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“You are one interesting guy, Simmons. Just don’t tell me you’ve been stalking her, and I won’t have to take you out back and hide the body.”
He snorted. “Stalking is so Netflix. I followed you home a few days ago. Remember? When I dropped off your fucking phone because you were running late and were afraid youwere going to miss closing time at the shop she works at. You know, the one. Huge window. Perfect for staring at the girl you’ve probably been jerking off-”
“Dude,” I growled. “Don’t go there. I get the damn point.” As much as I hated that he found out her name before I did, Ty was a good guy. Who knew why he was hanging out with me, though.
“She’s 23, dude. Total age g-”
“Don’t say it.” I warned, which only made him laugh harder. “You’re fucking enjoying this, aren’t you, asshole?”
“Absofuckinglutely. You think you’re the bad guy, Lockwood, but I know better. And she will, too,” he added, pointing to where Maddie was laughing and eating with her friends. “I told you,’ he winked. “Iknowthings.”
“Fuck off.”
He waved down the server, and as she neared to take our order, Ty grinned. Eyes filled with mirth and the same look he had when we nailed plays on the field last season in Cleveland. The plays we spent hours practicing after the rest of the guys left.
Like he had a secret.
Fucker.
I sighed. “Fine. I’ll bite. What else do you know?”
He gave our order to the server, and added, “Extra pom guac?”
My jaw clenched, I nodded, and offered the poor girl a tight smile. “Please.”
After she left, Ty leaned forward, elbows on the table. “The store stalk, ahem, drive by after practice every single day-”
“Asshole,” I muttered.
“Is a vintage couture boutique,” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken, “Owned by Kylie and Reid Taylor. Reid happens to be engaged to, wait for it…your brother.”
I nearly choked on my drink. “What did you just say?”
Eyeing me over his beer as he drank the rest of it, Ty jerked his head in her direction. “Brunette? Reid. I have no idea who the other girl is, but she works there, too.”
“Owen’s in town? Here? A sleepy little place like this?”
“This ‘place’ is not sleepy. I’d fucking come here just for the damn tacos. And so would you. Yep. Did you think I didn’t know you had a brother, QB?”
“Half-brother.”
“Fuck that. You grew up together. You’re brothers. Family is family. Doesn’t matter if you’re half or whole or whatever. Brothers always have your back.” Not for the first time, Ty dropped his happy go lucky demeanor and gave me a solemn look. “Brothers always have your back. That’s how it works.”
I let out a long breath. “Unless they don’t. I haven’t talked to Owen in years. Even before that, we weren’t that close.”
He scoffed. “I bet you were, more than you think. Besides, now you’re in the same town. And,” he added as Melinda, our server, sat our order down on the table. “Maybe things happen for a reason.”
Damn pomegranate guacamole made my mouth water almost as much as Maddie did.
Fuck, it suited her. Sweet, innocent. Mouthwatering.
“If things happen for a reason, what the hell is the reason you keep bugging me so damn much?” I muttered, shoving a mouthful of heaven into my mouth. I bit back a groan, because I was picturing feeding it to her, watching her lips, imagining her licking them because I missed on purpose. How she tastes. Smell. How it would feel to take care of her.
“I’m here to save your damn career. And maybe your soul along the way, QB. And win the fucking Super Bowl.”
CHAPTER 8
MADDIE
