Page 48 of Mr. Charming

She shakes her head and puts her hand on my chest. “You’re just upset.”

“I’m fucking so pissed off that I could tear this room apart.” My gaze doesn’t leave hers. When I lean down, her hand falls from between us. “Tell me to stop.”

I’m practically begging her to save me from myself before I cross this line I’m not sure I’ll make it back from. Her chest rises and falls, but her eyes never leave mine.

I’m millimeters from her lips, and I can taste her breath. Her breasts brush my chest with each deep inhale, and I want this more than my next goal.

“We can’t.” She pushes me back.

I blink several times, and my stomach sinks. “Fuck, Decker.”

“Yeah… Decker.” Her head shakes as if she were as lost as I was.

“Yeah. God, sorry.” I run my hands through my hair and step farther away.

Kissing Tedi behind Decker’s back would be really shitty. I’m a lot of things, but I’m not that guy. And I know for a fact that Tedi’s not that girl.

“I’m gonna go. Thanks for telling me.” I open the hotel room door so I won’t say fuck it, pick her up, and take her to the bedroom.

“I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I think he’s crazy.”

I nod, step out, and walk down the hall.

I don’t hear the door shut behind me, and I feel her eyes on me the entire way to the elevator, but I never turn around for fear that my self-control will crumble.

Twenty-Four

Tweetie’s Journal Entry

Eight years ago

Nashville

* * *

To my teenage self,

* * *

It fucking happened, buddy. My worst nightmare—we’ve been kicked off the team, and yeah, I’m more than pissed. I get it, I do, three injuries back-to-back. First, my shoulder, then my groin. I thought we’d done enough exercises using that part of our body that I couldn’t strain it, but fuck, now my knee. But don’t worry. Jana and Kane might not really believe that we can come back from this, but we will, and we’ll be a champion again. Here’s how it went down…

* * *

When the owner of the team, Jana, and her husband, who’s the coach, came to visit me as my sorry ass was stuck on the couch with a pillow under my leg, I knew right away what it was about. I planned on working my ass off to get back to being the player I’d been before the next season started, but I could tell I wasn’t going to get that chance.

“Hey, guys.” Tedi answered the door and let them in. “How are you two?”

I heard Jana say things were good, then she asked how things were here. Things hadn’t been good, and I was to blame. I’d been distant, lost in my head over this injury, knowing that changes needed to be made. We’re not the same Florida Fury that conquered their competition three years in a row. Tedi swore they’d never get rid of me, but that visit said she was wrong.

Part of me knew it. I knew I’d be the one to go. So when I collided into fucking Nick Lipstein and couldn’t get up, I could’ve signed my trade papers right then and there. Still, it didn’t make it easy. My life had been here since the beginning of my career. I took the back seat when Warner came on the roster, happy to be a team player. Sure, it was an ego check, but I loved playing on Cory’s line too. Now, I’d made those sacrifices in vain—stayed true to the Fury instead of hopping over to another team where I could be on the first line—only for them to come here and fuck me over.

“Hey, man.” Kane squeezed my shoulder as he walked by. “How’s the knee feeling?”

“Great. Physical therapy is helping.” I was exaggerating since physical therapy hurt like a son of a bitch. Might have had something to do with me being in a shitty mood that I had to be there in the first place.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Do you guys want anything to drink? Hungry?” Tedi asked.

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