by Violet Paige
I cracked a smile. “I know. You would have been crazy to try it without me .”
It hadn’t been easy opening the doors to the boat barn again. Once I had though, I knew I couldn’t close the place up. Cole deserved to live out his dream, just like I was. So when he had asked if I wanted to re-invest in the family business, I couldn’t turn him down. He needed start-up cash and I promised I’d play the role of silent partner. In the summers I’d be here to work on the boats .
I hadn’t figured out how my dad fit into it. Once I found out he had kept Sierra’s pregnancy a secret from me and that he had been the reason she left, I hadn’t been able to think about him the same way. Part of me wanted to burn the barn down and all his work inside .
Handing it over to Cole helped. I let it go. I focused on what really mattered—Sierra and the baby. The renovations were underway at Lindy’s place. It was ours now. I don’t Sierra knew how happy it made me when she said she wanted to keep the house. I’d pay any expense she wanted to restore it to its original state .
And the nursery was going to be massive. The baby would wake up every day of the summer and see the water. Nothing made either of us happier. I might have a life in professional sports, but my children were going to grow up here in the offseason. They would learn how to respect the water. They’d learn how to respect nature. They’d learn how to respect family .
Sierra and Emily locked arms and huddled closer to the fire. “How long do you think the bromance stuff will go on?” Sierra asked. “I’m starving and freezing .”
Cole walked over to the fire. “All right, ladies, I think these bad boys are ready.” He grabbed a bucket and started shoveling the hot oysters into the empty barrel. “Who wants the first one ?”
“I’ll take one.” Emily raced around the side of the roasting station to join Cole .
He slipped on a heavy work glove and began separating the shells. “Here you go. First one of the oyster roast. Hot off the fire .”
Emily smiled at him as he leaned closer, dangling the oyster out of her reach. “Cole, stop .”
I felt Sierra’s gaze as I watched her friend and my cousin. She joined me away from the fire .
“Nice toast.” She bumped my side with her hip .
“You’re the one who said I should try it.” I sipped on the drink. I was enjoying it more than any glass of wine I had ever tried. Too bad Sierra couldn’t have a taste .
“And it was perfect.” She smiled .
I laughed. “You know I almost didn’t think I was going to make it through it .”
Sierra turned toward me, sliding her free hand into mine. “I knew you could do it.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “So, what exactly is your favorite thing on this island ?”
“You even have to ask?” I brushed my lips across her mouth. “I’ve never been so happy since you moved back here with me.” I felt the familiar sparks her kisses always stirred. “Part-time, or whatever you call our back and forth to Florida .”
“You weren’t too happy when you found out you had to lug my boxes down ten flights of stairs or when the moving truck got a flat tire in Alabama. Was it worth it?” She batted her eyes at me .
I ran a hand along her face, and held her chin between my thumb and finger. “Darlin’, nothing has ever been more worth it.” I closed the distance between us, and sometime during the kiss, we both lost our glasses .
“Eh-hem. Excuse us,” Emily called. “We have a boat to christen with champagne. Focus, you two .”
“You got it, girl.” I grabbed Sierra by the hand and tugged her toward the shoreline .
Emily held up the bottle of champagne she had chosen for this occasion. Cole snagged it and faced the boat .
“Just like in batting practice,” I called .
He laughed as he pulled the bottle back, focused on the target he selected on the bow, and swung forward with the full force of his arm. We cheered as the bottle shattered along the beach .
“How was that?” Cole turned to face the group .
“Let’s take her out, and then I’m headed inside. It’s damn cold.” I hopped onto the boat .
“I hear ya, man.” Cole placed Emily inside the boat before jogging to the other side to shove her off. Sierra reached for my hand as I helped her step over the side .
“You ok with this?” I asked her. “You can stay here until we get back .”
She shook her head. “No way. I’m in this with you. The boats. The island. Football. All of it .”
I leaned over to steal a kiss, feeling the softness of her lips .
“Good. I’ll get you home soon,” I promised .
It was playoff time. And we had decided to spend some holiday time at the island before heading back to Orlando. I tried not to let the post-season get under my skin. Sierra said it was meant to be this way. We could focus on each other and the baby .
There was always next season .
I stood at the captain’s chair until Sierra walked up to me. I sat her on my lap and steered over her shoulder. Maybe it was a small island, and maybe she didn’t always love it like I did, but I knew Sierra was happy here. We had found something in each other that couldn’t be abandoned or ignored. If that wasn’t love, I didn’t know what love was .
* * *
T hank you for reading Dirty Game! Check out my other books on my Amazon page .
Naughty Notes
Y ’all, this book means so much to me. I don’t know if I can tell you how much I love the water and how many epic summer romances I’ve had at the beach. Maybe you catch a hint of that in here. Blake has a softer side than a lot of my alphas, and I think that’s what I love about him. He struggles with being a leader. He struggles with his family’s past. He has a broken heart and is scared to death to fall in love again. Haven’t you met that guy before? The one who is hot as hell, but he’s damaged beyond belief? Yeah, well that’s Blake. And I love him for it! Because eventually we all know that guy—the one who says he can’t commit or can’t love again—he does. He always does .
I hope you loved reading Dirty Game. I loved writing it and bringing these characters to you .
Don’t Tell
C opyright © 2017 by Violet Paige
All rights reserved .
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review .
One
Kaitlyn
“M iss, you need to turn off all of your electronic devices.” The flight attendant smiled while she shoved a tightly packed bag into the compartment over my head .
I nodded. “All right .”
I powered down my phone, and tucked it in the pocket of my bag before pushing it under the seat with my feet. The man next to me edged me off the armrest with his elbow. I sighed, realizing the three-hour flight to Houston from Raleigh was going to suck .
This was not how I pictured the start of my vacation. I blamed Branch. “The asshole,” was how I referred to him now and forever .
I ran my fingers through my hair. It was shorter now. Shorter than I had worn it the entire time I was in college .
Ok, I admit it was a little rash to chop my hair into shaggy shoulder-length strands. Maybe I didn’t think through my options as carefully as I should have, but I knew Branch loved my long hair. He would tangle his fingers through it, and beg me to pull it down every time I pulled it in a ponytail. I lashed out at him with something I knew he would notice. I wasn’t going to cry over him. Or beg .
I tugged on the ends now, forcing myself not to regret it. It would grow .
The plane lifted off and I thought about the break up .
“I think we’ve grown apart. We’re not the same people we were when we first started dating,” Branch stated, pressing his lips together .
My suitcase was on the bed. I needed to pull some things together fo
r our trip. I hadn’t packed a single thing, and we were supposed to leave in three days .
He continued, speaking plainly. “I thought it was the right thing to do. You know, tell you now instead of trying to make it through a trip together. It’s time for us to end this .”
“Is there someone else?” It was the only question I could put together. My brain tried to wade through the muck of Branch’s words .
“Not exactly. You know, I just want to keep my options open .”
Options open? I almost laughed in his face .
He leaned over and patted me on the back as if I was one of his fraternity brothers. “You’ll get over this, Kaitlyn. You know we’ve run our course. It couldn’t last forever.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve gotta go. I’m meeting some of the guys back at the house .”
I could have tried to stop him. I could have put up a fight. I could have given him a good reason to stay together. But I couldn’t think of one. Not a single reason the two of us should be together. I let him walk out of my room. It was clear there wasn’t anything left to fight for. I walked straight to my bathroom and picked up the scissors .
“You from Texas?” the armrest hog asked
“Uh. No. Visiting.” I shook the breakup from my mind .
“What part?” He was leaning closer, which I didn’t think was possible with the proximity of our seats. I wished I had paid for an upgrade .
“South Padre.” I wanted to retrieve my phone and pretend I was busy .
He chuckled. “Yep, it’s that time of year. Let me guess… post-graduation vacation ?”
I didn’t like that he had guessed it. “Yeah. I’m meeting lots of friends there.” I paused. “And my boyfriend.” I had to force the last word from my mouth. There were no friends on the other end of this trip and certainly no boyfriend, but he didn’t need to know I was suddenly single .
He reached for the in-flight magazine and flipped through the pages. “Well, have a good time. It’s a trip you’ll never forget.” He stopped on an article and his attention shifted away from me .
I didn’t know what I expected from this trip. I’d never taken a vacation by myself. I never wanted to. But I wasn’t going to let Branch and his wishy-washy, keep-his-options-open plan stop me from having this vacation. I deserved it. I had earned it. I had let Branch take the reins for way too long .
Two
Cole
S ometimes I wished I could burn this hellhole down. The whole thing. I pictured it going up in flames. There’d be nothing left but piles of smoldering ash. The frame and some charred pink tiles would be the only recognizable parts of this piece of shit. I could finally fucking walk. I could turn my back on it .
But that’s not the kind of man I was .
I grabbed a cold beer and twisted off the cap. I slammed the office door behind me, walking past the pool that was still battling a green tint .
I chugged the beer .
I walked up the steps to the boardwalk. There was enough wind to make me forget how hot I had been all day .
“Daddy!”
I turned just in time to see Grayson running toward me. His chubby hands outstretched .
“Hey.” I reached down, scooping him up in a hug. “What are you doing here, little man ?”
He pointed at a seagull overhead. “Bird .”
“Yeah. That’s a seagull.” I looked around. And then I saw her walking toward us. “Amber.” I tried to hide the bitterness in my voice in front of Grayson .
“Grayson wanted to say hi before we head out of town.” She smiled .
“Out of town?” I placed him on the ground so he could chase the birds on the beach .
“It’s my week with him,” she snapped .
“I know it’s your week, but where are you going ?”
I hated this shit. I hated how we argued. I hated that I shared custody of my two-year old son with my ex. I hated that she was unreliable and changed her mind every other damn second .
She shrugged. “It’s getting hot. I thought we might go somewhere we could avoid the sun .”
“This is Texas. That doesn’t exist .”
I watched Grayson face plant on the sand. He hopped up and kept going .
Amber rolled her eyes, brushing her auburn bangs to the side. “I’ll text you. Ok ?”
I shook my head. “I don’t like not knowing where you’re going to be .”
“I said I’ll let you know. I didn’t even have to bring Grayson by. You could try saying thank you .”
I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t taking her bait. I wasn’t going to get pulled in. She did this every time. She wanted me to fight and it wasn’t happening .
“Fine. I’m glad I could see him .”
She planted her hands on her hips. “I’ll drop him off next week, unless you’re too busy here.” She eyed the motel .
“No. I’m never too busy for him. Never.” I stared at her .
She laughed. “Right. And that’s why you spend all your time at this dump .”
I glared. “I inherited this property and it’s how I support my son. It’s a business. It’s my job. You know that .”
“Whatever. You choose to spend your time here. It’s useless.” She walked past me. “Grayson, come on. Let’s go,” she called .
He made another circle in the sand and ran toward us. His hair clung to his forehead. Even with the sun going down, he was sweaty. I bent down, wrapping my arms around him .
“Have fun on your trip. I’ll see you next week .”
He rubbed his nose over mine. I laughed. I hadn’t letting him out of my arms. It never got easier .
I rose and faced Amber. “Text me .”
She sighed. “I will.” She reached her hand out. “Come on, let’s get you buckled in your car seat .”
He ran next to her. Five minutes later they were gone. Although, I had no idea where my son was going .
Three
Kaitlyn
O nce we landed in Houston, I pulled my bag from underneath the seat and turned my phone on. I had three missed calls from Branch. I didn’t want to talk to him. My anger toward him suffocated any creeping curiosity about why he was calling after three days of utter silence .
I still had one puddle jumper flight to Brownsville. From there, I would hop on the resort shuttle that would take me to South Padre .
“You be careful, young lady. Those Padre vacations can get a little out of control,” the man next to me warned. He had not taken any of my subtle hints .
I smiled, scooted down the aisle, and walked off the plane .
I had enough time between my flights to call Mary Ellen, my roommate for the past four years. She was like the sister I never had. I tapped her name on my screen and waited for her to answer .
“Hey. How is Texas? Are you there ?”
“Yes.I’m in Houston, waiting for my next flight.” I observed the passengers walking past me. I had never seen so many cowboy boots worn in one place. Everyone had them on .
“We just checked into the hotel and we’re headed to happy hour. You doing ok ?”
“Happy hour ?”
“There are graduation parties everywhere,” she explained. “I think it’s happy hour all the time this week. How are you doing? Have you heard from Branch ?”
I didn’t want to talk about Branch, but Mary Ellen was worried and I knew she would keep pestering me about him until I said something. If the roles were reversed, I would do exactly the same thing .
“He called three times when I was in the air, but I haven’t talked to him. I don’t want to .”
“I get that but, what if you run into him in Padre? Don’t you two need to talk?” I could hear girls screaming in the background .
“There’s nothing to talk about .”
“I know you’re being strong, but you don’t have to pretend for me. You’ve got to be worried about seeing him. Admit that at least .”
I wasn’t willing to admit anything. My emotions see
sawed between numbness and anger. Mary Ellen had tried to talk me out of the trip, but it didn’t work. I needed to focus on something to keep me from thinking about what Branch had said. Packing, boarding a flight, and making my way to this vacation kept me from fixating on what happened between us .
“I’m fine. Stop worrying about me. South Padre is going to be the perfect vacay to get over the asshole. I couldn’t dream up a better way to forget him.” I smiled into the phone .
“He is the asshole. Do I need to write a list for you of all the stuff he did? It might be just what you need. I read in a Cosmo article somewhere that if you make a list of all the bad things in your relationship it will help with closure. If you need me to start it, I’d put how he backed out as your plus one for your cousin’s wedding right at the last minute as number one. He was probably the worst boyfriend .”
Mary Ellen always had my back whether or not she liked my relationship with Branch. “Thanks for the offer, but I have the memories, unfortunately .”
“I bet you could still change your flight. Why don’t you fly back and we’ll spend our this week together—like we should have planned all along before Branch hijacked it. It’s just not the same without you here .”
Mary Ellen’s words struck a guilty nerve. She was right. I shouldn’t have planned a post-graduation vacation with my boyfriend. I should be with my best friend .
I sighed. “I have to go. My flight is boarding for Brownsville. I just wanted to see if you made it to Myrtle Beach. Tell the girls I said, hey .”
“Ok, but call me when you get to the resort. And good luck.” She hung up, and I stood facing the gate, realizing for the first time that the flight was full .
While I was on the phone with Mary Ellen, the small waiting area had accumulated college students from all over the country, with only one thing on their minds: a weeklong party .