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“Ugh, you’re right.” Nixon guzzled down the water as I stood. Then he stumbled against me and flung his arm around my shoulders, almost taking me down with him.
Prentice moved quickly, circling the table to wrap his hands around my waist to steady me. “You good?”
“Yeah.” A simple touch from him left me noticeably breathless, and I hoped that he assumed it was because Nixon had almost knocked me over.
“I’ve got him,” he murmured, his thumb stroking over my side before he dropped his hands to reach for my brother. “C’mon, I’ll walk you guys to your car.”
Nixon let Prentice guide him out of the club. “Thanks, man. You’re the bessst.”
As we walked to the car, I wondered what was going on with my brother. His head was swaying from side to side as Prentice practically carried him through the parking lot. He was singing something under his breath, but I couldn’t catch enough of the lyrics to recognize the song. Just little pieces about writing letters in his head about stuff he wanted to say. When he stumbled over a part about being a wife and mumbled about being a husband instead, I giggled since he was as bad as me when it came to dating.
Worse actually. Being a hotshot football player meant that girls were always throwing themselves at him. He just never bothered to catch any of them as far as I was aware.
Seeing him drunk like this was pretty funny, but I couldn’t remember a time when I’d ever seen him overdo it. Although I’d come to New York for my own reasons, I was suddenly glad that I’d be around to keep an eye on him and make sure the pressure of going pro wasn’t getting to him.
When we reached my brother’s Range Rover Evoque—his first big purchase after he got his signing bonus—I undid the locks so Prentice could help him into the passenger side. When Nixon was slumped in the seat, he stared up at the quarterback. “Seriously, dude. You’re the only guy on the team I’d ever trust with my baby sister. I owe you for looking after her tonight.”
Before my brother embarrassed me further, I nudged Prentice out of the way. Then I slammed the car door shut and muttered, “He might be older than me, but there’s no denying I’m the more responsible sibling.”
“I know it might not seem like it tonight, but your brother is holding up pretty damn well for a rookie,” he assured me as he circled the vehicle at my side. “He’ll settle in just fine, and I’ll keep an eye on him.”
I beamed a smile at him as some of my concern eased. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
“Meet me at my house tomorrow at four?”
The full impact of what it meant to work on Prentice’s social media hit me. We’d be spending time together. Alone. Just the two of us. At his house. Where there were beds.
I tried to keep my dirty thoughts out of my tone as I casually replied, “Sure.”
“Your brother has my address.” He stretched his hand out. “But if you give me your phone, I’ll put my number in for you.”
I never let anyone else touch my phone, but the lure of having his contact information was too strong. I didn’t hesitate to pull it out of my purse and give it to Prentice. I whispered a quick thank you after he handed the device back to me, grimacing when Nixon’s singing got loud enough that we could hear him with the windows rolled up. “I better get going.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Those three words replayed in my head all night long.
6
PRENTICE
“Thanks, Mark,” I said to my—now former—social media manager via video chat. “I’ll have my assistant send over the reference, and my accountant will contact you about the year’s severance.”
“Sure. It was a pleasure working for you.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and I felt a moment of guilt for letting him go when he hadn’t done anything wrong. We hadn’t ever really clicked as a team, but he’d dealt mostly with my PR people, so I felt he deserved to hear about losing his job straight from me.
The doorbell rang, so I said goodbye and tapped the button on my tablet to disconnect. Then I swiftly walked to the foyer and opened the front door. Naomi was staring up at the house with a look of wonder, making me smile. I hoped she liked this house since it was going to be hers soon.
I’d bought the place when I signed a ten-year deal with the Nighthawks. The owner, Lennox Madison, had built a stadium for his team out on Long Island, and I was tired of living in the city. So I went house hunting.
This one had a big yard—great for having the team over for a barbecue—a home gym, and a bathtub in the master big enough for me to soak in ice whenever I pushed my body too hard. However, the house was bigger than what I’d been searching for. More than I thought I needed. But it had been a steal, so I let the real estate agent talk me into putting an offer. Now, having found Naomi, I was going to send him a big fucking bonus because my home was perfect for a large family.
Ultimately, though, if Naomi didn’t like the property, I would happily sell it and buy her whatever she wanted.
I waited a minute for her to notice me, but she continued to take in her surroundings.
“Hello, gorgeous,” I welcomed her with a grin.
Naomi jumped, making me chuckle. When she met my eyes, she blushed and gave me an adorably sheepish smile. “Hi. Your home is beautiful.”
