Page 85 of Dare to Love

“Nice. So Riley threw me under the bus for him.”

“You know Riley better than that,” Ian said, his tone sharp as he defended his wife. “She gives her loyalty and love to few people, and you’re one of them.”

Madison blinked. “So why isn’t she here telling me herself?” She couldn’t help being hurt and blindsided.

“She’s home sick, or she would be.”

Madison swallowed hard. “Do I get a say in this, or is it a done deal?” she asked Ian.

He met her gaze. “You’re in charge. You decide who to hire. Ultimately, it’s between you and Alex to decide.”

But it was clear to her that both Ian and Riley wanted her to give Alex a chance. “I need to think about this.”

Ian glanced at his watch. Then he cleared his throat. “You’ve got fifteen minutes. Alex will be in the conference room at eleven.”

“Keep him busy till eleven fifteen,” she muttered.

Madison headed back to her office, frustration, anxiety, and more than a hint of jitters in her stomach over the prospect of seeing Alex again. But this meeting was the least of her problems, and she paced the carpeted floor, pondering the real issue at hand. Could she work side by side with Alex, day after day, remembering what it felt like to have him deep inside her body?

She shivered at the reminder, her nerve endings alive and tingling at the prospect of seeing him again.

Despite how badly he’d hurt her, she still wanted him. And wasn’t that the worst part? She, who’d trained herself at an early age not to want or need anyone or anything, still responded to the mere thought of Alex Dare.

***

Alex liked the Thunder Dome. The new stadium was a hell of a lot nicer than the Breakers’ home in Tampa, not that he’d be caught dead admitting such a thing out loud. Still, he couldn’t help the disappointment clouding him, being in a stadium and knowing he was unable to play. It was one thing to make the decision with his rational mind, protecting himself from bodily injury that would affect his entire life. Quite another to emotionally accept that he’d lost the thing he loved most in the world. The game had defined him from the time he’d picked up a football as a kid and had carried him through losing what he’d thought was his first love. And he had stupidly thought he’d leave the game on his own terms.

Apparently not.

Alex followed the directions left for him at the guardhouse and ended up at Ian’s office. It was the first time he’d come to his half brother’s place of business, and his skin itched with the feeling that something big was about to take place, even if he didn’t know whatitwas.

He walked in to find the office as imposing as the man himself. Alex and Ian couldn’t be more different in personality—Ian stiff and uptight, Alex easygoing and relaxed.

“Thanks for coming,” Ian said, extending his hand.

Alex shook it hard.Man to man, he thought wryly and settled into a chair, making himself comfortable. Sitting across from Ian, Alex acknowledged how far their relationship had progressed. They were in the same room and having a conversation. It was huge.

“Before we go into the conference room, I wanted to fill you in on the proposition I have for you.”

“I’m listening.”

Ian inclined his head. “You must realize that your injury brought to light the deficit in the league as far as preparing our players for life after the game.”

Alex stiffened, as he always did when talk of his career-ending concussion arose.

Ian ignored his reaction and went on. “The fact is, you could have continued to play, taken the risk, and down the road, you’d have been dealing with severe head trauma and mental deficits. You were smart enough to step back. Not a lot of guys are.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You’re complimenting me?”

Ian rolled his eyes. “But now that you’re retired at the age of twenty-six, what do you plan to do with your life?” He held up a hand before Alex could answer. “Hang on. That question is part of why I asked you here. It’s also a question the league should want all players to considerbeforethey’re injured and forced out of the game.”

“Where are you going with this?” Alex asked, warning himself not to get defensive.

Ian cleared his throat. “I plan to institute a training program that teaches the players to think about the future, do smart things with their money, and take informational classes that will prepare them for later on.”

Interested, Alex merely studied the other man and waited.

“Did you know seventy-eight percent of retired athletes are broke within two to five years?” Ian asked. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. “Statistics show fifty percent of ex-pro football player marriages end in divorce because couples aren’t ready for the pressures of life after the game. So I want spouses involved in preparation and education.”

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