Dare to Tease (Dare Nation 4.5)

He trailed off, but Bri was already out of her pity party seat on the couch and pulling on clothes in her bedroom. Not long after, she sat in the office of Ian Dare, owner of the Miami Thunder and also her cousin, along with Austin, Dion’s agent. Ian was reading her hair-trigger, prima-donna PR client the riot act. Why a grown man couldn’t keep his temper in check for a two-million-dollar paycheck with his contract coming up and an even bigger payday ahead was beyond her.

Finally, they’d calmed the beast, and Dion headed back down to his teammates. She and Austin walked out of the room to find Ian waiting in the hall, suit on, arms folded across his chest.

“Well?”

“He’ll calm down,” Austin promised.

“And I’ll see if I can get the attendant not to press assault charges. After all, he lost his job, and the whole thing was a setup. He’s after money he’s not going to get. Not when I have his phone with the evidence.” Ian patted his jacket pocket.

Bri nodded in thanks. She was used to dealing with people who were after money from her clients, who made false pregnancy claims and generally were after something they didn’t deserve.

“Now if you’ll both excuse me, I have a game to watch.” Ian walked away, turning around long enough to say, “I left word for you both to be let up to my box” before walking away.

She looked up at her brother. “I hadn’t planned to watch the game.”

Austin’s gaze softened. “I don’t know what happened exactly but–”

“Can we leave it that way? I don’t feel like rehashing it.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Sure. Let’s stay for the game, okay?”

Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Sure. It’ll be good to spend time with you that has nothing to do with work.”

They headed to Ian’s box, a place the entire family had been before, and she watched the game, deliberately keeping her gaze away from the sidelines and Hudson, the man watching out for injuries as he did his job.

She and Austin didn’t discuss her private life, for which Bri was grateful. Instead she listened to her brother talk about how Jenny had had a growth spurt and was in the next size baby clothes and other milestones, things that at one time would have sent the man who’d sworn to be a bachelor forever running far and fast. Bri soaked in all the news about her niece because she adored that baby, and the chitchat distracted her from her emotional pain.

Her phone buzzed, and she checked the screen. Someone had obviously told Braden she was here because he’d sent a text asking her to meet him by the locker room after the game.

Since she needed a word with her twin, she stayed after the Thunder won. She and Austin said goodbye, and Bri gathered her bag, heading out of the box and down the stairs, walking to where Braden had said they’d meet.

Leaning against the wall in the dimly lit hallway, she watched as people came and went. A few minutes later, the double doors swung open, and she looked up to see Hudson step out. Her stomach twisted as she glanced at him. Wearing a pair of dark chinos and a black Thunder shirt, he stopped short when he saw her, his eyes opening wide.

Their gazes met and held, and everything she felt for him welled up inside her.

“You haven’t returned my calls or texts, and I want to explain,” he said gruffly.

Before she could answer, he stepped closer, and she caught sight of his painful-looking black eye. “Oh my God! What happened?” Instinct had her reaching to touch the bruise, but she stopped herself and lowered her arm.

“Your brother,” he muttered. “But forget about that.”

“Which one?” She needed to know which sibling she’d have to kill. The only one she could exclude was Braden.

Hudson held up his hands. “I plead the Fifth. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I deserved it for not being up-front with you about what my father said.”

She ground her teeth but had no plans to argue when he was right. Not about one of her brothers punching him but about not telling her everything.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, needing distance, because all she wanted to do was forget yesterday had happened and go back to when she believed they’d had a future.

A lump rose to her throat, and she had to force out the words on her mind. “I’ll admit I don’t know what happened or why. And that maybe I jumped to conclusions about something I don’t understand … but you lied to me.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” He looked down, obviously upset with himself.

She wasn’t sure how to reply, so she remained silent.

Hudson ran a hand through his hair and groaned. “Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere, and we can talk when you’re ready.”