“Would you ever jump out of a plane with a chute that was only fifty-percent guaranteed to open?”
He put his phone away. “Now my curiosity is piqued.”
“I want someone I have no business wanting.” I laced my hands behind my neck.
“She want you back?” Weston folded his arms over his chest.
“Yeah.”
“Is she married?” His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Hell no. It’s not like that. There are just...consequences.”
He nodded slowly, lifting his sunglasses to the top of his head and studying me. “Is she worth the risk?”
Yes.
“How do you know? You’re the one always chasing the high. How do you know when you come across something that’s just too risky?”
He sighed, looking over the back end of his palatial estate. “I hate this place. Dad bought it for his mistress. Figured if we were all tucked away in Virginia, he could do whatever he wanted here.”
My brow knit at the subject change. “Sell it.”
“If I sold off every place Dad fucked that woman, the Raptors wouldn’t have a stadium,” he said with a wry grin. “If it’s finances, I risk it. We both make enough. If it’s my life, I risk it. There’s no bigger thrill.”
A petite, strawberry blonde in a tailored suit walked onto the patio and offered us a wave.
“I only need him for a second!” Brynn called out. “Good to see you, Hendrix!”
“Hey, Brynn!” I called back. “Guess we’re all a long way from Virginia, aren’t we?” I asked soft enough for only Weston to hear.
Brynn had been a couple of years behind us in high school and worked through her last two years of college as Weston’s assistant when his dad died. He’d said it was because he’d needed someone he could trust, and Brynn was definitely trustworthy. She was also beautiful, not that Weston ever noticed.
“We are,” he agreed with a nod. “I don’t risk relationships,” he answered quietly.
“What?”
“You asked what’s too much risk.” He shrugged, looking at me as he backed away, heading toward Brynn. “I have money. I have too much fame. I have sex. A lot of sex. The only thing I don’t have in excess are relationships—people I trust. I don’t risk those.”
“Even if you’re missing out on the possibilities?” I glanced over at Brynn.
He shook his head. “You never fuck someone you can’t live without. Trust me on that one, and yes, I have wanted something I can’t have. Every day, Hendrix. Every damned day.” He turned and walked toward Brynn, his posture transforming from high school friend to billionaire business mogul.
Could I live without Savannah? Was I going to have a choice when she graduated and took a job somewhere else? I had to say no. I couldn’t sleep with her and walk away.
I was already too addicted from that one kiss for that.
Sleeping with her would be a mistake. A foolish, reckless, selfish thing to do.
Fuck the consequences. I wanted to do it, anyway.
That didn’t mean I was going to.
6
Savannah
"Whoa," I said, reaching out to gently grab my dad's wrist. "Easy on the salt, Dad."
My dad rolled his eyes but had an easy grin on his face. He threw another dash of salt into the oversized stockpot on the stove with a mischievous look.
I shook my head, taking up a good lean next to the stove just in case he decided to add any more ingredients to the chili that weren’t needed. "You know that other spices work just as well on this chili, Dad. Too much salt, and you'll kill the flavor. Not to mention your blood pressure."
Dad cringed but barked out a halfhearted laugh. "I'm responsible for a team of fifty-three barking men. I think it's safe to say my blood pressure is screwed regardless."
“They’re not animals,” I argued.
“Not all of them,” he said, laughing. “But they do their part in driving up my stress level.” He shook his head. “Not just me, but all the coaches. Just yesterday Olsen was telling me he had to kick one of his star players off the team over two teammates fighting over the same girl.” He sucked his teeth. “There are reasons I have rules in my locker room,” he continued, eying me. “At least my boys listen, and leave you alone.”
I swallowed hard. “You really shouldn’t—”
Dad held up a hand to cut me off. “Don’t,” he said. “Not today. Rules are important. This team is our livelihood. And you’re my baby girl. I wouldn’t hesitate to kick someone off the Raptors if it meant keeping your heart safe. But since I have the rule, I don’t have to worry about that. And neither do you. Win-win.”
Guilt swirled in my stomach, knowing what I’d done with Hendrix. What I’d asked of him. But, honestly, Dad’s rule was ancient. And downright wrong. My body, my choice.
I gave him a chiding look and stirred the chili that had started to simmer. One of our Sunday traditions during the off-season was chili, cornbread, and whatever Netflix show he was binging. It was our one time to be just Dad and Savannah as opposed to Coach Goodman and Coach Goodman’s daughter. I cherished these moments. It became a staple of ours ever since…well, ever since we lost my mother when I was five.
My fingers absentmindedly traced the tiny star necklace that hung on a thin chain around my neck. One of my most cherished items. The last gift my mother gave me before she got into the car accident that ended her life.
I could still remember the way she smelled, like cinnamon and vanilla. I could still remember the way her arms felt as she carried me to bed and tucked me in. She cinched that star-covered blanket over my five-year-old body and flicked off the light only to reveal an entire galaxy on my ceiling. I may have been a little bit obsessed, and she always indulged me. Always called me her star.
I crossed the expanse of my father's kitchen and wrapped my arms around him in a quick hug just because I could. It didn't matter how long it had been, the grief of losing my mother was like a tiny hole in my heart that never would heal. It wasn’t an all-encompassing grief that threatened to swallow me whole, but it was there nonetheless.
"What did I do to deserve that?" Dad asked as I released him and opened the fridge to grab a sparkling water.
I twisted off the cap, tossed it in the trash, and took a small sip. "Just love you is all," I said, and I meant it with all my heart. Regardless of my issues with his overprotectiveness, he was an amazing father. Sure he may have been a little overbearing in the early years, and even now, with his off-limits rule for his team, but he’d done everything he could to raise me right.
And now here I was about to embark on my own career, something I'd worked toward for half my life. The thrill of being in the epicenter of a professional athletics team was a rush you could only understand if you’d done it before. And I'd done it since forever, and I loved it. I loved the fast action, the strategy, and the quick-thinking with each new problem that arose.
I chewed on my bottom lip, something sticky and heavy gnawing at the center of my chest.
My father frowned at my obvious switch in mood and nodded toward me. "What's eating up my baby girl?"