Fair Game (The Rules 1)

He doesn’t offer up their first names so I’m figuring it’s not proper for me to use them. “Hello, Mrs. Prescott.” I smile, my cheeks hurting from the frozen position they’re in. “Mr. Prescott.” I’m about to offer my hand but I can tell they’re not going to offer theirs in return so I don’t.

“Well, aren’t you lovely,” Mrs. Prescott says, her assessing gaze roaming all over me. I think I just got thoroughly checked out by Shep’s mom. “All that red hair…I didn’t figure you one with a penchant for redheads, Shepard.” She flashes a smile at him.

I want to roll my eyes. Or sock her in the face. But I refrain from doing either. I hate that my hair is always the first thing anyone sees.

He slips his arm around my waist and smiles down at me before turning to face his mom. “There’s more to Jade than meets the eye, Mom. She’s not just cute freckles and red hair.”

Okay. I sort of want to melt at his words. He’s the only guy who’s ever fully embraced the freckled redhead look I’ve got going on.

“Mmm, hmm.” She studies me with a critical eye, judging me on sight, I’m sure. “Well, it’s wonderful to meet you. I’m very interested in getting to know the girl who’s finally tamed my boy.”

I stiffen at her words. Did she really just say that?

“Oh, I’m not tamed yet,” Shep says as he starts to laugh, as does his father.

His mother just scowls at him. “You’re getting too old for the antics, you know. You must settle down sometime, darling.”

“I’m not a kid anymore. And there are no antics,” he protests and I think of all the many antics he’s up to on a daily basis. Hello, illegal gambling house. “I’m freaking twenty-one years old. Not ready to throw in the towel and settle down just yet.”

Of course, I know this. But it still sort of hurts, to hear him say it. Ridiculous, considering we’ve been seeing each other for all of a month, and I’m definitely not expecting wedding bells and engagement rings already. I’m still a teenager for the love of God.

The tension is palpable between them—between all of us—and I smile politely, my brain searching to come up with something neutral to say. “How long are you here for?” I ask, wincing at the lameness of my question.

“We’re only here for dinner. We’ll drive back down to Los Angeles tonight. Our plane leaves first thing in the morning,” Mrs. Prescott explains, her gaze flicking to mine before she resumes her stare down of Shep.

His dad says nothing, just stands next to us and checks his phone. Something I wish I was doing. Anything to not have to deal with whatever’s happening between Shep and his mom.

“So Shepard. When did we last see you, hmm?” It feels like his mom is trying to bait him. Or irritate him. And by the annoyance I see flickering in his gaze, it’s working. “You didn’t come home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.”

“Because you weren’t home,” he adds.

She waves a hand. “You didn’t come home last summer either.”

“Again, because you were on vacation.”

She rolls her eyes. “You never, ever make an effort to see us anymore, Shepard. Are you coming home this summer? You never really did answer that question and I’ve been hounding you for months.”

He sends me a look, one full of nervous apprehension and I wish I knew what he was thinking. He seems worried about…me? But why?

Pressing his lips together, he turns to face his mother once more. “I don’t think so, Mother. I’m going to stick around here again for the summer. Play on the soccer league and hopefully hang out with…Jade.”

Wait a minute. What?

I didn’t mean to spring it on her like that. Hell, I haven’t even asked Jade if she wanted to stay with me for the summer and that’s been my plan all week. But like a gutless wonder I kept losing my nerve every time I opened my mouth. I just…I couldn’t ask her. Too afraid she might say no.

And fuck, that would hurt more than I care to admit.

Jade’s looking at me right now like I’ve lost my mind and I part my lips, ready to say something, anything to take away that shocked look on her face.

“Prescott, party of four!” screams the hostess, and I’m saved from having to say anything at all.

“Let’s go grab our table,” Dad says as he strides toward the hostess who’s waiting for us, clutching four giant menus in her hand. “I’m starving.”

I follow after him and Mom, taking Jade’s hand. She’s still looking at me, I can feel her gaze on my face but I refuse to look in her direction. I’m trying to come up with the proper way to ask her to stay with me for the summer.

Though I sort of blew that plan all to hell.

“What do you mean exactly, by spending the summer with me?” she finally asks.

My stomach sinks, and my appetite disappears. I didn’t want to have this conversation now. “We’ll talk about it later,” I whisper, squeezing her hand.

She pulls her hand out of my grasp and the sudden distance between us feels as large as the Pacific.

Damn it, I should’ve done this sooner. I’d planned to. I wanted to ask her while we were in bed, just drifting off to sleep, when she’s usually draped over me and I have my arm around her shoulders, drawing circles on her skin with my fingers. It’s that time between wakefulness and sleep, when we’re both mellow after multiple orgasms.

I could’ve been all romantic and shit, explaining to her how I couldn’t stand the thought of spending the entire summer away from her and I know it’s last minute, but hey instead of going home, you should stay with me, Jade. The house is huge and Tristan won’t be around, so that would give us plenty of privacy. I could even give you your own room if you want. We could have fun, just me and you. Lots and lots of fun.