Page 69 of Hot Receiver

“Anna, keeping all of this from you was wrong. And I’m not apologizing for Matt. I’m apologizing for me because you’re a good person who deserves better. I told him that when we were in the closet, I told him to come clean with you. But I?—”

The words are on the tip of my tongue but fuck him. I won’t say them out loud. Ever.

“I know,” she says. “You don’t need to say it. I just hope he does right by you.”

I swallow hard. Jesus, is it really that obvious? Did Anna see in me the same thing Mom saw in Matt?

Not that it matters anymore.

“He won’t because he can’t. He doesn’t have it in him. Consider yourself lucky that you found out now. Matt has a future with one person…Matt. You’ve got everything going for you. He’s got one thing. Football. Nobody to love because he’s too selfish to give himself to someone else.”

The caustic flow of words tumbles from my lips until I snap them shut. No sense in piling on. The poor girl has enough of her own crap to process, including the fact that she just saw the guy she was hooking up with kissing another guy.

“I’ve got to go,” I mumble. “I am really sorry, Anna.”

I twist toward the door, my mind unable to wrap around the fact that Matt just watched me leave him yet again and didn’t stop me. All the bullshit he spewed before Anna walked in on us was just that. The old wounds are raw and open. But I can’t blame him entirely. This time is on me. He dropped more crumbs, and I lapped them up like a dog at a water bowl on a hot day.

Ire shoots to the tips of my fingers and the ends of my hair. I pull the ticket out of my pocket and step toward the doorwhen someone pulls me backward. My spine stiffens. I grit my teeth, my fist itching to punch him in his gorgeous face.

But when I turn, it’s not Matt behind me.

It’s Brett Travers.

My breaths come fast and furious. I glare at him, my jaw twitching. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I don’t cower. I’ve already been hurt beyond repair. There’s nothing else he can do to drive me any further into my own personal hell.

“Don’t touch me, Travers,” I hiss, shaking off his hand.

“You think you’re something special, Kacey? Just because you won a fucking preseason game?” he sneers.

“You choked today because Matt called you out in front of the press. And then your team fell apart around you,Captain.Don’t point fingers at anyone but yourself.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I might have some intel on your superstar kicker that’s gonna get his ass kicked out of the league. How’s that for irony? And how do you think that’s gonna impact the Crusaders? Losing their golden boy?”

What the hell is he talking about? Something on…Matt? I shrug off his threat, ignoring my thundering heart. “Maybe you need to accept that the Crusaders are just a better team.”

“Fuck you.” His face flushes a deep red. “They’ll fall apart with a guy like you running the show. You’re a pathetic loser who can’t stand up for himself. All the money in the world won’t change that. You should stick to sucking cock, and your team should stick to sucking ass since it’s the only thing you’re all good for.”

Sparks of fury blast into my fists. I crack one against the side of his nose. He doesn’t go down, but he stumbles, looking at me with a mix of shock and disgust.

“Fuck you, asshole. I’m not your victim anymore.”

Two big security guys rush over, but I don’t wait around fora second round. When Travers doesn’t grab me by the back of my neck seconds later, I figure they’ve contained the empty-headed beast.

I shove the door open and storm outside. Maybe he was bluffing, just to get a rise out of me. I pace the sidewalk as I wait for the valet to return with my car. A few minutes later, I’m in the driver’s seat, gripping my steering wheel tight. I press the ignition button and step on the gas, blood rushing between my ears.

Kicked out of the league. Losing your golden boy.

Jesus, Matt, what the fuck did you do?

I look up at the traffic light, barely noticing that the light turns red just as I accelerate through it. A sudden blast of a horn jars me from my thoughts. Tires squeal, the noxious smell of burning rubber making my gut wrench. Flashing headlights blind me before the crash sends me flying sideways against my window.

Matt’s face flashes in front of my eyes for a split second before everything goes dark.

Chapter 29

Matt

Blood burns my veins, my leg muscles tensing with every step. I catch a glimpse of Anna’s long blonde hair as she rushes down a hallway. I pick up the pace, closing the distance between us.

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