Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 97994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Babe.
The word hits my chest like a gunshot, echoing through me as my girlfriend lets out a broken little sound: I know that sound.
She’s about to come.
And in that exact second, something inside me dies.
The man I would’ve taken a bullet for—the guy who stood beside me through every injury, every drunken win, every sunburned vacation—vanishes right in front of my eyes.
Poof.
Gone.
Replaced by a stranger who didn’t hesitate to drive a knife between my ribs and twist for good measure.
I lean back against the wall, crossing my arms like this is nothing more than a mildly interesting inconvenience, and I have all day to discuss.
“Having fun?”
My words cut through the air like a blade.
They stop fucking.
Bailey jerks her head toward the door as if she’s been shocked, crisp sheets tangling around her legs. She fumbles to cover herself, breath coming out in panicked bursts at my intrusion.
She gasps, hands flying up to cover the tits I’ve seen dozens of times.
As if modesty is gonna save her now.
Declan goes rigid.
For a split second, he stares dumbfounded at the sight of me, mouth gaping open, eyes wide as if I’m a hallucination he can blink away.
He blinks.
“A-Aaron—” Bailey gasps, horrified. “Oh my god, Aaron.”
“Don’t say my name,” I say quietly. “If you say it one more time, I’m going to lose what little restraint I have left.”
Declan stares up at me from the bed, cock most likely shriveling by now. His mouth opens. Closes. The deer-in-headlights look doesn’t suit him, but it’s the only thing he’s wearing at the moment.
I tilt my head.
“Please, continue. Don’t let me stop you. I mean, honestly Kennedy, if you’re gonna fuck my girlfriend in the middle of the afternoon, the least you could do is finish the job.”
“We—w-we didn’t know you were coming,” Bailey breathes, voice trembling.
It’s all I can do not to roll my eyes.
“No shit, hey? You really weren’t expecting me?” I’m controlled. Lethal. “Weird. I didn’t know the two of you were coming, either.”
I push off the wall to take a step forward—not toward them, but to watch Declan flinch from the unknown.
Good.
I want him to be afraid of what I might do.
“You wanna know what the pisser about this is?” I keep my eyes locked on his because this is between us. “I’m here because I was worried sick about you. You’ve been bailing on practice—leaving early. Avoiding me.” A humorless huff escapes me. “I was gonna drag you to the gym. Thought maybe there were things we needed to talk about. Blow off steam.”
I couldn’t have predicted how right I was.
Always trust your gut.
Bailey clutches the sheet to her chest like it might hide her, hands trembling so badly it’s almost comical. Face bone-white, lips parted—her brain clearly can’t form coherent words.
I glance at my girlfriend. “Looks like you beat me to the blowing part.”
Declan grimaces. “Dude. Could you give us a second to put some clothes on so we can explain?”
Explain?
Is he fucking for real?
I laugh. “I’ve seen your dick before—and we all know I’ve seen her naked. No need to be shy.”
“Don’t be a prick,” she snaps.
“You know, Bailey.” My smile is sardonic. “You could have broken up with me and spared us all this scene. Been a fucking adult about it.”
I glance around the room again, more critically this time.
Clothes scattered like they came off in a hurry. An open bottle of wine on the nightstand. Bra. Boxer shorts. Shades half drawn. The air thick with betrayal.
What Bailey and I had was comfortable. Easy.
Convenient.
We didn’t see each other constantly—we’re both busy—but she loved sitting in the stands at my games. Loved sitting with the WAGs. Liked the attention. Liked slipping into my bed on the nights our schedules aligned, having sex, falling asleep beside me.
So what if things have gotten dull and boring? That’s no reason to cheat. Clearly, she doesn’t love me. Did she ever?
Love isn’t lies and secrets and sneaking around.
“How long?” I ask him.
He swallows hard. “It—it wasn’t like that.”
“Funny,” I snort. “It looks exactly like that.”
He runs a hand through his hair, panic bleeding through his words. “I never meant to hurt you, Bishop.”
Too late.
Bailey couldn’t have chosen a worse guy to fuck. I mean, Christ. If she doesn’t love me—fine. It hurts, but I can survive.
Him on the other hand? You don’t accidentally fuck your friend’s girlfriend.
That part guts me.
I swallow hard, chest tight, heart doing a slow, painful collapse.
“Have you been fucking her behind my back this entire goddamn time?” I ask Declan. “While I was running drills next to you at practice and calling you brother?”
I deserve better than this and they both know it.
“Dude, I—”
“Piss off.” I cut him off, disgusted. “I don’t want an apology.” I look at Bailey. “You know what the irony of this is, Bay? I knew we weren’t going to last forever, but I trusted you. I thought you had enough decency not to fucking cheat on me.”