Risky Play (Red Card #1)(11)

Hugo grinned. “Just making sure.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s your vote?”

He sucked on two of his fingers, the ones that had touched me, and whispered in a gravelly voice. “Ready.”





Chapter Eight SLADE

For a virgin, she sure was insatiable.

She was lying naked next to me, all soft curves and long brown hair with strands of gold that looked like they’d been naturally highlighted by the sun. Just beautiful.

I was often surrounded by beauty.

And I appreciated it.

But it paled in comparison to her.

I got up and stretched. My phone said three a.m., and she’d just fallen asleep a half hour ago, but I’d lain awake worrying.

Worrying about my old reputation.

Worrying about my new one.

The team.

The relocation.

And what the media was saying about my leaving my old team. I’d left to get away, but they twisted things to sell stories. And according to everyone else in the world, my ego couldn’t take the obvious pay cut I was going to be getting after not winning the cup last year.

Like one man was responsible for that. Besides, my mind had been on other things, and soccer, it doesn’t allow you to be human and have emotions, not during a game. No. Winning is all that matters.

The more I thought about it, the more my chest tightened until I was trying to breathe deep just to get my anxiety under control.

I clutched my phone in my hand and walked out to the balcony as a warm breeze filled the air.

Maybe this woman would be the start of something different for me.

Maybe this would go beyond vacation.

I looked over my shoulder as she rolled to her side and made a mewling noise in her sleep.

Grinning, I turned back toward the ocean and straightened my shoulders.

“I’m going to keep you,” I said to myself, my voice carrying across the wind like the universe heard my promise and was going to help me keep it no matter what.

I felt it in my soul.

There was more here in this moment. More than sex, more than coincidence. Maybe I’d finally found my other half, halfway across the world.

I leaned against the wall and thought about the possibilities as my phone started buzzing in my hand.

Mom?

It was late.

I answered quickly. “Everything okay?”

Silence, and then, “No, no, Slade, no.” She hiccupped. “Your father—”

I sighed. “I know, he’s worried. Things will be fine.”

“No.” She started to sob softly into the phone. “Slade, your father is—”

“Don’t say it.” My breathing turned shallow as I gripped the phone tighter, her sobs making my stomach sick, my heart fearful. “He’s fine, he just left a message today, I was going to call him back, he’s fine, he’s probably just not answering his phone, he’s—”

“Slade!” she interrupted with a wail. “Your father is dead.”

Your. Father. Is. Dead.

I swayed on my feet. “No, no, I don’t . . . I can’t.” I ran my hands through my hair.

“His heart just . . . the doctor said it stopped before the paramedics got there . . . he was going to surprise you . . . for your first practice, he was packing—”

I couldn’t listen anymore.

I squeezed my eyes shut as a tear ran down my cheek. My stomach roiled while my heart slowed in my chest and then, as if it no longer wanted to pump, almost completely stilled.

Gone. He was gone.

My biggest supporter.

My best friend.

The only person who had ever truly understood me.

“Slade, are you there?”

“Yeah,” I croaked. “I’ll be on the first flight out. I love you.”

“I love you.” She sobbed. “I’ll see you soon. Everything’s going to be fine, everything’s going to be fine . . .”

She didn’t believe it.

And neither did I.

My father was the glue.

He was the leader.

He was everything.

And now?

He was gone.

I walked on hollow legs back to the small wall dividing the penthouses. Numbness settling in, I jumped over, grabbed my bag, and threw things in, not caring if I left anything.

I didn’t care.

I just didn’t care.

And when I thought about the girl next door, still sleeping, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything except touch the wall dividing us and cast blame.

She was the reason I was so distracted.

The reason I hadn’t called him back.

Women.

I thought my ex had cost me everything.

But the stranger sleeping in that bed—had cost me the most.





Chapter Nine MACKENZIE

Cold silky sheets wrapped around my legs as I stretched my arms overhead and felt the spot next to me. The pillows were gone. And the space was empty. I opened my eyes and yawned. My body hurt in the worst and best way possible as I slowly moved my feet to the floor, grabbed the sheet, wrapped it around my body, and walked around the room.

The sliding glass door was open. I frowned. I hadn’t opened it last night. Maybe Hugo went to his room to shower? I didn’t really think anything of it.