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And they would choose Beckett.

He’s from here. He’s—usually—a good-time, happy, make-everyone-smile guy.

Of course they would choose him.

I could lose them all.

I can’t do that.

And I get where Beckett is coming from. Even if he’s wrong about Sutton and me, I know what a fucking mess it can be when a guy gets involved with a teammate’s sister.

I just need to stay the hell away from her.

“Beckett, I swear,” I say, bracing myself to utter possibly the biggest lie of my life. “I do not have feelings for your sister.”

There are a couple of grumbles around us, and I add, “Other than respect and generally liking her the way everyone does, of course.”

Beckett doesn’t look convinced. “Just stay away.”

“He can’t really,” Alex says. “She works with the team. They’ll see each other all the time.”

Beckett huffs out a breath. “Well, just… be careful. Don’t lead her on. Make sure she knows you don’t have feelings.”

I nod. “Of course.”

Beckett pauses, then finally gives a curt nod before turning and stomping toward his locker. With the risk of a brawl decreased, the rest of my teammates also head toward other parts of the locker room, and I breathe out.

Crisis averted.

For now.

But I don’t only have to convince Beckett that I don’t have feelings for Sutton—I’ll have to convince Sutton too.

And, somehow, myself.

CHAPTER 2

LAWSON

October this year…

“She doesn’t want to kill him. She wants to fuck him.”

Wes and Alex clink their beer mugs together in agreement.

“But what if she decides if she can’t have him, no one can?” Astrid asks.

“Who says she can’t have him?”

I look across the high-top table at Beckett. He’s smirking behind his mug of beer.

Which he would be doing if our teammates and friends were discussing the woman who's been delivering packages to his house anonymously for the past two weeks with notes like, I can’t wait to wake up in your bed. And I wore these panties while I watched you score those two big goals. They’re still wet from it. And our kids are going to be so cute.

The problem is—at least for me—our teammates and friends are not discussing that woman and Beckett.

They’re discussing my stalker.

“I think he’d be dead by now if she was trying to kill him, don’t you? This has been going on for two weeks. She’s brought him like three meals,” Alex says.