Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
What was he doing here? Surely, he wasn’t working with the men I owed.
They said they were watching you.
He looked right at me and tipped his chin up.
Johnson whistled. “Looks like you have an admirer.”
I turned to face my teammate, willing myself not to look at the stranger again. “What? No.”
Johnson glanced up into the stands. “He’s looking this way.”
“How do you know it’s me he’s interested in and not you?”
“Because he’s gesturing for me to get you to turn around.”
“Fuck.” I started walking away. If there was any chance he was here to shake me down for a payment, I couldn’t take the risk.
“He’s hot as fuck,” Johnson said as he followed me. “What’s wrong with you?”
“He looks dangerous.”
“He looks delicious.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I glanced back.
The man held up his hands in a heart shape, and my pulse skyrocketed. Fuck.
I smiled and waved, knowing it would look weirder if I didn’t. Then I practically ran to the locker room with Johnson on my heels, laughing loud enough to attract the attention of several teammates.
“Got an admirer, Balogh?”
Johnson slapped my back. “Hell yeah. This guy’s going to get it tonight. Better than I can say about the rest of you suckers.”
“I’m focused on the game,” Vince said. “Women are a distraction during the season.”
Johnson snorted. “That’s okay because we’re just after dick.”
Vince rolled his eyes and walked away. Other than a few cat calls and slaps on the back, no one else said anything.
“You should go back out and see if he’s still there,” Johnson said.
“No. What I should do is go home and rest up for tomorrow.” I wouldn’t mind a rough, mindless fuck tonight, but if I were going to indulge myself, the guy in the stands was the last man I’d go after. I might be an idiot, but I wasn’t enough of one to risk falling into bed with someone who might have been sent to beat money out of me.
3
VITO
Ishowed up for a meeting with my cousins. Lucien hadn’t arrived yet, and Devil and Angelo were looking through the new season lineup for the Boston Badgers. I sucked in my breath when a picture of Zeke Balogh came up on the screen.
“Damn, he’s hot.” Angelo said.
Devil nodded. “I’m going to enjoy the hell out of watching him.”
I snarled. “He’s mine.”
Devil and Angelo both whistled as they turned to look at me.
“Staking your claim, are you?” Angelo asked.
“You both have your men.”
He huffed. “Doesn’t mean I don’t like to look.”
“Right,” Devil said. “I could get lucky. Joe might decide he’s all for a three-way if it’s with a gorgeous hockey player.”
“Should I ask him about that?” Angelo asked.
Devil glared at him. “Fuck no.”
“Exactly,” I said. “I’m the only one who’s free. Balogh is mine.”
Devil raised his brows. “You sound very sure of yourself.”
“I am.”
“What are you going to do? Show up at training and stake your claim on him?”
“Maybe.”
Devil laughed, but Angelo looked me up and down. “You’re fucking serious, aren’t you?”
“I need a distraction.”
“Uncle Dominic not giving you enough work?”
I snorted. “You know he doesn’t trust me like he does Val.”
Devil laid a hand on Angelo’s arm. “Let Vito have his fantasy.”
“It’s no fantasy. You care to place a bet on how fast I make him mine?”
Devil laughed. “Fuck no. You’re a Marchesi. When one of us wants something badly enough, we get it.”
Angelo winced as his boyfriend Cam walked in and glared at all of us. “What do you want now?”
“Nothing,” Angelo said, pointing at me. “It’s all him.”
Cam looked up at the screen where Devil had brought up another picture of Zeke and his stats from the team’s website. Then he looked back at Angelo. “I should hope you’re not planning to make any moves on this young man. You have all you need right here.”
Angelo’s smile was so big and genuine that it made my chest tighten. He loved Cam, and they fit together perfectly. I couldn’t imagine ever feeling like that. Val and his boyfriend, Liam, were the same way. I could barely stand to be around them, even though I missed my brother and all the shit we used to do together.
Maybe Val’s not ignoring you like you think. Maybe you’re just as guilty of avoiding him.
He could make time for just the two of us.
“You all right?” Devil asked me.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I wasn’t about to let them all know how pathetic I was. I really did need a distraction, and Zeke Balogh was going to be it. I’d wanted him when I was in Vegas, and I hadn’t forgotten him. I’d had every intention of tracking him down the next time I was out there, but now he was right here in my city. It had been a while since I’d chosen a man to pursue. I had a hell of a lot of confidence in my charm. I had no doubt I could easily get him in my bed, but I didn’t want easy. I wanted a long, drawn-out game that would hype up both of us until we were ready to explode.