Dare to Tease (Dare Nation 4.5)

“Don’t you need a wife? I’d think that would put a rush on whatever happens next.”

He winced but lifted his chin and solidly met her gaze. “I’m not marrying anyone for money. I never was.”

She opened her mouth to reply when Dion came barreling out of the doors in front of her. “Brianne, tell me I kicked ass today on that field!” he said, pride in himself clear.

“Good job, Dion. Now control that temper,” she warned him. He grinned, saluted, and strode off, probably to celebrate because that was who he was.

She was about to address what Hudson had just said when the double doors opened again, and this time Braden strode out.

His gaze shot between them, and he winced, obviously catching on that he’d interrupted something. “Umm, sorry, but do you think this is the best place for a private conversation?”

Hudson shook his head. “We’re not talking, at least not yet. No worries. If you need me, I’ll be in the office,” he told Braden. He glanced at her, his gaze saying what words couldn’t before he strode down the hall.

Braden raised his eyebrows at her in clear frustration.

“What?” she asked defensively, though she did feel guilty for not letting Hudson explain. But the memory of all the men before him who had used her for one reason or another stayed with her, and when she’d heard Hudson’s words and realized he’d lied, he’d broken something precious between them.

It was easier to focus her anger on her twin, and she took two steps forward, giving him a hard shove. “You’re a jerk!”

“Hey, what did I do?”

She frowned at him because to her it was obvious. “You took Hudson’s side, and you let Damon, Austin, or Jaxon hit him!”

A smirk lifted Braden’s lips, and he shook his head, finally letting a laugh escape. “Pick one, Bri. Either you’re mad at him or you’re not.”

She couldn’t help the pout that pursed her lips. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t. But you’re being a stubborn princess, and it’s not like you to jump to conclusions at something you overheard or to ignore everyone’s calls. We’re all worried about you.”

“I’m allowed time to process,” she said, annoyed he didn’t understand her feelings.

“You’re not processing. You’re sulking.”

She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. “Same thing,” she grumbled.

Her brother grasped both her forearms. “Look. I get you’re pissed. Hudson should have been up-front with you about what his father wanted in exchange for the money. He wasn’t honest with me, either. Not until yesterday but I think he was humiliated. It’s embarrassing to have to ask for money and get forced into a corner.”

She knew that. She’d just been so shocked and hurt, the words she’d heard throwing her back to other times, other men.

“You need to listen to what he has to say,” Braden said. “And you also need to decide if you really think Hudson is like the guys who came before him or if he’s different and deserves you. I happen to think he does.”

And that was saying something, Bri knew. Her twin never approved of anyone she dated. Nobody was ever good enough.

“Who hit him?” she asked, ignoring his words for now. She’d deal with her life and with Hudson on her own terms.

As if they’d planned it, Braden held his hands up just as Hudson had. “You won’t hear who from me.”

“Men!” she shouted at him just as a group of players exited the locker room, laughing and rowdy, drowning out her yell.

Chapter Eight

Bri hated being stubborn, but she meant what she’d told Braden. She needed time to process what had happened, and that took her a couple more days. First she’d had to separate her past from her present, and that wasn’t easy. It meant she had to remember the assholes who’d used her, and there hadn’t been just one.

Then she’d had to deal with the fact that Hudson hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her the truth when all she’d done was stand by his side. She’d gone to New York, subjected herself to his rude parents, waited at the hotel while he went to ask his father for the money, and held his hand during his brooding silence on the flight home. He’d had a few weeks since then to open up, and he hadn’t. Trust was important, but was it a deal breaker?

She supposed that depended on his reasons, and she hadn’t let him explain. Which brought her to now, looking at herself in the mirror and admitting she’d been exactly what her brother called her. A stubborn princess and it was time she acted like an adult.

After stopping at a sandwich shop on the way to the clinic, she drove downtown and pulled into the gravel parking lot. Her hands had healed, and she wasn’t surprised when she saw Jimmy standing by a dumpster in the back of the lot. She drew a deep breath and climbed out of her car, food in hand, not surprised when Jimmy walked toward her.