Dirty Player (The Montgomery Billionaires #3)

CHAPTER EIGHT

LEVI

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“You ready for the next game?” Ward asks me as I watch him toss chicken, corn, and zucchini on the grill.

“Of course.” I grin and he glances at me in question. “It’s going fine, Dad. I’m loving it.”

He’s quiet for a moment, and I wonder what he’s concerned about. My answer comes a few seconds later.

“I hear Kaylee works there. That going to be a problem?”

Jesus.

Are there no secrets in this damn family?

I roll my eyes and press my bottle of beer to my lips, then empty it as I decide how to answer the question.

Because it is a problem. She’s on my mind twenty-four fucking seven. When I’m not training hard and wondering if she will walk past or watch me through a window, I’m at home jerking off at the idea of dragging her into the Hawkes training facilities' restrooms and bending her over to fuck her.

Believe me, I’ve even chosen the perfect spot.

And visualized it at least ten times.

I know she’d enjoy it, because I already know what Kaylee loves and doesn’t. At least I thought I did.

And the mind games with myself continue.

“Fuck, Atlas has a big mouth.” I grunt.

“Language,” Ward growls.

“Dad, I’m twenty-three.” I laugh, stealing a slice of zucchini off the hot plate and shoving it in my mouth.

Then regret it immediately as it burns my tongue.

“There are grandchildren around now.” Ward frowns, glancing around the empty yard.

He’s irritated about Kaylee. He was on the front lines with me when I almost sabotaged my football career after we broke up.

After she cheated.

“Babies who can’t speak yet?” I slap him on the back. “Lighten up, Ward.”

He hates it when I call him by his name instead of Dad. Which is exactly why I did it.

“Make sure the table is set.” He growls as I wander off.

“Jeez. Becoming an NFL player clearly means nothing around here.”

“That’s right!” he yells out as I step inside the house.

The girls have already set the table, as I knew they would. Both Payton and Molly are zipping around carrying plates and bowls of salad while Knox bounces his son, Daxon, in his arms.

He’s the apple of his father’s eye and the moment he was born, I swear my big brother changed.

Atlas swipes on his cell, ignoring everyone.

“Hey big mouth.” I whack the phone and it flies up into the air, forcing my brother to juggle for it.

He catches it.

“Dick!” Atlas launches at me, misses, then chases me around the large living room.

My father’s house is huge. A mansion, technically, and the home we all grew up in.

“What did he do?” Molly, his fiancé, asks.

I reluctantly bring the topic up again, but figure he’s already told everyone.

“Kaylee is working for the Hawkes. It’s no big deal, so just get it out of your systems now and let’s move on.” I sit at the table and eagerly await the food.

I’m starving.

The protein shake I had after training today wasn’t enough. In fact, I need to speak to our nutrition team as I’m finding the increased pro level training so much more intense. I’m not sure my diet is right.

That and I’m not sleeping as well as I should.

The past two nights, after jerking off to images of her, I’ve woken up in a sweat after having a nightmare that Kaylee was attacked in the parking lot instead of me finding her.

It’s illogical. There is security, and any number of other players could have helped her. But apparently my stupid unconscious mind thinks it needs to protect her.

I want to protect her.

I also want to sink my cock deep inside her and fuck her brains out.

It’s been a month since I dropped her off at her parents' and not a day goes by that I don’t see her. Except the weekends in between.

We’re friendly, and I notice every single blush on her cheeks when I smile at her. She’s still affected by me, and I like it.

Every time I find myself thinking what if, I remind myself of that moment I found her with Colby.

I saw him once, after they ended, which was a short fling, so it appears. What a fucking waste. Or a lucky break. I just don’t know. All he said was, “We cool, man? You know it was nothing, right?”

Great.

The woman I loved was nothing to him.

I wanted to punch the guy, but Colby Wade was one of the most respected footballers of our time. Talk about career limiting and media grabbing idea.

Instead, I looked him in the eye and said, “No, we aren’t cool. She was my girlfriend. I don’t know what happened, but both of you are to blame. So we aren’t cool.”

And I’d walked away.

Because I am Levi Mont-fucking-gomery.

He’d let it go. Mostly because he was on girl number seven hundred or something. Likely didn’t truly give a fuck what I thought.

And I doubt he cared about Kaylee, either.

I was angry on her behalf for some stupid reason.

Now, I wish I hadn’t deleted her messages. Now I want to know what she had to say. What her explanation was.

I can’t ask now.

It’s too late.

Way too late.

And I don’t want her to read into anything.

Yesterday at work, there were no tables left in the café and our eyes met. Before I could stop myself, I kicked the chair out and motioned with my eyes for her to sit.

“You okay with this?” she asked, dropping her salad down and sitting.

“Sure. How’s the job going?” I asked.

“Good.” She glanced at me from under hooded eyes. “Except this one guy.”

I blinked.

Was she really about to tell me about her love life?

“He hates me.”

Oh, right. She’d been talking about me. The softness in her voice had wrapped around me like a cotton blanket.

“He doesn’t hate you,” I admitted.

He hates what you did, but he could never hate you.

Payton plonks down across from me and picks up her glass. “So this Kaylee. She was your first real girlfriend right? Love. Whatever. Of course, it was a big deal then, but I’m sure you’re over it, and your brothers can get off your back.”

I smile, even though I want to tell her I’m not over Kaylee and ask how the hell I get to that place.

How do you fucking get over someone?

Knox sits down next to her and hands the baby over. I note he’s wearing dress pants—no doubt Tom Ford or Armani—and decide whether to hassle him about it.

It’s a Saturday for god's sakes.

He’s the director of marketing for Ward Enterprises. One day he’ll be the CEO, but when Dad recently stepped back into semi-retirement, he told Knox he needed more experience.

I know it was hard for my big brother to hear but now he has a wife and child, with no doubt more on the way, so it allows him some work-life balance.

Although he is a workaholic.

All of us are in a way.

Atlas did work for the company as a senior designer but recently surprised all of us by resigning and starting his own fashion label.

Not to compete. That would be nonsensical as a major shareholder. He told us he’s targeting men in their twenties. Street wear. Stuff that I’d wear, I guess.

I’m not business-minded like my father and brothers, but I feel like the companies will merge one day if he’s a success. Given that Atlas won a design award recently, it’s highly likely he will be.

Plus, he’s a Montgomery.

We always win.

Just as the Hawkes have won every game for the past month.

We’re headed to Houston next week to play their team, the Tigers.

They have traded some talented players this season so it could be a tough one.

“Them? Get off my back? Highly unlikely.” I laugh.

“You need to date,” Atlas tells me.

“He needs to focus on the game. There is plenty of time for women after he wins his first Super Bowl,” Dad says, carrying in a huge plate from the grill.

No fucking pressure.

“How many do you think he’s going to win?” Atlas sits down beside me, and Dad takes his place at the head of the table.

“All of them.” He smiles at me.

Fucking hell.

Sometimes being part of such a high functioning family of successful people is a curse. Sometimes it is a blessing.

I wouldn’t say there’s an unhealthy attitude because Dad also taught us that losing is part of the journey and where you learn the most.

But.

Apparently not when it comes to football.

I sometimes wonder if he is aware of the pressure it puts me under. Him. The media. The team. The fans.

Jackson was right that night. It is so much harder than college football.

I love it.

But every day the pressure is on my shoulders.

I wonder if it gets easier with each season, and if I’ll get to play another year. And another year after that.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks for believing in me, but you know the Hawkes have only won once before in 2017, right? And lost twice.”

Ward waves at everyone to get started.

“Well, now they have a Montgomery on the team. We don’t lose.”

Molly and Payton watch me, and I wink at them. They’re still new in the family and they take everything we say literally.

“Hey, keep your eyes off my girl.” Knox growls.

Go, he’s so predictable...and easy to wind up.

“Sorry bro. NFL player now. The girls can’t keep away from me.”

A potato flies toward my head. I catch it with one hand and smirk at him as I pop it in my mouth.

“Christ. Can’t believe I missed with a head that size.” He groans.

I laugh out loud.

“That’s a lot of pressure,” Payton says. “Don’t you dare do that to our children!”

“Don’t need to. They’re Montgomery’s. Winners. It’s a given,” Knox says, shoveling food into his mouth, then points his fork at me. “Atlas is right. You need to date.”

I bite down onto my chicken with more force than necessary. It hits me that Kaylee will one day soon start seeing someone else and I’ll be forced, once again, to watch her under someone else’s arm.

“Sure.”

“Ooh, what about Joanne?” Molly pipes up. “She’s very pretty.”

“Sounds lame. Joanne. Nope,” I reply and the girls glare at me.

“What? I’ve never met a hot Joanne.” I shrug and Dad shoots me a dark look.

Yeah, that was a stupid thing to say, but I don’t want to date. I don’t want to imagine doing all the things Kaylee and I did together with someone else.

It feels like I’d be replacing her.

Which I would be...

And should be.

I know it would be the right thing to do, but I’m not there yet.

I need to get off this topic.

Fast.

Before my sisters-in-law set me up.

“Anyway, just keep your expectations realistic. We have a good team, but it may take us a couple of seasons to get some traction.”

Then we might win.

Half the team is new, and we have two new coaches plus a new manager. The owner has invested a ton in the Hawkes this year, but we all know it will be a miracle if we take the home trophy.

We’re going to give it everything, though.