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The fuck? Maybe this isn’t what I thought it was.
“Who’s too good for me?” I question, already regretting entertaining his bullshit.
He gets right in my face, and I smell the rum on his breath. “Dani. That fucking bitch is mine. You’ll see. She’ll come running back.”
My back straightens at the mention of her name. Is this the ex? “Tell me then, how come she’s spent the night on my lap and not yours? Why’s she not with you now?”
His face drops in anger as he raises a hand to poke me in the chest. “That’s none of your fucking business,” he snaps.
“You see, that’s where you’re wrong,” I say, grabbing his hand from my chest and twisting it away, my blood boiling through my veins. “Everything to do with Dani is my business.”
Knowing this isn’t going to end well if I hang around, I push him away and walk out of the bathroom before I beat the shit out of him and ruin my career before it’s even begun.
I head back to the table to find Bobby half sprawled across it, leaning in toward Dani in order to hear her over the music. “How many calendars did you sell?” he asks.
“Ah . . . like two hundred maybe,” she says, still as giddy as ever, practically bouncing on her chair.
“Shit,” Bobby says as Tank raises his eyebrows in surprise. “So, you must have made, what? Like four hundred dollars?” he asks looking down at his fingers, trying to do the math.
“No,” she giggles. “More like four thousand dollars.”
“Fuck,” Tank says, beating me to the punchline.
She smiles up at him. “Yep, and tonight’s only your first game. You guys are going to be giving women lady boners all over the state by the end of the season.”
“Okay,” I say, cutting in. “Let’s get you home.”
“What?” she groans. “But I’m having so much fun.”
I laugh at her pouty face, loving the way her eyes get so big when she’s trying to get her way. “Don’t stress, we can do it all again when we win next week,” I say, getting cheers from all the boys at the table.
“Deal,” she says, getting up from her chair. I put my hand out to steady her as she continues to wobble and she laces her fingers through mine, smiling up at me with such adoration in her eyes it nearly knocks me right off my fucking feet. My heart aches knowing she isn’t really mine. If she hadn’t been drinking, she probably would have told me to fuck off by now, needing just that bit of space between us.
I walk her fifteen minutes to her place and stop at her door when she turns to face me. “You’re being unusually quiet,” she challenges, almost daring me to tell her what’s on my mind.
“Yeah, sorry,” I say, still not sure if I should bring this up. “I was debating whether or not to ask you something.”
“Sure,” she smiles. “Hit me with it.”
Arching a brow, I try not to grin at the cockiness stretched wide across her face. “You may not like it,” I warn.
Dani leans up against the closed door, props her foot against it, and crosses her arms over her chest trying to look hard. “Try me.”
I take a deep breath, hoping I’m not going to upset her. “Your ex cornered me at Micky’s tonight,” I explain, watching the way her back stiffens and the spark in her green eyes begins to fade. “So, I guess that leaves me wondering what the story is.”
Her body goes rigid, and I instantly hate myself for bringing it up. “Shit,” she sighs, before taking a moment. I watch her, waiting to see how she wants to play this before she waves toward the outdoor seating on the porch. “Wait here.”
My brows furrow as she bolts inside and returns a minute later with a blanket. She takes my hand and drags me to the small sitting area, pulls me down, and curls up beside me. “You’re not going to like this story but promise me you won’t try to fix anything.”
“I can’t do that,” I tell her.
“Then I can’t tell you what happened.”
“Fine,” I sigh, not liking this one bit. “I promise.”
“Okay,” she starts, looking out into the street to avoid my eyes, her tone shaky and hesitant. “Wow. This is harder than I thought. Apart from Sophie, I haven’t told anybody this.”
I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her in tight, giving her all my support and comfort. “It’s okay, take your time. But remember, you don’t need to tell me anything you’re not ready for. If it’s too much, we can stop right now.”
