I keep tabs on Rio’s mouth around Dash. I don’t think he’d tell Dash, but Dash knowing isn’t my problem. I’ve already said that I don’t care. Nevertheless, if Rio can’t keep his word to me, then
that
is my problem.

At the bar, I soon find Dash is right. I’m not paying much attention, still thinking about Kat. Dash could be beating me with his pool cue and I probably wouldn’t notice.

During my game against Rio, Dash stops to take a piss break, and to make a phone call. When we’re alone, Rio puts his hand on my shoulder, squeezing me. “You okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Jare, talk to me. Please.” When I open my mouth to argue, he says, “And before you say there’s nothing wrong, there is, and after that, you’ll say you don’t need to talk to anyone. Well, you do. So, talk to me.”

Holding onto my upright cue, suspicious, I ask, “Why?”

“You’re my best friend. I always care what’s going on in your life. You know that, yet refuse to believe it, like a lot of things.”

I scowl as I bend, priming to take my shot. Keeping my eye focused on the cue ball, I see her face in the reflection of the white ball, but at the same time, feel Rio’s judging stare. Snapping my shot, I send the cue ball and the blue-striped 10 rolling, banking them off the side, and knocking Rio’s solid red three into the corner pocket.

I hang my head and mutter, “Damn it.”

“You’re usually better than this,” he says with a smirk as I straighten, but his blue-eyed gaze says something else. When I take a swig of my beer, he asks, “Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind yet?”

Actually considering his question, I set down my beer with a sigh and roll my eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, okay? Does that satisfy you?”

He thoughtfully twirls his cue as he scrutinizes me. “Does it have to do with what happened earlier?”

I shrug and glance at the floor. “I already told you that it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Jare, I can tell it is.” He leans down and angles his cue, peering up at me. “Was that the first time you kissed her then?” I irritably roll my eyes and he smugly grins. “Didn’t think so.”

“Just take your fucking shot.”

He successfully sinks his orange five ball in the side and asks, “Do you have feelings for her?”

Scoping my next shot, I warily say, “Yeah. We all do.”

As I drag the cue ball across the green felt, he sighs. “You know that’s
not
what I’m asking you.” Looking up from the table, I stare at him, not wanting to hear what he’ll say next, yet I can’t look away or stop him. “Your feelings for her are none that you’ve ever had for a woman before, and it’s scaring you to fucking Hell and back.”

Suddenly anxious, I grab the chalk cube and scoff, “You’re way off, Duquesne. Kat doesn’t scare me.”

As I chalk the end of my cue stick, he says, “Well, Beckett, I don’t think I am that off the mark. I know she’s special to you because you’re different with her. In the past, you haven’t held women in high regard, and you always refer to them as something disrespectful, childish, or derogatory.”

Focusing on my menial undertaking, I mutter, “You’re on crack.”

“It’s true.”

“What is?” Dash asks, leaning against the table.

Setting down the cube and lightly tossing my cue stick upward and catching it, I say, “Rio thinks you need thrown into the ocean again. I wholeheartedly agree.”

Since he knows I would always go for the throw, Dash frowns at Rio as he shoves his phone into his pocket. “I just texted Liberty and Kat to meet us at the restaurant.”

“Good. This game is a bust,” I say, hanging up my cue.

Dash laughs. “Only because Diet Dr. Pussy is whipping your ass.”

“No, because I’m hungry.” True on both counts, but neither one is the real reason I want to leave.

We clean up our game and I finish the last of my beer before we head over, where I order another as soon as we’re seated at the round table with a maroon umbrella.

Rio sits on my right, while Dash leaves a seat empty between us on the left, but also another one on the other side of him.

When Liberty slithers to our table and sucks face with Duquesne, I have to turn my head. That’s when I see Kat walking past me to take the seat on the other side of Dash.

Impulsively jumping up, I grab her hand, yanking her to me.

Dash puts his foot on the chair between us. “Sorry. You’ll have to sit on Jericho’s lap.” Calder is actually working to my advantage.

Kat looks at both of us, confused. “What?”

Grinning, I nod and Kat hesitantly laughs. Sitting down, I pull her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her, holding her on me. Close to her ear so I can smell her perfume, I say, “Yep. You’ll have to sit here.”

Liberty squawks, “Whoa!”

Kat squirms on my lap, and I wonder if she’s also imagining me fucking her like this. Christ. Not helpful when we’re in public.

Dash shakes his head before giving Rio and Liberty a weird look, putting me on the defensive, but I’m not going to start an argument right now, out of respect for Kat, since she’s the only female—woman—I do hold in that kind of regard. Shit. Rio’s right. However, my respect has its limit. I’m still inherently cautious of her, and I don’t know if that’ll ever change.

Kat smiles, but is still somewhat undecided, glancing at everyone at our table. I don’t make any effort to let go of her.

Then surprising the fuck out of me, she leans down, giving me a quiet kiss on my lips, yet one that would definitely be fuel for their yammering.

Waiting for the fallout, I look to Dash, who is texting, and then at Liberty, who is digging into her wallet. However, even though he’s not looking directly at us, Rio doesn’t hide his smile before taking a drink of his beer. Dick.

Dash says, “By the way, dinner is on me. It’s my gift to Jericho for his new job, and kind of like a goodbye dinner.”

“Jesus, Calder. I’ll be back a lot. You won’t even notice I moved.”

He sadly smiles and glances at Kat. “I doubt that.” Why does everyone doubt me? I always keep my word. Well, since I didn’t in high school with her, I vow to change that.

I say, “Thanks for dinner, though. You don’t have to do that.”

“Jericho, just make wise decisions about…your new life up in Philly. That’s all I want from you.”

I questioningly smile. “Okay…”

As Kat continues to squirm on me, her hand brushes my leg, only hardening me faster. Feeling the stirring against her ass, Kat fleetingly looks at me, contritely biting her lip, before moving to the chair next to me, turning to talk to Dash, as I shift my chair closer to the table.

Rio doesn’t say anything to me, which he’d better not in front of everyone.

We all order the buffet, and not being as hungry as I had previously thought, I’m the first to return.

Seconds later when Kat pulls out her chair and sits down, she whispers, “What did Rio say?”

Looking into her worried brown eyes, I shrug and go with the truth. “He’s cool with it.”

She ruefully smiles, glancing to the patio entry. “I’m so sorry that happened.”

I shake my head. “I’m not.”

Her eyes widen. “Now he knows, and you didn’t want that.”

“I told you I don’t care what they think.” Angling my head, I kiss her lips without checking to see if we’re being watched, and as I begin to reluctantly pull away, she kisses me again.

Throat clearing again forces our mouths apart. We simultaneously peer to the other side of the table, where Rio says, “Sorry.”

When he takes his seat, he doesn’t say more, but Dash and Liberty soon round the corner, laughing about something idiotic, I’m sure. When Dash mentions Virgo, I roll my eyes.

Sitting down, Liberty says, “River, Dash says my horoscope predicts I’ll receive good news next week.”

Sighing and tugging on the bill of my cap, I finally ask, “Why can’t you call him
Rio
? We all do. Why do
you
have to be different?”

She instantly frowns, waving her fork. “Because it reminds me of Rio Pacheco and he’s an asshole.”

I’m genuinely lost. “Who?”

Kat laughs and lightly pounds her fist on the table. “Oh, my God! Jem and the Holograms!”

Dash says, “Yes! I remember that cartoon!”

Liberty animatedly nods. “That douchebag was so stupid. He was always hesitant to fully commit to Jerrica Benton, since he was fixated on Jem. He didn’t even realize what he already had, and could’ve lost her completely. All in vain, since Jerrica and Jem were one in the same. Regardless of that detail, he nearly blew it because of an unhealthy hang up caused by someone that shouldn’t have mattered to him in the first place.” That’s a fucking cartoon? Sounds like a soap opera.

Libby pointedly glances at me and I frown. What the hell is
her
problem?

Looking over at Kat and me, Dash laughs louder. “Seriously, Liberty! Brilliant!”

Kat smiles at Liberty, and I laugh at Dash because it’s just pure insanity. “What the hell, Calder? You watched it?”

He grabs his beer and says, “Hey, my mom did. She dressed as Jem for Halloween at the strip club one year.”

I scowl, aimlessly tilting my beer bottle. “
That
just ruined my dinner.”

“So,
that
is why I won’t call him that name. He’s nothing like that jerk. River is the total opposite.”

Rio grins. “Thanks, babe.” He leans over and kisses her, making me roll my eyes.

I shake my head. “It’s a damn cartoon and his name didn’t come from that.”

Rio picks up her hand, kissing it as she says, “I can’t separate the two names, though. It also should be noted that River’s BFF’s name is close. Jerrica/Jerry. Coincidence? Weird. So, no thanks.”

I frown and snap, “Yeah. Don’t call me
Jerry
and there won’t be a problem.”

Dash says, “You know what else is weird? Tom and Jerry. Jerry is the mouse. Tom is the cat.” He waves his finger at us. “Right there. Our own version with Kat and Jared.”

Liberty laughs. “That’s funny!”

Picking up my beer, I glance at Kat, who’s looking down at her food, and I roll my eyes at Dash. “That’s a stretch
and
stupid, Calder.” I nod at Rio. “Go back to talking about our resident pretty boy.”

Rio’s mouth opens mid-chew. “Huh? I’m a damn
what
?”

“Come on, Duquesne. Dash is the charming one, I’m the smart one, and you’re the pretty one.”

Rio incredulously laughs. “
You
are the smart one, Jare?
That’s
the funniest thing I’ve heard all day!”

Cracking his crab, making a mess all over the table, Dash says, “Yeah, you
are
the pretty one, Diet Dr. Pussy. Ladies love that hair of yours and the orgasmic blue eyes.”

Rio cringes. “Holy shit. Never call them that again.”

Liberty laughs. “Aww, Dasher. His job
is
important.” She turns to Rio with a gross grin. “But I’ll have to agree with Dash with the orgasmic blue eyes, babe.”

I grumble, “I’m going to puke.”

Kat sighs and sits back, not eating her food, like me. I shift my leg closer to her, and casually reach for her hand. Taking it, I rest our joined hands on my leg under the table, so it’s not obvious I have it. Kat’s fingers stroke mine, as my thumb circles the top of hers. She gazes at me, and I watch her, trying to decipher her expression, but I can’t stare too long or I’ll draw attention to us.