Page 37 of Pucking the Team
Steven’s perfect, handsome, full-of-adventure image stared up at me.
“Can I not get away from this piece of shit?” I grabbed the magazine, ripped off the back page, and stalked to the window. After dragging open the curtain and slamming the pane wide, I threw the page out. It was caught on the breeze, and I sent a roar of frustration after it.
And then the tears came again. They were thick and furious, a waterfall of fury and destroyed dreams. My strength deserted me, and I dropped to the carpet in a pile of misery. I pressed my palms and forehead onto the soft pile and imagined myself as a balloon that had been popped with a sharp pin.
“Hey, hey.”
Dylan was at my side with his wide hand on my back.
“Why couldn’t he…just be honest with me?” I gasped.
“Because he’s a douchebag with a moral compass that’s way off fucking course.” He rubbed a circle on my shoulders.
My hair hung forward, and I sobbed some more. There was a dose of self-pity in amongst the frustration and anger. Why couldn’t I have been enough?
“Hey, come on.” Dylan reached for my upper arms and tugged me up onto my knees. “He’s not worth this.”
“I know.” I sniffed. My vision was blurry with tears, and I dashed at them.
“Here.” He handed me a tissue.
Quickly, I wiped my face, stuttering sobs still coming from my throat.
“Can you do anything to stop him going public?” Dylan asked. “You got a lawyer? A PR team?” He studied me.
“I have…” I swallowed and pulled in a deep breath. “Yes, I have a damn good lawyer, and I’ll get Trevor onto it tomorrow, first thing.”
“Trevor?”
“My agent. Trevor is my agent.”
“Good, so you have a plan.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and the right side of his mouth almost tilted into a smile. “I knew you would, you’re no quitter. I can tell.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve never quit at anything.”
“I can believe that.” His eyes sparkled, as though he was seeing right into my soul.
Steven was an asshole, and I never wanted to see him again. But in front of me was a handsome guy who’d just cared for me in a way no one else had before. A man who was looking at me in a way people rarely did. He didn’t care about my famous face or my awful predicament, he just saw the real me. And that was beyond a turn-on. That was sexy as fuck.
“Thank you,” I said, reaching for his stubbled cheek and cupping it.
“For what?”
“For taking care of me down there and for being here…now.” My heart rate picked up again. A shot of lust burst into my system. He really was gorgeous, and I had just the plan to exorcise my ex from my life.
“Happy to help,” he said, his voice low and husky. He, too, was thinking of sex, I’d bet on it.
“You wanna help some more?” I bit on my bottom lip. Could I be so brazen? It wasn’t my usual MO.
He raised his left eyebrow. “What you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about us fucking. What do you reckon?”
He raised his other eyebrow.
I took that to mean yes and practically threw myself onto him. My mouth connected with his, and I clasped his solid shoulders.
He gave a sharp intake of breath, and for a moment his lips didn’t move.
