Page 12 of Madden

Chapter Four

Brielle

After we stop for dinner, we make it back to our hotel around six. I drop my bag and purse on the dresser and collapse on the bed. With my arms stretched to the side, my heart rate slows to a steady pace for what feels like the first time all day, and I start to relax.

I hate how I’m attracted to Madden almost as much as I dislike him.

I lose track of how long I’m lying there when my phone rings from my purse across the room. I ignore it the first time, letting the call go to voicemail. The ringing starts again, and I wince, dragging myself up to answer it.

“Ugh, I’m too tired for this right now. Who could possibly want me?”

I blindly dig my hand through my purse, feeling my phone vibrate before pulling it out to see Serena’s name on the screen. I click the answer button to accept the FaceTime call.

We couldn’t be more different from each other if we tried.

Where I’ve been trained from an early age to stay poised and professional, she’s loud and outspoken. You can’t help but gravitate toward her, even if her bubbly personality puts you off.

“You should’ve known I wasn’t going to let you blow me off. Get real.” She smirks.

I narrow my eyes and shake my head. She props her phone up on her vanity while she looks in the mirror, rolling on her lip gloss. She blots them and puckers them together before turning back to me.

“You were ignoring me, weren’t you?” She huffs.

“Not exactly. You caught me at a bad time. I just walked through the door and was about to doze off before I need to get ready for tonight.”

Her brows deepen. “I thought you didn’t fly back until tomorrow?”

Here we go.

“Well… I was invited to watch A Rebels Havoc play tonight.” She whistles, and I try to ignore it. “At a local bar in their small town where they grew up playing. Madden invited me to come check them out.”

I try to play it off and act nonchalant, but when she lifts her brow and smirks, I know I’ve failed miserably.

So much for being poised. She can read me like a damn book.

“He did, did he? How very sweet of him.”

“I’m only going because I’m hoping to get behind the scenes of where they first started. You know, to help with writing the article and all.”

She purses her lips together and nods slowly. “Uh-huh.”

I roll my eyes, carrying my phone across the room to collapse on the bed. I undo the claw clip, and my hair falls, fanning around me on my pillow.

“Besides, I won’t be alone. Davis will be with me. We’re hoping to get a few photos too.”

“Well, that’s good. Otherwise, I’d think it was a date.”

“No,” I bark. “Could you imagine me dating one of them? I mean, Madden is the only one not in a relationship anyway. Trust me, I think he’s already spoken for. At least judging by the little rendezvous I overheard yesterday.”

I realize the error of my ways the moment the comment leaves my mouth.

She’s going to force me to spill all the details, and I’m not sure I can repeat them without dying of embarrassment.

“What happened?”

I shake my head. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it. Don’t ask. Please, don’t ask.”

“Well, that’s not happening now.”

---