Knockout (Tapped Out 4)

“Yeah, but even getting the spiel is big. I’m not surprised. You’ve been killing it out there.”

I tried not to swallow my tongue. Gio was only a little older than me, but I really looked up to him. His words of praise were worth almost as much as Einrich possibly being interested in me. “Thank you. Coming from you that means everything.”

“And what, coming from us it means nothing?” JC grabbed the bottle of champagne and popped the top.

The girls squealed and laughed, but I just glared at JC. Why did he always have to start shit? I wasn’t trying to diminish his opinion. Gio simply had no reason to offer me empty compliments.

“He didn’t say that, Jase.”

JC glanced at Lily and poured the first glass. He knew as well as I did that when Lily hauled out the full-name stuff, he should can it.

Not that he’d ever been wise enough to do that.

“No? Sure sounded like it to me. No offense, man,” he said to Gio, sliding the glass of champagne toward Lily. “But I’m just thinking that we should mean more to him than that.”

Without looking around the table, I could tell that glances were being exchanged. I knew it because if the situation had been reversed, I would’ve been looking too.

“Jase,” Lily said again, quieter now. She gripped the hem of his jacket and he paused mid-pour, staring down at her. “Let this be Emerson’s night. His way.”

His jaw clenched and released. “You know what? You’re right. If he wants to celebrate, fabulous. If he doesn’t, that’s cool too. But me, I’m gonna drink some fucking champagne, because I just told my girl I loved her tonight, and her dad gave me his blessing to date her.” He bumped knuckles with Gio and Dan, then slung his arm around Lily’s shoulders and tugged her against his side. “Drink up, baby. We’re partying tonight.”

I fought down the buzz in my ears, not wanting to miss Lily’s denial. There was no way JC had asked Lance’s permission to date her. Was there? And he’d given it, no questions asked?

But Lily’s denial never came. She slid me an apologetic look under her lashes then lifted her glass of champagne, spilling a little en route to her mouth. JC tipped her glass back and she shoved him away.

Still not denying a damn thing.

I had no reason to be jealous. I’d never said anything about wanting to take our…situation public. JC even alluding to it a moment ago had tightened my gut until I wasn’t sure I’d be able to swallow anything more substantial than water. But they’d also never asked me. Never mentioned wanting to be out there. Definitely never said, “Hey, if you’re not cool with it, we are, so too goddamn bad.”

If somehow Lance was okay with Lily being with JC, then I had to accept it. Maybe they really didn’t want to be with me as more than a fuck buddy, anyway. For all I knew, tonight had been some kind of goodbye, though it sure hadn’t felt like it.

But now it was.

A couple of weeks ago, I would’ve thought this was the perfect arrangement. I’d never intended to take Lily for myself. How could I? I’d made a promise to her dad. But if JC acted as her boyfriend, and Lance was okay with that, then I could have Lily and still not risk damaging my relationship with her father.

Now I couldn’t imagine having Lily without her being mine. In front of everyone. For good.

I didn?

?t know where I stood with JC. Maybe just here. We’d fucked around with each other, and we were both in love with the same girl. Only difference was that he’d get to keep her.

“Sounds like congratulations are in order.” I snatched Lily’s almost empty glass the second she set it down. JC was taking too damn long to pour. “So let’s party.”

Twelve

I lit into JC the minute we got into his car to go home after the club. “Did you really have to do that?” Jerkily, I snapped my belt into place.

“Do what?”

His mild tone made me snarl. “You know exactly what. You goaded Emerson. Why, I don’t know. We’d just had such an amazing time together, and you had to—”

“You’re right. It was amazing. So what the fuck was up with him acting like Giovanni’s opinion meant so much and ours was worth shit?”

I fell silent. That wasn’t what Em had been acting like. Had it?

God knows I was still so starry-eyed from earlier that maybe I’d missed a few subtle clues. I’d been so overwhelmed, so awed, that the two men I loved so much could love each other too so openly and honestly. Their bravery in expressing themselves made me want to be stronger than I was, and to stand up to my father and admit what was really going on.

Yes, I loved JC, but I loved Emerson too. And if I couldn’t have both of them, I wouldn’t have one. In this case, it was truly double or nothing.