Fake Fiancée

On game day when Coach announced in the locker room that I wasn’t starting because I’d disobeyed him, the entire team glared at me. Felix wasn’t me and they knew it. Which is why at the half when we trailed by fourteen, I was dying to get on the field. I needed it. Surely, he hadn’t meant for me to sit out the entire game? Hell, that was meant for players who’d been arrested . . .

But he’d been angry.

After his pep talk at the halftime break, I went to him, helmet in hand. “Coach, let me fix this. I don’t want the entire team to suffer. You’re completely right about me, and I humbly apologize. I haven’t been focused enough, and I continue to put my own needs before the team.”

He studied me with a scowl on his face.

And he walked off.

Fuck.

I gritted my teeth in frustration and walked to the back of the locker room where Felix was getting a shoulder rub from one of the trainers. I sat down next to him on the bench. If I couldn’t play, I’d help him.

He glared at me, his lip curling in derision. “Having a bad day, Kent?”

Ignore what an asshole he is. Think about the game. “Dude. You need to snap faster. The defense is eating you up—and keep your eyes on twenty-one. As soon as the ball’s snapped, he’s reading you like a book—”

“Not your game. It’s mine, so back off,” he said curtly.

I swallowed my pride, refusing to walk away even when it was clear he wasn’t going to listen.

“Whatever issues we have, you need to let it go. Take my advice . . . please. I have the experience, and I know where you’re screwing up.”

“It’s not your game,” he bit the words out like bullets.

I clenched my fists. “I don’t care whose game it is. What I do care about is this team, and if you want to win, then you need to listen. It takes all of us, Felix.”

I felt a slap on my shoulder and flipped around. It was Coach, and by the look in his tired eyes, he’d heard me. “That’s the kind of attitude you need to have, Max.” A brief flash of a grin. “Now head out and start warming up.”

“I’m playing?” My heart jumped.

“Yeah.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “But no more fucking around.”

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

By the end of the game, we’d beat Georgia twenty-eight to twenty-one. I’d thrown three touchdown passes and had rushed for eighty-two yards. Badass game.

Ryn was having a party at his place—just beer and maybe a card game. Nothing crazy. I’d halfway invited Sunny, but she’d said no. It was okay, I told myself. I’d decided that the less time I spent with her, the easier it was to forget how much I wanted her.

I’d been outside by the fire pit for about an hour when Tate walked over to me and leaned down so only I could hear him. “Mate, Sierra’s inside.”

“No shit.” I jerked up. “Where?”

“I came out of the upstairs loo, and there she was in line waiting to take a piss. You going to say anything?”

“Hell, yes,” I called to him as I stalked to the back door. As I made my way through the kitchen and up the staircase I garnered a few slaps on the back and comments about the game and my engagement, and I nodded absently.

There was a line of about five people outside the bathroom. The door opened and out she stumbled. She took one look at me, rushed over, and tossed her arms around her neck, smelling like beer and stale cigarettes.

“Max! Oh, how I’ve missed you!” She pressed a kiss to my chest, burying her nose in my shirt. “Did you miss me?”

No. I pulled back. “Sierra. We need to talk.”

She crooked her arm in mine and smiled up at me. “Anything for you, Max baby. You want me to go down on you? Come on, let’s find an empty room.” She laced her hand in mine, tugging me toward one of the bedrooms.

“No.”

She pouted. “Meanie.”

I pulled her off to a corner at the end of the hall as far as I could get from people. “You hit my fiancée’s car a few weeks ago when you left my house.”

She scrunched up her face as she swayed on her feet. “I—I don’t really remember. Did I? I don’t think so. That doesn’t sound like me . . .” her voice trailed off.

“You did. She saw it. You can’t be drinking and driving.”

Why did I have to explain this to a grown woman?

She wrapped her arms around my waist, her hands landing on my ass. “God, you’re so sweet to be looking out for me. That’s why you’re my favorite. I want you so bad right now . . .”

I set her away from me and stared down at her, trying to make her eyes meet mine, but they kept bouncing around. “Sierra. Listen to me. I’ll cover your little accident this time, because I don’t want to explain it, but if you come to my house again, I’ll call the cops. Don’t even think about picking my lock. Don’t let Felix talk you into shit. Do you understand?” I bit the words out.

She blinked up at me. “This Sunny girl . . . she’s got you all tied up, huh?”

“None of your damn business. But stay away from her too.” A muscle twitched near my eye as a theory formed. “You didn’t leave a daisy at her place, did you?”

Confusion flitted across her face. “What do you mean? That’s ridiculous.”

“Whatever. Just stay away from her or I’ll make sure all your football players know how you like to wreck cars when you leave their place. Got it?”

She straightened her shoulders and slurred, “I don’t like you anymore.”

“Good.”

Her face fell. “I’m sorry. I do like you. I want you.” She leaned in and kissed me on the mouth, her tongue all over my face, licking and trying to get past my compressed lips.

I pushed her off, but not before she responded with her own laugh and flounced away, weaving from side to side as she made her way back down the hall.

I glanced over and Bart stared at me.

“What are you looking at?” I barked.

He said something to the girl he was with then came up to me, a hardness to his face that I’d come to recognize whenever we faced off.

He was tall—but not as tall as I was. I glared down at him. “You got something to say?”

“I heard what you said to the groupie.”

“Yeah, so what?” I shrugged, leaning against the wall, but make no mistake, I wasn’t relaxed. Nope. I’d be glad to ram my fist into his face and work out some of this frustration eating me up.

“I’m impressed . . . turning her down when Sunny’s nowhere around?”

I gritted my teeth.

He stuck his hands in his pockets, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I really thought you didn’t care about anyone but yourself.”

“You don’t know me—so don’t assume I’d dick around like you did.”

He stewed on that, his mouth flattening. He stared back at the girl he’d left near the banister, then he focused back on me and raked a hand through his auburn hair. “Just . . . be good to her, okay? Because I was a shit, and I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I’m trying to be better now.”

“You wish.”

“She deserves someone good. You better be it.”

I crossed my arms. “You still love her?”

He swallowed, looking away from my eyes.