Page 113 of Irresistibly Risky

She swallows hard, nervously licking her lips. “Is it about me?”

“Not directly, though it does impact you greatly.”

“What about Mason?”

I shake my head. “No.” I cup her jaw. “Wynter, Joe is—”

“Reyes,” Randolph barks as he bursts into the bathroom. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you.” He wipes at his forehead, his round face ruddy. “What in the absolute fuck happened on that field today?”

“Sir—”

He holds up his hand, stopping me. “Not here. Not like this. Joe is in my office, and I think it’s time we all hashed this out once and for all. Now move your ass.”

He turns and leaves the bathroom, the door closing with a heavy bang behind him.

Wynter gives me a grim look. “I guess you’ll have to explain everything to me upstairs.”

The fact that Wynter is sitting here with me, listening to what I have to say, feels like a miracle. It’s a gift. A second chance I wasn’t sure I’d be granted after everything that happened today. And it isn’t over yet. Not even close. I messed up epically with her, and it’s certainly not something to play with or chance again, so everything else will have to wait.

I shake my head. “No,” I say to her. “He can wait a moment. I need you to hear this, and I need you to hear it from me.” I swallow and shift her to the edge of the counter, bringing her body closer to me, and then I stare into her eyes as I say, “Joe has cancer.”

She sucks in a sharp breath. “What kind?”

“Prostate. He had surgery and then a round of chemo in April, which is why he didn’t actually sign a contract with the team or move here until the summer. It’s advanced though, and I’m not sure what he’s doing about it at this point or if they’re watching it. I don’t have all the details on that nor am I a doctor.”

Her head is twisted away from me so all I can do is squeeze her hand for comfort. She clears her throat. “There’s more, I take it?”

“Yes. And this is the hardest part.” I pull her into my body, cup her jaw, and force her gaze up to mine. “Leo is your half-brother.”

Her eyes round, and I think her heart just stopped beating entirely. “He’s what?!”

I soften my tone and my expression. “Your half-brother, sweetheart. Your father had an affair with his mother and paid her off after. I don’t know what Leo knows, but I don’t think it’s much.”

She blows out a breath, her eyes glassing over. “They’re keeping him in the hospital overnight for observation. He has a severe concussion.”

“I know. I couldn’t get more information than that. Is he okay?”

She nods, nibbling on her lip. “Dean is with him. I texted with him a bit. Leo won’t be able to play for a few weeks.” A fresh tear hits her cheek, her chin trembling. “Half-brother?”

“Joe wasn’t ever part of his life.”

A scowl twists her face. “God, he’s a son of a bitch.” Then she changes course. “Joe brought him here.” She pauses, her lips parting. “Joe brought me here too. Not to Boston, but to the team.”

“Yes. And there’s more to that.”

She shakes her head. “It’s already too much.”

I drag my thumb across her cheek, swiping away her errant tears. “I know. I can tell you the rest upstairs because it involves Joe and the team and both of us.”

“All right. I need a few minutes to process this anyway.” She hops off the counter, and then I hold her hand, leading her out of the bathroom. Before we get too far, she twists and pinches my nipple with vengeance. I screech like a little girl and jump about five feet in the air, making her laugh. “That’s for keeping things from me.”

What can I say, I have sensitive nipples, and sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes—like right now—that’s a very bad thing because now is not the time to be hard. “Just don’t do that to my dick.”

She shrugs. “I make no promises.”

“What if I buy you a diamond? Will that smooth everything over with us?”

She glares hatefully at me. “Um. No. Definitely not. And don’t you dare get any ideas about that.”

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