Page 82 of The Pucking Wrong Man

Ari was sprinting across the street after Fluffy.

What the fuck was he doing? He should have caught that dog ages ago.

That was definitely not circle of trust behavior.

Something told me Linc had captured his dog already, though. Daniels would never...

I quickly slipped into the Uber behind her before she could notice Ari.

Anastasia’s hands were shaking in her lap, and there was a bluish tint to her lips from the cold.

I’d done this for a reason, I told myself.

If I hadn’t come up with this crazy plan, who knows what would have happened? She could’ve gotten hurt again at the shelter. Or some asshole who didn’t want to sweep her off her feet could have just snatched her away. Could have hurt her.

Could have stolen her away from me before we ever had a chance.

That’s what I kept reminding myself as the driver took off.

“Are you sure it’s okay that I stay?” she asked timidly, obviously sensing the tension threaded through my body.

I took a deep breath, trying not to come across like a psycho, even though I clearly was one. I wanted to tell her that I wanted her to stay…forever…

But instead I simply said, “Of course.” And held her for the short ride home.

CHAPTER 15

ANASTASIA

We arrived at the building where Camden lived, a glass monolith that seemed to stretch to the sky.

I instantly felt out of place.

He ushered me into the elevators, his hand warm and comforting on my lower back, and I watched as he selected the top floor. He lived in the penthouse, that’s what they called the floor at the top, right?

When the elevator doors opened, I stepped into his living room and froze. It was enormous, with floor-to-ceiling windows showing off the entire city, the lights twinkling like stars. The room was filled with big, soft white couches that looked untouched, and a glass coffee table that sparkled under the lights. Tan and black, abstract paintings covered the walls, and a large, elegant rug spread out across the floor. I stood there, gaping, unable to believe I was in a place like this.

“Wow,” I whispered, barely finding my voice. “This is...incredible.”

Camden huffed, running a hand through his hair, looking sheepish as I gaped at his place. “Lincoln gave me the name of his interior decorator when I signed with the team. It’s a little...much.”

“Lincoln?” I said absentmindedly, before realizing who that was. “Oh, Lincoln Daniels.”

Camden stiffened...and it almost seemed like he didn’t like the sound of his teammates’ name coming out of my mouth.

But that couldn’t be it.

“Want to see your room?” he asked, and I nodded shyly, ignoring the little thrill I got when he said “your room.” I hadn’t had one of those in a long time.

If seeing him play in front of thousands of people hadn’t cemented the fact that we lived in different worlds—seeing where he lived finished the job.

I’d never been somewhere so nice. Ever. Michael’s parents had been well off in our town in the sense that they had more than one car and a four-bedroom house. Mrs. Carver had a cleaning lady who came once a week and a gardener that would sometimes trim the rose bushes.

Their wealth was nothing like this.

My mouth dropped more with every room I passed. That had been an actual theater room, and the kitchen looked like it was literally out of a movie. I felt like I was dirtying the place just being here.

“Here we are,” he said, after we’d passed what seemed like a million rooms.

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