Play Fair (The Devil's Share Book 3)
Read Play Fair (The Devil's Share Book 3) Online
Authors: L. P. Maxa
WILD. RECKLESS. IRRESPONSIBLE. A FATHER?
Jackson Cole has been called many things: immature, irresponsible, sexy as hell. But one thing he’s never been called is “Dad”—until Child Services shows up on his doorstep with a waifish nine-year-old claiming he’s the father. What’s a rock star to do? Call your best friend, who just happens to be super hot, funny, and even more commitment-phobic than you, and beg her to help. Of course, now that his friend is living in the same house, Jacks is finding it harder and harder to keep his hands to himself.
Bryan Lawson never expected to become pals with a charming, hilarious, breathtakingly handsome rock star, but after they met backstage at one of Jacks’s concerts, she couldn’t stop texting him. He’s just the sort of person she could imagine being with forever, except that, try as she might, she’s never managed to stay interested in a relationship for more than three months. Now that Jacks is a dad, the stakes are much higher. A breakup wouldn’t just ruin their friendship, it would destroy a little girl who’s just learning to love. But maybe also the game has changed.
Play Fair
Book Three of The Devil’s Share
L.P. Maxa
www.BOROUGHSPUBLISHINGGROUP.com
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Boroughs Publishing Group does not have any control over and does not assume responsibility for author or third-party websites, blogs or critiques or their content.
PLAY FAIR
Copyright © 2016 L.P. Maxa
All rights reserved. Unless specifically noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Boroughs Publishing Group. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of Boroughs Publishing Group is illegal and punishable by law. Participation in the piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights.
ISBN 978-1-944262-22-8
Ebook formatting by Maureen Cutajar
www.gopublished.com
For all the moms out there…whether your child grew in your heart or under it.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Since the dedication for
Play Fair
is to moms, I’ll go ahead and thank them first. As always, thank you to my CRAZY wonderful mother, and my grandmother who really loves reading all my dirty books. To all my AH-mazing mom friends, I don’t really know how I’d survive without you guys. And wine. To my perfect, loud, sassy, beautiful daughter—thank you for making me a mommy. To my uber supportive husband (he puts up with a lot, y’all) thank you for being such a good father, you made writing Jacks’s love for Landry the easiest thing I’ve ever done. As always, Jenni, thank you for molding this story with me and making it what it is. You’re always right :) KB, my number one prostitute, thank you for jumping on the trampoline with me and letting me take pictures of you half naked. You’re literally the best. And to that guy in that bar that let me watch him pick up chicks, sorry you went home alone *insert wince*. My readers, thank you times a million, because without you guys there would be no LP. And lastly, BIG shout out to my Smitten Kittens! Y’all keep me laughing, thanks for all the Gifs.
CONTENTS
Bryan and Jacks’s Text History
PLAY FAIR
“When you meet the one who changes the way your heart beats, dance with them to that rhythm for as long as the song lasts.”
—Kirk Diedrich
Bryan and Jacks’s Text History
(after the music festival)
Me: You tried talking to a counselor.
J: I saw this on the internet and thought of you http://www.vballfails.fhg.jk.com
B: Awwww! You were thinking about me while you were watching porn?! So sweet. And highly inappropriate.
J: Just click the link
B: Omg. Who told you?!
J: Told me what?
B: I’m the 3rd clip…
J: Hahahahahahalolhahahahahahahahahahahalolhahahahahahahahahahalolhahaha hahahahahahahalolhahahahahahahahahahahah
***
B: Whatcha doin’ love?
J: Playing Grand Theft Auto
B: Oooo the one where you can buy coke and screw hookers? Little art imitating life there, Jacky Boy?
J: Yes. But I don’t bang hookers
B: I always thought that game looked fun. And I’m preeetty sure hookers and groupies are one in the same.
J: I’ll send you a copy of the game. I don’t pay groupies, they blow fo’ free!
B: Nothing in life is free, kid. And I don’t have my Nintendo anymore, my mom sold it in a garage sale.
J: Nintendo? Are you serious?
B: Yeah, why? Is Sega the cool one?
J: Expect a large package tomorrow
B: Why? You coming to see me ;)
***
J: Good morning Baby Doll
B: Mornin’ Jacky Boy
J: You ready to play?
B: You are insatiable
J: Is that a yes?
B: Yes. But this time I want to bang a prostitute.
J: No. It’s weird. It makes me think of you in a sexual way. Makes my dick happy.
B: The wind makes your dick happy. You’re being sexist. Just don’t watch. Close your eyes.
J: Okay
B: And picture me, naked, writhing in the back seat of a car
J: I hate you
***
B: You going out to get some strange tonight, lover boy?
J: Nah. I’m beat, we were in the studio all day. You going out with the douche?
B: I don’t think so. His frat is throwing a party tonight. I’m all toga’d out this semester, he’s starting to bore/smother me anyway.
J: Wanna play?
B: I’m a little Grand Theft Auto’d out too. Movie?
J: I’m overnighting you a new game right now. Zombies.
B: I hope it’s super bloody
J: You know it! What movie do you wanna watch?
B: Something campy and low budget
J: That’s my girl
***
J: You awake?
B: It’s 2 am, dude.
J: I can’t sleep
B: Roll over and bug the chick that’s in your bed
J: I’m alone. And I’d rather bug the chick that’s in my phone
B: That’s sweet. In a really sad pathetic way
J: :(
B: Awww, I’m sorry Jacky. What’s wrong?
J: Nothing. Just wide awake. I drank a red bull at dinner.
B: Why?
J: We were out of milk
B: You’re right, Red Bull is a superb substitute for milk.
J: Come hang out with me
B: Okay, I’ll be there in…about…uh…
J: Can’t figure out the math in your head?
B: No :(
J: It’s okay.
B: I would though, come hang out with you, if you weren’t a lot of hours away
J: I would come hang out with you too. Don’t make fun of me, but I think you might be my best friend.
B: Ditto
***
J: What are you wearing?
B: Did you text the wrong chick?
J: No
B: Oh, okay. I’m wearing a t-shirt.
J: And?
B: That’s it, a t-shirt. I just got out of the shower.
J: Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea
B: Why? You don’t want to hear about the water trailing down my thighs?
J: No
B: Dick happy?
J: No… Maybe.
B: Hahahaha
J: You’re my bff. You shouldn’t make my dick happy.
B: I can’t help it. I make everyone’s dick happy ;)
***
B: I have a confession to make
J: You think of me while you bang your d bag of a boyfriend?
B: No.
J: Darn.
B: I played the zombie game without you this afternoon
J: YOU DID WHAT?!
B: I’m sorry. But I had a break in between classes. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer.
J: I was in the studio. I got in trouble for texting yesterday and they made me leave my phone in my room
B: Those bastards
J: I know, right?
B: Forgive me?
J: I could never stay mad at you.
B: I beat your high score.
J: This friendship is over
***
J: You still up?
B: Barely
J: Sorry. The band had a dinner we couldn’t get out of and it ran late
B: No worries
J: I missed hearing your voice tonight
B: Ditto
J: Call you in the morning?
B: Yes, please :)
J: Good night, doll
B: Night, Jacks
Chapter One
Jacks
My forearms were straining. “Yeah, that’s perfect. Right there.”
“Okay, good. Don’t stop.” I could almost hear her biting her perfect plump bottom lip.
“Wait, watch me, I’m coming behind you.”
“No! Stay back there. You said I could be in control this time.”
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “I know…but I’m better at it, doll. Just let me in.”
“No way. It’s my turn to win.”
“Ugh! Fine. You are such a brat.” I fell back to let Bryan take the lead on the apocalyptic war game we were playing via speaker phone. Who knew this volleyball-spiking, gorgeous klutz would be a good gamer? “B! Come on, how did you miss that shot?! See? This is why I need to be in front.”
“Shut it, Jacks. It was one missed shot. Look at the screen, my average is better than yours this round.”
I glanced to the bottom right-hand corner—she was right. “Well, look at that. Good job, B.” I fired off two rounds in the zombie coming up on my left. “Although, you are only improving so much because of my excellent tutelage.” I was the lead guitarist of The Devil’s Share, one of the hottest bands in the nation. I met plenty of great girls. But Bryan? She broke the damn mold. She had this amazingly down-to-earth personality. And she was gorgeous. Like a lingerie model: tiny waist, perfect curves, ice blue gorgeous eyes. I’m sure she turned heads everywhere she went, and I’m also sure she barely even noticed. If she were any other girl, I’d be hitting her up with the sexting on the regular. But I actually cared about her, like as a human. And although she was the coolest chick, ever, sex complicated things. AKA, it made nice girls turn into crazy clingy super fan stalkers. I wasn’t willing to lose her, or get a restraining order. So I kept my dick and my dirty thoughts to myself.
Bryan laughed. “Yeah. My zombie shooting skills have gone up and my grade point average has gone down. Thanks for the mentoring, Jacky Boy.”
I smiled. I was always smiling when I was spending time, well, virtual time, with Bryan. I’d only actually seen her in person once, at this music festival in New Orleans a month or so ago. She was visiting her older sister Dylan, who happened to be our tortured bassist’s new girlfriend. Bryan and I had clicked instantly. And by clicked instantly I meant that I’d tried to kiss her (my dick went rock-hard the second I laid eyes on her) and she punched me in the gut and then tripped on a floor cable, twisting her ankle in the process. She never ratted me out and we’d been long-distance besties ever since. My bandmate’s girlfriend’s baby sister was the best friend I’d ever had.