Playing Dirty (Leighton U, #4)

by C.E. Ricci

Madden Hastings is the definition of a top-tier collegiate athlete—having the skill to back up all the shit-talking he does behind the plate. But as for who they are at their core? There’s only bad and worse.

Suck it, Hastings. Beating out an All-American catcher on a throwdown is a high unlike anything else. But for it to be a Falcon? My stepbrother, no less? It’s priceless.

“People do really dumb things for love.”

But even in his irritated state, I’d have to be completely stupid to not notice he’s extremely good looking, standing at maybe an inch shorter than my six-foot-two, with a sharp nose and defined cheekbones that make him look more like a marble statue than a human.

Theo Greyson is hot as hell.

I’m not the jealous type; never have been with any of the girls I’ve dated over the years. Yet, for some ungodly reason, a green-eyed monster rears its ugly head as I glower at the two of them across the room like some jealous boyfriend. Which is fucking insane. It’s not like I want him for myself.

“Don’t worry, Theo. The only guy ending up in my bed tonight is you.”

“Your experience is your own. You can process and explore it in whatever way feels natural to you.”

“You!” I shout instantly. “Jesus fuck. It’s you, okay? I want you.”

Theo Greyson hasn’t just gotten under my skin. He’s clawed his way into my psyche, burrowed himself through muscle and cartilage, sliced straight to the bone—and he’s managed this in an unthinkably short amount of time. Then again, maybe he started carving away at me long before I even realized it.

Theo Greyson is an anomaly; the perfect combination of power, speed, and grace.

Madden’s seduction is an art form; one proving nearly impossible to resist.

If he wants to stop, all he has to do is tell me. He knows, even when I’m in charge, he’s the one with all the power. It’s always been that way, and always will be.

He’s just Theo. Just…mine.

“Two things can be true, even if they’re contradictory. I can be loyal and dedicated to my team, my school, the rivalry we’ve built for over a century, but still remove myself from it enough to want you.”

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so…compatible with a partner before him.

But it is Madden. My rival, my stepbrother. The one person I shouldn’t fucking be with.

No one will understand the choices I’ve made. No matter how much I want him—no matter how deeply I’ve started to feel for him—we’re a modern day Romeo and Romeo. Which is the very reason why, in order to save my own skin, I had to dig myself an even deeper grave.

There’s something about him that makes me completely powerless.

“I tried so fucking hard not to want you, you know that? But I wasn’t strong enough to resist—I’m still not strong enough—and it’s got nothing to do with the Penny Play. It’s you. I wanted you in the hot tub, that day on your porch, and every moment since.” His fingers tighten fractionally against the base of my skull while his head shakes ever so slightly. “Christ, Madden. I want you to the end of my sanity. I want you for every reason I shouldn’t. You have to believe that.”

I’m already in love with him. Yet he continues to give me reasons to fall even deeper.

Every piece of me—mind, body, and soul—belongs to Madden Hastings.

Because I love him, and I’d rather have him a thousand times over than win some damn rivalry game.

“I love him. More than…fucking anything.”

Because, let’s face it, I’m a huge pushover when it comes to Theo Greyson.