Page 79 of Teasing

Declan Sinclair waits until everyone is focused on him before he opens his mouth Saturday afternoon. Walk through is done. Practices are done. Preseason is done. We’ve worked all summer for what starts tomorrow, and there’s nothing left to do today.

“All right, guys. I don’t sequester us all to a hotel as a team for the home games. I trust you to be the professionals you are. Go home. Relax. Rest. Get your heads on straight. Take care of your body. Take care of your mind. Be back here tomorrow at ten, and be ready. They’re coming for us. First step on the ladder starts with that first snap. Now get out of here.” He walks away, as understated as he stood. And I stand ready. I want it. I want the game. I want the win. I want the fucking season.

“Hey, Mav, you got a minute?” Camden asks as he moves in next to me. They announced him as the starting quarterback atthe beginning of the week, prior to the press conferences, so it’s been a big week for him.

“Yeah, man. You good?”

Jamie gets my attention and points to the locker room, and I nod. I’ll meet him in there.

“Listen, I have no clue what you’re thinking about doing with Rosie tomorrow, and I’m not about to tell you what to do. But I thought I’d let you know that I know Emmie, and she’s not going to say it to you, but she wants to go to the game.” He looks over my shoulder into the stands, and I feel like shit for not pulling the trigger on this before. “Not sure if she’s told you, but she loves football. Our dad and she always watched all the games together. I think it’d mean a lot to her to be here to watch you play... and maybe to watch me too.”

Fuck, I’m an asshole. It never occurred to me that her watching the games with Rosie would fuck up something she always did with her dad.

“Yeah. I think you’re right. I’ve already talked to my family about the changes that need to be made to the suite for Rosie, and they were fine with it. So I’ll talk to Emmie tonight.” I just have another stop to make before I go home.

“You know...” Camden hesitates, clearly thinking through his next words. “She deserves a good life, Beneventi. She deserves a better one than she’s had. You make her smile. Don’t fuck that up.”

“Not sure I’m the one who’s fucked that up, Monroe,” I toss back. I can respect a man trying to protect his sister, but everything Emmie’s told me makes me think he’s already hurt her more than I ever will.

“Never said I didn’t.” His words fucking shock me. Not many men will admit that. “But I’m her brother, and you’re her... Well, you’re not me. So this is me saying I don’t give a fuck that I’m the new guy on the team. Or that your family owns the team.I give a shit about Emmie. And my sister deserves better than you and me. She’s special. She looks at the world with the kind of rose-colored lens not many people ever see. Protect that for her and do a better goddamned job of it than I have.”

Well, fuck.

Emmie

Hey Cujo. Could you pick us up?

Maverick

Us?

Emmie

Me and Dillan.

Maverick

Sure. Where are you?

Emmie

West End. Your cousin took Dillan’s keys. He said she had too much to drink to drive.

Maverick

Maddox?

Emmie

Yup. The hot scary one. Not the hot psycho.

Maverick

What the hell?

Emmie

Yell at Dillan. That’s what she calls them. You’re the only hot Beneventi I see.

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