Page 5 of Dirty Player

“I can’t do this,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.

Beaux stared at the building. “When I was eleven, you walked me to the middle school fields one night, and when I asked you what we were doing there you said, ‘I have a surprise for you.’”

My eyes began burning at the memory—his first practice. “Beaux—”

He didn’t look at me, but he did reach out and take my hand in his, squeezing the keys for the building in front of us into my palm. “You dumped a duffel bag onto the ground, slapped the pads and a helmet on me, and watched me practice. You sat there for two hours doing your homework while I learned plays for the very first time. If you think for one damn second you haven’t earned all of this success and money as much as me, you’re a bigger idiot than I thought.”

“Mom—”

“Mom wanted me to play football. She talked about it all the time. But she was all talk and working for food and then unable to do anything, while you were the one who worked to make my dreams come true, Shannon. Let me do this for you. Take the gift, do something you love with it, and finally get a slice of your own dream.”

Truth fell from my lips before I could stop it. “What if I fail?”

He turned to me then, his lips tilting up at one corner of his mouth. Then, he threw my words back in my face, the same words I’d said to him when he’d learned he was starting quarterback for his high school football team as a sophomore. I’d graduated the year before and was attending community college to be close to home. With over eight hundred kids in each grade, and a football team with a huge history of winning State Championships, a sophomore starting for varsity had been unprecedented. “But Shannon…what if you don’t?”

“I hate you,” I whispered, sniffing over the tears burning my eyes.

My hand squeezed around the keys in my palm, gripping them tighter.

I’d give Beaux anything. I’d do anything for him.

If this made him happy, I’d do this for him, too.

“I know you hate me.” He tugged me forward, uncurling my fingers from the keys so he could slide them into his own palm. “You just love me more.”

I swiped my fingers beneath my eyes and blew out a shaky breath. This was it.

My future. My dream.

Coming to fruition when I knew I’d never have the guts to try it myself.

“I know,” I murmured.

He slid the key into the lock and opened the door.

“I think you’re pretty awesome.”

“You’re not so bad for a bitchy big sister. Now let’s go see your new place.”

Chapter TWO

SHANNON

I wrapped the towel tighter around my body and stared at the mess I’d made in Beaux’s guest room.

It was a record disaster in record time, even for me. After he’d given me a tour of the building and the upstairs apartment, I’d finally submitted to his plan, his idea…his faith in me.

Yet none of it was ready and I’d left almost everything I owned back in Des Moines—where Patrick was probably currently fucking his co-worker all over my favorite couch and throw pillows.

“Ugh.” I groaned and dragged a hand through my hair. The memories of him came hard and fast, unbidden, and difficult to erase once they were there.

The legs wrapped around his waist. The heels digging into his still-clothed ass as he took her—

“Shannon?” Beaux’s voice rang through the doorway as he opened the door. “You okay? I knocked…shit! Cover up!”

His hand went to his eyes as I swirled around, clinging to my towel.

“What the hell?”

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