Page 16 of Second-Rate Superstar

“She knows the rules. I can’t be tied down to one woman when I’m always on the road. I have needs.”

Raising an eyebrow, I challenged, “And she’s the only one you fucked last night while here in Hartford?”

Levi avoided my gaze, and I had my answer.

A wicked grin curled on his lips when he peered back up at me. “You know what? When you can’t get Danny to put out, maybe I’ll let you have Coop when I’m done with her. From what I hear, she’s always had a crush on your big bro. You might be a cheap knockoff, but it’s better than nothing.”

That was it—the final straw.

I snapped, pinning Levi with a forearm to his throat against the concrete wall beneath the arena. Applying pressure to his windpipe, I wanted to crush him. He was a womanizing asshole who didn’t know the value of loyalty. I didn’t give a fuck if I had to find a new place to live. Hell, I didn’t care if I got kicked off the team at this point. I was dealing with enough shit in my head about being the poor man’s Jaxon Slate. I didn’t need any more reminders.

“Break it up!”

I was barely aware of the shouting surrounding us or the hands grabbing at me, trying to pull me off Levi.

Stepping back, he crumpled to the ground. A lesser man would have kicked him for good measure while he was down, but I was confident I’d gotten my point across.

Someone turned me by the shoulders and began marching me down the hallway. “Let’s take a walk.”

Fucking Jaxon.

Before I could shove him off, Levi taunted from behind, “You handle your girl, and I’ll take care of mine.”

I spun on my heels, but Jaxon held me back, stern in my ear. “He’s not worth it. Trust me.”

Growling, I wrenched free of his hold, storming away, but he matched me step for step. Reaching the locker room, I threw my gloves into my stall, turning on him.

“I don’t need my big brother coming in to save me. I can fight my own battles!”

Jaxon stared me down with whiskey-brown eyes that mirrored my own. “I didn’t break you two up because you’re mybrother.I broke it up because I’m your captain. It’s my job to keep the peace amongst the team.”

Fuck. I was overreacting because of my personal shit. It wasn’t Jaxon’s fault he was incredibly skilled at hockey. It wasn’t his fault that our dad expected me to be the sequel and that I disappointed him by never quite measuring up. And here I was, taking it out on Jaxon.

Dropping onto the bench, I muttered, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Softening, Jaxon asked, “Care to tell me what that was about?”

Did I want to tell my brother that being compared to him and found lacking had set me off? Hell no.

“Not really.”

“Okay.” He dropped onto the bench beside me. “As long as you two can figure out your shit and not have it affect the rest of the team, I don’t need to know.”

“Great. Thanks for the pep talk,Captain.”

Jaxon chuckled. “It’s strange, isn’t it? Being on the same team?”

“Yeah,” I breathed out.

“We’ve been in Hartford these past few years but have both been so busy. I’m excited to spend some time together. We never got much of a chance when we were kids.”

I was like a moody teenager, mad at the world, but couldn’t deny that Jaxon was a good older brother. He made an effort to attend my games when he could, including me in his life and his family here in Hartford, but there would always be this distance between us. He might think it was because of our almost nine-year age difference, but I knew the truth.

No matter how hard I tried, I would never live up to his legacy.Hewas the Slate the game of hockey would immortalize, not me. But even I could admit he deserved every accolade he received. It was just hard knowing you could bust your ass every day for the rest of your life and never come close to reaching the bar he’d set.

“You should come over for dinner tonight,” Jaxon offered.

It was a nice gesture, but I needed some breathing room. “Thanks, but I have plans.”

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