Interception (The New York Nighthawks Book 2)

  Interception

  The New York Nighthawks

  Fiona Davenport

  Copyright © 2022 by Fiona Davenport

  Cover designed by Elle Christensen

  Edited by Jenny Sims (Editing4Indies)

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Interception

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Interception

  Nixon Scott’s dream of playing professional football had finally come true. His focus needed to be on making the most of his rookie season. But then he met Ember Walsh.

  All it took was one look for Nixon to know Ember was meant to be his, but the timing was all wrong. She was also off-limits.

  Falling for his sister’s best friend wasn’t the right move. But when she was set up with one of his teammates, Nixon had no choice but to intercept Ember and lay claim to his woman.

  Prologue

  Nixon

  “You owe me, little sister,” I teased Naomi as I jogged over to her from where I’d parked my car. I’d somehow managed to find an open spot less than a block away. I took the box she was holding from her arms and nearly dropped it. “Oof.” It was damn heavy. Shit. Are there rocks in this thing?

  Naomi smiled and gave me her best “I’m your baby sister and you love me, so you’ll do anything for me” expression.

  “You’re about to start your rookie season for the Nighthawks. I figured you could use the extra workout.”

  I grunted in response and carried the box into the dorm building. Luckily, Naomi’s best friend was moving into one with an elevator near the entrance.

  I’d never met Ember because she’d moved to my hometown during Naomi’s senior year, and I was busy at college. When I came home, I spent all my time with my family or catching up with the few friends I’d kept in touch with after high school.

  Naomi wasn’t sure what direction she wanted to go in her life yet, so she moved with me to New York City after graduation. She was going to handle my social media while she figured things out. And she was excited that she and Ember—who had been accepted to NYU—would still be close.

  Somehow, I got roped into helping this faceless friend move into her dorm.

  I stepped off the elevator on the third floor and ignored the stares from the female freshmen hanging around in the hallways and common area. Even though it was unlikely that any of them actually knew who I was, I was used to the gawking. I was a defensive lineman, six foot five inches and two-hundred-and-sixty pounds of pure muscle. Learning to ignore the jersey chasers wasn’t hard, though. I’d never been into the casual thing. Besides, I was about to start my rookie season, and that had to be my sole focus. I didn’t have time for a woman.

  “That one,” Ember said from beside me, pointing at the next open door on the right.

  I turned my feet to enter the suite’s living area and stopped dead in my tracks.

  The first thing I saw was gorgeous red hair pulled back from an Elvin-shaped face with big emerald-green eyes, a sprinkling of freckles over her nose, and lips meant for kissing and sucking cock. My cock.

  I shook my head to clear away that unexpected thought, but I still couldn’t tear my eyes away from the ginger beauty.

  She was on the shorter side, probably around a foot and a half shorter than me, but she had curves in all the right places. A thin T-shirt clung to her generous tits, and the soft material rode up at the hem, showing a sliver of her pale, freckled stomach. Her purple shorts were a little small, in my opinion, but they showcased spectacular legs that would look amazing wrapped around my waist.

  For fuck’s sake, Scott. Get your mind out of the gutter.

  Then she walked toward me, and her round, breeding hips swayed seductively as her tits bounced, straining against her top. That shirt would probably tear open if it tried to contain her breasts while she was pregnant or breastfeeding.

  What. The. Actual. Fuck.

  I needed to have my head examined. Since when did I think about pregnant women and kids? Keeping my head in the game was my number one priority.

  “Let me take that from you.”

  My knees nearly buckled at her slightly raspy, unbelievably sexy voice. My cock was hard as a fucking rock, and the only thing hiding it was the damn box. “Just tell me where to put it,” I barked. I hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but I was fighting the urge to drop the box and back this girl up to the nearest wall for a hot fuck.

  “Ignore him, Ember,” Naomi sighed, before cuffing me on the back of the head.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This was my sister’s best friend?

  I shouldn’t be fantasizing about this girl. Or any girl right now, dammit.

  Naomi drew my attention again when she introduced us. “Nix, this is my bestie, Ember Walsh. Em, this burly grizzly bear is my brother, Nixon.”

  I grunted in response, and Ember frowned, planting her hands on her curvy hips.

  “I’d say nice to meet you, but I’d be lying.”

  Naomi snorted, and I tossed her a glare.

  “However,” Ember continued, tilting her head and studying me with narrowed eyes. “Since you did come to help me move, I’ll pretend anyway. You can put it right over there, thank you.” She pointed at an empty corner, and I stalked over there to set the box down. Then I quickly adjusted myself before turning around.

  Ember and Naomi were whispering to each other, and then Ember laughed. The husky sound went straight to my cock. I practically jogged from the room to get another box, sucking in a huge breath of fresh air the second I was outside.

  I picked up a box labeled, “Delicates,” and groaned at the images flashing through my mind. It was light, so I grabbed another and headed back inside.

  “A fling with a hot football player would do you some good, Naomi,” Ember was saying as I walked back into the room.

  I immediately dropped the boxes and glared at the girls. “First of all, my sister doesn’t do that kind of thing—”

  “Flings?” Ember interrupted.

  “Sex,” I practically choked on the word. “Second, even if she did”–-my stomach roiled at the idea of my sister doing that—“do that, flings are never a good idea. Girls are too emotional.”

  Ember put her hand back on her hips and huffed. “Sometimes, women need a little meaningless relief, too. And a sexy football player is perfect for that kind of thing.”

  “How would you know?” My tone was tight from trying to rein in the rage that burned in my gut at the thought of Ember with…any man who wasn't me. I shoved that thought aside to examine later. Or never.

  “Because I’m a woman.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “And that makes you an expert on fucking football players?”

  Her eyes suddenly perused my body from top to bottom. Then she smirked. “Not all football players.”

  I wasn’t sure whether to be amused or insulted. Since neither option would help the state of my mind—and dick-–I turned on my heel and went to grab more of her stuff.

  It took less than an hour to finish bringing Ember’s belongings from the moving van into her dorm suite.

  “Let me take you both to dinner to thank you,” Ember offered, giving me a genuine smile.

  Spending any more time with her than necessary was dangerous. “Early practice,” I muttered.

  It looked like hurt flashed in her green eyes for a moment, but then it was gone, so I thought maybe I’d imagined it.

  “Your loss,” she chirped.

  “See ya later, Nix!” My sister called before disappearing into Ember’s bedroom.

  I nodded to her friend and turned to go, then paused and swung my head back around. “There are plenty of men out there who want more than just a fling.”

  “How would you know?” she snipped haughtily, parroting my earlier phrase.

  “Because I’m a man.”

  “Oh? Does that mean you’re looking for a relationship?” Ember asked, her tone and expression curious.

  I swallowed my instinctual response and grunted, “I don’t have time for a woman or their drama. Especially one who’s young and inexperienced.”

  With that parting shot—a low blow that I immediately felt guilty about—I spun on my heel and beat a hasty retreat.

  1

  Ember

  Heading into Naomi and Prentice’s kitchen for breakfast, I was happy that her brother had opted to head home instead of spending the night like I had. Then again, his bachelor pad was bound to be a lot more comfortable than my dorm room.

  I’d been instantly attracted to Nixon when we met, but he had made his disinterest in me clear. Numerous times. Luckily, we hadn’t seen each other often over the past seven months, and I’d been able to mask how much I was into him on the rare times we bumped into each other. Usua
lly by pushing his buttons until we devolved into bickering.

  “Good morning,” my best friend chirped, glancing over her shoulder at me.

  I padded over to her side to peer at the large heavy skillet on the stove. When I realized what she was stirring with a wooden spoon, I did a little celebratory dance. “You’re making your mom’s famous sausage gravy for breakfast?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been craving biscuits and gravy something fierce.” Her hand dropped to her slightly rounded belly. “Prentice got them for me from like a dozen places during our honeymoon, but none of them were exactly what I wanted.”

  “I’m not surprised. Nobody can top the unbeatable combo of your homemade biscuits and your mom’s gravy recipe.” I wandered over to the coffee machine and popped a hazelnut-flavored pod into the slot before grabbing a mug and sliding it under the spout. “But I’m surprised your hubby isn’t down here making you something super healthy instead. Or even trying his hand at biscuits and gravy since you’re too delicate to do any heavy lifting.”

  She jerked her chin toward the skillet and grumbled, “You know Prentice too well. Before he left to meet up with some of the guys from the team for a workout, my overprotective husband took out everything I needed so I wouldn’t strain myself.”

  “How much does that pan weigh?” While my coffee brewed, I walked back over to her and tapped the handle of the skillet. “It’s not even the cast iron one.”

  “I know.” She pointed at the cabinet to the left of the stove with a huff. “He put it all the way on the top shelf so I couldn’t reach it after he left because he said it was too heavy for me to use without him here. As if you couldn’t move the skillet to the sink for me after we’d demolished the gravy. And it’s not like it weighs anywhere close to the twenty-pound limit my doctor gave me.”

  She sounded so put out, I had to giggle. “Cut the guy some slack. He’s so crazy in love with you that he can’t see straight.”

  “He really is,” she sighed, her eyes turning dreamy as she rubbed her belly again. “I didn’t think it was possible to be this happy, but each day with Prentice just keeps getting better.”

  “You deserve every bit of the love and attention he lavishes on you.” Naomi sniffled, and I flung my arm around her shoulders to pull her close. Her emotions had been all over the place lately due to the pregnancy. Just about anything could set her off. “C’mon, being loved by your sexy hubby isn’t anything to cry about. You’re happily married to a star quarterback who’s head over heels for you and carrying his baby.”

  “I know.” She reached over to tear a paper towel from the roll and dabbed at her cheeks. “But you’re my best friend in the whole wide world, and I want you to have what I’ve found with Prentice.”

  “Ugh, this again?” I should’ve known she was going to take advantage of my concern for her to try to pressure me into going on the blind date she mentioned at dinner last night.

  Naomi wagged her finger at me. “You already told me that I could set you up with Jordan. It’s too late to back out now.”

  I glanced at the clock on the stove. “I said that what…a grand total of twelve hours ago? How could it already be too late for me to change my mind?”

  She beamed a triumphant smile at me. “Because I already called him last night, and he’s one of the teammates Prentice is working out with this morning.”

  Stomping over to the coffee machine, I muttered, “I need caffeine to deal with you this morning.”

  “C’mon, Ember. I mean it…you really can’t leave Jordan hanging. Some lucky girl will snap him right up if you do.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” I conceded, thinking about the picture of him that she’d shown me on her phone last night. The way she was talking him up had made Prentice even more growly. To the point where I couldn’t help but wonder if I should be worried for Jordan’s safety since they were working out together this morning. Hopefully, Prentice wasn’t spotting him during bench presses or anything. The poor guy would end up choked by a weight lift bar or something. “But I’m just not sure that he’s the one for me.”

  “That’s impossible. He’s hot, nice, and a professional football player. What more do you want?” she asked, bending over to pull a sheet of freshly baked biscuits out of the oven.

  “Really great chemistry,” I grumbled, thinking about Nixon.

  “You’ll never know if you’re attracted to Jordan unless you go out with him,” she argued.

  “I guess you’re right, but—”

  She glared at me over her shoulder. “Is this the part where you come up with some lame excuse for why you second-guessed your decision to let me fix you up with him?”

  It wasn’t as though I could tell her that the only reason I had reluctantly agreed to a blind date was because the only guy I had ever been interested in didn’t want me. Naomi would want to know who he was…and I couldn’t tell her that I’d been fantasizing about her brother ever since he helped move me into my dorm. She’d either be upset because he was off-limits since they were related, or even worse, she would decide that it would be perfect if we got together. Then she’d try playing matchmaker, and I’d have to endure the embarrassment of Nixon telling my best friend that I’m the last woman he’d ever consider dating.

  Naomi was my person. She was the first student I met during my first day of senior year at a new school, and we clicked right away. She totally got me. I wanted her to be a part of my life forever. No way could I let my unrequited feelings for her brother mess up our friendship.

  “You’re really not going to let me get out of this, are you?”

  “Nope.” She let the P on the end pop as she shook her head, her lips curving into a smug grin as she realized I was going to cave. “You’re going to sit down with me and fill your belly with biscuits and gravy while Prentice makes the arrangements with Jordan. Since I know you don’t have any set plans this week, I told him to set everything up for tonight.”

  “Tonight?” I squeaked, my eyes widening.

  “Mm-hmm.” She ladled sausage gravy over biscuits before carrying the plates over to the table. “I didn’t want you to have any time to change your mind. And it’s a good thing, considering you’re already second-guessing your date with him. If I gave you any more time to think about it, you’d probably jump on a plane to go home just to get away from him. And me.”

  I took a big sip of my coffee, hoping it would give me the energy to deal with my best friend and what she had planned for me tonight. “I don’t think I have anything I can even wear on a date. I can’t even remember the last time I went out with a guy.”

  “Neither can I.” Her head tilted to the side as she cut her meal into bite-sized pieces. “I think the only time I’ve ever seen you with a boy was when we went on group outings that definitely didn’t count as dates.”

  “Yeah, going to a movie with a bunch of us and having one of our friend’s boyfriends bring his friends doesn’t make it a date in any way, shape, or form.” Realizing how long it had been since I’d been interested in anyone other than Nixon, my nose wrinkled. “Oh, my gosh. How is it possible that the last time I kissed a boy, I was in middle school, and it was an innocent peck on the lips?”

  Before shoving a forkful of food into her mouth, she let out a low whistle and murmured, “Girl, you really need to get out more.”

  “I guess you’re right.” My shoulders slumped as I dug into the biscuits and gravy she’d served me. Although it was one of my favorite dishes, the food tasted like saw dust. I had to force myself to choke it down while Naomi chatted about the different outfits I could put together with the clothes already in my closet. When she decided we needed to go shopping for a sexy dress that would bring Jordan to his knees, I’d only made it halfway through my meal and decided I’d had enough. I was too nervous to eat—I just wished it was because I was excited about the date instead of resigned to taking the first step in getting over Nixon.