Page 132 of Second-Rate Superstar

A wicked grin curved on Levi’s face. “They play for the same team.”

The floor dropped out from beneath my feet. I was free-falling, my mind grasping at anything that would tell me my worst fears weren’t being realized. That yet another woman had taken advantage of me. That I’d fallen in love with someone whose only aim was to use me for personal gain.

Sliding off the stool, Levi patted the book’s cover. “I’ll just leave this here in case you want to take a peek.”

He was gone, and I was left standing there, speechless, having a showdown with a book.

Blood rushed in my ears, and I closed my eyes, trying to center myself.

No. There’s no way Dakota would do this.

I pursued her. She wanted nothing to do with me.

She loves me, and I love her.

We talked about a future together.

She stood up to my mom, trying to protect me.

She gave me her virginity.

There’s no way any of that was fake.

Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slowly before opening my eyes. Stepping forward, I reached for the book. The only way I would find out if Dakota had betrayed me was by seeing what was inside for myself. Levi lived to stir up shit. He was probably just trying to tear me and Dakota apart for sport. That would be right up his alley. He was still pissy that I’dstolen his spot on the top line, not believing I had nothing to do with that call.

Settling in, I opened to the first page, more confident everything would be fine.

Two hours later, my world had fallen apart.

I skimmed through most of the dialogue, searching for words and clues that would give hints that this was truly my story.

And truthfully, I might have been able to overlook the basic plot. Surely, I wasn’t the first guy to be overshadowed by a more successful older sibling. No, it was the intimate scenes that stood out, rattling me to the core.

There was no denying this was us—me and Dakota.

In print was the story of our love—or at least, what I thought had been love—in vivid detail.

Me getting on my knees, eating her out in her living room.

Her riding me in the moonlight beside a frozen lake.

And most damning of all—sex in the penalty box and my visceral reaction to her scent the following game.

Our most private moments were on public display for the world to read while laying bare my deepest insecurities.

My heart bled out from the knife shoved into it by the one person I thought I could trust.

Flipping the pages, I stared at the cover, scoffing when I read the book’s title—Sticks and Shadows.I was sure she meant my complicated relationshipwith Jaxon, but in reality, she was the one lurking in the shadows, hiding her true motives.

And I was the fool she’d played.

My gaze honed in on the author’s name, D.D. Morgan, and memories—snippets of conversations—flashed before my eyes.

“I see you’ve met Double D.”

“My mom, Morgan, met Hank in college.”

Even though I knew it was Dakota beyond a shadow of a doubt, I went down the rabbit hole on my phone.

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