Playing Dirty (A Bad Boy Sports Romance)

by Avery Wilde

  “Kate, I’m so sorry,” he said. He reached across the table for my hand. Compared to his, mine looked tiny. “There’s more than meets the eye on this….” He trailed off for a moment. “That journalist, if you can even call her that, is my ex-girlfriend. She’s been on this mad quest to ruin my reputation for quite some time now, and I don’t want you to think that’s really me.”

  “Oh.” A blush rose to my cheeks, and I felt guilty for having judged him so harshly when I first heard of him. He was a bit of a playboy, but at the same time, I was willing to bet that half the media stuff about him was made up by of this ex of his.

  “Kate, this is a new low for Hannah,” Jay continued. “She’s spent a lot of time trying to ruin me, but she’s never dragged anyone else into this shit before. I’m really sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I said as I pushed my plate forward. Most of the uneaten brisket still lay on top.

  “I can tell it’s not okay,” he said softly. “Let’s get out of here and see the sights for a while. Then I’ll take you back to Lizzy’s, okay?”

  I nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Jay was silent as we walked to his car, and when he was seated behind the wheel, he turned to me. “So, what’ll it be?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t actually know what’s around here,” I said. “But no museums, okay? I definitely can’t do one of those right now.”

  Jay grinned. “In that case, I know just the place,” he said in a cocky voice as he shifted the car into a higher gear and pressed down on the gas. We shot forward, and I clung to the seat the whole way. I still wasn’t used to riding on what felt like the wrong side of the car, and I had a feeling that it was going to drive me crazy for quite some time. The feeling of barreling down the road, vulnerable to oncoming traffic, was something that I wasn’t wild about, and Jay seemed to drive like a maniac; none of the careful slow driving that he’d done the other night on the way to the hospital. We careened around turns and more than once, I thought I heard the brakes squeal. When we finally came to a stop, I was breathless.

  “That was terrifying,” I said in a shaky voice. “Do you drive like that all the time?”

  Jay laughed, throwing his head back. “Just when I want to scare a Yank,” he teased. “No, just kidding, we really weren’t going that fast. You’re just not used to being on the left yet. Anyway, we’re here. Hop out.”

  Confused, I climbed out of the car and looked around. “Where are we?”

  “Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden,” he said proudly. He gestured around. “Am I right? Do you like flowers?”

  I blushed, thinking of the gargantuan bouquet he’d sent me. “I do,” I admitted. “And this is beautiful.”

  Darkness was just starting to fall as we strolled around the garden. I still felt on edge and shaky from seeing that clipping in the paper, but being around Jay was incredibly soothing. It didn’t exactly make sense, because he was famous for being a loudmouth playboy, but I was starting to realize there was a side to Jay that someone like me never would have expected.

  “What d’ya think?” Jay looked at me with his usual cocky grin. “You like?”

  “This is beautiful,” I said again. “It’s amazing. And so quiet! I can’t believe we’re still in Manchester.”

  Jay grinned. “Okay, I have a confession to make,” he said.

  I arched a playful eyebrow. “What, you take all the girls here?”

  He chuckled. “No,” he replied. “I’ve actually never been here before. I’ve always heard people talking about it, but I’ve never come myself.”

  “I see. Well, it’s lovely.”

  “If you’re up to it, there’s something else I’d like to show you after this. But I promise I’ve been there before,” he added, slapping his hand over his heart. “I wouldn’t lie.”

  I laughed. “I know, I believe you.”

  Jay winked at me and I felt myself blush for what felt like the millionth time since I met him. Just as I thought he was about to kiss me, I had to twist away and let out a vicious sneeze. “Sorry, I think my allergies are worse here than they were at home,” I complained.

  “Well, you look amazing,” Jay said. Self-consciously, I reached up and fingered the ends of my hair. It had dried slightly wavy, and I knew that it must look a lot less polished than I was used to seeing myself.

  “What’s the other place?” I asked, turning to him with my best attempt at a coy smile. “I mean, I’d love to see it if you still want to show me.”

  Jay nodded his head towards the car. “If you can stomach another car ride with me, you’re in luck.”

  The second trip was no better than the first; I still wasn’t used to being on the wrong side of the road at all. It did seem like Jay was driving slower than he had before, hugging all the turns in the road with his little car, but I still felt like we were on rails as we spun around and around.

  “Relax, Kate, we’re fine,” Jay said. He reached over and put one of his massive hands on my knees. I jumped at the touch, but when he tried to pull his hand away I grabbed it with both of mine.

  “Sorry,” I said breathlessly. “I’m still not used to this. It’s crazy! I feel like any minute, someone is going to come barreling down the road towards us in our lane.”

  He raised his eyebrows at me. “And you call yourself a New Yorker?”

  I had to laugh at that. “Well, I don’t drive,” I said. “I take the subway or cabs, usually. Having a car would be a huge pain in the ass.”

  “I think you’ve been taking some very boring taxi rides, then.” He cleared his throat as he pulled the car up in front of the entrance to what looked like a giant park. “I present, Kate’s Park.”

  My eyes widened as we climbed out of the car. It was a beautiful park, and it was huge! I couldn’t even see the other end of it from where we stood, but I could see that it was filled with peaceful-looking grass, little hills, and miniature gardens. It seemed like a calm, soothing space in the middle of a bustling city, and I smiled and turned to Jay.

  “So what makes this my park?”

  He cleared his throat, then pointed to the sign over the archway. “Romero Park,” he said in an exaggerated suave accent. “Like it was made for you!”

  “Wow,” I said. “That’s pretty incredible. How did you know my last name?”

  Jay pretended to look offended. “I know lots of things,” he said casually. “Like you only like white wine, and you don’t like to let your hair air-dry. Also, there’s the fact that I’m a big fan of your show….remember?”

  I smiled, feeling very silly indeed. “Of course. How could I forget?” I said, giving him a playful elbow. “You make me sound like I’m not very fun, though.”

  Jay shook his head. “You’re fun, all right,” he said as we strode into the park. I was in awe of the magnificent beauty. It was much lovelier than anything I’d seen back home, even Central Park. “You’re just a bit buttoned up, that’s all.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s a nice way of saying I’m too uptight,” I said. “And I know. People tell me all the time. Everyone just wants me to relax. But I’m relaxed now,” I added as I stepped ahead of Jay and gazed around the gorgeous park. “And this is just the place to do it.”

  When Jay said it was about time to head home, I was almost disappointed. The car ride back to Lizzy’s wasn’t even that terrifying—I recognized a few landmarks and wondered if I was finally starting to get my bearings.

  As Jay pulled up in front of the building, he turned to me and leaned closer, and before I knew it, he was kissing me. His lips were warm, smooth, and soft, and his masculine scent invaded my senses. I closed my eyes and moaned softly as I felt his tongue slip between my lips, caressing the inside of my mouth, and as the kiss deepened, I leaned forward and wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him close. Arousal started building in my lower belly, and I felt the insides of my thighs turn slippery and wet as Jay’s strong hands kneaded my back, making me feel both tiny and delicate in
his arms.

  When he finally pulled away, I was shaking with desire. I wanted him right then and there, no matter what the consequence.

  “Can I have your number?” Jay asked, looking up at me with a wink. “Please?”

  “Of course,” I said. I typed it into his phone and handed it back to him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Jay texted me while we were still sitting in the car. “So now you have mine in case you need it,” he said. “I had a great time, Kate.”

  I blushed a deep pink. “I had fun too,” I said. As I climbed out of the car, Jay pulled me back by the wrist and crushed my body to his again, and his lips pressed urgently, his tongue searching my mouth. I felt myself barely able to cling on to reality, and as I broke the kiss, I was aware of myself panting. Pull yourself together, Kate, I thought. You can’t act like a freakin’ schoolgirl around him!

  As I climbed the stairs to Lizzy’s apartment a moment later, I felt dazed. Earlier, Lizzy had said she was going to be out studying with uni friends of hers till quite late tonight, which was good—I wanted to be alone for a while so I could take a nice, long bath. But when I opened the door, I saw the apartment was in complete disarray.

  “What the hell?” I mumbled under my breath as I gazed around. Someone had definitely been inside, and someone had been rifling through my stuff. Panic clenched my heart in a vise grip and made it difficult to breathe. What the hell was going on here? Who would break in, and why would they want to go through my belongings?

  “Hello, operator?” I said into the phone a moment later, my voice quavering slightly. “I need the police.”

  As I told the operator the address, I texted Lizzy about what had happened, and then I texted Jay. ‘Someone broke into Lizzy’s apartment. Can you come back? If it’s not too much trouble.’

  I knew he wasn’t my boyfriend, and I had no right to expect him to do anything for me. And really, I didn’t expect him to do anything at all—I just thought it was worth asking, because he was the only person I could think of who might make me feel safe in this moment. That was crazy, right? We barely knew each other. But deep down, I could feel it; a warmth inside whenever I pictured him by my side, a warmth that told me I’d be safe.

  My phone buzzed a second later, and I breathed a grateful sigh of relief as I scanned Jay’s reply text.

  Of course. I’ll be there.

  Chapter Nine

  Jay

  As soon as Kate texted, I turned my car around and raced back to her apartment. The idea that someone had broken in was crazy, yet I didn’t doubt her. She didn’t seem like the type of girl to invent a crisis just for attention. I knew she had to be feeling on edge from Hannah’s article, and I hated that I’d left her alone. Stupid prick, you should have walked her inside, I told myself angrily. But no, you just had to drive off.

  I shook my head. I wasn’t used to being a total gentleman, and that was definitely something I was going to have to work on for Kate’s sake.

  The police arrived at the same time I got back, and we climbed the stairs together. One of the younger lieutenants kept looking up at me and then wildly gazing around whenever I caught his stare.

  “Is it really you?” He stepped closer and looked at my face. “Jay Walsh?”

  I grinned. “The one and only,” I said. I reached out my hand for a shake and he eagerly accepted. “I take it you’re a fan?”

  “The way you kicked those Liverpool scumbags out of the park was amazing,” he said with a grin. “Way to go, mate.”

  I felt a trace of self-consciousness wash over me, and Lizzy opened the door at that exact second. When she saw me again, she gaped.

  “You came back fast,” she said admirably. “And thanks for coming,” she added for the cops. “My sister is inside. She’s pretty scared. I have no idea who would have done this!”

  Kate was sitting on the couch. She was wrapped up in a blanket but I could tell that she was trembling even from a few feet away, and as the cops started to question her in a brusque tone, her voice broke and she buried her face in the blanket.

  “Hey, leave her alone,” I said harshly. “It isn’t her fault. She doesn’t know who could have broken in.”

  “This is standard policy, Jay,” the younger cop replied, but I noticed he was nicer to Kate after that.

  “Ma’am, can you tell us what happened?”

  Kate looked at Lizzy and me for encouragement. I nodded, and she swallowed, then began to speak. “Well, I just got home a little while ago,” she said softly. “And I noticed the door was unlocked when I got back. I figured Lizzy had left it undone on purpose.”

  “When did you notice that someone had been inside?”

  “Almost immediately,” she replied. She pointed towards the corner of the room. “That’s my stuff, over there.” I noted three black suitcases overflowing with loose clothing, and several items scattered over the floor.

  “And are you sure you just didn’t leave things in disarray?” One of the cops asked, frowning at Kate. “The other rooms in the apartment seem impeccable.”

  “That’s why she knew someone was here!” Lizzy interjected. “My sister is a Type A neat freak! She never would’ve left her belongings like this!”

  “I’m just trying to ascertain whether or not someone actually broke in,” the cop replied in an icy voice. “You know, your sister has had a very busy couple of days. And she’s not used to being in this country. It’s very possible that she left everything like that herself.”

  “I’m telling you, she didn’t, and besides, I didn’t leave the apartment unlocked,” Lizzy said, narrowing her eyes.

  “Kate wouldn’t do that. Look at that stuff,” I added. I pointed to the suitcases and the mess all over the floor. “It’s a bloody mess, can’t you tell? Does this look like the kind of girl who would’ve left her things like that?”

  Kate nodded defiantly. “I swear, I left everything in order,” she said. “And the door was definitely unlocked.”

  The police nodded. The younger one took out a notepad and made a couple of scribbles on it. “I suppose that type of lock is quite easy to pick….you might want to look into getting a new one,” he said, looking at Lizzy. Then he turned back to Kate. “Do you have any idea who could have done this? Anyone who would be looking for information on you, and might want to go through your stuff to get it?”

  Kate blinked. I could tell she wanted to say something, but she shook her head. “I don’t really know anyone here,” she replied. “Except for Jay and some of his teammates, I haven’t met any other British people.”

  The cops nodded. “All right,” the younger one said. He turned to Lizzy and fixed her with a stare. “What about you, ma’am? Anyone you know who would have broken in?”

  Lizzy shook her head. “Definitely not,” she said. “The only people I know at university were in the library studying with me when all of this was happening.”

  There was something bothering me in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t put my finger on it, and as Lizzy and Kate spoke to the police, I wandered around the apartment, searching for any trace of a break-in. Kate’s things were truly in disarray; her suitcases were wide open and clothes were tossed everywhere. I grinned when I saw some lacy lingerie peeking out of the bottom of the bag. So she does have a wild side, I thought to myself. Then, looking around, I felt a tiny bit of guilt. Now isn’t the time, mate. Now is definitely not the right time.

  “Are you sure there’s no one else you can think of?”

  Kate shook her head firmly. “Could it just be random?” she asked. “Is it possible someone broke in looking for money? Maybe they thought the most valuable stuff would be in the suitcases.”

  The cop shrugged. “Everything’s possible,” he said politely, but I could tell he didn’t believe a word Kate was saying. “But I urge you and your sister to seek additional measures of security while you’re staying here. Like I said earlier, you’ll want to change the locks, maybe think about getting a p
late on the doorframe. See, these old buildings are easy to jam. It wouldn’t be hard for someone to break in, spend a few minutes inside, then come out.”

  Kate looked bewildered. “But who would do that?” she asked. “The thing is, they didn’t seem to actually take anything.”

  The cop sighed. “Ma’am, that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to ask you,” he said. “So, do you think you’ll be able to help us or not?”

  Kate finally shook her head. “I can’t think of anyone,” she said. “And I don’t just want to accuse random people.”

  “Is there anyone who could be upset with you? Are you hiding from someone?”

  Again, Kate had that same panicked expression. “I went through a breakup recently,” she said slowly. “But that was in New York, and I don’t think he’d follow me here.”

  My insides clenched, and I wondered if her ex was actually the kind of guy who’d stalk her here to England and terrify her. If so, I wanted to punch his lights out, and my body filled with adrenaline as the primal need to protect Kate rushed through me.

  “Could be our fellow,” the cop said, obviously pleased that Kate had finally come up with someone. “Can you tell me more about him?”

  Kate licked her lips, and she was just about to start talking when I sniffed and then cleared my throat.

  “What is it?” The young cop whipped his head towards me and stared.

  “That smell,” I said. “That perfume in the air.”

  Everyone took a moment and sniffed. “Smells like a woman,” one of the cops said. “And we’ve got two of them right here. Happy now?”

  I shook my head. “No, that’s not it,” I said. “It’s not from one of them. It’s from Hannah Joyce, my ex-girlfriend.”

  The younger cop laughed. “Mate, what would your ex-girlfriend be doing up here?”

  I grimaced. “Trying to ruin my life,” I replied. “She’s already put out an article about me and Kate, trying to hurt our reputations. She’s seriously got issues; I’ve honestly seen less baggage at an airport. I wouldn’t put it past her to track down where Kate is staying and break in to try and get some sort of dirt on her.”