Page 43 of Cocky Player

Sixteen

Connor

“What’s pissed you off?You were rough out there today.”

I tossed my duffel bag over my shoulder and fell into step with Powell.He was right.I was pissed.Mostly because once again, I’d done something completely unnatural with any woman I’d been with—shared my life past— and I was blown off again.

Two days of waiting for Brenna to text or call had me on edge.If I didn’t know how innocent she was, I would have assumed her a master game player.

She wasn’t playing a game though.I had the very distinct assumption based on her behavior that she really did only want me for my dick.For the first time in my life, that really sucked.So yeah, I took it out on my teammates at practice, running harder, pushing everyone, grouchy as hell and still spent an hour in the weight room, pushing myself even harder than anyone else.

“It’s nothing,” I told Powell.

“A woman.”

Powell wasn’t our team captain for the sole reason he was the best tight end in the league and one of the best players on our team, save for me of course, but the man could obviously read minds, too.

I cursed and shoved open the door to the locker room.“Isn’t it always?”

We walked down the hall toward the parking lot.

“Kemper’s daughter,” Oliver said quietly next to me.

I froze in my steps and dropped my duffel to my side.“You know.”

“Shannon mentioned it.Figured I’d let you sort that on your own but if you’re going to be taking out your teammates at practices then I can’t stand by.”

“It’s nothing,” I repeated.Oh thou who doth protest too much.

“Sure it isn’t.Women can fuck our minds even more severely than they can fuck our cocks, Quinten.But this isn’t a game you can play and expect to come out winning.”

“It’s not a game.”Although the way Brenna had no problem avoiding me when we weren’t talking about bodies or I wasn’t teaching her how to have good sex, still made me doubt.

“Ah, so you like her.Can’t blame you for that one.She is sweet.”

The way he lingered on sweet made my teeth hurt.Powell was an ass to everyone.Had been an even bigger dick before he fell for Shannon.

“Speaking of sweet women.How’s your wife?”

He shoved an elbow into my gut, and I doubled over from the force of it.He was kidding, but it still hurt.“Fucker,” I growled and dropped my bag to the ground, shoving him playfully against the wall.

“Yeah…” Oliver said, hands against the brick wall, raised in surrender, smirking at me.“Women, man, the ones we fall for the hardest always screw with us the worst, you know?My advice?Figure it out and soon.But you gotta know you have to be careful.Word is Kemper is very overprotective of his youngest daughter.She hasn’t had the easiest life.”

My hand was still at his chest.This was part of the mystery always lingering in her eyes or the walls she’d erect with a flick of her finger.I thought of the other night when I told her more than I’d ever willingly shared with anyone.She sat there and listened, cried for me, and gave me nothing of herself except the sounds she made when she came.

It hurt more than it should have even if it shouldn’t have surprised me.After all, I’d chased her when she was willing to find someone else to have sex with her.

“What do you mean?”

His smirk grew.“So she’s nothing, huh?”

I pressed him to the wall as he laughed and I stepped back.I shoved my hands through my hair and growled at the jerk who spoke only what I dared not think about.“You’re an ass, Powell.”

“Yeah.”He laughed.“But not a wrong one.”

I spun around and grabbed my bag.I threw it back over my shoulder and Powell stepped back up to me right as we reached a corner when a mass of strawberry blonde hair was the first thing I saw.She was moving too quick, and we were too close, talking with her father, so she didn’t see us before her soft body ran straight into my chest, slamming into me and falling back with an, “Oomph!”

I reached out on instinct and grabbed onto her arms before she fell on her ass.

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