Remember who you’re dealing with, Dane,he told himself.This is a girl who lied about losing her scarf to get into your house, knowing you’d make a move on her, so she could go rooting around in your pockets.
But some stupid part of him wanted to believe her. Especially when she said her show was over, that no one in that locker room would ever trust her again. Judging by what the boys were saying over dinner, she was right.
So he decided to give the girl one last shot. Maybe out of morbid curiosity more than anything else.
If you get fooled by a pretty face again, it’s your own fault,he told himself.
When the bill came, Dane picked up the tab as he promised. He paid it, thinking he’d just had his last supper with his boys.
And then he drove home, unsure what he’d find waiting for him.
***
When Dane rolled up to his house shortly after 10:00 PM, he was pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t a camera crew waiting to ambush him in his driveway. Instead, an old Hyundai with faded and blotchy paint was parked at the curb. A female figure stood at his front door, alone, huddled with her arms folded for warmth.
He eased his Maserati into the garage and killed the engine.
Dane met Austen at the front door. She wore leggings and an oversized maroon sweater that sported the Texas A&M logo. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail. Dane was relieved to see that she hadn’t come here all dolled up—it meant she hadn’t planned on being on film. He could forget about her cameraman popping out of the bushes and filming them.
“Hi,” she said quietly, her heavy brow furrowed.
“Hey,” he answered gruffly. He went past her to unlock the front door, avoiding eye contact. He held the door open. “Come on in, I guess.”
Sheepishly, she stepped in.The hem of her baggy sweater covered her bottom, reaching almost to her midthigh. Which was too bad—because even if he was pissed at her, he still had the desire to peek at her butt.
But when he shut the door and turned around, Austen threw herself into him. She clutchedher arms tightly around his torso.
“Oof,” he muttered. “That’s the second time today you’ve ambushed me.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, mashing her face even tighter into his chest. “I’m so sorry.” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“Alright, alright. Ugh, don’t cry.”
He didn’t want to hug her back, but the sweet scent of her hair lured him closer and triggered something protective within. Reluctantly, he put his arms around her and gave a small squeeze. The anger at her betrayal began to melt, whether he wanted it to or not.
But then he reminded himself what she’d done to him. He pried the girl off of him and put an arm’s length between them.
“So do you wanna tell me what the hell that was about? Half of North America wants me dead now, thanks to your show.”
“I’msosorry, Dane. I feel horrible. I could’ve warned you, but I didn’t want to lose my job, and now, I—” She shook her head. “God, you must hate me.”
“Warned me?” he asked, eyes narrowing. “I thought you said you didn’t know the video was going to be like that.”
“I didn’t. Not like that, anyway. But you don’t know how bad the situation is. I’m afraid to even say it.”
“Slow down. You’re not making any sense.”
“Do you have something to drink?” she asked.
With a sigh, Dane led her to his kitchen. He uncorked a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses. Standing at the enormous marble island, they clinked their glasses together. The hockey player took a sip from his glass, but Austen drank hers in a single gulp.
“Jesus.” Dane replenished her glass with a warning. “You shouldn’t drink like that, you know.”
She nodded. “I know. I’m not normally like this. I’m just so nervous. I don’t even want to tell you this, because I’m afraid of what will happen.”
“Slow down and take your time.”
She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. “It’s not the media doing this to you. It’s theDevils,Dane.”
