Page 54 of Hart Breaker

Boone just about chokes on his steak. “I mean, some do, and some don’t. I’m sure the fathers of say … these ladies would not be a fan of someone who casually fucked one of them.”

“Gotta let you in on a little secret, Boone,” Sydney whispers. “Little girls don’t typically ask their daddies to take part in that specific area of their lives.”

Boone narrows his eyes just slightly at her.

“And for the record, not all of our daddy’s are owners,” Maggie says.

“And to add to that, Maggie and Izzy are barely legal,” Hudson says, causing them both to groan and me to turn to him and nod in appreciation, which is clearly a bad idea. “And one last thing, you fuck with a Brooks girl, you answer to me.”

Sydney and Lo both start cackling. Me? I’m fucking mortified.

“So, which one are you messing with?” Voss asks, clearly trying to stir up trouble.

“Currently, neither, but that doesn’t change a damn thing.” Hudson glares at him.

“Yeah, well, as a Brooks woman, I think you should know we can handle ourselves.”

“Sisters?” Voss’s clearly trying to stir shit up, and it works.

Hart’s ass lifts from the seat.

I quickly grab his knee and squeeze it hard enough and in the right spot to stop him.

Eyes wide, he turns to me and growls, “Not happening.”

“Stop bullying the new guy,” I scold him, then turn to Voss. “This team doesn’t do this whole bit.” I point to him, then Hart. “Not good for morale, especially not going into a game as important as tomorrow’s. You two understand?”

Voss nods. “Understood.”

“You sure? Because I’m?—”

I stomp on his foot to shut him up, and his jaw clamps shut briefly before he snarls, “We’re good.”

The rest of the dinner is quiet, completely quiet, and Hart and Boone are the last of the players to finish.

Boone stands. “You ladies sleep well. We’ll see you tomorrow?”

“We’ll be there.” Sydney smiles.

Hart turns and looks at me as he stands. “See you tomorrow, Brooksie.”

“Yep.”

When they walk away, Lo giggles. “Yep? That’s it?”

“Sure is.” I stand. “I’m going to crash.”

Syd and Lo are the only two in the group who know what’s up, but the whispers behind us make it obvious that Maggie and Izzy know something’s up when we’re walking toward our suites.

As soon as I stop at the door to swipe my card, I know they’re coming in. Normally, this would be awesome, but right now …

“I need you for a minute,” Sydney says, dragging me behind her. She tosses back, “Iz, Mags, pop the champagne. We’re celebrating the fact we’re all single.”

She pulls me into the bathroom, and Lo is right behind me.

Once the door is shut, she starts, “You and Hart deserve a fair shot at this.”

“Nothing is?—”

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