Page 44 of Broken Player

After my talk with Quinn yesterday, and the decidedly frosty way Ryan had treated me for the rest of the night, I woke up this morning with a new determination to show her how I felt. I had a little over two weeks left until she walked down that aisle, and I planned to use every second I could get with her to my advantage.

I needed to be around her. It was a physical pull to be closer, to be in her presence even if it was just being nearby. Like an addiction, I'd take any bit of her I could get. I'd replayed yesterday's kiss over and over until I had to take a cold shower last night and relieve the pressure that'd built up. Jerking off under the cold water was as miserable as it sounded and left me sexually frustrated.

I'd wait as long as I had to for Ryan, but I hoped it wasn't long. Tossing on my clothes, I slid into my boots and left the house before the sun was fully up. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been up this early without having stayed up the entire night. I quickly closed the distance between my house and Ryan's, eager to not miss a second with her.

Before I even climbed the last step on the porch, the door swung open, and Quinn held out a steamy mug of coffee for me. I took it gratefully. "Thanks, bro."

Quinn gave me a small smile before closing the door behind me. "She's probably not even up yet. For a rancher, she's not even close to a morning person," he grumbled.

"I'll get her up," I promised, and Quinn chuckled.

"Get her up, Maddox. Not keep her in bed all day," he chastised, rubbing his eyes.

I chuckled darkly. "No promises."

He groaned but didn't say anything, and I stepped past him, making my way down the hall as quietly as I could. I knew the layout of this house like the back of my hand, and I turned the handle of her door, pushing it open and closing it behind me with a soft click.

Ryan was curled up under her quilt, her dark curls wild and messy around her face as she breathed evenly. The relaxed look on her face drew me closer. I didn't want to wake her, but she needed to get up. I stretched out next to her, moving closer and tracing my finger down the soft skin of her forehead and cheek. The corner of her mouth lifted in a slow smile as she slowly came out of sleep.

She whimpered softly before reaching up and covering my hand with her own. I wanted to kiss her so goddamn bad, and at this point, I'd already crossed that line twice. Would it be so bad to do it a third time?

Still, we were on her bed, and if I kissed her now, I wasn't so sure I'd be able to stop. Quinn was waiting on her, and she still hadn't chosen me over her fiance. Things were actually pretty fucked up, but at least I still had hope. I had to believe that if we spent enough time together and I showed her that I wasn't running, she'd dump him and give me a chance.

"Freckles," I spoke softly. "Time to wake up." I tried to coax her the rest of the way awake gently, freeing my hand and running it down her arm, brushing my fingers up and down the smooth skin.

Her eyes fluttered open before closing against the bright morning sunlight pouring in through the window. I chuckled at her struggle. Both times I managed to stay over with Ryan since I'd been back, I left before she'd woken up. I was getting my first glimpse into what she was like in the morning, and I had to admit she was pretty goddamn adorable.

"C'mon, gorgeous. Quinn's waiting for you, and if you want me to stick around today and help out, you've gotta get up now." I thought bribery might help even though I knew I'd be sticking around either way.

She rolled onto her back and threw the blankets off, sitting up and glaring at me through the chaos of curls, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "Fine, I'm up, but if you try to leave before we're done with chores, so help me…"

"And miss out on even a second in your presence? Never."

She flashed me a small smile before kicking me out of the room to shower. It took everything in me not to follow her into the bathroom and use my powerful persuasion skills to convince her to let me join her. Just knowing she was totally naked under a cascade of water made me hard, and I knew I'd need a distraction to keep from at least going and taking a peek.

Luckily, Quinn was in the dining room when I walked in, and I knew he'd be just the guy for the job. "What's on the agenda for today?" I asked, sitting down across from him at the table and taking a still-warm croissant out of the basket.

He lifted his eyebrow over his steamy mug of coffee. "Is that really what you want to talk about?"

I wanted to know everything about the competition, and he knew it. "You know it's not. Tell me about the fiance."

He snorted. "You meanYates?The yuppy, old money douchebag?"

"That's what I guessed based on his name, but I figured I was a little bit biased when it came to the guy Ryan's marrying."

Quinn shook his head, buttering his own croissant. "I've only met him once but-"

"Once? That seems a little weird considering you're Ryan's best friend. How long has she been with this guy?"

Quinn shifted in his chair, his eyes darting away from me. I could tell he was hiding something, but his loyalty wasn't to me, so I didn't press. I waited for him to answer.

"Uh, I'm not exactly sure. She says for about six months. She didn't want us to meet him until she knew it was serious," he answered, still not looking at me. I'd let it go for now.

"So, why does she like him? What does he have that I don't?"

Quinn shrugged. "Stability, I guess. The fact he's here. Plus, I don't think he has the ability to really hurt her."

My stomach twisted, and I dropped the croissant I was about to bite, suddenly not hungry. Fuck, I really hurt her. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to make up for the choices I'd made. "Is he really here, though? You hadn't met him for six months, and I haven't seen the guy once since I've been back."

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