Page 28 of Tight End

“Fine with me. I don’t have time for your drama.” But the tiny hairs on the back of my neck shoot up as his eyes lick me up and down like he’s a predator in search of a tasty meal.

I shift on the seat, swallowing hard when my skin prickles at the thought of me flipping him face first against a wall and showing him just how deep I want to go into that damn rabbit hole with him.

“You’re not cutting anyone loose,” Rex says to him. “I just got a message from Axel Jones, the publicist for Oakland. He wants a meeting first thing in the morning, and I have to be ready to defend my client’s decision to be with the train wreck that is now Brixton Scott because he’s your only shot at redemption. So you’ll go in there, pretend to be a thing, and make it believable. And just so we’re clear, it’s not a request. Sam’s in this now. Don’t fuck him the way you’ve fucked yourself.”

Jesus, did he have to use those exact words?

The depraved thoughts loop faster.

My phone buzzes, jolting me from my sick fantasies. I tear my eyes away from Brixton and look at the text message from Chase on the screen.

What the hell is happening? Why does the whole world think you’re with Brixton?

Ben slants me a look. “May as well tell him. They’ll all need to be prepped anyway.”

I shoot off a text to him, saying that I’ll explain it all later but that as far as he knows, me and Brixton…

My finger stiffens, almost resisting what I’m aboutto type.

Gritting my teeth, I stab the letters on the keyboard.

That we were dating in secret and it’s just been made public.

This sounds like a story that’ll be worth me sleepwalking through my shift tomorrow. I’ll be waiting.

“People are going to question you, Sam.” Ben’s eyebrows knit together, the look on his face grave. “Why a guy like you would get involved with a guy like Brixton, who’s had his fair share of bad press over the past couple of years. Rex will have a lot of spinning to do.”

“Great,” Rex mumbles, running a hand through his hair. “People will think you got hit one too many times on the field, that it knocked the common sense right out of you.”

“Looks like I got the upside of the deal.” Brixton winks at me.

“You’re unbelievable.”

He nods. “You’d better fucking believe I am.”

“This isn’t going to be a cake walk for you, either,” Ben snaps. “The tour is ending and you need to show the world that there’s a good reason why Sam Hartley would ever want to get into a relationship with you.”

“How the hell am I gonna do that?” Brixton sits straight up in the seat.

“You’re going to be the newest volunteer at Play It Forward, the sports organization Jase Maxwell and Lucas Bentley formed. Bryce and Sam manage the Oakland location and that’s going to be your new home.” Ben points between us. “You two will be inseparable, and Brixton, you’re going to channel your inner Mr. fucking Congeniality until all of this dies down.”

I scrub a hand down the front of my face. “So I did a goodthing, prevented that guy from getting brain damage from this cretin, and now I’m going to be stuck with him for the foreseeable future. How the hell did I draw the short straw in this whole thing?”

“But you love helping people,” Brixton cajoles. “Just consider me your newest charity case. That must get you all kinds of excited, trying to reform the hopeless, unredeemable asshole.”

“I’d rather gauge out my eyes with hot fire pokers,” I grumble.

“There’s definitely gonna be a place in heaven for you, choir boy.”

I fist my hair. God, I hate him. And I really try hard not to hate anyone. But this guy…fuck my life.

The truck slows and turns into a driveway. Red flashing lights make me squint, even though they’re muted through the tinted windows. Crowds of people stand outside the entrance. And as my eyes sweep the outside, I see a lot of motorcycles.

My gut clenches.

I sneak a look at Brixton as he stares out the window.

I hate him, but I still can’t help but feel that tug of guilt. Sure, he’s been completely antagonistic from the second he ran into me at the bar, but the past two years have to have been hell for him. And finding out that Chase has his brother’s heart…that must have been a pummeling blow.

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