Resisting The Bad Boy

Chapter Six

Daxton’s POV

The drilling sound of a jack hammer that has dragged me from sleep, turns out to be the sound of my cell phone, and I groan loudly as I try to find it without actually opening my eyes. My head is pounding and my mouth feels like I must have drunk half the bar last night.

I have no recollection of getting home last night, and pray with everything that I have that my truck is still parked up somewhere safe and that I got had the sense to grab a cab home. After what feels like years of slapping my fingers against the side table, my fingers curl around the edge of my vibrating phone finally and I pick it up, swiping at the screen with my thumb until the noise finally ceases.

Pressing the phone to my ear, I mumble hoarsely, ‘hello?’

‘Hi Daxton’ my sister’s voice replies loudly and I cringe as I shy away from her high pitched sound.

‘Kota, why are you ringing me so early on a Saturday?’ I groan.

‘Umm, I’m ringing you on a Sunday brother dear and it’s eleven am’ my sister snips back.

I pry my eyes open, forcing the screen to come into view to find out it is indeed Sunday and somehow, I seem to have drunk my way through most of the weekend.

I roll over, thankful to see the other side of my bed is empty, I may have lost a day but at least I didn’t get so wasted that I brought a woman home to my condo. Ever since one of my one night stands reneged on our agreement last year and took to stalking me so badly I had to move, I don’t bring any hook ups to my place, we go to hers or a hotel.

‘soooooooo, how is the season going?’ Dakota asks and I have to swallow my shocked response. It’s rare that my sister wants to know about basketball, she supports me and my career, always has but she has very little interest in the game itself.

‘It’s going good’ I reply, ‘the team is shaping up nicely, we’ve had some good practices last week, today is a rest day.’ I silently thank the Gods about that, I am in no shape to run up and down a court today.

‘Uh huh’ my sister murmurs and I prepare myself for the real reason she has rung me. ‘So, mum picked up a copy of her favourite gossip magazine yesterday morning . . . ’

I cringe inwardly, that can’t be good, ‘oh yeah? Anything interesting?’ I ask casually, ignoring the snort of laughter that comes down the line from Declan. s**t, that means it’s really bad, if he’s f*cking laughing already.

‘Mum was surprised to see how much you’ve . . . grown’ Dakota responds, with heavy emphasis on the last word. ‘Yes, in fact, she rang me to ask me why I hadn’t informed her that it was the new craze for a high profile athlete to body surf naked at a nightclub on a Friday night.’

And there it is, the acid in my sister’s voice as she drops all pretense and hits me with her anger. Not just because I was body surfing naked, which I have no recollection of just so you know. Nope, more because our mother rings her to complain about my antics rather than phone me directly. It’s like she thinks that Dakota can somehow rub off on me now that she’s all loved up and settled into a life of commitment.

‘Kota’ I start softly, using my coaxing tone that usually gets my sister to cave.

‘No Daxton’ my sister cuts me off, Ok she’s really mad, this isn’t good. ‘You are not going to sweet talk your way out of this one. Mum rang me at ten o’clock last night, I was on the phone with her for an hour and a half whilst she berated ME because you are a screw up! Denver had me up at four, my boobs hurt, I feel like a milking cow because he’s going through a growth spurt and won't stop feeding and I haven’t been able to even wash my hair for four days!’

Dakota’s voice is rising with each word and I hold my cell away from my ear as I can hear the tears threatening in her voice.

‘OK baby, give me the phone’ Declan murmurs, a crackling sound coming through the speaker before muffled voices speak for a moment.

‘It’s fine, I’ll talk to him, go take a shower, in fact get in the bath, baby, I’ve got Denver.’

‘But!’ Dakota argues tearfully and now I feel like even more of an asshole than I did seconds ago. My sister is dealing with a baby and she doesn’t need my s**t piled on her.

‘Baby, go’ Declan orders gently, ‘Denver and I need some daddy and son time anyway, I haven’t had my little guy to myself in like fifteen hours, do you know what that does to a man? He might forget who I am!’

I hear my sister half giggle, half sob, ‘you were working for most of that’ she mumbles, ‘and you only got three hours sleep last night yourself.’

‘Yep and now I’m not, look, wide awake and ready to spend time with my boy’ Declan responds happily.

Now go make yourself feel as beautiful as you look to me’ he adds and I know my sister is fighting a smile. Dec always could make her feel better when she was upset, something I used to do once upon a time before my best friend swept her off her feet.

I swallow down the lump that forms in my throat, the one that I always get when I realise just how much I’ve let my family down with who I’ve become.

‘Dax’ Declan sighs down the phone a few seconds later so I assume Dakota has left the room. ‘Dude, I love you man but if my girl keeps getting in this state over your s**t I’m going to have to come up there and kick your ass.’

I sit up, leaning my back against the headboard as I drag my fingers through my greasy hair. Pulling my hand away, I drop my fingers to my nose and sniff, recoiling from the smell of what I assume is beer. Seems at some point either I or someone else poured a drink over me.

‘I’m sorry man, I have no idea why mum keeps ringing Kota’ I mutter. ‘She isn’t in control of my actions, if mum wants to shout she should be doing it to me not to you guys.’

Declan snorts, ‘yeah I know that’ he replies, ‘but that doesn’t stop the woman phoning up thinking that Dakota can do something to get you to change your ways.’

I nod to myself, knowing it’s true, ‘How bad was it?’ I ask finally as I hear a wail in the background, the noise growing louder as Declan walks toward it, talking quietly as he picks up my nephew no doubt.

‘Hey buddy’ he croons softly, ‘did you have a good nap? Your mommy is having a girl day so you and me and going to spend all afternoon together and then how about we get take out? Do you think mommy would like that? Some Chinese maybe?’

My nephew gurgles back, making me smile, ‘hey champ’ I call down the phone, ‘you being a good boy?’

‘Of course he is’ Declan replies doing something to make the baby laugh, ‘he may look like daddy but inside he’s all mommy, aren’t you.’

I hear music start playing softly, my nephew’s gurgles louder for a second before they dim, and Declan is back with me. ‘I swear, that chair is the best thing that was ever invented’ he says in awe, ‘he loves that thing.’

I groan loudly, damn Wade and his awesome gift, but will the kid remember it? No, but he’ll damn well remember his amazing Uncle Dax getting him a hoop and starting him on the road to an NBA career!

‘It was bad Dax’ Declan is saying, snapping me out of my silent feud against the guy who is the other best friend of Declan. ‘Seriously man, they put a smiley face over your junk!’

I groan louder, covering my face with my hand, I am going to be in so much s**t when I get to work tomorrow, I’ll be lucky to get my ass off the bench in the next month.

‘Look it was a one off thing’ I try desperately, ‘the coach already spoke to me about shaping up my act a couple of weeks ago, this was just a slip. Tell Dakota not to worry, she won’t be getting any more phone calls from mum about me in fact I’ll ring her now so she can vent to me so she won’t ring you again.’

Declan huffs out a breath, ‘OK man’ he agrees roughly, ‘you know it’s only because we care about you. You’ve worked your ass off for this, it’s your time! None of us want to see you throw it away because of a bit too much fun. Kota is just worried that . . .’ he voice trails off uncertainly.

‘Go on, say it, I’m a big boy Dec’ I grumble.

‘Yeah, I saw the photos mate, that was a fair sized smiley you had covering your modesty.’ Declan chuckles as I smirk, yeah, I wasn’t short changed in that department that’s for sure.

‘Kota doesn’t want you to be dropped because of some stupid stuff like you are doing’ my best friend rumbles. ‘She doesn’t expect you to be a monk or anything but just try to keep your night time stuff between you and the person that you are enjoying it with.’

I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose as I nod even though Declan can’t see me.

‘I hear you’ I mutter, ‘and I hear Kota too, I don’t want to be dropped anymore than she wants me to be. I had a bad weekend but it’s behind me and I’m going to keep my head down from now on. No more nights out with the boys, no more nameless women in my bed, or signing fan’s breasts, I’m here for the game and that’s it.’

My best friend laughs and I can see in my minds eye that he’s shaking his head at me. ‘Well good luck with that mate’ he chuckles, ‘you let me know how celibacy feels.’

‘I shouldn’t need to tell you mate’ I laugh, ‘you have been celibate since you got with my sister.’

Declan’s laughter fills the phone, ‘you keep telling yourself that’ he retorts, ‘and I’ll keep thinking about that rose coloured birth mark that sits right in the middle of her left ass .. ‘

‘Oh look at the time, I really need to ring my mum’ I cut him off hurriedly, hanging up the phone with a shudder, cutting off Declan’s laughter.

Asshole, he takes way to much pleasure in reminding me he’s seen my sister naked.