Winning the Player

by Leesa Bow

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  To my beautiful family and friends for believing in me.

  And to Shauni for your inspiration and for teaching me to never give up as there is always a light, although sometimes obscured, at the end of a dark tunnel.

  CHAPTER ONE

  ‘ID.’ A beady-eyed security guard held out his hand. I handed over my driver’s licence, stepped back and waited.

  ‘Name?’

  ‘Aubree Taylor.’

  He stared longer than necessary and I wished I’d taken the time to apply makeup. For God’s sake, I’m almost twenty-one. Do I really look underage? If he declines my entry based on the fact I don’t look as though I’m trying to pick up —

  ‘Date of birth?’ He scratched the side of his jaw.

  ‘Come on,’ my best friend interrupted. ‘Give her a break. She’s been away travelling for two years and we want a drink to celebrate her homecoming. Her hair is longer, and it’s darker than the photo because —’

  ‘Maddy, it’s fine.’ A shiver ran down my spine and it wasn’t just from the icy wind. It was this place. I inhaled the cold night air heavy with salt, and waited.

  ‘Go ahead.’ He shoved the card in to my hand and unlatched the rope. Heels echoed off the wooden floor as we weaved around the room towards the entrance of the Shores nightclub. My gaze followed the white walls and despite the dim light recognised the same outback artwork from the last time I was here.

  ‘Nothing’s changed in —’

  ‘A bloody long time,’ Maddy finished.

  My stomach tightened at remembering the last time. I looked to the stairs to the iron-balustrade balcony where I’d made my big mistake. My guard shot up, blocking the memory. I focused instead on faces in the crowd and burrowed between girls modelling tacky long lashes.

  ‘Come on, it’s my shout. Let’s head to the upstairs bar.’ Maddy grabbed my hand and yanked me in line behind her.

  I had never liked the upstairs bar where football players, who thought they were someone, congregated. This bar was famous for ‘picking up’. Guys got what they wanted—no strings attached—and girls bragged to their friends the following day. I failed to understand why females thought sleeping with a sports star for one night presented bragging rights. Two years ago I vowed not to become a notch on a football player’s belt, promising myself I deserved better because I’d almost slipped up.

  Maddy pulled me through the crowd towards the bar. She managed to lean one arm on the bench and wave a fifty-dollar note at the barman. She caught his eye and yelled, ‘Two red Vodka Cruisers.’

  Conscious of my short dress just covering my butt, I tugged at the hem and saw guys on my left checking me out. Wearing a dress—short enough to pass as a top—in a nightclub with sleazy guys, with the additional stench of stale alcohol, somehow didn’t add up to my hope of meeting a guy who would respect me.

  ‘Well, I don’t believe it. Aubree Taylor has returned to Adelaide.’

  Oh, God. My stomach dropped. I knew who that voice belonged to. I looked over my shoulder and forced a smile.

  ‘Emily, what a surprise,’ I said in a high tone, feigning delight. My luck of not running into Emily since high school had just dried up. I had never got over her snide remarks about my body being too muscular and how if I had short hair I’d be mistaken for a boy.

  She waved her hand at me. ‘I thought you were in America playing basketball or something. Oh, that’s right, you injured your leg and can’t play anymore. I remember. You ran off to America to hide.’

  Air froze in my lungs. ‘I wasn’t hiding. I travelled for two years,’ I lied.

  Maddy turned and pushed herself between me and Emily, handing over a Cruiser. ‘Hi, Emily. I see you’ve caught up with Aubree.’ Maddy winked. I relaxed a smidgen knowing she had my back. ‘How good is it to have her home? She looks terrific, doesn’t she?’

  Before looking back at Emily, I placed the bottle to my lips and skolled half its contents. She studied me for a moment and raised a brow. Seriously, Maddy’s comment didn’t require an immediate assessment.

  ‘Your hair has grown.’

  ‘I couldn’t afford to get it cut.’

  Her critical gaze flicked away from my face, wandered down my body. ‘Well, not bad for someone who’s been slumming it overseas.’ She twisted her blonde bob-styled hair behind her ear and her expression softened, as though she’d seen something she liked. Guess I finally passed as female.

  ‘So how’s your leg?’ she continued. ‘Can you play basketball again?’ I tensed, realising her tone was sans sympathy.

  My chest tightened and a lump grew under my diaphragm, making every breath difficult, just like every other time when someone questioned me about basketball.

  Don’t let her get to you. Don’t let her get to you. This isn’t school.

  I sucked in a deep breath and composed myself before answering. ‘My leg’s better, but no, I can’t play ball.’ My stomach twisted at the memory of the devastating knee injury three years ago and how my dream of playing basketball for Australia had been shattered.

  ‘Too bad.’ She shrugged. ‘Anyway, Maddy, where’s that gorgeous cousin of yours?’

  ‘Hunter? How would I know,’ Maddy sneered. She turned her head so fast her long, black ponytail almost whipped Emily’s face.

  The tension in my shoulders had eased when Emily’s attention was diverted to someone else, but on hearing Hunter’s name my entire body stiffened. An uncomfortable bubble grew inside me. I needed space. ‘Well, it’s been nice catching up, but I have other people to see.’ I grabbed Maddy’s arm and dragged her to the back of the room before she insulted Emily.

  ‘Biatch,’ Maddy said, walking away. She wasn’t blind to girls using her to suss out her cousin. In fact, it plain pissed her off.

  I found a corner table near the wall and stood on the far side as though it offered protection. It had been Maddy’s idea to come to the club – our old stomping ground – to de-stress and relive the good old times. After talking to Emily, it had the opposite effect.

  Maddy clinked her Cruiser against mine and winked. ‘To you. I’m glad you came home.’

  ‘Me, too.’ I’d missed my mum and Maddy the most, and two years away qualified as a reasonable amount of time to forget. Well, that’s what I told myself as I downed the drink. Maddy followed my lead and banged her empty bottle on the table. ‘Come on, let’s dance.’ Without waiting for an answer, she pulled me in the direction of the dance floor.

  I wasn’t sure how much time had lapsed while grinding moves on the dance floor, but judging by my achy feet and internal Cinderella clock, it was time to go home. My mind drifted to tomorrow and starting work at eight at the community nursing home. It wasn’t my dream job, but I couldn’t afford to be choosy after ignoring tertiary studies to travel. Mum had helped secure the administrative role
since she worked there as a chef and had put in a good word to HR.

  ‘I think I’ll call it a night. I’m already dreading the morning.’ I pulled a face, hoping for understanding.

  ‘Bullshit to that. I’m buying you another drink. The real fun hasn’t started yet.’ Maddy latched onto my arm and tugged me through the suddenly swelling crowd. It could only mean one thing—more football players had arrived. We headed to the same table at the uncrowded corner of the upstairs room. Everyone else strived to be near the players, surrounding the heroes in large oval-shaped groups near the bar. I reached for a stool and almost fell on it, rubbing my knee more out of habit than from pain caused by dancing in heels.

  ‘I’ll get us drinks.’ Maddy flashed her money before I could object.

  I glanced towards the crowded bar and cringed. Being alone made me uncomfortable, although worrying about bumping into Emily again seemed pointless. The football players, as I remembered, captured her attention. I scanned the room, and despite my time away managed to identify players from both teams that played in the Australian football competition.

  At almost seven feet tall, Darcy Rayne, ruckman for the Thunder, stood head and shoulders above the crowd. Known for his womanising ways and a regular at the Shores nightclub, I guessed many women came here just to see him.

  The hum of conversation faded when three tall guys entered from the stairs. The crowd parted, offering a clear path to the bar. ‘Who do they think they are?’ I muttered under my breath. ‘Bloody gods?’ It hardly mattered that I couldn’t identify them with their backs turned because I felt the air of arrogance waft across the room. Two were blond; the third guy had longer dark hair falling around the nape of his neck. I watched out of curiosity rather than interest as they stopped to talk to someone at the bar. Their presence consumed every person in the room and I cursed, acknowledging that I, too, was drawn to them.

  The dark-haired guy leaning on the bar straightened. At around six-foot-five, and not as tall as the ruckman, he also stood out in the crowd. He turned slowly, surveying the room, but not in the casual checking-out-the-opposite-sex kind of way.

  Something was wrong. I strained my neck to see what troubled him. My heart jumped as I recognised his side profile—the long straight nose, generous lips and chiselled jawbone. A long fringe swept his face, reminding me of a boy-band look; that’s why I hadn’t recognised him when he’d first walked in. His gaze wandered across the sea of heads until blue eyes met directly with mine. I froze in my seat. My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt like a kangaroo held prisoner in the dark by a blinding spotlight.

  Hunter Stone.

  Heads turned to see who Hunter was eyeballing in a not-so-friendly manner. Despite my hammering heart, I stared back with a straight face—my competitive nature from years of basketball taking control—refusing to succumb and smile at him. Moments later he turned to resume his conversation at the bar. Girls standing between us glared and I wanted to laugh, no cackle, at the notion of being their competition. I’d be the last person Hunter would choose.

  My chest tightened at recalling the last time, and what almost had eventuated. Panic clawed its way up my throat. I needed fresh air. I grabbed my handbag and looked up as Maddy came bounding through the crowd smiling ear to ear, before handing me another red bottle.

  ‘Guess who I just ran into?’ She pulled down her green miniskirt a little before edging herself up onto the stool.

  ‘No idea.’

  ‘Hunter,’ she said in a higher-than-necessary voice. ‘I told him you were back and he seemed eager to say hello.’

  Bullshit. ‘Really.’

  ‘Yeah, he paid for our drinks and said he’d buy you one later to welcome you home.’

  ‘Kind of him.’

  Maddy tilted her head at me. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Nothing, I’m tired and need some rest before work tomorrow.’

  ‘Fine, but promise me we’ll do this again soon. I’m not about to let you turn into a hermit.’ She narrowed her sapphire eyes at me, reminding me of the same scowl her cousin had aimed at me minutes before.

  I crossed my fingers behind my back. ‘Sure.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  On Thursday night I raced out of the nursing home right on five and made it home in record time to shower and look decent for Maddy’s birthday dinner. After spending more time than usual styling my hair thinking Hunter might show, I breathed out a sigh of relief when I remembered that his team, the Blackbirds, trained on Thursday evenings.

  Maddy lived at the bay, an upmarket area. So did Hunter. I was living at home with Mum, further south in a more affordable suburb. Maddy and I had talked about moving out together before I took off overseas. I contemplated this during the half-hour ride to her house and wondered how long it would take to sort out my finances. After scoring several green lights, I arrived five minutes early and even managed to stop to buy flowers for Cait, Maddy’s mum.

  Cait opened the door and greeted me with a welcoming smile. ‘It’s great to see you again, Aubree.’

  ‘And you, Cait. Thank you for inviting me.’ I handed her a bunch of pink lilies.

  ‘Oh, you shouldn’t have.’ Her blue eyes twinkled. Cait looked like Maddy, only older with short, grey-streaked black hair, although her Irish twang was prominent.

  ‘Aubree, you’re here.’ Maddy strode towards me.

  ‘Happy birthday.’ I hugged her before handing over the present. She opened the lid to reveal a Tiffany & Co necklace I’d bought in New York last year. Besides my mum, Maddy was the only other person I’d bought a gift for. A tight budget had kept me away from the shops and searching for free tourist spots to visit.

  ‘Oh my God, thank you. Help me put it on.’ She held her ponytail off her neck while I secured the latch. She turned to the mirror on the hallway wall and admired her reflection, one finger gently resting on the engraved heart of the necklace.

  ‘Hurry along,’ Cait said, leading us to the dining room where grandparents, uncles and aunts sat at the long wooden table loaded with roast potatoes and lamb. The smell of rosemary lingered in the air and it took me back years; I’ve had so many dinners here with her family. The sound of the harp, violin and flute playing Irish tunes in the background energised and comforted me in a familiar way as I brought to mind the good times while growing up with Maddy.

  ‘Would you like a drink of minerals, lass?’ Maddy’s grandfather, Michael, asked, arching his thick white brow.

  ‘Soft drink,’ Maddy corrected. ‘It’s Aubree, Granda. Surely you haven’t forgotten her?’ Maddy grinned as she handed me a plate of lamb.

  ‘Haven’t seen you in donkey’s years,’ he said in a thick Irish accent.

  ‘I’ve been overseas and only recently returned.’ I smiled at his use of the old adage.

  ‘Aye. Did you go to Ireland?’ Michael probed, scratching at his white whiskers.

  ‘No, unfortunately. I’d like to take that trip with Maddy. She could teach me the Irish ways.’

  Laughter broke out at the table. ‘She could show you the best pubs to get wrecked, but that’s as far as Maddy’s teachin’ goes. For sure, she knows how to have a whale of a time,’ her uncle, Hamish, added.

  ‘And that’s all I need to know,’ Maddy snapped. ‘It’s my birthday so enough smart talk. You have to be nice to me today.’

  ‘Enough picking on my girl,’ Maddy’s grandma, Evelyn, piped up. ‘I’m going to wet the tea. Anyone want a cuppa?’

  After pudding and custard dessert Maddy’s family began to reminisce. It was my cue to exit and allow Maddy quality time with her relatives. ‘Thank you for a lovely meal,’ I said to Cait. ‘But I have an early start tomorrow and should get home.’

  Maddy followed me to the door. ‘Thank you for coming and putting up with my family.’

  ‘I love your family.’ Ever since I could remember I’d felt comfortable in Maddy’s home. Her father had walked out on them when Maddy was a child, but her extended family had provided e
nough love to compensate.

  ‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ she called out as I walked to my car, which was parked on the road.

  In the dark I rummaged for keys inside my bag. I heard a car door slam across the street and glanced briefly in that direction to see a luxurious vehicle. Paying it no heed, I was unlocking my door when I heard footsteps behind me. I caught a whiff of musk and citrus as I turned partially, and my gaze fixed on a white T-shirt stretched across a broad chest. Hunter was standing less than a foot away from me. It was all I could do to suppress my scream as his hand grabbed hold of mine.

  ‘So you decided to come home,’ Hunter said in a deep voice tinged with sarcasm.

  I breathed out and put my free hand across my chest. ‘What the hell are you doing sneaking up like that? You scared the crap out of me.’

  ‘Really?’ He glanced down to his hand enveloping mine with the keys. ‘Don’t see you fighting me off.’

  I turned the key and pulled it out of the lock, breaking his grip. ‘Whatever.’

  ‘Hunter, is that you?’ Maddy yelled from the front entrance. I could make out her silhouette through the flyscreen door.

  ‘Yeah. Just saying hello to Aubree,’ he called before saying to me, ‘We need to talk.’

  My back stiffened at his authoritarian tone. ‘About what?’

  ‘I think you know what. Call me when you’re free.’ When I didn’t say anything he paced towards the house.

  My heart beat an uneven rhythm in my chest. I took in a deep breath to calm myself. Surely he didn’t want to talk about last time?

  As Maddy’s best friend in high school, I’d known Hunter as the hot, older cousin who played football. I never had much to do with him but I remembered occasions when he’d visited her family, and the effect he’d had on me—a stupid schoolgirl crush. In a few years I’d grasped the enormity of his popularity as a star football player, and how he bewitched every girl in South Australia. It was then that he stopped appealing to me, especially when I heard from Maddy how many girls he’d slept with all because he could. I deserved better than that.

  So I stayed away from him, up until my knee injury, when I went out clubbing with Maddy and mainly to drown myself with alcohol in self-pity. Even then I refused to dress like other girls since I still considered myself a baller, although deep down I knew I’d never play again. Unlike most other girls I wore jeans—not short skirts—awfully conscious of the large scar on my knee. I started to see more of Hunter but never truly believed he could be interested in me . . . until the night before I went overseas and one thing had led to another —