Page 20 of My Ex-Best Men (Ex Marks the Spot #4)

***Will***

“ W ell, she’s not going anywhere for a while.” I went straight to the bar in the living room and poured myself a double of whiskey. “I don’t know what she and Soph did today but I’ve never seen either of them that drunk.”

Zane smirked at me from his spot on the massive white couch.

Everything in the fucking house was sparkling white.

No one else seemed as worried as I was about getting shit dirty.

I sat across from the cocky rockstar and frowned.

He was still smirking at me and it made me want to open a window and throw him into the ocean.

“ What? ”

“I’ve seen her that drunk. She went through a wild phase with me.

She challenged a biker to a drinking contest at a bar in Miami one night…

If she hadn’t been so fucking cute with her glasses sliding down her nose the guy might’ve been tempted to murder us.

” His smirk turned into a genuine smile.

“By the end of the night, the biker was so charmed by her that he pretended to pass out so Claire could win. She probably still thinks she drank a biker under the table.”

Anthony leaned against the floor to ceiling windows and stared out at the ocean. “She went through a wild phase or she had to be hammered to be with you?”

I snorted. “Funny.”

“Not funny.” Zane drained the last of his beer and put it on the coffee table between us. When Anthony offered him another, he took it. “I usually stick to just one beer these days but it’s a special occasion.”

“Good for you.” With a deep sigh Anthony sank into the other end of the couch from Zane and then grunted as it tried to inhale him. He struggled to sit upright and swore. “Who the fuck thought these couches were a good idea? It’s like sitting in quicksand.”

“The owner is a local who I’m pretty sure has never sat on a couch a day in her life. She’s a speed walker. Competitively.” I drained my whiskey. “What are we doing?”

“Sitting and talking?” Zane nodded at Anthony. “You think he’s inhaled a little too much smoke? Or is he leaning into the dumb meathead thing a little too hard?”

“When your music career is over, skip the comedy phase of your mid-life crisis, buddy.” I put my glass down and pointed at the ceiling. “I meant what are we doing about Claire.”

Anthony leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know what the two of you are doing but I’m planning on ending this week with her at my side.”

I bristled. “You’re going to need to rework your plans because she’s mine.”

“You’re both wrong.” Zane was back to smirking. “Claire is going to be mine.”

“Didn’t you ghost her when you went to LA to make it big?” I raised my eyebrows at him. “Why the fuck would she give you another chance?”

That knocked the smirk off of his face. “Things were different back then. I’m not the same person and I’m going to show her that. What we had was intense and…special. That means something.”

“You don’t think what I had with her was?” Anthony stood up and paced to the windows. “I was going to marry her.”

“But you didn’t.” Feeling stressed suddenly, I went to the bar again and poured myself another. “I was her first. We had something-”

“Secretive and taboo. You had something with Claire that she had to hide.” Grabbing his now empty beer bottle, Zane twisted it in his hands. “She’s never going to choose you over Sophia.”

I wanted to hit him because I was afraid he was right.

Claire loved Soph like a sister and that love was what stopped us from being together the first time.

I wanted to tell everyone that we were together and she didn’t.

I’d walked away because my pride hadn’t been able to handle staying her secret, especially when she seemed to think we would never be open about who we were to each other.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, fire boy, but I’m not pulling any punches.

I’m going home with Claire.” Zane stood up so the three of us were facing each other.

If we swayed a little, I’d blame it on the sea.

“She might be attracted to all three of us but it’ll only take one night with me for her to forget about the two of you. ”

Anthony laughed and the sound was so strange coming from him that Zane and I both took a step back. “She came twice on my fingers this morning and that was a slow morning compared to what we used to do. It won’t take her long to make her choice.”

“Or maybe she cares a little more about quality over quantity. Claire’s coming to me first and we’ll deal with the shit with Soph later. None of it will matter in the long run. You two may as well pack your bags and head home.”

“How about a friendly wager? Whoever Claire lets fuck her is the winner and the losers learn to keep their hands to themselves? Winner takes all and the losers go home empty handed.” Zane stared long and hard at each of us. “I’m confident that I’m leaving with Claire so I’m not worried.”

Anthony scowled but he stuck out his hand. “Fine. When I win, you both need to go back to the hotel. I have plans for this house.”

I glared at his hand and then at Zane. “If it’ll get you two assholes to fuck off, fine. I bet I win Claire and have her screaming my name before the week’s over. I want you both to stay in the house and hear it, though. So you know for sure who she belongs to.”

“And if she doesn’t scream your name, fire boy?” Zane shook his head but then he smiled. “Fine. If she screams one of our names first, there should be another bet. A side bet.”

“What will I get when I win?” I could be cocky, too.

“I’m so confident that I’ll win that I’ll put up a hundred grand.” Anthony put his hands on his hips and stared us down.

“Fine. I’m in.” Zane looked at me. “Can you afford to play, fire boy?”

I couldn’t. That didn’t mean I was going to back down. “I’m in.”

We shook hands and then settled back into the awful couches. Somehow, with the bets settled, the tension eased and when Zane suggested we turn an old game on, it sounded like a good idea. Being shitfaced had nothing to do with how easily we were getting along. Probably.