“I’m serious, Ivy. For example, guys like Declan—”
My stomach flips at the name.
“—they’re players in every sense of the word. They see a smart, attractive woman and think it’s a challenge.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I’m not saying you can’t. I’m saying you shouldn’t have to.” His jaw tightens. “Just keep your distance from them.”
I chuckle bitterly. “How can I keep my distance when I’ll literally be testing them?”
My mother nods. “Your brother is right. Professional boundaries are important.”
I study Marcus’s face. It’s ironic that he’s hardly talked to me since high school when we were in the same grade. He hasn’t even come to welcome me since I started working in his team’s training facility.
Yet, he wants to protect me.
What’s worse is that he’s spent years in a locker room with these men, considers them his brothers, teammates, friends. But the moment his actual sister enters that world, they’re all dangerous predators who can’t be trusted.
“I’m twenty-six,” I say carefully. “I can navigate workplace relationships without supervision.”
“I’m just looking out for you.”
Too late. When I needed your help to confront Mom and Dad, you didn’t.
“By treating me like I need protection from your friends?” I ask instead.
“They’re not my friends when it comes to you.” He frowns. “Especially Declan. Stay away from him.”
“Why especially him?”
He exchanges a glance with our father.
“Because he’s the worst of them. Multimillionaire playboy who thinks his money and looks make him untouchable. He goes through women like they’re disposable.”
The description should put me off. It confirms everything I’ve suspected about Mr. Arrogant Nakedness.
Instead, sharp defensiveness rises in my chest. I squash it before I say something that will make Marcus suspicious.
“I’m not interested in your teammates. I’m there to work.”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
The rest of dinner passes in uncomfortable silence punctuated by my parent’s occasional comment about Marcus’s career. When I finally escape to my car, I feel wrung out and small. The way I always do after family dinners.
My phone buzzes before I even start the engine.
King:
Are you still having dinner? How good was it?
I laugh, the sound slightly hysterical in my quiet car.
Ivy:
2/10 Apparently, I need to be protected from myself and my poor judgment around men.
King:
