Page 45 of Cocky Player

“Yeah,” I muttered.“I’ll see you later.”

I took off before he followed me to avoid further conversation.I had a feeling we were at a loss for words for different reasons, and there was no way I could articulate what had stolen mine.

Except for the fact that there was an angel, who I suspected was slowly stealing my heart.Leaving me more confused than ever.

It was late,and I was on my couch, feet kicked up on the coffee table in front of me.

I came home from practice and had the strangest urge to clean my condo, so I spent hours, digging my vacuum out of my closet, dusting, sweeping, and mopping floors along with scrubbing and dusting.Now my house smelled like lemon-scented Pledge and ammonia from the window cleaning solution, and strangely, it felt oddly good to be resting on my couch, protein smoothie in one hand, remote in the other, while I flipped through channels on cable, switching back and forth between a crime drama and a medical drama I couldn’t give two shits about.

Good Lord, if losing my balls and becoming a tightened knot ofwhat in the hell should I dowas what happened when you lost your heart to a woman, I wasn’t certain I wanted to see Brenna anymore, unless absolutely necessary.

I’d replayed the run-in with her father earlier multiple times, every time coming to different conclusions.She didn’t seem embarrassed to see me, but she’d done a hell of a job pretending she didn’t know me at all.

I didn’t know what was worse.That she could so easily act like I meant nothing to her, or that I was still so damn hung up on figuring out who, or what, had hurt her.

My phone was close to me, lighting up occasionally with notifications and texts from teammates.I looked at each one and promptly ignored it so when I settled the television on a show about sharks and it started ringing, I was tempted to ignore it completely.

Until I saw the name.

Brenna

I grabbed it, my thumb pressing the answer button before I brought it to my ear.“Hello?”

“Hey there.How are you?”

Such a mundane question with so many complicated answers.None I was willing to give.

Before I could even find an answer, her sweet, almost too peppy voice continued, “So, I was wondering if I could see you?Tonight, maybe?”

I kicked my feet off the table and set them on the floor.“Tonight?”It was already nine o’clock.Not late, but it’d take her a half hour to get to me.

“Yeah, well, I’m sort of outside.”

“You are?”I was on my feet, moving to the front door where I had a security switch to open the doors on a panel by the door.“What are you doing here?”

“Hoping to see you.I thought after today we should talk.”

Talk.Of course.She was most likely freaked.

So was I.

I doubted for the same reasons.

No, mine wholeheartedly dealt with the strange heat in my chest and the flip-flopping of my stomach at Brenna’s voice on the line and the fact she’d come here for me.

“I’ll buzz you up.”

I pressed the button and waited on the line with her until she was inside and at the elevator.“I’ll unlock the door.Come on in when you get here, okay?”

“Yeah.Thanks, Connor.”

I hung up the phone.It’d disconnect in the elevator anyway.Then I hurried to my bedroom in order to throw a shirt on.A brief stop in the restroom, I took a piss and brushed my teeth and was heading back out down the hallway when I heard her call my name, softly.Almost hesitantly.

“Coming,” I called back and met her in the living room, her gaze sliding over my living room.

“You cleaned,” she teased, grinning at me and facing me.“Looks good.”

“Thanks.”

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