Page 76 of Risky Play

Maddie lifted her head and straightened her shoulders, like she was squaring up against him. “I’m seeing someone new. Not that it’s any of your business.”

Dinah raised an eyebrow, and her gaze pierced into me like she had already detected who the new guy in Maddie’s life was. Shit. Dinah was scarily perceptive.

“Oh, really? Who is he?” Dinah asked with keen interest.

Me. Obviously. I kept my gaze on Maddie, gauging if she was ready to reveal that information, but her pinched expression was on her brother, ignoring my presence completely.

“It’s too new. I didn’t want to tell either of you about him yet,” she explained.

“Who, Maddie?” Noah asked, ice lacing through his tone.

“It’s none of your business, Noah,” she seethed through gritted teeth. “It never is.”

The siblings sent matching death glares to each other, while Dinah sighed and took a swig of her drink. I clenched my hand around my bottle of beer, trying to hold my tongue from saying something that would’ve gotten my face punched in.

“I’d like to meet him. Make sure he’s not like the last one,” Noah bit back at his sister.

Christ. I wasn’t like that last asshole. Rage built in my chest that Noah would think that about me. Would he feel differently if he knew I was Maddie’s new boyfriend and not some stranger he didn’t know?

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. I’m not subjecting him to your overprotective shit,” Maddie told him, the annoyance at her brother written on her face.

Too late, sweet pea.

This was why I wanted to be upfront with Noah. The longer we waited the worse his reaction would be when he found out she was talking about me.

“It’s not my fault you pick losers who end up hurting you. I’m just looking out for you,” he argued.

That did nothing to assuage her anger. “Who I date isn’t your fucking concern.”

Noah dragged out an annoyed sigh. “None of the guys you date are good enough for you. You pick the biggest fucking douchebags you can find. I swear it’s like a game for you to pick one worse than the last!”

“I don’t need your approval on who I fucking date,” she screeched.

“Maddie…”

She held up her hand to him and set her unfinished beer on the bar. “You know what? I’m out of here. I’m not dealing with this with you tonight. Fuck off, Noah.”

Then she spun on her heel and stormed out.

Now it made a hell of a lot of sense why she didn’t want to tell her brother about us. It wasn’t just about me being his teammate. Noah didn’t approve of anyone dating her. I wanted to get up in his face and tell him tough shit, that I’d never hurt his sister, and I was good enough. But I was more chicken shit than I realized.

I wanted to comfort my girl, but since no one was supposed to know about us, I couldn’t go after her.

Dinah gave Noah a sharp look. “You remember how annoying it was to deal with my brothers?”

“Lovey, I know,” he sighed.

“Stop sizing up her boyfriends. You gotta stop with that overprotective shit. I don’t like that side of you.”

“She’s my baby sister.”

“I have a little sister, and I don’t do that bullshit,” I blurted out.

I didn’t mean to say that, but it was true. Luna had dated some losers, but that was her business, not mine.

“You have a sister?” Dinah asked. “I thought you said you were a miracle baby?”

“Luna was the bonus miracle.”