Page 78 of A Whole New Trick

But Dane needs to think about himself, too. He can’t let his anger get the best of him. He can’t afford to do anything that could get him in trouble with the Ranchers.

I move to stand at Dane’s side, forcing him to look at me. We make eye contact, and his fierce scowl softens.

“He’s not worth it,” I murmur, willing him to realize how much I mean those words.

“But you are,” he counters.

My heart flips. I crack a smile.

“Come on.” I jerk my head to the side. “Let’s go talk somewhere private. I want to hear about your trip.”

Dane’s nostrils flare as his eyes dart back to Aaron. With a scoff, he shoves him to the side and dismissively turns his back to my ex.

I exhale a sigh of relief and then slip my hand into Dane’s, gently tugging him in the opposite direction of the locker room. I’m not sure where I’m going, but I know we need to get far away from the athletic trainer until tensions cool.

Unfortunately, Aaron doesn’t know when to quit.

“I never thought Dane Larson would let himself be pussy whipped. Especially by pussy that’s mediocre at best.”

Gasps and exclamations of surprise echo through the hall.

My face floods with mortification and embarrassment.

Before I can stop him, Dane whirls back around. He pulls his fist back and sends it flying forward, striking Aaron in the jaw.

The trainer’s head snaps to the side, and he falls to the floor.

Then, chaos erupts in the Ranchers facility.

25

DANE

“What the helldid you think you were doing?” Coach Miller shouts. Spittle flies from his lips, hitting the desk separating us. If it weren’t for the sturdy piece of furniture, I’m pretty sure he’d be shouting directly into my face.

I keep my chin level with the floor and my eyes forward. I’m not ashamed of what I did. I’d hit that asshole ten more times without batting an eye, but I do regret punching him in front of a dozen members of the Ranchers’ staff. That made it impossible for the organization not to get involved.

“He was verbally assaulting Morgan,” I say.

“Then you report him!” Coach slams his hands on the desk. “You can’t go around physically assaulting Ranchers employees. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

I barely refrain from pointing out that I showed restraint by only hitting the prick once.

When one of the equipment boys rushed into the locker room to tell me someone was giving my girlfriend a hard time, my gut told me it was her arrogant ex.

I’d rushed out to find her, not sure what I’d walk up on. I never expected to hear him tell Morgan that I was bound to replace her in the future, but it was a weak attempt to drive awedge between us. It didn’t bother me because I trust Morgan knows it’s not true. But I lost it when he insulted her.

His words were a disgusting lie. Aaron knew it. He wouldn’t waste his time harassing Morgan if he genuinely believed what he’d said.

Her ex wanted to embarrass her. He tried to plant a seed of doubt in her mind about her worth. My fury demanded he regret the attempts.

I couldn’t have stopped myself from striking him down if I tried. Not that I bothered to try. That asshole deserved two black eyes for what he said.

But I don’t say any of that to my coach. I keep my mouth shut and let Coach Miller continue to ream into me for being impulsive, irresponsible, and selfish.

“Until the team can investigate this incident internally, you’re suspended.” Coach Miller runs an aggravated hand down his face. “You won’t be playing tonight.”

Shit.

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