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Her eyebrows rose. “It doesn’t have to be. I’ll take care of those things, but from here on out everything you do is scripted. The events. The donations. Signing autographs for kids after the games. Who you hang out with. Everything.”

I felt the vise clamping down on me. I wasn’t the team pet. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let this girl tell me who I could see. Linc needed to get her pretty white teeth off my ass.

“So you’re going to tell him he can’t continue to see Lexi Wilde?” Linc threw, what he thought was a touchdown, in her face.

Linc’s question had the same effect as a bomb going off in the room. Charlie was stunned, and I had to wait for the smoke to clear to decide if I was going to punch my brother.

“Lexi Wilde?” Charlie’s eyes lit. “The Lexi Wilde? You two are actually together?”

“No. It’s nothing.” I shook off the insinuation. “Linc is screwing around.”

“Now, that is interesting.” She typed into the laptop again and whispered whatever was on the screen. I was busy threatening my fucking brother with my eyes.

“Yes. Yes. She’s in town the rest of today. She posted something on her Instagram this morning. Perfect.” Charlie’s attention turned to me. “I was going to present a list of suitable Austin bachelorettes, but this works even better. We need a woman to clean up your image. I have to say I’m impressed.”

“Hold on. I only met Alexa last night. I don’t want to drag her into this. It has nothing to do with her. What does she have to do with football?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Charlie didn’t give a shit. She operated like a guy that way. “She is your ticket to redemption.”

“That’s not a ticket I’m buying.” My jaw clenched.

Alexa had her own problems. I knew that without knowing the details on what they were. She didn’t show up on my doorstep last night because she had everything she wanted. She showed up because I could give her something she was missing.

“I want you to meet her at the hospital. Take her flowers. Do something sweet. I can help you with that part. Oh, and visit the kids. Try to make it a joint appearance. Completely unplanned and authentic looking.

“And I don’t care how or when, but I want the press to see you kiss her. Plain as day. Nothing blurry—not one of those interpretive pictures. I need a full-on lip-lock that is going to meltdown the internet. I want everyone talking about you two.”

Charlie’s cheeks flushed and her emerald eyes glowed. She was getting off on this. I’d seen the same look in the coaches’ eyes when they came up with a game-winning play. Or on the sideline when I ran a reverse route no one saw coming.

“You have got to be fucking with me,” I growled.

She flattened her palms on the table. “I never fuck around, Luke. Never.”

13

Alexa

I blinked again. “Luke?”

Jake had hissed at me like a snake on the phone, insisting the Warriors had set up the entire hospital ambush. For a brief second I pictured him with a forked tongue. I wanted Luke to tell me Jake was a paranoid ass as usual. There was no way that he would have set me up like that.

And that kiss. I had felt it down to my toes. He wanted me. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. And for a few hours I thought he was the sweetest, hottest guy on the planet to entertain the kids. He was in it. I saw him. He joked with them. Tossed the ball and signed autographs. He was some kind of an unreal mix of bad-boy-sweet-sexy-dish that I wanted more of.

“Alexa.” He turned toward the stove, dialing the burner to a low number. I didn’t care about food right now. I cared about an answer.

The whiskey burned in my empty stomach.

Every second that ticked by with Luke’s silence, I had a sinking feeling I knew what the answer was. Damn it. If Jake was right about this, I’d never live it down. Add it to one more of the mistakes he threw in my face on a regular basis. The silence grew to an uncomfortable level.

“I-I can’t believe you aren’t denying it.” I waited. “What would make you do s

omething like this? You have plenty of press. You have paparazzi. Why would you want us to be caught kissing? Why?”

I saw a hint of regret in his eyes. He didn’t deny it. I had accused him and he never fought back. Luke didn’t seem like the kind of man to take wild accusations lightly. All the more reason I was suspicious.

“Luke!”

“Fuck.” He whipped around. “I didn’t have anything to do with it. Ok?”