The smell of sweat and freshly cut grass greeted Beau as he strutted onto the practice field. He tightened his grip on his helmet. The team was already in the middle of their stretches. He was late.
His belly flopping over the waistband of his gym shorts, Coach Brewer walked between rows of guys, blowing his whistle to keep time with their exercises. One among the team struggled to keep up. Jenson Theriot.
The bungling offensive tackle annoyed the shit out of Beau. He’d missed several blocks, leaving Beau vulnerable in the pocket. The freckle-faced redhead had become a detriment to his team—something Beau couldn’t tolerate.
Beau’s attention drifted to the metal bleachers and the cheerleading squad working on their routine. Dawn was there wearing a short, white cheerleading uniform. He loved how the bright red St. Benedict dragon, its mouth open and teeth bared, hugged her breasts. The other girls on the squad, whose names eluded him, shouted their silly rhymes for victory and team spirit as Dawn watched.
Dawn turned to the field and, spotting him, waved.
The wind whipped her long blonde ponytail and brushed several strands over her shoulder, making it appear shorter, like Leslie’s. Though they were physically identical in every way except for their hair length, Beau wished Dawn was the smart-mouthed bitch he really wanted.
Before he could get away, she came running to greet him. It was the last thing he needed. Coach Brewer would be pissed.
“Hey, honey.” Dawn frowned at him. “Everything okay? I heard Madbriar called you into her office.”
Her voice wasn’t Leslie’s. He’d memorized the smoky, sexy sound of her sister. The way she raised her tone ever so slightly when she was about to say something sarcastic. Dawn had none of Leslie’s nuances—her voice was utterly lifeless.
Dawn worked hard to portray a wholesome image by avoiding cursing and smoking, which he admired. But her love of cherry-red lipstick and excessive mascara aggravated him. He’d told her more than once not to wear so much, but she didn’t listen. She just put on more, thinking he liked it. Beau longed to wipe the color from her mouth.
He gave her a warm smile, hiding his thoughts. “She wanted to talk to me about my father contributing to the gym fundraiser.” He looked over at his teammates.
“I heard it was because you were giving Derek and my sister a hard time.”
His head snapped back around to her. How dare she contradict him. “No way, baby.” He laced his voice with extra charm to sound convincing. “Why would I waste my time on them when I’d rather spend every moment with you.”
She squealed.
Putty in his hands, Dawn melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I knew it wasn’t true,” she whispered.
He smelled her skin. It wasn’t there—the heady aroma of clover always lingering on Leslie. Another difference between them, but one he was sure only he noticed.
“Beau, get your ass over here,” Coach Brewer yelled.
“Gotta go.” He unwound her arms. “See you after practice.”
“I love you,” Dawn managed to get out before he walked away.
He pretended not to hear her while putting on his helmet. Love wasn’t what he was after.
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