Maximum Dare - Vanessa Fewings Page 0,3

was affecting him in new and interesting ways. His phone calls to me had dropped off and Mum had shared how worried she was about him. Nick and I shared the same mother, though that was where our similarities ended.

I loved my half brother, but Nick was always pushing his boundaries.

Twenty-six years ago, my mother had been swept off her feet by one of England’s most prominent football players—Nick’s dashing father. The only solace for me as a kid was that I loved football, so me staying with Mum during the holidays was always something I looked forward to. Growing up playing football with an icon in the garden had soothed this boy’s hurt feelings.

Still, the divorce had left behind shards of pain that had never eased. I was only seven years old when my mother left us…left my father to die from a broken heart. I’d never revealed that to anyone—least of all my mother.

My unfailing obsession with football was now encouraged by this asshat. Nick was a talented player. I both envied and admired him at the same time. I felt envy for the time he’d had with my mum after she’d left me in S?o Paulo. And I felt inspired by him because he was set to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become an icon himself.

Which was probably why I decided to give Nick a pass this time…another in a long line of passes. “Come back in and update me on how it’s going with you joining Manchester United.”

“I really don’t feel up to it,” he whined. “Anyway, you prefer Brazil’s national football team.”

“Not as far as you’re concerned. I love hearing about…”

I saw Morgan’s expression and it hit me—Nick probably had an erection and they were heading off to shag. There was no negotiating with these two.

Nick brightened. “Are you staying at the Waldorf Astoria?”

“Yes.” The hotel was closer to his place than our family estate. I’d hoped to spend some time with him. “I thought we might hang out?”

He smirked. “I’ll hang out with you tomorrow at Mum’s during the party.”

“What party?” I cringed at Mum’s never-ending attempts to introduce me to high society girls. In her mind, her thirty-three-year-old son should be married by now. Didn’t she know she’d put me off marriage…tainted my desire for that level of commitment? I’d witnessed too much heartache in my dad to ever romanticize love.

Not so for my brother, who was always flirting with someone. From the way Nick couldn’t keep his hands off Morgan, I could see he was infatuated with the stunning blonde.

“We really need to go,” he whined again.

“See you later, then.” I let out a sigh of frustration because there was no arguing with him. “Nice to meet you, Morgan.”

She fluttered her eyelashes and I wondered if that ever worked on the weak-minded. From the way my brother was besotted, the answer was clearly yes.

“Phone.” I held out my hand.

“I’ve already asked Morgan to delete the photo,” said Nick.

I glanced back at Daisy. “She’s your ex?”

He nodded. “Have no idea why she came here.”

Not only was he bailing, he was leaving me to deal with his mess.

Great.

“Phone,” I insisted.

Morgan rolled her eyes and handed it over.

With a few swipes, I deleted the photo of Daisy. I didn’t trust these kids. If that photo was released with me in them, it could cause quite the scandal. Still, Daisy seemed like a sweet girl caught up in my brother’s emotional baggage. She looked like the type to go away quietly.

I handed the phone back to Morgan and turned to Nick. “See you tomorrow night. Don’t be late.”

“Oh, I’m staying for the whole show,” he said with a grin.

“Our family is not a show.”

It was a show.

What with my hotheaded Brazilian mum and Nick’s side of the family, the entire evening promised to be full of entertainment—more like a horror show, actually.

Nick waggled his eyebrows. “By the way, thank you for taking care of that.”

“Daisy?”

He nodded. “This is out of character for her.”

“Boring as hell,” muttered Morgan.

“She’s not boring,” said Nick. “She just plays it safe. All. The. Time.”

I ignored that. “Happy birthday, bro.”

“Thanks for being here, Max.” He gave me an affectionate glance before reaching over and shutting the door in my face.

Their car pulled away from the curb.

I swore under my breath.

I’d landed at Heathrow a few hours ago and had raced to check into The Waldorf so I could change and make it here on time. So much for trying to beat