He shook his head. “You keep acting like this isn’t a big deal, but I know what being with me could cost you.” He brought his hand up to my face. “And do you know what surprises me the most, even though it shouldn’t?”
“What’s that?”
“The fact that you got a hell of a lot more fight in you than half the guys on my team.”
I leaned into his touch with a soft chuckle. “This isn’t about showing you how tough and strong I am. This is about standing beside the person I care about when things get hard.”
His hand slid around my waist, pulling me closer until there wasn’t any space left between us. “I appreciate you. More than you know. You are willing to fight for me, even knowing you could get hurt. That says a lot about you as a person.” He tightened his hold. “Don’t get me wrong, you drive me crazy sometimes, and you’re as stubborn as hell, but the fact that you’re willing to stay and fight this bullshit with me means everything.”
He slipped his hand around the side of my neck, pulling my mouth to his. I sighed into him, allowing my body to get lost in the warmth of him. This was the kind of kiss that felt like a reassurance that everything would be okay.
I slid my hands down his chest, forcing myself out of the comfort of his arms. Even though every single part of me wanted to stay right where I was.
Nate frowned when I walked over to the couch to grab my laptop.
“What are you doing?”
“What I do best. I’m going to dig up some dirt on your sleezy ex-agent.” I flipped my laptop open, determined to reach out to anyone who had heard stories or had any bad interactions with him. “If he wants to play dirty, then we show him we can play dirtier.”
If there was one thing I was good at, it was investigating. I wasn’t going to sit back and let him win. Not when he had his own skeletons rattling in his closet.
I knew how to ask the right questions, and I wasn’t afraid of the little weasel. I was more afraid of what would happen if we didn’t stop him.
You couldn’t let a guy like that stay in control. So, I would dig until I had enough dirt to bury that son of a bitch with.
CHAPTER 27
NATE
“Open up, sweet pea,”Jax called from the other side of the door. “You sounded like someone ran over your puppy on the phone.”
I shook my head and pulled the door open. Jax stepped inside first, all restless and full of energy. Ryder was behind him, scanning my face, looking for a clue or a sign as to why I had summoned them both over this late at night after such a brutal practice.
“What’s going on?” Ryder crossed his arms. His brows were pulled tight. Obviously, knowing that I didn’t ask them to come just to hang out. “I’m guessing you didn’t invite us over to play Madden with you.”
I shut the door and leaned against it, buying myself a few minutes to figure out how to tell them without sounding like a total dumbass.
“Why don’t you both have a seat?”
That got their attention. Neither one of them joked or made a smart-ass comment. They both looked at each other and dropped their asses onto the couch.
“Talk,” Jax said, cutting right to the chase.
I ran a hand down my face, exhaling slowly. “What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room. Understand? I need you both to swear your secrecy.”
Jax narrowed his eyes. “Got it.”
Ryder nodded. “Yeah, okay. I promise.”
I didn’t know why I thought this would be an easy conversation. For months, I convinced myself that I could handle this mess on my own and that keeping my mouth shut was protecting everyone. Now I realized how stupid that had been.
I rubbed my hands together, trying to burn off some of the nervous energy buzzing under my skin. I shouldn’t have waited this long or allowed it to get this far.
“I’ve been keeping something from you guys, and I need you both to hear it from me first.”
“What kind of something?” Ryder asked, glancing at Jax with skepticism.
Jax kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “You’re going to have to start explaining yourself, because this doesn’t sound good.”
