Risky Play (Red Card #1)(64)

“Hey.” I shoved my hands in my back pockets and rocked awkwardly on my heels. Jagger was shirtless just like Slade had been, his muscles glistened. He was clenching his teeth. I could tell because his jaw looked ready to pop off his face.

Jagger would always be beautiful to look at.

But it wasn’t Jagger that I wanted.

“Hey, Mack.” He swallowed like he was trying to keep from saying something else, and then he reached out and pulled me in for a hug. “I’m sorry for what I said.”

I sighed against his chest, wrapping my arms around his thick middle. “It’s not your fault that Slade’s jackass tendencies tend to rub off on people closest to him, and you did spend one full week coaching together.”

I pulled away grinning.

His smirk was back. “Well, at least he let me keep my hair.”

“Your hair?”

“I lost, the bet was to shave our heads, but he somehow convinced the players to make me shave my legs and arms instead. So now I have a high-and-tight haircut too.”

“Tell me the truth . . .” He ran his hands over his newly cropped hair. “Did I chase you into his arms? Was it my fault?”

I let out a sigh. “Jagger, you offered friendship—I wasn’t ready for more, not after everything that happened between me and Slade, and then . . .” He didn’t need the gory details. “Never mind, the point is, no you didn’t push me into his arms, but I probably wouldn’t have sprinted toward them as fast as I did had you not made me feel stupid, like there was something I wasn’t seeing with him. Trust me, when I walked into that house, I knew exactly what he was capable of—but the risk was worth the reward. You can’t live in fear, you know?”

His face broke out into a soft smile. “Your maturity’s good for him.”

“I’ll tell him you said so.”

“Hopefully, we can still be friends—maybe you’ll even tame the beast, crazier things have happened, right?”

“Right.”

He nodded and was getting ready to walk past me when I grabbed his hand and whispered low, “One thing that’s been bothering me.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“You said I didn’t have the full story on his ex . . . were you alluding to something I should be concerned about?”

Jagger sighed. “His ex is a piece of work . . . just know . . .” He swore. “Shit, if he ever finds out I told you this he’s going to kill me, alright?”

My stomach dropped and then filled with dread only to drop further. “What?”

He looked over my head like he was making sure that Slade wasn’t coming out of the locker room. “Look, when you’re as famous as he is . . . especially with how big soccer is overseas, they worship you . . . you’re not just a celebrity, you’re some sort of god. The things he gets offered on a daily basis, the women that throw themselves at him. It’s normal to him, it’s not normal to someone who isn’t in the limelight or in the sport. His ex was the sweetest girl at first. I loved her. Everyone loved her. It made it easy for him to love her. But this life can turn even the best women dark—it ate away at her, the constant attention from other women, the flirting. The emotional cheating. Did he ever touch anyone? No. Did it matter when he was answering texts and Instagram messages? Did it matter when he had photo shoots with women all over him asking to do happy hour after? He didn’t see her anymore. He didn’t see . . .” He took a deep breath. “Cheating will always be wrong, but she didn’t cheat because she ever fell out of love with him—she cheated to make him as jealous as he was making her. And when he didn’t notice, she just kept doing it. It was a cry for help. And then it was too late and he just left her. He promised her forever, he gave her a ring. They both messed up, and the media made her the monster. That’s all I’m saying. He’s poison you don’t even know you’re drinking until you stop breathing. I wish I was wrong . . .”

“Why is this so personal?” I asked with a shaky voice.

“Fuck.” Jagger just shook his head. “Because I dated her first.”

“Excuse me?”

“Because,” Jagger said through clenched teeth, “before she ever knew Slade—she was with me. Five. Years. She was mine. Engaged. And he ruined her forever.”

“But—”

“Everything okay?” Slade walked up behind us and wrapped an arm around me.

“Yup!” I said way too fast while Jagger locked eyes with me one last time and then nodded his head at Slade and walked off.

I tried to stop the shaking.

The overanalyzing.

The stupid worries. Fears. The thoughts.

I didn’t talk the entire way to the restaurant.

And when we walked in.

I saw Slade in a different light.

Fame was easy for him.

People asked for autographs.

He gave them.

They wanted pictures?

He gave them.

They wanted to talk soccer?

He handed over his time.

Two hours later, we were finally ordering and he had to be back at the stadium in twenty minutes.

I didn’t realize it until I was back in my car, after a kiss goodbye.

His life was soccer. His life was full.