From the first night there was an instant spark, chemistry fizzing between us like baking soda and vinegar. Once our mouths had a taste of one another, we were inseparable every day since that night. Until my brother clawed his way in between us, smothering our beautiful reaction with his dark cloak.
And people saymove onas if it’s that simple. Like you can tell the universe to turn off gravity. But it’s a fucking joke. He’s everywhere. When I close my eyes in the shower, he’s up against the tile wall, laughter and moans filling the air. When I am supposed to be rehearsing my field goals, all I can do is look over at him and Jackson practicing routes. The two of them cracking jokes. The man that he supposedly hates for being engaged to his father.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Austin was meant to be mine. He wasn’t just a distraction from the grind—he was my American Dream. My home and my forever.
We fit together like two pieces of hardwood. Meant to age together through every wax and polish. Endure the good and weather the bad.
There’s no way it can end like this—him drowning in my brother’s poison, suffocated by Drew’s lies and hollow charm. Austin doesn’t belong in the dark, he deserves the noon sun, to shine on prime time.
Chapter 19
Drew
Itwaspricelesstowatch Charlie’s eyes simmer with angst as he watched me next to Austin on the sideline last week, my arm wrapped around his pads. For a minute I thought I might have rattled him enough to cost him the kick. Imagine my disappointment when he tucked it in between those uprights—stubborn little sod.
I guess you aren’t as weak as I thought, baby brother.
What I do know is that it’s going to ruin Charlie when he finds out that he is royally uninvited to the wedding. It’ll crush his heart to little golden pieces. And I can’t wait to kick them across the field. Ha. Take that wanker.
Tonight, the Lumberjacks face the Bison in Kansas City. One of the top teams in the league, no doubt. Won the championship last year, but they’ve had a bit of turnover, from what the analysts say.
Before kickoff, I made sure to give Austin a little bit of my love in the hotel room. Gave my boy exactly what he needed for peak performance. Slow at first, then jagged enough to loosen those nerves. By the time I burst, he was stretched, beaming with adrenaline, that bonfire in his chestnut irises blazing fiercer than any drug could offer.
Lover Boy is quite the athlete on the field and in the sheets. He’s persistent and has endurance that you don’t see often. Like a gazelle, legs pumping, always one stride ahead of the lion nipping at his heels. You think he’s fragile, but he’ll run you ragged on the mattress, matching up with someone like me.
That’s the trick with Austin. He looks soft and harmless. With a warm smile, chestnut eyes, and a boyish chuckle that makes you think he’s easy prey. But he’ll grind away until the spikes on his cleats are worn from drills. That’s what makes him so precious.
He’s a force that looks innocent but deceives you with his grit.
And that’s why I can’t let him go. That’s why I’m obsessed. He’s my Lover Boy and I can’t afford to let him out of my sight. Even with my signature blazed onto his back, there are vultures out there that would try to snatch him from my grasp. Peck him to pieces the moment I glance away.
I’m all too familiar with men and what they would do to a precious gemstone like him, my own father abused me in ways that are unforgivable. Using me, breaking me, treating my body for his own pleasure. Passing on his ugly scars to me.
I’m different; I wouldn’t be like him.
Men like him would take advantage of Lover Boy and never let him see the light of day; they would keep him shackled in chains in some dungeon. Keeping him as some kind of fucked-up trophy.
I was the one who protected him from the wolves, saved him from certain death. Not Charlie, or any other bloke. I would kill or do anything to protect Austin.
“Hey, babe.” I plant a kiss on Austin’s cheek, tasting the sweet and salty essence of his sweat. “Feeling warmed up?”
“So much better than that,” he chuckles, a grin spreading his lips, putting his helmet back on.
“But there is something…” he hesitates, eyes dancing towards the ground.
“Did somebody do something?” My heart begins to flood with adrenaline. “Or say something? Tell me who and I’ll introduce their molars to my fists.”
He puts a hand on my chest. “No, no, no… nothing like that.”
“Then what, baby?” I ask, every instinct in my body ready to eliminate the threat. The chatter of the crowd goes silent to my ears. My pulse is the only sound registering besides Austin’s words.
His eyes meet mine after an eternity. “Charlie saw…”
My jaw clenches. “Saw what? I imagine he’s seen every crevice of your skin.”
“The tattoo…” he murmurs shamefully, like he’s in confession with a priest.
Immediately, I pull him in for a hug. “Don’t be ashamed of my signature, Lover Boy. It’s for protection. From Charlie and all the men out there that might want a taste of you. Maybe he’ll finally move on from doting over you. I mean I don’t blame him for obsessing over you. You are a diamond in a wasteland of coal. I’ll protect you from him and whatever beast that tries to rip you apart.”
