Dare to Play

by Carly Phillips

  DARE TO PLAY

  Dare Nation Novel #3

  NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  Carly Phillips

  Copyright © Karen Drogin, CP Publishing 2020

  Kobo Edition

  Cover Photo: Wander Aguiar

  Cover Design: Maria @steamydesigns

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DARE TO PLAY

  He’s the bad boy of baseball who’s about to lose everything.

  She needs a husband to get custody of her teenage sister.

  Suddenly a marriage of convenience doesn’t look so bad.

  Pitcher, Jaxon Prescott has a lot on his plate. Major League Baseball. Reputation as a player. And now? He’s on the verge of losing it all. He didn’t mean to sleep with his general manager’s daughter or get into a brawl that was captured on camera. But his notoriety is a problem and everything he’s worked for is at risk.

  What’s a bad boy to do? Marry his sister’s best friend to save his career, even if it’s the opposite of everything he wants and believes in.

  Macy Walker is the sole guardian of her half-sister until the girl’s mother returns and wants her daughter back. In order to win custody, Macy needs to provide stability and marrying someone would do the trick. Luckily for her, her best friend’s brother needs a wife.

  They’re this close to getting exactly what they want – as long as they don’t fall in love.

  A stand-alone novel

  Chapter One

  What did you buy for the couple who had everything?

  Macy Walker spent over an hour in a luxury department store searching for the perfect wedding gift for Damon Prescott and Evie Wolfe. They’d gotten engaged at the end of Fall and were getting married this Saturday, January seventh, in a small ceremony at his mother’s house, unlike his sibling Austin and his fiancée, Quinn, who had a huge Valentine’s Day wedding planned at a Miami hotel. There were five Prescott/Dare siblings, two in serious relationships and three to go.

  Although to hear each of them tell it, nobody had been looking for permanence. It just happened to find them. Macy wondered who was next up to fall in love.

  To say Macy had left the gift to the last minute would be an understatement. Unable to discover anything original for the professional football player and his private investigator fiancée, Macy left the store with an expensive vase, gorgeously wrapped, and headed home to her fifteen-year-old sister of whom she had custody.

  As she approached the house, a bright red Mazda Miata she didn’t recognize sat in the driveway, top down. If her sister had an older friend over, thinking Macy wouldn’t find out, she’d be in trouble. Hannah had a tendency to act out and misbehave, and in many ways, Macy understood. Hannah had a lot of abandonment issues, but she still needed discipline and guidance.

  Macy pulled her Jetta around the other car, opened the garage, parked, and exited her vehicle. Letting herself inside, she walked through the laundry room area and into the kitchen, stopping short when she saw who sat with Hannah at the table. Tons of makeup and other items covered the surface, with Sephora bags surrounding them.

  Oh, hell. Life was about to get interesting and not in a good way. “Hi,” Macy said, making her presence known.

  “Macy, look! My mom’s back!” Hannah popped up from her chair, a smile the likes of which Macy had never seen on her sister’s face, and Macy’s stomach twisted painfully.

  Hannah was a pretty girl who hadn’t learned the concept of less is more when it came to makeup. She’d just started to wear it last year, and after their dad died, she’d gone full-out rebellious. Black eye liner and heavy mascara. But there were worse things than too much makeup on her face or the pink stripe in her hair. Macy actually liked the coloring if only Hannah hadn’t done it without asking permission, along with a second piercing in her ear. Anything she could do to defy Macy, Hannah tried.

  Ever since Lilah walked out when Hannah was ten, she’d grown angrier over time and tried to get away with whatever she could on principle, her bad behavior progressing since their dad died. The last thing Macy needed was Hannah’s mother’s return to give Hannah false hope that her mother was back to be with her. As far as Macy knew, other than a rare happy-birthday email, Hannah hadn’t heard from her mother since she’d left.

  Lilah had left her family for someone with more money and who could give her a better lifestyle than Macy’s father had been able to. Richard Walker had made a good living as an accountant, and their family hadn’t wanted for anything. There had also been inheritance money from her grandparents that had boosted their lifestyle, but it hadn’t been enough for Lilah.

  “Lilah, this is a surprise,” Macy said coolly as she placed her keys in a basket on the counter.

  Lilah looked up at Macy, not a shred of embarrassment in her expression. “I’ve done a lot of soul-searching, and I decided it was time to come home to my baby.” She reached across the table and squeezed Hannah’s hand, her long, manicured nails obviously freshly done. “And I arrived to find her by herself. Where were you, Macy?”

  Oh, she would not question Macy’s abilities as a parent. She had no right. “None of your business and Hannah is old enough to be home alone.”

  “Can Mom stay with us?” Hannah looked at Macy with wide, hopeful eyes, and Macy silently cursed Lilah, whose smug smirk told Macy she’d put her daughter up to asking the question.

  Narrowing her gaze, Macy wondered what Lilah’s agenda was, because the woman always looked out for number one.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We have a schedule and a routine, and I’d like to keep things as they are.” Mostly she didn’t want Hannah to get used to having her mother around only for her to take off on her once again. The less time she was exposed to Lilah, the better.

  “It’s okay, honey, I can stay at the hotel.” Lilah sighed dramatically.

  Ignoring the guilt Lilah tried to lay on, Macy smiled. “Good. Now that that’s settled–”

  Hannah pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. “You’re such a–”

  “Watch it,” Macy said before Hannah could finish her sentence. “Don’t be rude to me. Now I think we should order dinner.” Gritting her teeth, she turned to Lilah. “Would you like to stay?”

  She shook her head, and her brunette hair highlighted with blonde swept beneath her cheeks. Lilah rose to her feet and gathered her Chanel tote, which must have cost four thousand dollars easily, and smiled. “I wish I could but I have a date.” As she stepped around the table, Macy took in her obviously designer outfit and shoes.

  So she was divorced again and hunting. And here playing up to Hannah. Why?

  “Come walk me out,” Lilah said to Macy, her tone not boding well.

  Macy waited for Hannah to say goodbye to her mother, glare at Macy, and storm off to her room before turning to her ex-stepmother. “Okay, cut the sweetness-and-light act. Why are you back? It can’t be for Hannah since you haven’t bothered with her since you left.”

  Lilah straightened her shoulders, her attitude turning into the real bitch of a woman beneath the fake nice façade. “Because she’s my daughter. When I left, I knew your father would take good care of her when I couldn’t–”

  “Wouldn’t,” Macy corrected her.

  Lilah pursed her lips. “Listen, she’s my child. Her father died, and I needed to wrap up a few things befor
e I could come back for her, but I’m here now.”

  Bullshit, Macy thought. “Nobody heard from you after Dad passed away. You didn’t even come to the funeral or extend condolences. I’m not buying this act. I don’t know what your angle is, but I know you have one.”

  Lilah’s cheeks flushed red. “It’s no act. I plan to take care of my girl.”

  “Good luck. I have custody. You signed it over to Dad, and I’m her legal guardian now that he’s gone.”

  “Something a court can easily overturn.” Lilah had started for the door, then turned back to face Macy. “It’s not like you’re doing a decent job parenting. Not only was she alone, she told me she’s grounded for no good reason, that you’re strict and difficult. She’s mine and I plan on getting custody.” On that note, Lilah walked out the door without looking back.

  Macy’s heart pounded inside her chest, fear and concern filling her at the thought of losing the sister she loved and the only family she had left. Macy’s mother had died from ovarian cancer when Macy was six, and it had just been her and her dad. True, he’d dated like crazy, hating the idea of being alone, but he’d loved Macy and been a great dad.

  Life had been good until the stepmother from hell arrived when Macy had turned thirteen. Her teenage years had been a nightmare with Lilah picking on her to be perfect, but Macy had managed. And when Lilah had disappeared, Macy was there for Hannah.

  At twenty-eight years old, Macy had moved into her own apartment a few years ago, and though she’d helped her father with her half sister, Macy had had a life of her own. But when it became clear her father couldn’t handle raising Hannah alone, Macy had moved back into her childhood house, a patio home in a residential neighborhood just north of Miami. With her father gone for eight months now, killed in a car accident, it was just Hannah and Macy.

  She’d all but raised her sister, and she had no intention of losing custody to a woman who didn’t know how to be a parent.

  * * *

  Although Macy hadn’t slept well because Lilah’s threat to take Hannah stayed with her, she pushed herself to go to Damon and Evie’s twilight wedding that evening. She dropped Hannah at a friend’s for the night and headed over to Damon’s mother’s house.

  She placed her present on the gift table, picked up a glass of champagne, and because Damon’s sister, Brianne, Macy’s friend and the connection that had brought her to this party in the first place, was upstairs with the bridesmaids, Macy wandered around by herself. She glanced out the windows, the flowers and white arch for the ceremony a beautiful sight.

  When everyone made their way outside, she chose a seat on an aisle, a tissue in her hand because she always cried at weddings. Under a setting sun and in beautiful weather, the bridesmaids wearing pale peach and the groomsmen in tuxedos, Macy sighed with happiness for the couple.

  The ceremony was brief but beautiful. As Damon and Evie held hands, whispering vows only they could hear, Macy couldn’t help but think she’d never see this kind of love. At her age and with her responsibilities, with no real time to have a social life and working from home, meeting someone interested in a lifetime commitment was almost impossible. And the men she did meet had no patience for her priorities.

  She glanced at the groomsmen, her gaze coming back again and again to Jaxon Prescott, Bri’s Major League Baseball-player sibling, the word player having more than one connotation in his case. Jaxon’s reputation for partying and sleeping around was legendary. Of all the Prescott brothers, Austin, the sports agent, Damon, the football player, and Braden, the doctor who she’d only seen in photographs since he was out of the country for Doctors Without Borders, Jaxon was the best looking, at least in Macy’s mind. Clean-cut, jet-black hair, chiseled features, full lips she wouldn’t mind kissing, and muscles galore, he’d tempt a nun to sin.

  He met her gaze, and though she blushed at being caught staring, she didn’t look away until he smiled and winked at her, causing her to glance down.

  Damn, the man tempted her. He flirted in a way that made her girly parts sit up and take notice. And she was long deprived in that area. But as much as he liked to tease and flirt, she didn’t take Jaxon seriously. He was a ladies’ man in every sense of the word, and she was the kind of woman who wanted a forever kind of relationship someday. The type that would send Jaxon running at the mere thought of the permanence she desired.

  When the vows were complete and the ceremony finished, the bride and groom walked out hand in hand, excited and satisfied smiles on their faces. The bridal party followed, and finally the crowd made their way back inside.

  Despite Jaxon standing out, as she looked around at the guests, she couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the sexiness of the men in the room, and the fact that they were dressed up only added to their appeal. Most of them were athletes, and Macy had to admit she’d come up in the world since meeting Brianne Prescott at an exercise class and becoming fast friends.

  Finally Bri joined her, snagging a champagne glass off a waitress’s passing tray. “Whew, it was hot outside.”

  “But so beautiful,” Macy said of the wedding itself. “And let me tell you, there’s a lot of testosterone in this room.” She waved a hand in front of her face.

  “Eew.” Brianne wrinkled her nose in disgust at Macy’s comment. “Three of those men in that group you’re talking about are my brothers.”

  “Oh, come on. Besides them. Look around you. You can’t deny the hotness.”

  Brianne, a publicist at Dare Nation, a sports agency owned by her brother Austin and uncle Paul, was used to dealing with professional athletes, while Macy had been taken out of her comfort zone at many of these events. But going to football games and other PR occasions gave her social life a boost she wouldn’t otherwise have in between raising Hannah, and for that she was grateful.

  She didn’t want to spoil Bri’s enjoyment of the day by telling her about Lilah’s visit yesterday, despite the fact that she couldn’t shake the incident or fear of the future from her mind. Losing her sister couldn’t happen. It just couldn’t.

  “Oh, look at the motley crew coming our way,” Bri said with a grin on her face. “Evie excluded, of course.”

  Damon, Evie, and Jaxon strode over, the bride and groom obviously making their rounds, Jaxon tagging along, and as his gaze locked on hers, her stomach did a sensual flip.

  “Hi, ladies,” Jaxon said, his gaze sliding over her, making her shiver. “You’re looking good, Macy. White looks great with your tan. Hot.” He treated her to yet another wink, that adorable grin on his face one she couldn’t ignore.

  Though she was shocked he’d noticed the white halter dress she’d taken an hour to choose, at least that fluttering feeling in her stomach took her mind off her problems.

  “Thanks, Jaxon.”

  “Just telling it like it is. You’re blushing.” Reaching out, he stroked a finger down her cheek, the calluses on the pads rough, masculine, and making her tingle. “You must not get complimented enough. I could change that.”

  And crazily enough, under the right circumstances, she might let him. Lord knew she wouldn’t be having a relationship of any substance for at least another three years, until Hannah graduated high school and moved out. Did Macy intend to be celibate until then? She shook her head. What the hell was she thinking? Jaxon flirted but he wasn’t seriously interested in anything with her.

  Just then, Bri slapped her brother’s arm. “Leave her alone. So what were you three whispering about?” she asked Damon, Evie, and Jaxon.

  “Just asking Jaxon what he’s been doing,” Damon said.

  “You mean who he’s been doing,” Bri muttered, because Jaxon did tend to get into trouble. Months ago, there’d been a viral video with his manager’s young – though of age – daughter. Not that he’d known who she was at the time, at least according to Bri, whose job it was to make him look good in the media.

  Macy stifled a laugh at her joke, and Jaxon narrowed his gaze at his sister. This was their usua
l dynamic, Bri calling him out, Jaxon getting not seriously annoyed but letting her know he didn’t appreciate the jab.

  “Come on, Macy. Let me introduce you to a few people from work. I think you’ll like Adam Martsoff,” Bri said in an obvious attempt to pull her away from Jaxon.

  “He’s too boring for her,” Jaxon said in what actually sounded like an annoyed tone.

  Ignoring him, Bri ushered Macy away from her brother, and Macy told herself she didn’t mind. That it couldn’t hurt to meet a nice guy who would stop her from thinking about what it would feel like to have Jaxon’s solid body rubbing against hers.

  Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed as she spent the next few minutes talking to a pleasant, if boring, like Jaxon had predicted, agent from Dare Nation. She couldn’t stop comparing this poor staid guy to the more exciting Jaxon Prescott, but she had no legitimate reason to leave until the sound of yelling from across the room caught her attention and she excused herself to see what was going on.

  She approached to see Bri and Jaxon mid-argument, family encircling them from all sides.

  “What’s wrong?” Damon asked.

  “Ask Jaxon.” Bri folded her arms across her chest, her glare one she used when in business mode.

  A glance at Jaxon showed his face was flushed, and Macy wondered what he’d done wrong.

  “Come on, let’s go have a talk,” Damon said to his sibling but Bri shook her head.

  “You’re not leaving me out of this. I’m his publicist and he’s damn well going to need one,” she insisted.

  “Why?” Damon asked.

  Jaxon opened his mouth to explain, when Bri chimed in first. “He neglected to mention he got into a brawl at a lowbrow bar downtown.”

  “Dude!” Damon shook his head in disbelief.

  “I was backing up a teammate! I didn’t start the damned thing.”

  “But as usual, someone caught it on video.” Bri’s frown wasn’t one Macy would want to face.