Page 52 of Cocky Player

I barely knew this girl, and she, from the first moment I saw her, was the exact opposite of everything I ever wanted.Perhaps that was her draw, maybe that waswhyI liked her so much.It was because she was different.

She was someone who didn’t give a shit about the game I played, the team I was on.She was a woman who grew up with money and most likely had her own trust fund to take care of herself for the rest of her life.She didn’t need my money.She certainly didn’t want notoriety from being with me.

What she wanted…who shewanted…was me, just as I came.

Talk about fucking mind-boggling.Until Brenna, and the few wives of teammates who were similar, every other woman I’d ever met had their own agenda.

Brenna was Brenna.And I wanted to know absolutely everything about her.

Still, I’d chucked my cell phone to the couch last night and shoved off to bed, leaving the phone in the living room so I wouldn’t be tempted to text her back and send everything spiraling into another shitstorm.

I waited through the day, busted my ass in morning workouts and lost my freaking mind once I arrived at the training center.I fought against the urge to go track her down in the marketing department, take her into the break room, press her to the wall and resume what we’d started the very first night we met.

There’d be time for that.

Finally fucking Brenna wasn’t my motivation.I had something more important I wanted from her than her virginity…I wantedher.

Her trust.Her heart.Her smiles and her kindness.I wanted to know what she wanted out of life and I wanted family dinners with her monstrous family.

It killed me to wait, to give her the day.The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her, ignore her text that came so late last night, but when we talked, I wanted us to have time to do it with clear minds.

So I plunked my ass in the seat in our team conference room, focused on the films we watched weekly after our practices.I joked around with Beaux and Kolby and Gage and the rest of the guys at lunch at Ride ‘Em Rough Bar.And when I knew she’d finally be home after work, I took another shower, dressed in jeans and a simple white, short-sleeve polo shirt, and drove my ass across town to her apartment.

Nerves that assaulted me before every game hit me hard and fast.It felt like that moment before I lined up on the line for the first time, fingers tensed.Blood rushing through my veins.The thrill of the fight and the fear of failure warring and simmering in my veins.It was all there as I walked up the three floors to Brenna’s apartment, her building so old and small there wasn’t an elevator.

Then, I pushed all that down like I did right before the first snap.I fisted my hands, stretched out my fingers, exhaled one deep calming breath and focused.

Then I knocked on the door.Behind it was loud pop music so when the door didn’t open, I knocked again, punching the door with my fist so it could be heard over the music blaring from the apartment.

It swung open andwhat the holy fuck.

A woman stood on the other side, hair wrapped up in a towel and lime green goo all over her face.The pale blue eyes the only thing I could see was my only clue it wasn’t Brenna, but her roommate.

“The hell?”I sputtered out.What in the hell was she doing?

“Wow.”The girl grinned and bounced on her feet.“You are huge.And sexier up close.”She cocked her head to the side.“And you’re here to see Brenna?After she came home last night so upset, I’m not sure I want to allow that.”

“You must be Gina.”

“Her best friend.Her roommate.And her protector.”

Seemed like Brenna had a lot of those.A tiny blob of green goo dropped from Gina’s chin.“Let me guess, you turn into The Hulk when angry?”

“What?”She swiped a finger to her jaw and laughed.“Oh yeah, this probably looks weird.”

“So you’re going to be polite and let me in, get Brenna, and then go wash that off?”

“It’s not time for another ten minutes.”She didn’t move from the door.Didn’t open it farther.I could totally take the girl who barely came to my shoulder but that’d most likely not be the best first impression.

“And Brenna?”

Her blue eyes narrowed into slits.And good Lord.This was the weirdest conversation I’d ever had with a woman dripping in green slime.“Are you here to hurt her?”

“No.”

“A man of few words,” she said, grinning again.Around her lips, the goo was starting to dry, cracking as she smiled.

“Honest ones, too.Is she here?”

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