He pulled into my driveway and parked, but left the ignition running. “I don’t know, someone who actually cares about who you are instead of trying to get in your pants. Jax only wants to fuck you. That’s all he ever wants from anyone.”

  Grabbing my bag, I opened the door and slid out. I liked feeling protected with him, but he needed to know I wasn’t weak…not anymore. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m not interested in him. If there’s one thing you need to understand about me, it’s that I’m not easily fooled. I picked up on Jax’s intent before he even opened his mouth today. If you want to protect me from everyone, that’s fine, but let’s get something clear.” His head snapped in my direction; I had his full-on attention. “I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself. Don’t for one second think I can’t.”

  “That’s not what I think when I look at you, Summer,” he murmured, his gray eyes boring into mine.

  “Then what is?”

  His lip curled up into a small smile. “I don’t think you’re ready to hear it. When you are, I’ll be right there.” He put his truck in reverse and waited for me to shut the door. Reluctantly, I shut it, still reeling over his words. “I’ll see you tonight at the restaurant. I’m meeting the journalist there to do the interview.” I’ll admit, when I saw him with her at practice and the way she was dressed in her tight pants and low-cut top, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. It made me wonder if that was the type of girl he wanted: sophisticated, modern, and classy, with her high heels and perfectly made-up face. That wasn’t me.

  Nodding, I stepped back. “Then I guess I’ll see you there.” With her. He pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the road. It was going to be a long night.

  —

  “Are you okay?” Lara asked, stepping into my line of sight. For the past hour, I’d watched the journalist constantly find ways to touch Evan and smile at him. I could see it in the way she sat, poking out her breasts to draw attention to her cleavage. She wanted him.

  “I’m fine,” I snapped.

  She glanced back at Evan’s table and faced me with furrowed brows. “Well, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you were jealous. You sure are acting like it.”

  “I’m not jealous. Just—”

  Lara grinned widely. “Just jealous? Why don’t you admit that you like him? I think you’re forgetting that we’re twins. We’re from the same egg, so we basically share the same brain.”

  Laughing, I tore my gaze away from Evan’s table. “Lara, you’re too much sometimes.”

  “So, you do like him?”

  “I didn’t say that,” I replied quickly. Who was I kidding? I did like him and I was jealous. I didn’t like seeing him with another woman, especially one who kept touching him. I’d give anything just to go over there and tell her to back off.

  “It’s okay if you do. Evan’s a nice guy. He’s a much better man than his best friend.” Her gaze landed on something over my shoulder and she snarled, “And speaking of which, said best friend just walked through the damn door with another wildebeest.” She squeezed my shoulder and slid off the stool. “Is it okay if I go home? My head is killing me.”

  I looked at her and then over my shoulder at Luke. In that moment, I hated him for what he was doing to her. “Go,” I told her. “Grayson and I will be fine here.” Grayson was helping an elderly gentleman at the end of the bar, but he acknowledged us with a nod of his head.

  “Thank you,” she whispered hurriedly. In a flash, she rushed to the back and out the exit door.

  “Grayson, what’s up, man?” Luke greeted him as he approached the bar.

  Grayson’s jaw clenched, but he put on a fake smile and shook Luke’s hand. “Not much. Been busy.”

  “I hear ya,” Luke said, sitting down at the bar. His lady friend took the seat beside me, smelling like cheap perfume and sex. My stomach rolled in disgust. How Lara could ever fall in love with someone like Luke was beyond me. What was worse was that he was Evan’s best friend. You are what you hang out with was what I’d always heard.

  “Well, hello, Summer. How are you tonight?” Luke asked, slamming down the shot of tequila Grayson had just poured him. Grayson could see in my eyes that I had hit my limit. He shook his head, warning me, but I couldn’t let it go any longer.

  “Actually, Luke, I’m feeling a little sick to my stomach. Do you want to know why?” I glared at him, not even acknowledging the girl he’d dragged in with him. He cleared his throat, his smile fading. Without waiting for an answer, I stood and walked over, stopping behind him and leaning down to his ear. I whispered low so his friend couldn’t hear me.

  “I’m sick because every time you come in here with some slut bag, I have to look at the hurt on Lara’s face. You might not give a damn after you fucked her and left, but I sure as hell do. If you so much as bring another one of your skank-ass friends in here, I promise I will literally kick you out myself.” I slapped my hand on the bar to get Grayson’s attention. “Close his tab. He’s leaving.”

  “But I’m hungry,” his date whined.

  Luke sighed and glanced sheepishly at Grayson before setting down a twenty. “Keep the change. We’re out of here.” Keeping his head down, he made sure to avoid me at all costs. His date, however, wasn’t done.

  “Why are you letting her run us out?” she shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant, including Evan. “She’s just a stupid waitress.” Gasps erupted and the whole place grew silent. Evan got to his feet and started toward us.

  With the biggest grin on my face, I lowered my voice and spoke through my clenched teeth. People were watching. “Actually, honey, I’m the owner.” Her eyes went wide. Then to Luke I said, “And if you don’t get the hell out of here now I’m going to live up to my promise.”

  “What’s going on?” Evan demanded.

  “Nothing,” Luke blurted out. “We were just leaving.”

  Evan narrowed his eyes. “But you just got here.”

  Not wasting any time, Luke sauntered to the door, all calm like nothing was wrong. “Don’t worry, I’ll catch up with you later.” And then he and his date were gone. Good riddance.

  Evan glared at the door, then looked back to me. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about?”

  “Don’t you need to get back to your date?”

  “Interview,” he corrected. “And we’re almost done.”

  “Well, then, why don’t you ask your friend what’s wrong? He is your best friend, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah, but I’m asking you.”

  “Later. You’re busy right now.” I tried to walk off, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me past the bar to the back. We walked past the kitchen to the back door that led to the employee parking area.

  Opening it wide, he ushered me out and slammed the door. “Why are you acting so pissy with me?”

  I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not angry at you.”

  “At Luke then? What did he do?”

  “Can you honestly tell me you have no clue? I thought all you guys gloated about the women you’ve slept with.” His jaw clenched and he tensed. “Anyway, I’ve kept everything buried for so long, and I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

  Evan put his hands on my shoulders and immediately my body relaxed; an audible sigh escaped my lips. He heard it and moved closer. Surprisingly, I didn’t move back. I didn’t want to. “It doesn’t shock me that he could piss someone off, but you are the last person he’d mess with.”

  I looked up into his serious gray gaze. “That’s not true. Has he told you about Lara?”

  His brows furrowed. “No. What about her?”

  “They slept together,” I confided, “a few months ago. And then afterward, he up and left like nothing happened. You can’t tell me you didn’t know.”

  Eyes wide, he squeezed my shoulders and pulled me closer. “Summer, you have to believe me when I say I didn’t. How the fuck could he do that? No wonder he’s been acting strange around her.”

  “I wonder why he didn’t tell you,” I murmured, more to myself than him.

  Evan sighed and closed his eyes. “Probably because he knew I’d bitch his ass out for it. Lara’s a good girl. He should’ve known better than to fuck around with her. Not to mention, I’ve seen the kind of girls he’s been messing with. I don’t know what the hell his problem is.”

  “So now do you see why I’m upset? Lara’s hurting and I did the only thing I could think of to get him out of my sight.”

  Letting my shoulders go, Evan stepped back, a small smile spreading across his face. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so worked up over something.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “It’s good. I like seeing you protective of your sister. I can tell she’s the same way with you.”

  I leaned against the building and smiled. “All she’s done for the past two years is be completely by my side, supporting me. It’s time I was there for her. Thank goodness your sister was there for her when I wasn’t.”

  “And I’m glad Lara was there for Kate when I couldn’t be. If it wasn’t for Lara, I’d probably be dead right now. Kate would’ve killed me for hovering too much. It’s hard not to when all you want is to keep your family safe.”

  “Have you always been like that? Protective of your family and friends?”

  His lips curled up into a small smile and I felt tingles vibrate through my body. “What can I say? It’s part of my southern charm.” Opening the door, he nodded to the inside. “Now that I know you’re not pissed at me, are we still on for Saturday night after the game?”

  I nodded. “I said yes, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, but I know how women are; they never know what the hell they want.”

  “And you do?” I countered. By the mischievous grin on his face, he wasn’t going to answer me. Men never knew what they wanted, either, and if they did, it was always something they couldn’t have.

  “How about we go inside? I have an interview to get back to.”

  “You mean, flirting to get back to. I think the journalist likes you. She’s basically sticking her tits in your face.”

  I strolled inside, and behind me I heard him chuckle, but I didn’t turn around. When we got to the bar, his body brushed up against mine and he leaned down toward my ear. “That woman out there may want me, but she’s not what I want. I prefer something a little sweeter.” His warm breath fanned over my skin and I broke into chills, shivering. As he walked back to his table, he glanced at me over his shoulder and smiled. Beaming in return, I sat down at the bar and sighed. Was falling for him such a good idea? No, but it didn’t look like I had a choice.

  Chapter 8

  Summer

  GAME NIGHT

  The stadium was packed, with the bulk of people wearing the black and blue jerseys of the Carolina Cougars. We were facing off against Seattle and our team was ready. Kate sat in one of the chairs on the sideline, her face flushed. “Are you going to be okay?” I asked, kneeling down at her side.

  “It’s just a little hot out here. I always watch Cooper play and I don’t want to miss a pass by being a pansy.” Shaking my head, I got back to my feet.

  “Are you going to the party tonight?” Jaxon asked, coming to my side, his jersey bearing the number FIFTEEN. Kate snorted, but I didn’t think he heard it.

  “I am,” I replied. “Are you?”

  “Yep, which is why I wanted to see if you’d like to go with me.”

  “I can’t. I already told Evan I’d be his date.” His grin diminished, while Kate choked on a laugh behind us.

  “Well, I guess I’ll see you there. If you get bored of Townsend, make sure you find me.” He winked and scurried on his way.

  “Is he always like that?” I asked Kate.

  “Pretty much. He screwed around with Lindsey behind Evan’s back. They don’t exactly get along these days.” So that was why there had been so much tension between them.

  “I had no clue,” I remarked. “Evan didn’t tell me.”

  “He was pretty pissed about it, but he moved on. I think the betrayal of his teammate hurt him worse than her actually cheating. Lindsey is definitely in his past.”

  “You sure about that? She looked like she wanted to kick my ass yesterday when I showed up to practice with him.”

  Kate scoffed. “Please, that girl isn’t going to get anywhere near Evan. She used to look at me like that when I was dating Cooper. She can get the fuck over it. At least I knew he didn’t have feelings for her.”

  The score was sixteen to twenty-seven, our lead, in the fourth quarter, with only thirty seconds left to go. Our guys were tired, but so was everyone else. We had one more play left, and shortly after Cooper was snapped the ball, he let it fly straight down the field to Evan. One of Seattle’s players barreled toward him but the ball was still in the air.

  “Come on,” I mumbled to myself. “Catch it.” Evan’s arms lifted in the air and the ball sailed straight into his chest, his hands holding it tight. Screaming for joy, I jumped up and down. “Run.” Swerving left and right, he ran the ball twenty yards down the field and dove headfirst into the end zone. Touchdown. The crowd went wild and so did our players, rushing down the field to Evan. We won the game.

  Out of the chaos, I was surprised to see him trying to catch my attention with a wave of his hand. He wanted me to join him on the field. There were so many people, I knew I’d get trampled. So instead, I waved and smiled, keeping my spot beside Kate. “He likes you,” Kate murmured softly. “I can see it in his eyes.”

  “What is it with you all? Are you trying to play matchmaker?”

  Kate giggled. “No, but it’s just so obvious. Have you not ever noticed him watching you from time to time? I think he’s been interested in you for a long while now.”

  The players started running toward the sidelines, including Evan and Cooper. “Kate, I haven’t noticed much of anything until here recently. For the longest time, I felt invisible. Or, better yet, I wanted to be invisible.”

  Kate squeezed my shoulder. “I know how you feel. But now people can see you. You just need to decide if you want to be seen.”

  “Did you see that pass?” Cooper shouted excitedly.

  Moving out of the way, I bumped into Evan as Cooper wrapped his sweaty arms around Kate. She scrunched her nose and froze in his arms. “I did, but now I have Cooper stink all over me.”

  “That’s not what you thought last night when—”

  “All right,” Evan groaned. “I don’t need to hear about that shit.”

  Laughing, I elbowed him in the side. “Neither do I. But I think you do need to take a shower.”

  “What? You mean you don’t want to be seen with me like this?” he asked, opening his arms wide. “No worries. You’ll just have to take one, too.”

  In one quick movement, he slung one sweaty arm over my shoulders and the other under my legs, lifting me in his arms. He swung me around, laughing the entire time, while I held on for dear life, giggling. Cameras flashed and people cheered. I could only imagine what rumors would be spread after that display. By the time he set me down, I was dizzy and had to hold on to him.

  “You better hope I don’t puke on you.”

  He guffawed and leaned over, his breath hot against my ear. “You might want to suck it up because you’re about to be on the news.” By the time the world stopped spinning, we were surrounded by reporters and cameras, all wanting a word from the Cougars’ favorite players and their coach. Joel stood by Cooper’s side with a triumphant smile on his face as he spoke into the camera. I, on the other hand, felt like a complete idiot with my mouth hanging down to the ground. The last time I’d been in front of the camera was when I was chased down after Austin was murdered. Everyone wanted to get an inside scoop on what had happened, but I wasn’t ready. Every time I talked about it, the memories came flooding back. What if these reporters find out who I am? Will I have to rehash it all? I didn’t want to relive that horror again, to go into detail about how Austin was beaten to death in an illegal underground MMA ring. Not to mention, there were people who’d paid money to watch him be killed. The whole thing was fucked up. It took months for me to speak even to my sister about it. In order to avoid the press, I’d changed back to my maiden name and left Georgia. I didn’t want to be found.

  The moment the lights on the cameras beamed our way, Evan put his arm around my waist, stopping my retreat. “Stay with me, sunshine,” he murmured in my ear. If he only knew how hard it was for me.

  The humidity got ten times worse and I broke out in a massive sweat. I recognized the reporter as Mike Weller, the sports anchor for our local news station. Dressed in a Cougars jersey and jeans, he was showing support for his team. He smiled at me, but I breathed a sigh of relief when he held the microphone out to Evan. “Evan Townsend, how does it feel to bring your team to another victory?”

  Evan chuckled and waved around at the other players. “It wasn’t just me who brought the win. The guys have worked really hard and it showed out there today.”

  “Do you think you have a shot at the Super Bowl?”

  “Hell, yeah. We won it once and I know we can do it again.”

  Grinning widely, Mike turned to me and I struggled to smile. In my mind, I screamed for him not to talk to me. He must’ve heard it because he didn’t engage. “I see you have a good luck charm with you,” he said, nodding slightly to me. “Your fans might get a little jealous over that, but if she’s what made you tear up the field today, I say keep her close.”

  “I would, but it’s all up to her,” Evan replied, winking down at me then turning back to the cameras. “Thanks for coming to the game.”

  Mike waved at the camera guy and he lowered it; the interview was over. Thank God. “My pleasure. I wouldn’t miss it. You guys seriously kicked ass last season. This one looks promising as well.” He held out his hand and Evan shook it. “We’ll see you at the next home game.” As soon as he sauntered off, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You ready to get out of here?” Evan asked.