Page 44 of Cocky Player

“Woah there,” David said, placing his hand on Brenna’s back to keep her from falling too.

“Oh!”She swiped hair from her face and over her shoulder before turning her wide, green eyes to me and repeated, “Ooh.”

Next to me, Oliver chortled.

“David,” he said, moving to the side and holding out his hand.“Sorry about that.We were messing around and didn’t see y’all there.”

“No worries,” he said, shaking Powell’s hand and looking to Brenna.“You all right, dear?”

“Oh, um.Yes.”She slowly removed her hands from my chest and it took effort to unpeel my hands from her arms.The implication Oliver shared with me only moments ago, fresh in my mind, I caught the paling of her features as her gaze skirted to me and then her father, then Powell.She stepped back, rubbing her arms where I’d held her and cringed.

“Did I hurt you?”My words were tight, more forceful than intended.

“Um.No.”She stepped back again, not glancing at me once and turned to her dad.“I’m fine.I promise.”

David’s brows pulled together and he stepped toward Brenna, concern stamped all over him.

What the hell was the concern?We hadn’t injured her.

“Darlin’,” David murmured and something else more fearful washed across his face.Brenna let her arms fall to her side.

Her hidden secrets.Oliver’s warning pummeled my brain.And something else as her gaze turned to me.

The night she’d first come to my house and I asked her if she’d been hurt by someone.

It was the way she’d replied.Not in the way you’re thinking.

“Brenna,” I called her name quietly, unable to hide the depth of my worry for her and my confusion.“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”She brushed her hand through her hair and smiled.It shook and wasn’t anything like a smile she’d given me before.Fake.After all we’d shared, she was still hiding from me.“I’m okay, Connor.Just startled is all.”

She blinked away her faux kindness and set her hand on her dad’s arm.“Come on, Dad, we should go.”

He patted her hand absentmindedly and it was then I caught the way he was watching me.The concern for his daughter long gone, now something else was in his gaze.Something more inspecting and I fought the urge to crumble under it.I’d never taken a girl home to meet her father but the way he watched me was one I’d imagine of any father.What had Powell called him?

Overprotective.

But why?Why with Brenna specifically?

A hand came down and gripped my shoulder, shaking me.“What brings you here to the training center, David?”

“Oh.Right.We were watching the practice.Thought now that Brenna is working for us, she should get to know the players as much as possible.”

“And what’d you think?”Powell asked.“Of the players today?”

“Oh, well…” Her cheeks turned a soft pink at his words.“You all did very well, honestly.I admit I’m not much of a football fan but I’m enjoying learning a lot.”

“That’s my girl,” David said, hugging his daughter to his side.It was clear he adored his daughter, but Brenna was stiff, unyielding against him and slowly pushed away.

“We should go.I need to get back to Shelly anyway.”

“Very well.”

Her gaze stopped at both Powell and me.“Gentlemen, enjoy your day.”

With a quick turn of her head, she and her dad moved off toward the locker rooms and the underground walkway that would take them back to the official offices.

“Well, that was…” Oliver trailed off.As at a loss for words I was.

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