JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.
When I agreed to allow Robbie to stay here with his girlfriend for a week or two, I never imagined my nephew would serve up my dream girl on a silver fucking platter to me. Vivi is not only beautiful with her long, dark hair and big green eyes, but her curvy body also makes my mouth water. When I watched her pull herself up from my pool, water dripping all down her body, my cock ached to be inside her—to feel her skin in my hands and know if it’s as soft as it looks.
She is the perfect temptation. And while she’s sleeping under my goddamn roof, she’s trouble for me, wrapped up in one sexy package.
After the shitstorm of bad press I’ve gotten over the past few months, the last thing I need is for anyone to find out I’m banging my nephew’s young, sexy as fuck girlfriend. The reporters would have a field day dragging my name through the mud for messing around with someone who is every bit ten years younger than me, portraying me as a monster who preys on women yet again.
My doorbell rings, and my phone alerts me via video that Beckett is at the front door with Dobby.
“Fuck,” I mutter as I trudge downstairs.
Beckett always has impeccable timing. He’s been my best friend since high school, and when I made it big in the NFL, he’s the one I bought a house for, not my mother. I bought two houses side by side so Beckett can monitor my place while I’m on the road, and he can watch after my dog. I’m sure he’s been dying to corner me on who the fuck the young girl in the pool is because I know damn well he’s seen her.
I bounce down the stairs and then unlock the door. Dobby jumps on me, going crazy licking my hands, greeting me because it’s been a couple of days since I’ve seen him. “Hey, buddy. Miss me?”
I step back and allow Beckett in. “Why didn’t you use your key like you always do? What’s up with ringing the bell?”
One corner of his mouth pulls up into a grin as he rakes his hand through the cropped brown hair on the top of his head. “Wasn’t sure if me waltzing in here like I owned the place would scare the shit out of your company. Figured I wouldn’t do that until I got a proper introduction to your new houseguest.”
I roll my eyes at him and shut the front door. “She won’t be staying long. The moment she finds a place, she’s out of here.”
“She?” he questions. “Did Robbie not come with her? Wasn’t that the point of that little brat begging to allow them to stay with you—to get to know his uncle?”
I shrug. “All I know is the girl says Robbie dumped her at the airport and backed out of coming with her.”
“Shit. That’s fucked up.” Beckett folds his arms over his chest. “What are you going to do about the girl? You aren’t seriously going to allow her to stay here without Robbie, are you?”
Beckett knows better than anyone about all the trouble I’ve been in with the press over the past few months, which, in turn, put me in some hot fucking water with the Devil’s organization. The league wanted to suspend me pending an investigation into the claims of a young woman—whom I’ve never met, by the way—said I drugged her and took her back to my hotel room. The Devil’s owner, Bruce Bayne, knew suspending me would sink any hopes his team had for making the playoffs this year. I’m a defensive beast, the best linebacker in the game. At every game, I sacrifice my body to make sure no one gets past me. I’m worth every million a year they pay me, and everyone knows it, which is why Bruce sweet-talked the league into allowing me to play while the Devils set strict guidelines for me to follow this year.
So Vivi being here goes against one of those very guidelines. No fucking around with women during the season. How’s it going to look to outsiders that I have a sweet, young, sexy as sin woman living with me? No matter the real reason she’s here, all people will think is that Vivi is my new play toy—a toy I’ve been forbidden to play with until the season is over or this investigation closes and the cops finally realize I’m innocent.
Even with all that, it wouldn’t feel right for me to throw this girl onto the street. I may be a bastard, but contrary to popular belief, I have some feelings, and I would never want to see someone seriously hurt—which is what could happen to someone who looks like her living out on the street.
Finally, after a long moment, I sigh. “She won’t be here long. A couple of weeks, tops.”
“Why can’t she just go back to Nevada?”
“She took a job here, according to the text I got from Robbie—something about her dream job and the offer was a quick, out of the blue thing, which is why little Mr. Perfect didn’t have a place for them lined up already for when they got here.”
Beckett shakes his head. “I still can’t believe you told Robbie he could come here with his girlfriend in the first place. You’re getting soft in your old age.”
“Fuck you,” I snip. “Thirty-four is hardly old. I thought allowing Robbie to come here would allow me to get to know the only family I have left, but I see now that little fucker was just using me and couldn’t care less about family.”
A sympathetic look flashes on Beckett’s face, and I hate when he does that shit. I’ve always craved a family because I didn’t really have one growing up. My mother loved to drink and party, leaving me alone a lot, or when she was home, she was sleeping or fucking some random dude in her bedroom. My mother was nothing but a random fling for my married father while he was in town on business a couple of times, so I’d never met him.
It wasn’t until Robert Estell, Robbie’s dad, tracked me down and wanted to meet me did I even know I had a brother, and a few years later, when he was in Florida on a family vacation, I met his then fifteen-year-old son, Robbie. The only time I hear from my half brother is his yearly family Christmas card and when he sent me Robbie’s high school and college graduation announcements. Our contact has been minimal, to say the least, so it piqued my curiosity when Robbie texted me and asked if he and his girlfriend could crash here.
The back door slides open, and Vivi comes traipsing inside with a towel wrapped around her body. Flashes of her perky pink nipple hit my memory, and my dick twitches at the thought of what she’d look like spread out naked on my bed.
Dobby’s head jerks up the moment Vivi opens the door, and he leaps up, jumping on her, causing the towel to separate, giving me a nice glimpse of her creamy thigh.
“Down, Dobby!” I order, and he obeys instantly. Sitting in front of Vivi, he waits on her to greet him properly, wagging his nub of a tail.
“You’re awfully cute,” she coos at him while scratching behind his ear. “What kind of dog are you?”
“He’s a giant schnauzer,” I tell her.
As if she’s just now noticing us, a blush creeps up on her porcelain cheeks. “Oh. Well. He’s a cutie, and did I hear his name is Dobby? Like in Harry Potter?”
“That’s the one.” Beckett chuckles next to me, loving when anyone discovers I have a crazy obsession with Harry Potter. He thinks it’s weird that a grown man loves a kid’s story so much, but he doesn’t get that I felt very much alone while growing up like Harry did, so I could relate to the stories.
“That’s super cool,” Vivi says with a smile. “I love Harry Potter.”
“Well, then the two of you can fangirl together,” Beckett says, absolutely loving the fact he’s able to help display what a nerd I am deep down.
She stares at us for a moment and then readjusts her towel. “Guess I’ll head upstairs. Sorry to be in your way when you have company.” Vivi ducks her head as she has no choice but to pass by us in the foyer to head toward the stairs, trying to avoid us.
“Hi!” Beckett says to her with a glint in his eye as he stops her. “I’m Beckett. I live next door and am over all the time, so I’m really not a guest. More like Zayn’s sane, responsible brother.” He extends his hand to her, and she accepts it before giving it a firm shake. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You as well,” she responds politely. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go get changed.”
Vivi scurries up the stairs, and I can’t help watching as her ass sways as she climbs each step.
“Shit. You’re in so much trouble,” Beckett says with a chuckle in his voice. “You know, I’d be willing to take one for the team and have her stay at my place to keep everyone off your back.”
This time, it’s me who laughs. “Yeah. Right. I can picture that man-eater you’re dating stopping by and discovering your new houseguest. Denise will chop your dick off.”
He grimaces and cups his junk. “You’re right about that. Can’t have that happen because I’m quite fond of the little guy.” He pats me on the shoulder. “Sorry, my friend, it looks like you’ll have to keep the girl here.”
It would be better for me if Vivi didn’t stay here. She’s a sweet temptation, and I’m not a man known for his restraint when it comes to something I want. But Vivi is off-limits for more reasons than just my football bullshit. She’s my nephew’s girl—or ex-girl rather—which makes her one-thousand percent off-limits, so I’m going to build a wall between us so big, I won’t be tempted to climb over it.
