Page 92 of Dirty Temptation

“Rather not.” Levi groans. “Can’t we toast with water.”

I snicker.

“Never challenge Hunter Dufort to a drinking game. I told you that.”

“Thanks for telling me. Today.” Levi flops down onto the sofa. Then he grins over at me.

I grin back.

“You won,” he says.

“I won.”

The announcement went live on the website while we were flying home from the Hamptons. I’d been refreshing it so hard my phone battery was almost dead.

When it appeared, I screamed into the headset and gave everyone a heart attack.

“We won!” I yelled, shoving the phone at my father.

Ward took it from me and slowly (as fuck!) read the article. One thousand years later, he glanced up and with love and pride in his eyes he nodded at me. “Proud of you, son.”

Then I’d fucking cried.

Like an idiot.

Levi had chuckled but in that brotherly way that told me he had my back.

Dad walks into the room with a chilled bottle of Cristal and three glasses. “One sip Levi. To toast your brother.”

Pop.

He pours the golden bubbles into the glasses, and we stand in the middle of the luxurious living room smiling at one another.

“You think I’m clever?” I ask knowing it’s a dumb thing to say.

“I do. Your mother saw your talent first,” Dad says. “All three of you boys are different. I don’t know where you get your athletic abilities, Levi, nor your creative skills, Atlas. Yes, Knox has my business mind, but all three of you are still a part of me.”

I swallow the lump in my throat.

“I’m so damn proud of you finally being acknowledged.”

Fuck.

It was his acknowledgment that I wanted.

“Yeah,” I finally say. Like it’s a question.

“Yeah.” He smiles. “Congratulations, son.”

Our glasses clink and I’m pushing back the emotion so I can actually swallow.

“I wish your mom was here this weekend,” Ward says andJesushe’s not helping with the waterworks.

“Same.”

Swallow.

“Yeah, same,” Levi says. “I’ve been thinking about being drafted next year from college. I wish she’d lived to see me go pro.”

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