Never Say Never (Haven Harbor #3)

Chapter 5

FIVE

NO-STRINGS SEX

T ucker

I kick my runners off at the door and walk into the house I share with Holden on Haven Harbor. I find Holden and Grayson sitting on the couch eating steaks and watching the game. Their eyes stay locked on the big screen mounted above the fireplace as a Ranger takes a shot on net and narrowly misses, ending the second period and prompting a string of curse words from Holden.

“Florida is lucky they have Luv between the pipes tonight. That should have been a damn goal.”

Holden glares at the TV. “We should be up by four. They’re playing like jackasses. I need another beer.” He tosses the remote onto the couch before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

“Hey. Grab me one too,” I say as I sink into the leather armchair.

“How’d work go? Big game this weekend, right?” Grayson asks.

“Yeah, it is,” I say, dragging a hand through my hair.

The Reed Point Outlaws are riding a 4-game winning streak, and we have a home game on Friday. The season will be over before we know it then we’ll be playing for the conference championship and a spot in the national championship. We need this win. We need them all but heading out on the road with a W on the books is a confidence boost. When players lose their confidence, an entire season can go down the toilet, which is exactly what I’m trying to avoid.

“You’ll get the win,” Holden says as he returns to the couch, handing me a beer as he sits down. “The team’s been looking great.”

“Thanks, man. So, how was dinner with Jake last night? Any shenanigans to report?”

I don’t miss the look that passes between the two of them.

“What happened? What did I miss?”

Holden snickers at Grayson. “He’s either going to care or he’s going to really fucking care.”

“Oh, he’s going to really fucking care all right, but he’ll play it off like he couldn’t care less,” Grayson laughs, like I’m not sitting right here listening to their stupid conversation.

“What the fuck are you two idiots talking about? What did I miss?”

Holden finally looks at me and lets out a long exhale, as if preparing to be the bearer of bad news. It suddenly clicks who they must be talking about. They’re talking about Daisy. My spine instantly stiffens.

“Seriously, man, maybe you want to finish that beer before we get into it. That vein in your neck looks like it’s about to explode,” Holden says.

“Just break it to him.” Grayson urges.

“You do it.”

“Jesus,” I say. “Enough. Can someone just tell me?”

“We saw Daisy at Cocina Caliente. She was with some guy we didn’t recognize. They looked like they were really into each other.”

My mouth falls open, but I close it again before I say something I might regret. “What do you mean, you don’t know who the guy is?”

“Wasn’t anyone from around here. None of us recognized him.”

Reed Point is the size of a shoebox. Everyone knows everyone. So, whoever the guy was, odds are he’s from out of town. So how the hell does Daisy know him? And how well does she know him? My heart pounds behind my ribcage.

“Did she go home with him?” I ask, my right foot bouncing in a steady rhythm against the hardwood.

“Dude, you need to chill,” Holden cautions.

“Answer me,” I warn. “Did she go home with the guy or not?”

“No. Relax, man. He left before she did.” Grayson shakes his head. “Seriously Tuck, when are you going to admit you have a thing for her? Do yourself a favor and find your balls. Do something. You need to fuck the girl out of your system.”

“Fuck you.” Daisy is not a girl you fuck and walk away from, and I’m pissed he would even suggest it. I would never cross that line. “At least my balls are attached to my body. Sierra has yours in a fucking vice grip.”

Jake’s sister Sierra moved to a place here on Haven Harbor a little over a year ago, and Grayson has been batshit crazy about her since the day they met. There were a few bumps along the way for the two of them, but today they are very happily married. Gray got the girl of his dreams, and as an added bonus he gets to bug Jake mercilessly about it every chance he gets.

Grayson grins and puts his hands up. “Take it easy, Tuck. You don’t have to be a dick about it. Forget it. You’re not into Daisy… whatever. But if that’s the case, then stop being a cockblock. You’re an overprotective ass when it comes to her.”

I’ve had enough of this conversation. I’m hungry and I’m annoyed and I’m being an asshole. “Is there an extra steak for me?”

“Of course, it’s on the grill. There’s a baked potato for you too.”

“Thanks,” I mutter, walking toward the back deck. I stop in my tracks and turn back to Grayson. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. Sierra’s the best. You know I’m happy for the two of you.”

“We’re good. I know. But I stand by what I said. You need to fuck your stepsister out of your system.”

“She’s not my stepsister,” I groan. “She’s my god-sister. There’s a difference.”

Sort of.

“All the more reason,” Holden says with a smirk. “I’m with Gray on this one, for what it’s worth. I think it would do you some good to bone her.”

“Not a fucking chance.”

Closing the patio door behind me, I lean against the balcony railing and drag a hand over my face. Obviously, I haven’t done a very good job of hiding my feelings for Daisy. If I’m being honest, there’s nothing I’d like more than to fuck Daisy’s brains out.

The guys are right about one thing: I definitely need to get this girl out of my system. Just the thought of her with this other guy is enough to drive me fucking crazy. Maybe they have a point; maybe the reason I’m so hung up on her is because she’s always been off limits. Maybe if we did bang, I could move on without this constant ache in my chest every time I think about her.

Or maybe it would just make me want her more.

Tipping back my red Solo cup, I take a long drink of the cold beer then wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. I’m wiped today after being up half the night tossing and turning, but I give myself a quick mental pep talk, trying to return my focus to the evening ahead. It’s not as easy as it sounds. If I’m not thinking about the game the Outlaws need to win on Friday or our upcoming road trip, I’m thinking about Daisy.

If anything can stop this endless cycle of unwanted thoughts, it’s tonight’s party. It’s one of my favorite nights of the year in Reed Point.

My gaze roves over the packed pier and the dock party that’s in full swing. The dock glows with hundreds of string lights and colorful paper lanterns that sway above the crowd. It’s an annual fundraiser hosted by the Reed Point Fire Hall. They throw a bash at sunset, complete with a beer garden, BBQ and a live band. The tickets sell out every year weeks in advance and there’s always a mix of locals and boaters who sail in from neighboring towns, dock their boats and spend the night in the marina for the weekend.

This party is guaranteed to be a blast. I might feel like crap, but my plan is to drink enough to get over it.

As I empty my cup, my eyes land on Becca Livingstone, who’s standing close to the stage where the band is warming up. When I catch her eye and smile in her direction, she whispers something to her friend and then makes her way through the crowd and directly to me.

Becca is a lot like me. And that is why I like her.

She’s fun, she’s straightforward and she understands no-strings sex, which makes her the perfect girl to fool around with. We’ve been hooking up for years and she’s phenomenal between the sheets; so good she’ll fuck the hell out of my cock until I’ve come twice in under an hour.

She’s not shy, she’s a giver and when we’re done and we’ve both come, she’s putting on her clothes and heading out the door. She might be just what I need to forget the brunette I can’t stop thinking about.

She eats up the space between us until I can feel her warm breath against my neck.

“Hey Tuck,” she murmurs.

“Hey, Bec. Having fun?”

“Of course, I am. But I bet I’ll have even more fun now that you’re here.”

Her eyes drink me in as she moves in for a hug, and I wrap my arms tightly around her curvy figure as her ample breasts press firmly to my chest.

“You busy after this?”

“Not too busy for you,” I say, watching her lips tip up in a sultry smile.

“Good,” Becca purrs, going up on her toes to press a kiss to the side of my mouth. Just then I spot Daisy on the dance floor, and that’s all it takes for my cock to twitch to life. I move a little to my left to get a better view. She has on a simple gray dress that stops mid-thigh and the pair of Converse sneakers that she wears almost exclusively. My dick might have been half-hard only a second ago, but now it’s granite. Daisy looks incredible.

How the hell does she make a T-shirt dress look so damn hot? She’s just fucking gorgeous.

It’s the way she’s never cared about other people’s opinions of her, even when she was a teenager and would walk into stuffy events at the country club our families belonged to wearing wild, thrift store clothes while the rest of the girls were draped in brand names from head-to-toe. It’s the way she’s always been fearless, like when she jumped out of a plane after graduation or the time she bungee jumped off of the High Steel Bridge in Washington. It’s the way she never hesitates to call me out when I’m being a dick.

Every little, spontaneous thing about Daisy Carter turns me on, and that has made my life fucking hell. Living in the same small town as Daisy, running into her when I’m out with the guys, attending family dinners together every single Sunday—and wanting her the entire time. I deserve a fucking medal for the self-restraint I have shown.

I’ve been so busy staring at Daisy that I didn’t even notice the tall dude beside her. The one who is now putting his hand on her shoulder and leaning down to whisper something in her ear. I see red.

Who the fuck is that, and why the hell is he touching her?

I squint to get a better look at the asshole next to her. This must be the guy Grayson and Holden told me about, the one they saw with Daisy at the restaurant the other night.

Dammit to hell.

The guy looks like a douche. If he puts his hands on her one more time, he and I are going to have a talk.

“I see you found your stepsister,” Holden says quietly as he appears with a drink in each hand. He passes one to me and I immediately take a long swig.

“She isn’t my stepsister,” I grumble, watching Daisy tilt her head back and laugh at something the prick says to her. “Is that the guy?”

“That’s the one she was with at Cocina the other night,” Holden says. “Honestly, they look good together.”

His words are like a kick to my groin. “Shut the fuck up, Holden.”

Becca laces her hand through mine, a reminder that she’s still here. “Tuck, what do you say we go chill on my uncle’s boat over there? I’ve decided I’m ready to get out of here.”

She tugs gently on my hand, but my feet don’t budge.

“Tuck?” she coos. “I want you so bad.”

I tear my gaze away from Daisy to deal with Becca, who is staring up at me with heavy-lidded eyes. If I were to follow her right now, it would mean a wild night of sex. But I can’t leave here until I find out who this guy is, and what’s going on between him and Daisy.

“I’m sorry, Bec. Something’s come up. I’ll have to catch you later.”

“You’re joking, right?” she asks as I untangle my hand from hers.

“I’m not, unfortunately.”

She rolls her eyes at me and stomps away, clearly pissed. With Becca gone, I return my focus to Daisy and to the guy’s hand that has just moved from her shoulder down to her waist.

That is all I need to see. I chug the rest of my beer, then shove the empty cup into Holden’s chest and stalk directly over to Daisy and the dickhead.