Playing Dirty (Leighton U, #4)

by C.E. Ricci

To the ones with the odds constantly stacked against them: Fuck what everyone else will think or say. Use it as fuel to write your own happy ending.

“I can’t promise you fair sky above. Can’t promise you kind road below. But I’ll walk beside you, love. Any way the wind blows.” — Hadestown

I don’t have to be the enemy, though. He’s just hell-bent on making me one.

Unfortunately, after I come out of the bathroom from brushing my teeth, I realize the one massive problem I’ve overlooked. One that’s impossible to ignore now that he’s stripped down to nothing more than a pair of tight-fitting boxer briefs. Theo Greyson is hot as hell.

Unfortunately, Madden’s faster than me—and possibly a mind reader—grabbing my wrist before I can even take a step back toward Camden. His skin singes mine where it makes contact, and there’s an intensity in his gaze as he leans in a little closer. “Don’t worry, Theo. The only guy ending up in my bed tonight is you.”

“Play with fire, and you’re gonna get burned, Teddy Bear,” I utter, the warning coming out barely more than a gruff whisper. “Especially if you keep looking at me like that.”

“I don’t need to read your mind, Theo. Not when your body is screaming.”

But I don’t get the chance, because Theo’s hand lands on my forearm. And those emotions? Well, they boil over the second his lips crash into mine.

I don’t know what caused me to snap, only that the second I do, I realize it’s the greatest mistake I’ve ever made. Because nothing—fucking nothing on this planet—could prepare me for kissing Madden.

And, fuck, does my cock take notice of just how sexy it is to be on the receiving end of a hand necklace.

Hand necklace supremacy

“I hate that I want you,” I whisper, the words coming out in a snarl. His dark chuckle floats over my skin like satin. “About time we agreed on something.”

He’s somehow invaded my mind, destroying all thought and common sense, and no matter how hard I try…I can’t hate him for it. I can’t hate him at all.

Well, that would be because I didn’t even try. I was too busy having a grade-A meltdown over my sudden desire to make out with my stepbrother, making it clear I’m not as straight as I thought I was.

Theo Greyson is in my bloodstream, whether I like it or not. I just hope like hell I get better at ignoring it.

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

Yeah, it led me right back to him. To finally admitting Phoenix was right: Denial is not just a river in Egypt, and I drown in it every time I look at Madden.

“Then what are you waiting for, Theo?” he asks in a gruff whisper. “I’m right here. So if that’s really what’s going on here, why aren’t you acting on it?”

And just like that night, I snap.

Yeah, I’m gonna have way too much fun watching him come unglued at the seams.

“Fuck, I knew you were trouble,”

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.

Fuck. Distraction may as well be Theo’s new middle name.

“It’s different,” I say with a shrug. “There’s no one here watching. I’m not worried about having perfect form, placing the ball, whatever else Coach wants us to focus on. It’s just me, the bat, the ball, and releasing the built up tension.”

God I miss this

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

Truth be told, he could ask me to go home with him right now, and I don’t think I’d have the strength to refuse. The want I have for him is too great.

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

“You’re in so much trouble the next time I get my hands on you. I hope you know that.” “I’m looking forward to it.”

There’s so much of himself he’s giving away, allowing me to learn during these small, seemingly meaningless moments together; ones crafted in a pocket of space where the outside world fades away, and he’s not a Timberwolf or my stepbrother anymore. He’s just Theo. Just…mine.

I crave him down to the marrow of my bones, the ends of the earth. To the edge of my fucking sanity. So this is what addiction feels like.

Shit, I’d put on fucking Frozen if it meant keeping him for another hour.

All he does is hum and nuzzle in some more, holding me tightly against him. Almost as if he thinks letting me go will give me the chance to sneak out and go home. But he doesn’t need to worry about that; nothing short of a nuclear explosion could get me out of his bed—or his arms—right now.

“No, it’s just…” He trails off and lets out a little laugh. “I don’t know. Your messiness is starting to mess me up too.” Shit. It wasn’t what I was expecting him to say, but I feel guilty nonetheless. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. He reaches up, swiping away a piece of hair that’s fallen over my forehead, only to offer a soft smile…and two words that stop my fucking heart. “I’m not.”

“The way I want you…it fucking kills me. Every time you’re near, I can’t think about anything else except touching you, tasting you. Marking every inch of your body as mine. You’ve ruined me.”

“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.”

To love someone is to turn around.

Because willingly handing over the pennant? It’s a test of trust. Just not for him. For me. Trusting that everything between us is real. That every word he’s ever said to me is because of how he feels, and has nothing to do with that piece of fabric hanging on the wall. And trusting that, even with it in his possession, he’ll still want me even a fraction of the amount I want him.

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

Sometimes I wonder if I’d even be satiated by crawling inside his chest, tucking myself behind his ribs, and truly becoming part of him. At this point, I doubt it. Nothing will ever be enough. But maybe that’s exactly what love is.

Every piece of me—mind, body, and soul—belongs to Madden Hastings. And fuck, if he doesn’t belong to me too.

“When it’s your forever on the line, all the codes and rules go right out the damn window.”

“Because I love you, okay? God, I thought that’d be fucking obvious.” A soft, exasperated laugh leaves him, and he shakes his head. “I love you so much, sometimes I fucking hate you for it—for making me fall to the point where I’d abandon everything else for you. Because I would. I’d sell my team out and give you the pennant. I’d hand my soul over to Hades himself if it made you smile.” He licks his lips and releases a resounding sigh. “You’re the one I’d turn around for, Theo. Over and over again.”

I turn to look at him—at this man I never knew I needed—and I know I feel the same. In my heart of hearts, I know I’d go to the ends of the Earth for him, and that includes betraying my team. There’s no other alternative. I couldn’t live with myself if I betrayed my heart.

“I meant it, though. I meant everything I said, but if there’s anything you should take away, it’s how stupidly in love with you I am.” “I love you too.” There’s a wistful glint in his eyes when he adds, “I said it before, but I don’t think you heard it.”

“What? You didn’t have to turn around,” I say with a confused laugh. “I just wanted to hold your hand.” He hits me with one of those decimating smiles. “I’ll always turn around for you.”