8
Chapter 8 Rory
Holy shit,she was a fire cracker. I could not get enough of Karly, the queen of morning TV. She had my bear growling like crazy inside me, and it felt like fire was licking all over my skin. Teasing her, acting like I had no idea who she was, was the most fun I’d had in a really long time. The disappointment that crossed her face was so adorable, it was hard for me to keep up the rouse. All I’d wanted to do was wrap my arms around her, hold her tight, and maybe just…I don’t know, take her up against the wall or something. I was hard as a rock, I fucking needed her. I wasn’t sure how I managed to resist her, but since I heard Chase mention Pleasures to her, it seemed like the night wasn’t over. If Karly was headed there, I was too.
What a woman, I thought as I smiled to myself.
“Indeed she is.”
I jumped at the sound of someone speaking to me, shaking me from my thoughts. “Oh God, did I say that out loud?” I chuckled.
“You sure did,” Chase affirmed.
I couldn’t help but notice that Hatcher was nodding emphatically beside him. So I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the smoking hot blonde in a skin-tight dress. Figured. I could tell the twinkle in their eyes matched mine. She’d gotten under all of our skins. But that didn’t make me feel jealous or competitive. Just more excited.
“But your feelings can’t be helped. Karly is a special one for sure.”
I was a little shocked to see Chase so fired up over a woman. It hadn’t been long since his last relationship ended. There’d been a definite coldness between them for a long time, so if someone got him all hot under the collar, of course he would be thrilled about it. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t think him and his ex-girlfriend were right together. Weirdly, even though I had my eye on Karly as well, I was happy for him.
“So, how’s it going, anyway, Chase?” I asked him as I shook his hand. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
I didn’t trust a lot of people. In fact, I barely trusted anyone, which was why a lot of people thought I was closed off. But Chase was one of the people I’d learned to let into my life. Ever since he got me out of a tricky legal situation about two years ago. Well, he didn’t get me out of it, because I wasn’t to blame. I’d fixed Paul’s car, even adding all the Virgo paraphernalia he requested, and I’d done a good job of it. I had no idea what Paul did to his car when he took it off me and went back to Virgo territory, but the accident that came afterward was not my fault. He had to have been driving badly, so I didn’t deserve to be sued for negligence. It would have been really complicated if the Virgo lawyer I was forced to hire chose sides based purely on my zodiac status, but Chase wasn’t like that. He was a good guy who took the facts of the case for what they were, and he supported me through it all. He kept my ass out of jail, and I was always going to be his friend because of that.
“It has been a while,” Chase agreed. “Who would have thought that the next time we’d see one another we would be here at the Astro Games, about to compete with one another?”
I smiled. Sure, we were competing against one another, but it wasn’t really a competition for me. I wasn’t in this to marry the princess. If it happened, then so be it, but I wasn’t bothered. The marriage would be a pretty cool business move, and could put me in line to be the next Bear King, but it wasn’t the only path in life I wanted to take. If this didn’t work out for me, there was always something else I could do.
“If it’s a competition, I’ll be kicking some real ass,” I chuckled. “I’m not worried about taking you down, Chase.”
“Me too?” Hatcher asked with a raised eyebrow. I didn’t know Hatcher too well, but I’d caught up with him earlier on in the evening. We’d entered the reception at the same time and introduced ourselves to one another then. He seemed like a chill dude, quiet and cool. I wouldn’t mind getting to know him more. I hoped he was going to Pleasures with everyone else. “Because you have no idea what I’m capable of?”
“Those sound like fighting words,” I teased back. “But I could say the same thing. You don’t know what I’m capable of either.”
“Well, I guess we will find out on the racetrack this week.”
Everyone was starting to filter out of the reception hall to either head out or back to their rooms. I had that buzz in the pit of my stomach, that intense knowledge that something was about to happen. Something good.
“You guys both going to Pleasures?” I asked as I looked between them both. “It’s supposed to be the best bar around here, or so I’ve heard.”
“I’m up for it,” Chase immediately agreed, just as I knew he would. “That’s where a lot of people are going, including the news team and Karly…”
The way his words trailed off made me grin. “You’re captivated. Although it makes sense.”
“Makes sense?” Chased asked me, confused.
“Well, there’s something about Karly, isn’t there? A woman like her is…rare.”
I didn’t say the last word of that sentence alone. Chase and Hatcher said it at the same time I did. If we all thought she was rare, there had to be something to that. I regarded Chase and Hatcher just as intensely as they regarded me. I had no idea what they were thinking, but my head was spinning with all kinds of bizarre and exhilarating thoughts. This was new and so much fun. I liked new. Sometimes, I was called reckless because I liked to explore so much, but who the hell cared about that? I wasn’t reckless, it was all for a good time.
“Should we leave now?” I asked, breaking the ice. “We want to get there fast and have a drink before everyone else comes in.”
The others were ready, nodding enthusiastically. We headed out and started down the path toward the bar. Pleasureswasn’t far away, and because of that, I could almost smell the intense anticipation in the air. I thrived on it. It fizzled within me, making me feel like a fucking rock star. That was a sensation that only intensified as we stepped into the bar, its neon lights strobing and music thumping. Immediately, we were taken to a booth and offered a free bottle of champagne, all because we were participants in the Astro Games. Hell, if I’d known it was going to feel like this, I would have been a lot more excited about it all.
“Holy hell,” Hatcher laughed. “This is really something, isn’t it? We’re being treated like kings already.”
“Getting practice in for when I’m Bear King,” I joked. I raised my champagne flute in a toast that was met by the other guys. “I think I’m suited to being on the throne.”
“No good telling us that,” Chase whispered conspiratorially. “You might want to tell them.”