Page 11 of Cocky Player

A hand reached out, grabbed the glass as it fell, and cool alcohol splashed on my shins and toes.

“Oh shit,” I gasped, for so many reasons.ItwasConnor.“What are you doing here?”

“Funny.”He didn’t sound amused.His jaw was strained and his grip was so strong on my champagne glass I feared he’d shattered it as he held it out to me.My hand shook as I took it from him.“I was going to ask you the same thing.”

“My dad owns—” Oh.Oh no.Oh absolutely freaking no.Reality slowly clicked into place with a viciously loud snap.“You’re a player?”I stepped back.As if my humiliation couldn’t increase.Leave it to me to test the limits.

“Connor Quinten, running back.Five years on the team.And there’s no fucking way you didn’t know that.”His jaw ticked as his mouth slammed shut.Narrowed eyes rimmed with lashes I still remembered so vividly.

Oh God.He was angry.So angry.My heart jackhammered against my ribcage and my gaze darted for the exit but he was blocking it.

My hand went to my chest and I took another step back.Distance.Space.Air.It enfolded on me and darkened my vision.This wasn’t right.

Or okay.

“I didn’t.I didn’t know.”

“You expect me to believe you came to a club I part-own, wanted me to fuck you when no man has done that to you before, and you had no fucking clue I was on the team?With your dad being the owner?Do you think I’m that fucking stupid, Brenna?Your dad owns my ass and you have no idea the position you put me in.”

“I had no idea.I don’t follow—” God, I was so damn naïve and so stupid.I so desperately needed to get away from him.“I haven’t even started my job there and I’ve been in school.”

“Right.”He scoffed.“What fucking game are you playing?”

“It wasn’t a game.”There was no way for him to understand.That I craved physical touch, but it had to be on my terms at the same time, I wanted decisions yanked from me.I was so damn screwed in the head.“It won’t happen again,” I muttered, taking another step back and to the side.If I could at least see the path toward the exit, my heart would slow.

It was only then I realized he hadn’t moved.He wasn’t looming closer to me.Connor was standing exactly where he’d been the entire time and it was me moving, backing up like prey, acting like a psycho.

“I’m sorry,” I finally said, blinking harshly.Shaking my head, I closed my eyes until my heart rate slowed to normal levels and everything cleared.

Goddamn.I was on the verge of a panic attack and I’d already embarrassed myself enough around this man.“Let’s just pretend it didn’t happen.I won’t say anything.”I nodded toward the path behind him.“If you could let me through?”

“So you can run away again?”

“Yes.I think that’d be best.”There was no point in denying I’d done that before.

A strange look flashed across his expression.“What if I want to talk about what happened?”

“I’d rather we didn’t.”

His hands went to his hips.I couldn’t help but watch the movements.Those hands, so large and strong.The muscles I’d felt beneath his suit coat.With the way he shoved his unbuttoned coat to his hips, he opened the front, exposing his white dress shirt.So very similar to…

No.I wouldn’t think about it.

“You’re staring at me like you still want me.”

If I wasn’t mistaken, there was amusement in his tone.It’d been missing since he startled me.I wasn’t sure I liked hearing it.

“I don’t.”My gaze jumped to the lilac bushes.In the spring, they bloomed vibrant purples and whites and pinks.They were now bare of flowers and all green, which only made the hydrangeas in front of them brighter in full bloom.But good Lord, I couldn’t help myself.I still did.Was it the fear that made me want him?The riskiness of this?

Why was I so screwed up that when I was afraid, I wanted someone to touch me?

Normal.I wanted to be normal.

I shook my head, but it did nothing to stop the heat traveling to my lower stomach, the tops of my thighs.Oh God, this was what it’d been like when I first saw him.Intense and heady and my head swam as I realized he was still watching me.

“You should have told me,” he said, and instinctively I knew we were no longer talking about my father or the team.His voice was low and deep.Husky.So much richer in the quiet open air than it’d been beneath strobe lights and blaring music.“If I would have known, I wouldn’t have—”

“That’s why I didn’t say anything.”

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