“What? You hate that she chose the little brother over the big brother for prom. You can’t stand it,” I teased. I was feeling extra punchy this morning. It was the combination of sleep deprivation, incredible sex, and being pissed at management .
“You always bring up Laney fucking Peppercorn. You know she’s married now and has three kids, Luke .”
“Yeah. So ?”
“So. She’s not part of this equation. Always with the Laney Peppercorn thing. Damn it .”
He threw the gear in park and stared ahead at the offices attached to the far end of the stadium. The concrete was stained with black streaks. I heard him mutter Laney’s name again. I liked to rile him up about her. Every once in a while I’d throw in she was the first girl I’d ever slept with, but that just rubbed salt in the wound. He’d been hung up on her for his entire senior year and never had the balls to ask her out .
That wasn’t me. I’d always had balls too big for my own good. Fuck. I got what I wanted because I went after it. In high school it was Laney Peppercorn. Last night it was Alexa Wilde. God, she was worth every second of missed sleep .
Linc reached for his briefcase. I guessed he thought it made him look more official—less like my brother, and more like the manager of the AFA’s highest-rated quarterback .
I eyed the corporate offices .
Somewhere in there, Charlie was waiting for us. Waiting to save my career with a life-altering public relations campaign. I wanted to punch something just thinking about it. He didn’t know me. He didn’t know how I lived my life. And I’d be willing to put a thousand grand on the table when we walked in, betting he didn’t know a fucking thing about football .
“Let’s get this over with,” I grumbled .
We both stepped from the truck and made our way to the McCade offices .
“Just let me do the talking,” Linc advised. “Don’t piss this guy off in the first five minutes .”
“This is fucking bullshit.” I tapped the elevator button .
“Yeah, but it’s the bullshit I handle, so keep your mouth shut. This is what you pay me to do .”
We stepped inside the elevator and counted the numbers to the top floor. I didn’t know if McCade thought he could actually impress someone in this shithole. Scheduling the meeting here was a statement. I got the message. This was a corporate issue. Not something for the locker room or the field. There weren’t enough touchdowns I could throw to get me out of the meeting. This was legal and human resources. This was the bastard’s only way to muscle me into anything .
The doors retracted and we walked down the hall to the conference room. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. The corridor had the same effect as walking down a school hallway .
“I didn’t get that girl pregnant,” I clenched my teeth. If all hell broke loose when we walked in that room, Linc needed to know why. McCade might think he could push me around, but I wasn’t taking the fall for something I didn’t do .
Fatherhood wasn’t going down on my list of sins .
Linc pressed my shoulder, locking his fingers into the joint with firmness. “I know you didn’t. I’m going to handle it .”
I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Let’s see what this fucker says .”
I walked in after Linc. As soon as I lifted my head I thought we had walked into the wrong meeting. Linc stopped short off the conference table. I realized what the problem was .
Ass.
It wiggled and backed up right in front of Linc. Wrapped in a tight black skirt, it was one hell of an ass. And it only got better when she lifted her head out from under the table .
“Sorry.” She wiped a tendril of dark hair from her face. “I dropped my pen .”
“No problem. Need help with anything else?” Linc offered .
She smiled. Her lips were painted in red. “I think I have everything else. Thanks .”
I ribbed my brother in the side with my elbow. We needed to get to our meeting .
“You wouldn’t happen to know where we could find Charlie Maine would you? We have a meeting.” Linc was all smiles .
She sat primly in one of the rolling chairs and inched it close to the table. “You’re in the right place. Have a seat .”
“Is he running late?” I heard the air of triumph in Linc’s voice. He liked having one-up on the guy. “We could both go for a cup of coffee while we wait for him .”
Her green eyes widened with something tinged with anger and shock. “You think I’m your coffee bitch ?”
Linc was startled. “I wouldn’t call an office admin that .”
“I’m Charlie Maine,” she hissed .
Motherfucker.
I groaned. Damn it. She could add sexist chauvinists to her perception of us .
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Canton.” She extended her hand to me .
“Likewise. Sorry about my manager.” I glared at Linc .
“The other Mr. Canton?” she asked .
Linc knew how big his fuckup had been and we hadn’t even gotten through introductions yet .
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Maine. I apologize for the mix-up there .”
“Miss Maine,” she corrected him .
He smiled, sliding into the seat across from her. I joined him, prepared for whatever she had aimed at me. It was likely ten times worse now that she had been insulted and reduced in status .
“Sorry again.” Linc was unraveled .
“We don’t have much time to get our action plan started. I like to work quickly .”
Linc cleared his throat. “I understand this meeting is required by ownership, but I want to say on behalf of Luke, before we go any further, that the accusations that were presented yesterday are completely false .”
She lifted her long eyelashes. “I don’t care whether they are true or not. The only thing that matters is whether we can keep the rumor from leaking. Because at this point, the public is going to believe anything she says .”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Linc cut me off .
“That’s ridiculous. It’s a lie. Making Luke jump through hoops like this when he should be in the weight room or on the field is a waste of a million-dollar arm. This is bad business all around. I thought I could count on Mr. McCade to at least make a sound business decision .”
I could tell that irritated her. She pressed her lips together in a straight line. She was pretty in that business kind of way. She had an incredible body combined with dark hair and striking green eyes. If she wasn’t wearing a suit and lodged behind a laptop she might be a different girl altogether. But that wasn’t the reality. She wasn’t dressed in tight jeans, waiting for some guy to buy her a drink in a bar. No, Miss Maine was sitting in the McCade conference room and held every ounce of power the old man had given her. She was ready to bust my balls for every mistake I’d made up until to this very moment .
“I’ve been hired to clean up your image. And that’s what I’m going to do .”
I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms together. My image? It was a fucking joke. It was beyond salvation. Everyone knew who Luke Canton really was. I didn’t pretend. I didn’t hide behind press statements .
Her nails clicked on the keyboard and she twirled her screen around to face us .
“Let’s talk about this.” She pointed at a headline from the hospital gala. It must have been the same one Linc read this morning .
“What about it?” I asked .
“We need more of this. All the time. You did an excellent job last night. Perfect .”
“It wasn’t my idea,” I grumbled .
Her eyebrows rose. “It doesn’t have to be. I’ll take care of those things, but from here on out everything you do is scripted. The events. The donations. Signing autographs for kids after the games. Who you hang out with. Everything .”
I felt the vise clamping down on me. I wasn’t the team pet. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let this girl tell me who I could see. Linc needed to get her pretty white teeth
off my ass .
“So you’re going to tell him he can’t continue to see Lexi Wilde?” Linc threw, what he thought was a touchdown, in her face .
Linc’s question had the same effect as a bomb going off in the room. Charlie was stunned, and I had to wait for the smoke to clear to decide if I was going to punch my brother .
“Lexi Wilde?” Charlie’s eyes lit. “The Lexi Wilde? You two are actually together ?”
“No. It’s nothing.” I shook off the insinuation. “Linc is screwing around .”
“Now, that is interesting.” She typed into the laptop again and whispered whatever was on the screen. I was busy threatening my fucking brother with my eyes .
“Yes. Yes. She’s in town the rest of today. She posted something on her Instagram this morning. Perfect.” Charlie’s attention turned to me. “I was going to present a list of suitable Austin bachelorettes, but this works even better. We need a woman to clean up your image. I have to say I’m impressed .”
“Hold on. I only met Alexa last night. I don’t want to drag her into this. It has nothing to do with her. What does she have to do with football ?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Charlie didn’t give a shit. She operated like a guy that way. “She is your ticket to redemption .”
“That’s not a ticket I’m buying.” My jaw clenched .
Alexa had her own problems. I knew that without knowing the details on what they were. She didn’t show up on my doorstep last night because she had everything she wanted. She showed up because I could give her something she was missing .
“I want you to meet her at the hospital. Take her flowers. Do something sweet. I can help you with that part. Oh, and visit the kids. Try to make it a joint appearance. Completely unplanned and authentic looking .
“And I don’t care how or when, but I want the press to see you kiss her. Plain as day. Nothing blurry—not one of those interpretive pictures. I need a full-on lip-lock that is going to meltdown the internet. I want everyone talking about you two .”
Charlie’s cheeks flushed and her emerald eyes glowed. She was getting off on this. I’d seen the same look in the coaches’ eyes when they came up with a game-winning play. Or on the sideline when I ran a reverse route no one saw coming .
“You have got to be fucking with me,” I growled .
She flattened her palms on the table. “I never fuck around, Luke. Never .”
Thirteen
Alexa
I blinked again. “Luke?”
Jake had hissed at me like a snake on the phone, insisting the Warriors had set up the entire hospital ambush. For a brief second I pictured him with a forked tongue. I wanted Luke to tell me Jake was a paranoid ass as usual. There was no way that he would have set me up like that .
And that kiss. I had felt it down to my toes. He wanted me. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. And for a few hours I thought he was the sweetest, hottest guy on the planet to entertain the kids. He was in it. I saw him. He joked with them. Tossed the ball and signed autographs. He was some kind of an unreal mix of bad-boy-sweet-sexy-dish that I wanted more of .
“Alexa.” He turned toward the stove, dialing the burner to a low number. I didn’t care about food right now. I cared about an answer .
The whiskey burned in my empty stomach .
Every second that ticked by with Luke’s silence, I had a sinking feeling I knew what the answer was. Damn it. If Jake was right about this, I’d never live it down. Add it to one more of the mistakes he threw in my face on a regular basis. The silence grew to an uncomfortable level .
“I-I can’t believe you aren’t denying it.” I waited. “What would make you do something like this? You have plenty of press. You have paparazzi. Why would you want us to be caught kissing? Why ?”
I saw a hint of regret in his eyes. He didn’t deny it. I had accused him and he never fought back. Luke didn’t seem like the kind of man to take wild accusations lightly. All the more reason I was suspicious .
“Luke!”
“Fuck.” He whipped around. “I didn’t have anything to do with it. Ok ?”
“Except you had everything to do with it. You knew it was going to happen. You were there. It is not ok. My manager is having a heart attack trying to do damage control .”
“It was supposed to be good for my image,” he tried to explain .
“What? How?” And then I realized what he was saying. How the pieces clicked into place .
I was what made the image complete. A kiss with me somehow righted the balance of his bad boy reputation. For the same reason he pulled me down, I lifted him up. He used me. And he got what he wanted .
I had to get out of here. I looked for my bag, frantic to get out of Luke’s house. I’d call a cab. I’d call Jake if I had to. I wasn’t going to spend another minute under the roof of a man who would trade me in for his own benefit. Dragging and kicking me into the mud. Using my name with ease as if I were his property to dictate. I had enough of that with Jake .
“Alexa, wait .”
Luke followed me to the next room .
“I’m an idiot. A naïve, stupid, girl,” I huffed. “The country sweetheart who got fucked by the bad boy. Got it. I won’t make the mistake again .”
There it was. I spotted the bag where I had dropped it on the leather couch .
“You’re not stupid. It was a dick move .”
I laughed. “Dick? That’s it. Dick move ?”
“I’m sorry. Ok? I shouldn’t have let it get that far .”
“Which part?” I steamed. “What part exactly went too far, Luke? The part where you led me to believe you gave a shit about sick kids? The part when I agreed to come back here with you today? The part when I let myself think we had some kind of connection after I spent the night with you?” I stood with my hands on my hips. My cheeks were hot and my hands started to shake. “I’d love to hear it. Which part exactly should you have reined in ?”
I don’t know why I felt as betrayed as I did. It wasn’t as if I was in some kind of serious relationship with the quarterback. We had one night together. One amazing, change-my-life kind of night, but nonetheless—only one night. I was overacting to the level of deception. Too late to dial that down now. I was in full-blown Alexa mode .
“The press. That part.” He moved in front of me to grab my shoulders. I almost stumbled into him with the impact. “And I do care about sick kids,” he added. “And you .”
I glared at him. Nothing he could say at this point was going to soften me. I was angry and there was a violation of my trust he couldn’t heal with sexy bedroom eyes and sweet apologies .
“Well, you suck .”
I threw the bag over my shoulder, shaking his heavy hands from my body. I wanted out from under this .
“Don’t you want to hear what happened?” he asked .
I was three steps out of the living room, but I slowed down before I made it to the garage .
“Does it matter ?”
“It does to me. Come back and sit down, Alexa .”
It was the way he said my name. The gravel in his voice. The forlorn look in his eyes. Shit. My phone buzzed again and I hesitated to answer Jake’s next call .
“Don’t answer it,” he instructed .
My eyes darted to Luke. I didn’t have to listen to him. I didn’t have to do anything he told me to do. But I thought about last night. How I gave myself to him. How when I let myself be free in his arms I’d never felt more alive in my life. Listening to Luke Canton last night had been the best decision I’d made in years .
He unlocked something in me I couldn’t get anyone else to see. No one wanted to see it. But Luke did. And only an hour ago I had been ready to go right back to that place. To his bed. To do all the dirty and naughty things we could under his sheets before I had to get on a plane to Nashville. I’d only had a few short hours with the man who had made every part of my body vibrate with ecstasy. It wasn’t enough .
And before now I wa
sn’t worried about his reputation. I didn’t care about what people thought about Luke. All I cared about was what he could do for me. How he could make me feel. I was here to drain every last drop of pleasure from him before I flew out of town. Because what I wanted was the bad boy. I wanted a rule breaker. Someone to push me .
Did that make me any better than Luke? Or were we the same? Both needing something from the other? Using each other? It was personal gain in different forms. Shit .
My boots clacked along the hardwoods. I stopped in front of the couch .
“Ok, I’m listening. You have two minutes,” I threatened .
“I didn’t think you would turn around .”
“I didn’t think I would either.” My eyes narrowed .
What was the feeling running through my body? Defeat? Anger? Anticipation? I closed my eyes. Luke had set me on edge and we were completely clothed. There was an electric source that trickled from his body. No matter what I did I was drawn to it. Angry or not .
“Sit.” He patted the leather seat and I did as he commanded .
I felt tiny, dwarfed by the huge pieces of furniture and Luke’s big frame. He was tall even when he was sitting .
“I’m sorry about the press attack.” His hand landed on my knee. “It wasn’t my idea, but I went along with it .”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to spend time with you.” His hand inched farther up my leg, and I couldn’t help the fire that spread between my thighs .
“You could have done that without the cameras .”
“And I was going to. We had that planned before the paparazzi showed up. After you left this morning, I had a meeting with my new PR consultant. Charlie says I have to rebuild my image. I think our meeting at the gala last night was the inspiration for the whole thing. You could help change the public’s perception of me .”
“But it’s only perception, right? You aren’t actually interested in becoming a different person.” I didn’t know how I could sound so hostile, while at the same time my body was firing with want for him. His fingers dug into my skin .
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