Dare to Play

by Carly Phillips

  A muscle ticked in Austin’s temple. “One, I didn’t have to answer to anyone but myself. I was retired. And two, you might learn from my experience instead of being an asshole. Quinn is the best thing that ever happened to me. You should try dating a nice girl and not going for the ones who spread their legs for anyone with a jersey.”

  “Eww.” Bri shuddered. “This isn’t a locker room.”

  “Well, he needs to hear it,” Austin muttered. “Macy’s a great woman. We all like her. She’s the kind of female a guy should settle down with.”

  “I’m not going to argue about that. She’s amazing. But I’m not getting married. And ownership can’t make me,” he muttered.

  Austin shook his head. “No, but they can order you to chill the fuck out or be suspended or, worst case, cut. Is that what you want?”

  Jaxon held up his hands in defeat, slamming them on both thighs. “Fine. I’ll behave, okay? I’ll focus on playing ball when the season starts.” Not that he’d ever screwed up a game, but no one seemed to care about his stellar record.

  Pushing himself up, he was about to storm out when Bri called his name. “Jaxon.”

  She grabbed his arm. “Come with me.” She shot Austin a warning look, which Jaxon interpreted as stay put. Which was fine with him. He didn’t need any more lecturing from his agent.

  * * *

  Jaxon followed his sister to her office, which had a wholly different look from Austin’s masculine dark wood shelving and décor. Her walls were painted a turquoise color, her shelves were white, and she had gorgeous pops of color everywhere, from the paintings on the wall to the knickknacks on her desk. Thanks to the scenery, he immediately felt more relaxed.

  “Have a seat,” Bri said. “Can I get you a soda? Water?”

  He shook his head, studying his sister before finally speaking. “What are you thinking?” he asked his brilliant fixer sister.

  “I think we need time to pass where you behave like the player your teammates look up to and management doesn’t have to worry about seeing in the paper.” She waved her hands in the air as she spoke. “They’ve had it with the bad press. As for me, I’ll work on getting you some positive media, and you will lie low. Agreed?”

  He nodded. “Agreed.” Because despite what it looked like to the outside world, his career meant everything to him.

  Acting out had been his way of defying the father who never respected his determination to pitch and become a Major League Baseball player. To Jesse Prescott, the only acceptable sport was football, a man’s sport. And because Jesse had lost his ability to even be drafted in the NFL due to an injury, he’d made damned sure his sons were going to fulfill his dreams.

  He’d failed with two of the four. While Austin and Damon went on to play football, Braden had become a doctor, and Jaxon stuck with baseball, his passion, both disappointing their father.

  But as they’d discovered last year when their uncle Paul had needed a liver transplant, Paul was the Prescott siblings’ biological father. Not Jesse, who had been unable to have children. Another failure. Another reason he’d been so hard on the kids.

  If Paul and his mother had fessed up earlier, they might have spared the children Jesse’s temper and disdain, but his mom believed she could be a buffer, and neither wanted to make Jesse face his failings. Plus Paul had promised his silence. But with Jesse gone for thirteen years now, there’d been no harm in the revelation, and Austin’s kidney had saved Paul’s life.

  All’s well that ends well, Jaxon thought, before shaking his head to clear the memories and meeting his sister’s gaze.

  “Are we going to talk about Macy?” Bri asked.

  “I’d rather not.” His private life was just that.

  He didn’t screw around and talk about the women in his bed, but in this case, there was more to his reticence. As much as he hated to admit it, he hadn’t been able to get Macy out of his head. She’d been different. And he didn’t want to think about why.

  “Well, tough.” She sat down beside him. “She’s my closest friend, and there’s no way I’m going to let you hurt her.”

  He frowned. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he muttered. “Macy and I had an understanding. It was one night.” And if anything, she’d been more eager to run than he’d been to have her leave. Something else he had a hard time comprehending.

  “It’s just not like her. I can’t remember the last time she even went on a date,” Bri said.

  Something Jaxon knew, because even now he could remember how tight she was when he’d thrust into her, how slowly he’d had to work his way inside her. Holding back a groan, he met his sister’s gaze. “She mentioned it had been a while.”

  “Guys don’t like the fact that she has responsibilities. She needs to put her sister first and they resent it. In other words, most men are jackasses.”

  Jaxon chuckled, unable to argue that point. “She told me that her sister’s mother showed up out of the blue. She was making noises about wanting custody.”

  Bri’s eyes opened wide. “You’re kidding! She didn’t say anything to me about that.”

  “She probably knew you had a lot on your plate with the wedding. I’m sure she’ll tell you.”

  Bri bit her bottom lip. “If that’s true, that photograph of you two kissing is going to cause trouble for her, too. It looks bad, her leaving your house the morning after.”

  Leave it to the PR person to look at the bright side, he thought wryly. “I don’t want Macy to have trouble because of me.”

  “Wishes can’t change facts.” Bri tapped her foot against the carpeted floor. “I’ll call her.”

  “How about you give me her number and let me handle the problem I caused?” He’d been planning to ask for her number anyway, and knowing his sister’s penchant to involve herself in other people’s problems, the need to mend issues strong, he needed to take charge of his own life.

  With a frown, Bri nodded. “Fine.” She picked up her phone and sent over Macy’s contact to Jaxon’s cell.

  It was time he stepped up to the plate and saw if he had, in fact, caused trouble for Macy and, if so, what he could do to fix it.

  * * *

  It hadn’t taken long for Macy to be recognized while out in public doing errands. People stared and someone even asked her if Jaxon Prescott was as good in bed as he looked. She didn’t like the infamy and resented the intrusion into her life. She didn’t understand how professional athletes, actors, actresses, and other famous people handled it on a larger scale. But she survived the week and even finished her project on time, making the money she was counting on.

  Mostly she managed by staying inside after the first time she was recognized, and though Jaxon had called to check on her, she’d missed his call. He’d left his private number, so she texted him back and lied that she was fine. He didn’t need to know how freaked out she was. In another day or two, things would blow over, or so she hoped.

  The Friday after her night with Jaxon, Macy braved the great outdoors. She ran a bunch of errands including food shopping and stopping at the pharmacy and dry cleaner, and with her hair pulled back, a hat on her head, and dark sunglasses, nobody bothered her.

  She came home and had just finished unpacking everything when the doorbell rang.

  She walked over, glanced out, and saw a well-dressed man with a manila envelope in his hand.

  Without thinking, she opened the door.

  “Macy Walker?” he asked.

  “Yes. Can I help you?”

  He handed her a large envelope. “You’ve been served,” he said and immediately turned and walked away.

  Her stomach jerked as she stepped back and slammed the door at his retreating form. With shaking hands, she opened the seal, although she knew exactly what she’d find.

  “I can’t believe she did it.” Tears of frustration and fear welled in Macy’s eyes.

  She slammed the letter down on the nearest counter. Now she needed to hire a lawyer she couldn’t af
ford to fight for custody unless she wanted to dip into the insurance money her father had left in trust, and that she didn’t want to do. She was smart enough to understand the value of savings. Hannah’s share would pay for her college, and Macy wanted backup in case either of them needed it.

  She put away the food and cleaning she’d picked up, straightened up the house, and she still couldn’t get rid of the feeling of panic. She was too worked up for designing, and her exercise classes were in the evenings, so she put on a meditation app and searched for calm.

  Thirty minutes later, she’d found a modicum of relaxation and decided to shower. Once she came out, she checked her phone, surprised to see a call from Jaxon, and her stomach twisted with, dare she admit it, excitement? Despite the infamy, she liked the man, dammit.

  When she tapped the play button, the rough sound of his voice caused tremors of awareness throughout her body.

  “Hi, Macy. I’m calling to check on you again. Call me back this time.”

  She stood in the bathroom, towel wrapped around her body, Jaxon’s cell number just waiting for her to use. Before she could chicken out, she dialed his private number.

  “Hi,” she said, trying not to sound breathless, husky, or any other sexy adjective she could think of. Just returning the call of a friend, not the man she’d slept with.

  “Hey. How are you?” he asked.

  “Oh, just the center of attention everywhere I go,” she joked. Sort of. Today had been an easy day recognition-wise.

  Of course, his groan sounded sexy. “Shit. I’m sorry. I hope it’s just a nuisance? Because it’ll blow over.”

  She stared down at her nails and decided to tell him. “I don’t think so. I was served with custody papers today. Apparently I’m an unfit guardian.”

  “Dammit.” He paused and the silence grew between them.

  “It’s not your fault,” she said, knowing from Bri he’d been read the riot act by Austin, even though they all agreed he hadn’t done anything wrong being in his own driveway. It was the accumulation of issues that was Jaxon’s problem.

  “I can’t help feeling responsible. How about we meet at an out-of-the-way place and talk?” he asked.

  She glanced down at the towel and then in the mirror at her wet hair. “I need about an hour,” she said, figuring that included travel time. “Text me where and I’ll see you there.”

  “Sounds good. And Macy?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry to drag you into my mess.”

  She smiled at that. “As I recall, I went willingly.”

  He was laughing as he ended the call.

  Chapter Four

  Jaxon waited for Macy at Central Ave., a bar and grill he frequented but one that was dark, with a bartender who’d kick anyone’s ass if they bothered a customer. Famous or otherwise.

  “Hey, Beckett. I’ll have a Bud Light.” Jaxon spoke to the owner and bartender he’d known for years.

  “You got it.” Beckett reached for a beer and popped the top, sliding the bottle across the counter.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “You already know, don’t you? You watch TNZ along with the rest of America.” That photo of him and Macy hadn’t just gone viral, every entertainment, social media, and television show had picked it up, probably because she was a fresh face and someone to speculate about.

  “True but it’s my job to get you talking,” said the man who was as much a friend as a bartender.

  About a decade older than Jaxon, Beckett Halstead had inherited the bar from his father and knew every customer who came through the door.

  Jaxon didn’t want to go through a woe-is-me story. He’d already dragged a good person down with him. Hearing that Macy had a serious custody issue on her hands had him feeling extra guilty. He had no doubt that photo had provided the ammunition her stepmother needed to go ahead with her threat. “I really don’t feel like talking.”

  Beckett nodded as he wiped down the bar with a rag. “Okay, well, just know this. As soon as the next big story hits, you’ll be yesterday’s news. You just need to ride it out.”

  If only it were that simple.

  Jaxon scrolled through the social media on his phone, getting lost in other people’s curated lives, when he sensed someone slide into the chair beside him, looking exhausted. No less pretty but pale, tired, and wiped out.

  “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m just going to eat a quiet meal, head back home, and crash until Hannah gets home from school.” She let out a tired sigh that sounded exactly like how he felt.

  “Well, you need to have something.” He gestured to Beckett. “Get the lady a…”

  “Club soda,” she said. “I really can’t drink. The last thing I need is to have a problem driving home or for my sister to smell alcohol on my breath.”

  “Club soda and your lunch on me,” Jaxon confirmed with the bartender.

  She propped an arm on the bar. “Is this you being charming?” She swung her legs around to his side of the stool, turning toward him.

  He grinned. “It’s me being a friend.” It was his way of reaffirming their status.

  Beckett slid her glass across the bar and she took a sip. “So we’re friends now?” An amused grin lifted the corners of her mouth. A mouth he wanted to kiss again.

  “I think we qualify.” He lifted his bottle and touched her glass. “To friends.”

  “To friends.”

  Friends who’d made out on his kitchen counter and had the hottest sex of his life in his bed. He shifted in his seat, his cock stiff at the memories.

  He stared at the bottle in his hand, letting the condensation cool him off.

  “So what’s got you down today? I know Bri said Austin gave you a hard time.”

  He nodded. “I also had a call with my manager. That brawl isn’t going to be forgotten any time soon. I hate disappointing my team, management, and my family,” he admitted.

  “I’m sorry.” She wrinkled her nose as if in thought. “If it’s any consolation, everything passes in time.”

  Same thing Beckett had said, and he appreciated her attempt at making him feel better. “But in the meantime, things suck. And Austin’s solution was to tell me to settle down and get married.” He let out a half laugh, still certain that was the worst idea he’d ever heard.

  She grinned. “Not ready to give up the bachelor lifestyle?” Her half smile made him chuckle.

  “Not in this lifetime.”

  She swirled the ice in her glass with the straw. “You know, getting married would help me, too. Hannah’s mother has got a lot of strikes against her, but she’s still her biological parent, while my current reputation has me branded as a groupie. But if I could offer her a stable home with two parents, the judge would look at me a lot more favorably.” She took a sip of her drink, eyeing him over the top of the glass.

  “Jesus. I am so sorry for causing you problems,” he said, well aware she wasn’t teasing nor was she hinting.

  She shrugged. “It’s not your fault paparazzi follow you around. It just sucks for both of us.”

  He didn’t sense any guile. Just an honest statement in response to his mention of marriage as a solution. But the wheels in his brain began to turn.

  “No prospective male friend in your life willing to step up?” he asked, unsure if he wanted her to say yes or no.

  “Nope.” Her shoulders dropped dejectedly.

  He studied her delicate profile, and something twisted in his chest as he felt a shift inside him. Not that he wanted to get married. He didn’t. He valued his independence and the life he lived, but the fact was that he’d helped cause her dilemma with Hannah. True, her stepmother had been making custody threats before they’d been caught making out on his driveway, but she certainly looked a lot less parental thanks to him.

  And there were even more reasons the action made sense. She stood to lose custody of her sister. He stood to lose, well, every
thing. Austin had made it clear his lifestyle and behavior jeopardized how he went out at the end of his career. And he’d worked too damned hard to get where he was in the majors to blow it over juvenile stupidity now.

  Marriage to Macy was a radical, crazy idea. They didn’t know each other well, but they sure as hell were sexually compatible. More than any woman he’d been with before.

  He took a sip of his beer. “If there were a willing man, would you consider getting married?” he asked, wondering where she stood on the matter.

  She paused from drinking her soda and met his gaze. “I don’t know. I never had a reason to give it a thought.” She visibly swallowed hard. “Why are you asking?”

  Was it hope he saw in her beautiful brown eyes?

  A mixture of panic along with a sort of resolution rose up in his throat. “I don’t know why I’m asking, really. There’s a part of me that thinks we could solve each other’s problems and another part of me that wants to hurl at the very idea,” he said honestly.

  She burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding. Bad boy Jaxon Prescott is considering getting married?”

  “I wasn’t.” Until he’d spoken to her. He curled his fingers tighter around the bottle.

  “Yeah. Not in this lifetime is what I believe you just said.”

  He glanced at her, really considering. They needed the same thing. A settled, family appearance. A way for her to keep her sister and for him to calm his team management so he didn’t end his career in humiliation. But such a sudden notion had him feeling queasy after he’d been refusing his brother’s mere mention of the idea.

  Still, there was something about the notion he couldn’t dismiss. “Your problems are as big if not bigger than mine. You’re Bri’s friend, a good person, and the more I let it sink in, I think marriage could help us both.” His pulse jumped and his heart rate sped up as he began to more seriously consider it.

  “Jaxon–”

  “Why don’t we order and we can talk?”

  She stared at him, her mouth open. “You’re serious?”

  He nodded.

  As if in slow motion, she picked up a bar menu, took a look, and gestured for Beckett. “A plain burger and fries. Medium well, please.”