DARE TO DESIRE.
The Dare to Love Series.
Carly Phillips.
To My Readers For making it possible to do what I love, buying my books, and sharing your love of reading and romance with me online. This one is for you!.
"One of my favorite reads this year."
HM Ward, NYT Bestselling Author on Dare to Love.
Quarterback Alex Dare, had it all-an all-star football career and his choice of willing women-until injury forces him into early retirement. When he is offered a ground-breaking position with a rival team, he"s intrigued, but there"s a catch. He"ll be working alongside the same woman he callously hurt when she got too close for comfort. Social worker Madison Evans grew up in foster homes and knows what it means to have-not. She isn"t impressed by Alex Dare"s wealth or charm. Not since she fell hard for him once before, only to discover she was just one of his too-easy conquests.
This time around Madison refuses to succ.u.mb to Alex so easily. But Alex wants Madison. And if there is one thing Alex does well, it"s to get what he wants. Can he convince Madison to take a risk and dare to love?.
ONE.
Quarterback Alex Dare took possession of the ball the same way he took possession of a woman"s body. With skill, finesse, and the absolute certainty he"d score.
Madison Evans watched the man who"d been in her bed the night before on the huge screen in front of her. She"d joined her friends for Thanksgiving dinner, Riley and her husband, Ian Dare, and Ian"s siblings. With no biological family of her own, Madison appreciated having somewhere to go. Eating alone in a restaurant on a holiday, something she"d done often, held no appeal.
The football game held everyone"s attention. Watching the ma.s.sive screen, Madison felt as if she were on the field along with Alex, his teammates, and the opposing players. Everyone around her joked, laughed, and ate the delicious hors d"oeuvres their hosts had supplied.
Someone yelled in complaint. Madison glanced at the television once more. A time out had been called, giving her an opportunity to reflect on the whirlwind couple of weeks she"d shared with the irresistible man.
She"d met Alex when Riley had been brought to the hospital a few months ago, but she"d ignored the quarterback with the playboy reputation in favor of the patient she"d been a.s.signed to treat as the social worker on call.
She"d seen him again at Riley and Ian"s engagement party, where he"d turned on the charm and begun an all-out sensual a.s.sault. Despite her attempts to keep her distance, she"d broken down, given in, and ended up in his bed that same night. He didn"t do relationships, and she"d steeled herself for the inevitable quick end, which hadn"t happened.
Though Alex played for the Tampa Breakers and lived almost four hours from Miami, he kept his main home in Miami since most of his family was here in town. His apartment in Tampa existed for convenience during the season, when he was either here in Miami, in Tampa, or on the road.
But ever since he"d sweet-talked Madison into his bed, he"d made up for any physical distance in other ways. They"d talked on the phone and texted often, including s.e.xting when he was out of town. And wasn"t that new for her? She squirmed in her seat at the arousing memories. Luckily, this past weekend, his team had had a bye week, football jargon for a week off. Which meant extra time in Miami. And with her.
They"d spent enough hours together both in and out of bed that, despite knowing his reputation, Madison"s emotions were already involved. Not smart for a host of reasons. If her childhood had taught her anything, it was to keep her feelings locked down tight. She knew better than to get attached to anyone in any capacity. Especially a man like Alex, who didn"t do relationships.
She even knew he was uncomfortable that she was spending this holiday with his family, never mind that they"d been her close friends before she"d gotten involved with him. He obviously hadn"t thought through the ramifications of an affair before turning on the charm. But chemistry like theirs didn"t come along every day. They had amazingly hot s.e.x. Awesome, no holds barred, panty-drenching s.e.x. Something Madison had never experienced before.
Not to mention, he had a sweet side. He adored his siblings and mother, he was protective of his friends, and he could seduce her with a wink and a smile. Then there were the off-the-chart o.r.g.a.s.ms. She wriggled and shifted positions because just the thought was enough to get her motor running. He was that good.
So if she was stupid enough to have developed some feelings for the man, she at least trusted that because of her friendship with Riley and the rest of his family, he"d treat her with care. If not, Riley would kick his a.s.s, and Madison would be all too happy to help.
She didn"t believe in love at first sight. If pressed, she"d have said she didn"t believe in happily ever after, but as she watched him move on the field, her heart gave an unmistakable flutter, and she knew she was in trouble.
She forced her gaze to the play on the screen. Ball in hand, Alex scanned the field for his receiver. He obviously found the man he was looking for and raised his arm, poised to throw.
The next few seconds were a blur. He faked, ducked, and ran in the opposite direction only to be charged by a ma.s.sive hulk of a man on his left. He took a hit and was leveled by opposing players on the right. Madison winced at the force of the blow that took him down. As the men heaped one on top of the other, time out was called.
The dog pile took time to sort as each man slowly rose to his feet. All except the player on the bottom. Number twenty-two, Alex Dare, lay sprawled and unmoving on the field.
Alex knew immediately, this. .h.i.t was different than the others. Things went black for a few seconds too long. Enough to have panic setting in before the blue sky above him came back into view. Thank G.o.d. But the pain and the nausea were overwhelming and nonstop. And at some point, he must have blacked out. He woke up in an MRI machine, something he was all too familiar with. The enclosed s.p.a.ce and loud banging noises didn"t help the pain. Finally, they pulled him out of the tiny capsule, and he answered the requisite questions about day and time, doing his best not to puke or move his head even a fraction of an inch.
d.a.m.n, he hurt.
He remembered the start of the game but not the score or the hit. h.e.l.l, he didn"t even remember the ambulance ride to the hospital. Not unusual for a concussion, and he"d had enough of them to know.
They sent him for more tests, and his head pounded with the force of a hundred ba.s.s drums. Waves of nausea washed over him, threatening to make him lose his lunch. If he"d eaten lunch. He couldn"t recall.
The team doctor and a neurological specialist were waiting when they finally settled him into a private room. Their expressions were grim, and his heart pounded harder in his chest. Physical pain he could endure. What they wanted to tell him? He was deathly afraid that he couldn"t handle.
The doctors spoke, sharing the news, their words echoing in his brain. He could not afford another hit to the head. One more concussion could lead to permanent brain damage.
Memory loss.
Depression.
Loss of motor control.
Blindness.
The d.a.m.ned doctors used every worst-case scenario they could think of to make their point: No more professional football.
A career-ending injury-every player"s worst nightmare.
He refused to talk to the doctors and was grateful when they finally left him alone. For the next hour, he stared at the ceiling of the hospital room, the blinding headache and nausea a constant reminder of loss.
He was twenty-six years old, and all he could think was ... what now?
Six Months Later Alex woke up in a sweat from the same nightmare he"d had for months after he"d taken the life-altering hit to his head. Not only did he relive the moment of impact, the details of which had eventually returned to him, but he actually experienced the searing pain. Six months had pa.s.sed since that Thanksgiving weekend, and he"d thought that d.a.m.ned dream was behind him. But he should"ve expected it again now since training had begun for the football season and, along with it, the renewed feeling that his life was over.
He rolled his tight shoulders, the stress of not knowing what to do next eating at his gut. He sat up in bed and stretched. Maybe he just needed to get laid. After all, he hadn"t indulged in his favorite pastime in far too long. Problem was, every time he picked up his phone, none of the names listed there appealed to him.
Okay, one did, but he"d burned that bridge. To the ground, if his best friend and sister-in-law, Riley, was to be believed. Considering the way he"d thrown Madison Evans out of his hospital room, he figured his best friend was right. He winced at the memory, self-loathing filling him for how he"d treated Madison.
He remembered the moment as if it had just happened. After the concussion and the battery of tests, the doctors had insisted on keeping him overnight. Riley, Ian, his brother, Jason, and sister, Sienna, had stopped in to see him. He hadn"t been pleasant, but they were family. They had to forgive him. His parents had come next, and they"d understood his depressed mental state. The revolving door of visitors had made his head spin even more than the injury. He"d a.s.sured them all he was just fine and tossed them the h.e.l.l out. Pity and concern were the last things he needed. He"d been throwing a big enough party all by himself.
Then she"d shown up.
He"d looked up to see Madison standing there, blonde hair spilling over her shoulders, covering luscious b.r.e.a.s.t.s he"d had in his mouth and hands the night before. He might"ve been down for the count, but he could still appreciate a beautiful woman, and this one did it for him. She had from first sight, which was why he"d kept her around longer than his usual female.
But he"d been getting antsy, especially with how close she was to his family, spending the Thanksgiving holiday with them. How stupid was he, f.u.c.king where he lived? He had an old man who"d married one woman while keeping another on the side. Was it any wonder Alex had done something so dumb?
The one and only time he"d let a woman close, she"d cut his heart out without thought. He"d sworn never again and thought he"d meant it. Only Madison had broken through those walls he"d erected, fitting in with his life too well, and it scared the s.h.i.t out of him.
And now? He had no career, no future, and he sure as h.e.l.l didn"t need to be worrying about a relationship of any kind.
"What are you doing here?" he"d asked her.
"I"m worried about you. I came to see if you"re okay." Concern filled her big blue eyes, and she started toward him.
He held up a hand to stop her. "I"m fine."
"Riley said-"
"I don"t care what Riley told you. I"m not your problem, got it?"
She visibly swallowed hard, the delicate muscles in her neck working up and down. "I thought you might need me."
He managed a harsh laugh. "I"ve got my family. I don"t need you."
"So we"re-"
"There is no we, sweetheart. It was fun. Now it"s over."
Moisture filled her eyes, and in that moment, he hated himself.
"I forgot," she said. "Alex Dare doesn"t do relationships."
"d.a.m.ned right," he muttered.
She straightened her shoulders, backbone he"d sensed in her from the beginning taking over. "I was foolish for thinking I found someone human and real beneath the faade. You"re every bit the man wh.o.r.e the Internet and your reputation say you are."
She started for the door, then turned back to face him. "You"re a cold-hearted selfish b.a.s.t.a.r.d too." She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
His head pounded at the noise, and he cursed out loud.
He could admit now that he deserved every word. There was no getting around the fact that until six months ago, he"d been exactly the man wh.o.r.e Madison had accused him of being. He hadn"t seen anything wrong with it either. All the women in his life up to that point had known what they were getting into.
h.e.l.l, he thought Madison had too, but that"s what he got for a.s.suming. But he should have known better. She was different, and he"d always sensed it. Which must explain why he couldn"t get her out of his head, all these months later.
No other woman who"d graced his bed ever lingered in his mind. Except for the blonde-haired vixen he never should have f.u.c.ked. At this point he was sure that concussion had scrambled his brains even worse than he"d thought. But he couldn"t deny that the memory of what he"d said to her shamed him, and it"d been a long time since he could remember feeling that particular emotion.
He slid out of bed and took a long, hot shower. He"d just stepped out when his phone rang.
He grabbed his cell from the counter. "What"s up?" he asked, answering at the same time he wrapped a towel around his waist.
"Good morning, Alex," a familiar voice said.
"Ian, good to hear your voice." Alex clenched his jaw, still not comfortable with any kind of relationship with his half brother.
For Riley, he reminded himself. Alex and Ian"s wife were best friends, childhood friends. He"d do anything for her, including deal with Ian. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Got a job proposition for you," the other man said.
Alex blinked. "Are you seriously asking me to work for the opposition?" Until his injury, Alex had been the quarterback for the Tampa Breakers. Ian was the president of the Miami Thunder.
Half brothers. Rivals. In more ways than one.
"Not to rub it in, but you"re a free agent," Ian said.
At least he hadn"t used the word unemployed. Because with his recent head injury, that"s exactly what he was, with no job prospects in sight. "Yeah," Alex muttered.
"Are you available this morning? Your name came up, and Riley thinks you"d be perfect for what we need."
Now Alex was intrigued. "You"ve got my attention. What time?"
"Eleven at the stadium," Ian said.
"See you then." It wasn"t like Alex had anything better to do.
Madison paced the confines of her boss"s office in the Miami Thunder Stadium. Ian Dare was intimidating on a good day. A day that would be defined as one where everyone agreed with Ian. Today wasn"t one of those days.
She"d been working with the Thunder for the past month, having given up social work for a hospital in exchange for starting up an exciting, groundbreaking program with the hometown football team.
She glanced at Ian, not happy with his most recent proclamation. "When I took this position, we agreed this program would change lives, right?" Madison asked.
Ian straightened his tie and met her gaze with those steely gray eyes. "It is. We"ll be the first football team to inst.i.tute mandatory post-career education. The Thunder will make sure its players are capable of a successful physical, psychological, and social transition into the real world when their careers end. I don"t care if it"s one year into their contract or ten."
She nodded. She would be in charge of getting the program up and running, her schooling and work history in social work and psychology providing the perfect background. She"d also thought she"d have a say in whomever came on board to work with her.
Apparently not.
She folded her arms across her chest. "So tell me how bringing the playboy athlete on board gels with those goals?" Then, realizing she spoke of his half brother, she cleared her throat. "No insult intended."
"None taken." The corner of Ian"s mouth lifted in a wry grin.
Dark-haired, b.u.t.toned-up men weren"t her type, but she"d have to be dead not to notice that Ian was one very s.e.xy man and Riley was one very lucky woman.
"I"m aware you and Alex have ... history," Ian said.
"That"s a delicate way of expressing it." Ian already knew she and Alex had history.