Page 5 of Second Goal

Broken.

Beaten.

Half starved.

I swallow over the lump that always forms whenever I remember that day. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen her. I was there when she’d first come to Kane, claiming to be his sister. And I was there when he’d handed her a wad of cash and pretty much told her not to contact him again.

He’d dismissed her.

But I couldn’t get her face out of my head. Those big blue eyeshad held so much hope when she’d looked up at her hero of a brother, only to have those hopes crushed by another person who was supposed to protect her.

I’d hated myself, and him, for letting her walk away that day.

Guilt and rage still gnaw at me when I think about the way I’d found her months later. Blood matted in her hair, eye swollen shut, bruises darkening every inch of her skin. I’d taken her in, not caring what Kane thought, knowing I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

“She’s a drug addict,” Kane had argued when I’d told him that I wasn’t letting her walk away this time.

I understood his concerns. Knew his own damages. And he knew mine.

“You can’t save everyone,” he’d muttered, shaking his head, already knowing he wouldn’t win this argument. But I’d also seen the gratitude in his eyes, knew as much as he wanted to step up and help her, his own demons had him pulling back.

So I made the choice that day to protect her.

That’s all it was supposed to be. Me looking out for my best friend’s sister, making sure she didn’t do anything to tarnish the Golden Boy’s reputation.

Except that scrawny, malnourished teenager had blossomed over the past couple of years and despite that I keep calling her a girl, the truth is she’s a woman now. A smart, stubborn, frustrating, gorgeous woman. And I’m not the only one to notice. It pisses me off when I see Tyler Slade, or other guys on the team, checking her out. But I know I can’t blame them. Any man would have to be blind not to notice her.

Soft curves. Full pouty lips. And those eyes. Eyes that had seen too much, known too much pain. Eyes that still hold a sliver of hope, despite it all, whenever they look at me. They haunt my sleep, making me want things I know I have no right to. But every primal part of me wants to give into it. To take her. Make her mine.

Not happening, that voice in my head warns.

Except it almost had. The night of Kane’s wedding, I’d almost given into the hellacious haze of lust that has become my reality.

She’d wanted it too. I’d seen the way her eyes dilated, her lips parted. She’d leaned into me, hips arching, and I’d lost myself for a moment. If her damn phone hadn’t rung, I’d have been two seconds away from taking her right there in the entryway of her apartment.

It’s why I’ve tried to keep my distance the past several months.

Instead of walking across the hall and taking what I know we both want, I’ve resorted to jacking off by myself whenever I’ve been close to breaking my control. My only solace; fantasies of her naked in my bed, face flushed with need as I work my cock inside her, my name a whimper on her lips.

Too many nights, the temptation has almost been too much. Especially when I’d catch Kiley’s gaze, see the desire mixed with hurt in her eyes. Damn, I wanted to take that hurt away.

But I know the truth, it may be what we want, but I know it’s not what Kiley needs.

It’s not just that she’s Kane’s little sister, or that she’s almost ten years younger than me. It’s that I’m the only stability she has. And I’m not going to fuck that up for her because my balls start to ache every time she walks into a room.

“So you’ve resorted to stalking her,” I mumble to myself, quickening my steps to catch up to her.

I know she’s keeping secrets.

It pisses me off that she still doesn’t trust me. Which is why I only feel slightly apprehensive following her now.

“What are you up to, Kiley?” I mutter, tugging Pax’s leash and turning the corner.

The alleyway is dark, but when my eyes adjust, I see Kiley at the far end, her gray hoodie pulled over her long blonde hair. She shifts from one foot to another as a man steps from the shadows and moves toward her.

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, and Pax growls low.

Kiley pulls out an envelope from the pocket of her hoodie and hands it the guy. He opens it, flips through what is obviously a large sum of bills, then shoves it in the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

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