Dirty Player (The Montgomery Billionaires #3)

CHAPTER SIX

KAYLEE

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I lean my head against the steering wheel of my car and start to cry. It’s been a day from hell. I don’t know if I have the strength to deal with this right now.

My car won’t start, it’s dark outside, and my father has been rushed to hospital.

Goddamn life.

When I woke up this morning Levi had messaged —sent at two in the morning—that simply said sorry. Otherwise, he’s avoided me all day.

Has he? Or does he just not care enough to look my way?

His conscience clearly got the better of him, and he decided to apologize. I guess that’s something. Now, he’s free to carry on and live his life.

You should too .

Even though we haven’t spoken in months, seeing him yesterday has stirred things in me. I still want answers. I want to know why I wasn’t good enough for him back then.

Why didn’t he invite me to the stupid family event?

Did he not think we were good together?

I thought we were happy.

I thought he was happy. Until he began pulling away. I can’t even blame another woman, as he’s not been linked to anyone since we split up.

“We aren’t in the same league as his family, Kaylee,” my father said. “His father is Ward Montgomery. They probably have expectations about who their sons marry.”

I stared at him that day, bewildered. “Then why would he date me?”

Dad frowned at me. “Why do boys date any girls?”

Oh, my god.

My own father telling me that a boy just spent two months dating me for sex. And nothing else.

“Hank, you don’t know that’s true.” Mom had told him off as he dropped his utensils and wiped his mouth on a napkin.

“I do. I was a young man once. If a guy doesn’t take you home to meet his family after a few weeks of dating, then—and don’t shoot the messenger— he’s not looking for a wife, and he’s getting his other needs met.”

My face had been a beet red.

How could I have been so dumb?

The next day, Levi said he was going to do some circuits around the park and would just see me at Penn State the next day, instead of us going back to his place.

My instincts were on fire, and I was worried.

I really didn’t want to hear the it’s me, not you speech. I also hoped Dad was wrong.

I will never know.

That weekend we went to the party at Jackson’s and Levi caught Colby kissing me.

I blink down at the dashboard in my car, willing it to start as I sit in the dark.

Dad.

Now my father is in the hospital. He’s been having heart problems for a few months and the doctor said he had to change his diet.

Mom called from the hospital three hours ago saying he’d been taken there by ambulance after having severe chest pains.

“I’ll be right there.” I leaped up from my chair.

“No! Stay at work. He’s fine. Stable. Just another scare.” Mom reassured me.

“Scare? He was taken there by ambulance, Mom.”

“We’ll be home in an hour. Come by after work. If anything happens, I’ll let you know,” she’d said. “It's your second day at a new job. Don’t leave.”

Traffic would have been a challenge to get through, so she was right. I’d hung up and sat at my desk, staring at the phone.

I wasn’t a doctor, but I had some medical knowledge due to my degree. She’d been telling the truth—it wasn’t an emergency and was a known issue.

If it had been serious, I trust that Mom would’ve told me I needed to get in there fast.

Dad had been warned to make lifestyle changes and hadn’t. Hopefully, this was the scare he needed. But then again, he’s a stubborn man.

And here I am sitting in my car crying. Between seeing Levi again, Dad being rushed to hospital, and my car not starting, I burst into tears.

A knock on the window startles me.

Fuck.

I lift my head off the steering wheel and find Levi staring at me through the window. He spins his fingers to tell me to wind my window down.

I shake my head.

God, this is the last thing I need. I wipe my eyes, turning my head and wave out my hand.

“Kaylee,” his muffled voice calls through the window.

“I’m fine.”

“Open the damn window,” he says.

Ugh.

I can’t. There is no power. The car is dead. So I open the door, letting in the cold air, and glare.

“What?”

“Why have you been sitting out her for twenty minutes?” Levi asks, hitching his bag onto his shoulder.

The hood of his Hawkes hoodie is up over his head, and I notice he has scruff on his jawline. I’ve always thought he looks the most handsome when he hasn’t shaved.

It’s a little rough...like he was with my body.

Oh god. I clench my thighs, and I’m not sure, but I think he notices.

Taking a step back, he frowns. “Kaylee.”

“I’m fine.” Grabbing my handbag and digging through it for my phone, I climb out of the car. “Just need to go back inside.”

Jesus, I’m the worse liar in history.

“It took you twenty minutes to figure that out?”

I tug my bag on my shoulder and slam the car door. “Yes.”

I meet his eyes, and Levi blinks.

“Did you get my message?”

“Thanks. Apology accepted.” My voice is softer and suddenly I have this ridiculous need for him to wrap me in his arms.

Shit.

A tear threatens to escape. “Okay, I—”

As I turn to walk away, Levi reaches for my arm and the waterworks explode out of me like a bubble bursting.

“Woah.” He drops his bag and his strong body envelopes me.

Nestled inside his big strong arms, I press into his chest and cry my little heart out. Without a word, he just holds me, rubbing his hand along my back.

After a long moment, I suddenly realize how inappropriate this is and an awkwardness sets in. I fight it for as long as I can, not wanting to ever leave his arms.

I promise to reflect on that later, but right now, I need to get over to my parent’s place to see Dad.

“I’m sorry,” I say and reluctantly lift my head.

“You want to tell me what happened?” Levi glances around, and when a couple of the players exit the building, he takes a step away.

Cold air replaces the warmth of his body, and I wrap my arms around my middle.

“Dad is in the hospital.”

“Shit, Kaylee,” he says, shaking his head. “Is it serious?”

“Yes. No. It’s his heart. He’s on his way home now. But...”

Levi waits for me to keep talking about I don’t want him to know everything about my life. I don’t want him to be the man I share this with.

I do.

But wanting that will only lead to more disappointment. Right now he’s only comforting me because, while I hate to admit it, Levi Montgomery is a gentleman.

“I just need to ring an Uber.” I admit.

I feel stupid. All around us are luxury vehicles that most people in America could never afford, and while no one expects me to own one, the least my trusty—past tense—Toyota could do is start.

Levi glances at it, then seems to make a decision.

“I’ll give you a ride. Come on.”

He’s already moving, and my traitorous body follows for some reason.

“That’s okay. Levi, wait.” He turns and I bump into his back.

Oomph.

He grabs my arms and lets out the sexiest grumbling sound I’ve ever heard. “You need to stop doing that.”

“Sorry.” I bite my lip, and he makes that sound again.

“I’ll just order an Uber. Thank you, though.” My words come out choppy and I’m unsure what the protocol is here.

Yesterday we were screaming at each other. Today he’s...god, he’s running his hands up and down my arms.

Warming me.

But I’m burning up. I want him to kiss me. My eyes lift to his, half filled with a question.

“Levi—”

Beep.

“Get in the car, Kaylee,” he rumbles, then opens the door and waits.

I climb into the Maserati and nestle into the soft leather as he tosses his sports bag in the trunk then drops into the driver’s seat. We don’t speak as he fires up the engine with a roar. Actually, it’s more a purr.

Without thinking, I reach for the seat warmer button and push it. As I did when we were dating.

My finger halts after and I glance at him.

His eyes hold mine for half a second, then he lifts them to the mirror and reverses out of the parking space.

With his foot on the pedal, and I’m sure there is a bit more gas than is needed, Levi drives out of the Hawkes’ parking lot, and we hit the highway.

This is not at all how I saw today ending.