Something like hate, p.1
Something like Hate, page 1
part #1 of Chicago Grizzlies Series
Something Like Hate
Chicago Grizzlies
Piper Rayne
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2023 by Piper Rayne®
Piper Rayne® registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Cover Design: By Hang Le
1st Line Editor: Joy Editing
2nd Line Editor: My Brother’s Editor
Proofreader: My Brother’s Editor
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* * *
About Something Like Hate
I love him.
* * *
I loathe him
* * *
It’s like plucking daisy petals in my head, but he’ll never know.
* * *
When Miles Cavanaugh, the best safety in the league, was traded to the Chicago Grizzlies football team last year, I could finally breathe. Temptation was miles away.
* * *
How naïve to think it would end there because when the opportunity to write for a national magazine based in Chicago lands in my lap months later, I can’t turn it down. Sure, it’s a big city, but the sexual energy feels like a beacon between us the minute my plane lands.
* * *
To make matters worse, I end up having to take over the job of reporting exclusively on the Chicago Grizzlies. Which means traveling with the team, interviewing players, and pretty much having an all-access pass to their lives during the season.
* * *
Miles and I put up a great front, quickly hating on one another, but we both know it’s a lie. We also know the rules are simple. For me, don’t sleep with the subject of your articles. For him, don’t sleep with the journalist who can make or break your career.
* * *
I thought straight-laced Miles Cavanaugh followed all the rules… oh how wrong I was.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Cockamamie Unicorn Ramblings
About Piper & Rayne
Also by Piper Rayne
Chapter 1
Miles
What a great morning.
My little sister Twyla, and my old teammate Chase, who are now a couple, are visiting from San Francisco and staying with me in Chicago. It feels good to have people I know so well in a city that still feels a little strange to me even though I was traded mid-season last year. It probably didn’t help that last year, I flew back to San Francisco every chance I got and spent most of the off-season there. But I promised myself a fresh start this year, which means I sold my place out west and am committed to really settling in here in Chicago.
Twyla and Chase just told me they’re expecting a baby. I’m going to be an uncle. I couldn’t be happier for them and I’m excited for my new role, even if there’s a tug of disappointment because I’ll be thousands of miles away from my new niece or nephew. All the what-ifs race through my brain for the millionth time. What could I have done to avoid being traded from the team I’d been on since I was drafted? The place where all my friends are and where I’d made a life.
I’m stuck in my head—like usual these days—when my sister announces, “I have to pop out and meet someone.”
My forehead creases. Who the hell does she know in Chicago besides me? Something feels off. She’s looking at Chase as if she needs his support.
“I was wondering why you were already dressed and ready to go. Who are you meeting?” I ask.
“Um…I’m just going to help someone with something for the day.”
I frown at her vagueness. It will be nice to spend time with Chase without watching his hands roam all over my sister, but I only have a little time left with both of them before they leave. Chase and I both have to report to our respective training camps soon.
“I didn’t realize you knew anyone in Chicago. Except for me.”
“Well… I didn’t. They’re new here too.”
Chase chuckles, and my gaze flies over to him. “Just tell him, sunshine.”
I still. “Tell me what?”
My sister shifts in place and her eyes lock with mine. “Bryce got a job at Sportsverse Magazine, and their head office is here in Chicago, so she just moved here. I’m helping her unpack and get organized at her new place.” She rambles it out so fast that it’s like she’s hoping I won’t catch the keywords. Bryce. Sportsverse. Chicago. Move. New place.
I blink as each word repeats in my head until I find the words to question whether I heard her right. “Bryce lives in Chicago now?”
She nods. “Yep. But it’s a big city. I’m sure you guys won’t even see each other.” She gives me an encouraging smile.
I can’t seem to speak a word, much less a sentence. Why would Bryce accept a position at Sportsverse, knowing I’m here? She hates me. I hate her. If I find out she’s reporting on the Chicago Grizzlies, I might just lose my shit. Fuck, I’ll retire before I let her write one more shitty word about me.
“Miles, say something,” Twyla pleads.
I look between her and Chase. Both of their faces are etched in concern. I glance at her stomach… she doesn’t need my stress on her shoulders, and that’s exactly what will happen if I voice how I really feel about this, because Twyla would try to make it all okay. It’s not her problem to worry about.
So I man up and tell Twyla what she wants to hear. “You’re right, it’s a big city. I’ll never even see her. It’s not gonna be a problem.”
“Oh, I hoped you’d realize that. She doesn’t even live by you. She lives down in Lakeview or something.”
“What is she doing for Sportsverse?” I ask, trying to appear interested and not worried that she’s going to be the sports reporter for the Grizzlies football team.
One reason I hate Bryce is what she did to me when I played for the San Francisco Kingsmen and she was writing for the San Jose Chronicle. Some might blame her for my trade, for always pointing out my flaws and focusing only on them.
There’s another reason I hate her, but I try not to think of that.
“Um…I’m not sure. I never asked.” Twyla kisses Chase on the cheek. “But I gotta go. Promised I’d be there by ten.”
“No lifting anything heavy,” Chase says.
A better man than me would suggest that Chase and I go over to help. I’d find out where Bryce lives and make damn sure never to set foot in that neighborhood again. But fuck if I’m going to help Bryce after everything that went down between us.
“I told her I’d organize her stuff as she unpacks. I’ll see you guys later.” She kisses Chase again and hugs me before she’s out the door.
Once she’s gone, Chase shoves his hands in his pockets and stares at me. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Hell no.” I walk over to my fridge, wondering if it’s too early to start drinking.
“Good. Felt I had to ask though.” He heads into the adjoining living room and sits on the couch, props his feet up on the table, and turns on the sports channel.
The hosts are talking about their picks for football season this year and who they think will make it to the Big Game. I groan, sitting on the chair adjacent to Chase.
He doesn’t rub it in when the hosts talk about how the San Francisco Kingsmen are the reigning champs. How they might have another unstoppable team this year. Although the commentators don’t remark about my trade specifically, it stings that the Kingsmen won the Big Game without me. It hurts to think that I might’ve let them down and held them back when I was on the team. The belief that maybe I’m just not good enough is like a bruise that refuses to heal.
“Let’s talk about Cooper Rice and the Chicago Grizzlies. With Miles Cavanaugh joining them last season, I saw some potential,” Rip Klein says on the TV.
“Are you suggesting Miles Cavanaugh could be a game-changer for them this season?” Ollie Pradham asks in a tone that suggests Rip Klein doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Chase doesn’t say much as the two of them go back and forth. Rip’s on my side and Ollie’s not. The only real consensus they have is that Cooper Rice is the image of professional football right now—not necessarily for his talent, but his good looks and all the endorsement deals he’s done in the past year.
We sit in silence as the show goes to commercial.
“You don’t believe that bullshit, do you?” Chase asks without making eye contact with me.
“No,” I say, but when people constantly underestimate you, it’s hard not to believe they may be onto something. Hell, Ollie Pradham is in the Hall of Fame. He was one of the best cornerbacks ever.
“Good. Because they don’t know shit.”
I nod, but in my head, I harp on the fact he’s still a Kingsman. Chase still plays for the team I want to play for. I’m the one who got booted off the island, not him, so it’s easy for him to say.
He stands and looks at me. “Let’s go do something.”
“Like what?” We did all the tourist stuff already.
“I don’t give a shit. Anything. We just need to get the hell out of here.”
I shrug. “Let’s go then.”
We leave the condo in search of something to do. I can push aside all the bullshit until training camp next week because that’s when the vultures will come out to pick apart my performance as though I’m roadkill.
Chapter 2
Bryce
“Thanks for all your help.” I hug Twlya goodbye.
She’ll go back to San Francisco with her boyfriend, Chase, in a couple days, after spending more time with her brother, Miles, who I cannot stand.
“You’re welcome. I’m so happy for you.”
“Make sure you tell Chase that I didn’t work you too hard and didn’t allow you to lift anything.”
I cannot believe they’re going to have a baby. Twyla is a little younger than me, and I’m not anywhere close to wanting to even think of starting a family.
She laughs. “He’s not the boss of me.”
Then we laugh together because, although Chase isn’t the boss of her, he is a very big, very protective tight end for the Kingsmen.
My buzzer dings, so I press the button to answer the door in the lobby.
“Open up, Coop is about to drop the pizza. He’s been complaining about how hot the bottom of the box is for the last block,” my college friend Elle, says through the speaker.
I laugh and press the button. Twyla gives me a frown.
“What?”
“I’m jealous.” Her frown deepens.
“Jealous?”
“We’re going to miss you.”
I can’t deny that I love my girlfriends back in San Francisco. Although they’re all married, engaged, or having a baby with a Kingsmen football player, and I do often feel like the odd woman out, I’m going to miss everyone too.
“I’m going to visit, and you guys are always welcome here. When the Kingsmen play the Grizzlies, we’re definitely meeting up.”
Twyla smiles. “Definitely.”
I open the door in anticipation of Coop and Elle’s arrival, and I can hear my two college friends arguing as they round the final set of stairs to my apartment.
“Jesus, you couldn’t find a place with an elevator?” Cooper complains.
“Some of us don’t make millions of dollars,” Elle says. “He’s been complaining since he picked me up. The pizza boxes were too hot, his legs hurt from climbing the stairs. Anything else upsetting you, Goldilocks?”
Twyla and I laugh.
“First of all, these hands are worth the millions. And it was leg day, so I’m sore.” Cooper shakes his head.
“Are those hands worth millions to women or to the Grizzlies?” Elle asks.
“Oh, they’re fun,” Twyla says to me with a smile.
Elle and Coop stop outside my door. I take the pizza box from Coop and set it on top of a box I’ve yet to unpack near the door. He shakes out his hands as if it was filled with coals.
“They are fun, but they argue all the time,” I whisper loudly so they can hear me.
“No, we don’t,” Elle says.
“Not at all,” Coop adds.
I roll my eyes and Twyla laughs, sticking out her hand. “I’m Twyla.”
“Twyla, these are my college friends, Ellery and Cooper.”
They all shake hands.
“I gotta use your bathroom.” Cooper steps into my apartment but turns around. “Sorry for being rude, but this is what happens when people don’t let me use a public restroom because they feel the need to lecture me on germs.” He stares at Elle, and she laughs.
“I was just saying.” She shrugs.
“It was nice meeting you, Twyla.” He waves and goes deeper into my apartment.
“She’s engaged to Chase Andrews,” I inform Elle.
Her eyes light up. “So you know Miles Cavanaugh then. They used to play together.”
I elbow Elle to shut up.
Twyla glances at me and tilts her head. “Um… he’s my brother. Have you not told your friends anything about your life back in San Francisco?”
Elle crosses her arms and stares me down. “What hasn’t she told us?”
Twyla giggles. “She knows Miles. The two of them have this hate relationship that I’m not entirely sure…”
“Is hate?” Elle finishes, eyes sparkling.
Twyla points at her. “Exactly.”
“Sounds like B,” she says, nodding.
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes.
“You can keep acting indifferent, but I heard it in your tone when you said you were moving here and how you were afraid it might look like you’d followed him.”
“Which I did not. Sportsverse is a national publication and it’s my dream. Even though I’m writing on the Tundra, and they’re not even the national hockey team, it’s a step into the magazine and that’s all I need to prove myself.”
Elle puts her hand on my arm and runs it up and down. “I’m just repeating what you said. We all know how important this job is to you.”
“Definitely,” Twyla says. She and Elle smile at each other then me.
“And it’s probably a good thing that you’re not writing on the Grizzlies because I’m not sure which one of you would kill the other first.” Twyla hugs me. “Speaking of which, Miles is expecting me, and we all know how overprotective he is.”
“He’s probably on the phone with the police right now,” I joke.
“Good luck, but you don’t need it. You’re going to do great here.” Twyla squeezes me tightly. “Miss you.”
“Miss you.”
We step out of our hug, and Twyla wraps her arms around Elle, who isn’t always so affectionate.
Elle stands with her hands at her sides at first then pats Twyla’s back. “Bye, bye, now.”
I bite my lip to keep from laughing because Elle looks so uncomfortable.
“Take good care of her,” Twyla whispers loudly enough for me to overhear it.
Then she releases her, and Elle exhales a big breath.
“Love you, talk to you soon.” Twyla waves before rounding the staircase and heading down.
“She seems nice. And friendly,” Elle says.
“Too friendly for you, I know.” I pick the pizza box back up, walk farther into my apartment, and she follows, closing the door.
“And she’s Miles’s sister. That’s one piece of information you forgot to tell me.”
I whip around, and the pizza box almost falls out of my hands. “Do not tell Coop anything. As far as he’s concerned, I do not know Miles.” She scrunches her eyebrows. “Oh Jesus, you already told him, didn’t you?”
“No. I promise.” She raises her hand. “But why not?”
“Because… I have my reasons.”
“You don’t want Coop to not like him? You’re worried about Miles Cavanaugh and the team dynamic?”
I glance down the hall and see that the bathroom door is still shut.
