Page 77 of Second-Rate Superstar

“Sounds fancy.” I trailed a hand over his arm, reveling in the muscles I encountered.

“My girl deserves a spot in the family box.”

I stopped breathing. It was all fun and games until past trauma came out to play.

Sensing my reluctance, Braxton pulled back enough to look me in the eye. He must have seen the panic written on my face because his gaze softened in regret as air rushed past his lips.

“Fuck. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I can get you regular seats. Wherever you want. I’ll make it happen.”

Squeezing his bicep, I took a deep breath. “No, it’s okay.” A bitter laugh flew past my lips. “Never been in a family box before. Might as well see what the fuss is all about.”

Braxton squeezed his eyes shut, whispering, “If this is too much, you don’t have to come. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Reaching up, I cupped his scratchy cheeks. “Do you need me there?”

When his eyes opened, I caught a flash of sadness in their amber depths. Pulling his lips in, he nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

Shrugging, I replied, “Then that’s where I’ll be. But if I can make one request?”

“Anything,” he breathed out.

Smirking, I retorted, “Might want to be careful with that one. What if I asked for something you’re unwilling to give?”

“I would give you the world if you asked, Dakota. Nothing is off limits.”

The crazy thing was, I believed he meant every word he said. Braxton was nothing if not genuine, and for some unknown reason, he’d honed in on me, and I wasn’t dumb enough to question it. Not anymore.

Toying with the sweat-dampened hair at his temple, I asked, “Can you get a second pass for that box?”

Surprised, he cocked his head. “Who’s the second one for.”

“Bristol.”

He swore under his breath. “Seriously? He can’t even do her that courtesy?”

“Guess not. He’s not exactly a knight in shining armor.”

Braxton snorted. “More like an ogre hiding beneath a bridge.”

If I wasn’t already falling for him, that might have done it.

There was no blind loyalty for his teammate—no macho “bros before hoes” mentality. Braxton hadn’t shied away from making his feelings about Nix’s mistreatment of my best friend known.

Simply put, Braxton was the real deal—a good guy.

My guy.

“Two tickets in the family box. Consider it done.”

I curled into Braxton. If I could have crawled beneath his skin, I would have. He was quickly becoming my comfort. Not his touch, him.

And I never saw it coming.

Chapter 18

Dakota

The moment we flashedour passes to the attendant at the door and stepped inside, I realized that bringing Bristol to the family box could turn out to be a terrible idea. My senses were on high alert, scanning every woman’s face. What if Nix never offered my best friend a spot in this massive suite reserved for the players’ families because he had given that honor to someone else?

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