Page 102 of Broken Player

Connor: Meet me at your place. We need to talk

Sighing heavily, I pushed off the bed, shoving my phone in my pocket. I crossed the room to Ryan, leaning down and capturing her lips in a quick but heated kiss. As much as my dick was perpetually hard around her and I could spend every fucking second buried inside her, sometimes real life called. “I’m running next door to talk to Connor. Bring Quinn and come over when you’re done, and we’ll head to the airstrip.”

She nodded, smiling against my lips. I was having a real fucking hard time making my body move away from her. “We won’t be long,” she promised, her voice somewhere between a purr and a whisper that shot straight to my cock. No one had ever affected me the way Ryan did.

Pulling back, I let my eyes drift over her one more time before turning and leaving the room. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but I didn’t like to be away from her even for shortperiods of time. When she wasn’t with me, life was colder, less expressive, more empty. I hated it.

I’d never been dependent on anybody, but Ryan made me reliant on her happiness and warmth. She was sexy and confident and fun in a combination unique to her, one I wanted to get completely fucking lost in. But for now, I had shit to do, so I had to rip myself away.

It didn’t take me long to walk through the front door of my house, Connor was already comfortable on my couch sitting across from Sebastian and Griffin. I lifted my chin in greeting before flopping down onto an empty spot on the plush sofa.

“What’s up?” I asked, leaning back into the cushion and resting my arm across the back of the couch.

“We have an update on Yates,” Connor announced, nodding at Sebastian, who leaned forward and clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees like he had a secret he wanted to confide.

“He had his bail hearing this morning, and the judge granted him home detention, but his parents refused to let him come home after what he did. So, essentially he’s stuck in jail until the trial,” Sebastian explained, and a slow smile stretched across my face.

“Serves the asshole right. He tried to use Ryan as a goddamn hostage. He deserves to rot in jail for fucking ever for what he did,” I fumed, the firey licks of anger kicking up in my veins.

“I’ve gotta admit, watching her kick his ass was the highlight of my year so far,” Connor noted, a huge grin taking over his face.

“Same,” agreed Griffin, leaning over to pat me on the back. “Your girlfriend is hot as fuck, bro.”

“Stay the fuck away,” I growled, and he laughed, holding up his hands in surrender.

“I’d never touch her. Bro code and all that. Just saying,” Griffin backtracked, and I glared at him, daring him to even try. The thought of Ryan kneeing him in the balls loosened the intensity of my anger, and I almost laughed. Because if he tried to make a move on her, there was no doubt that’s what she would do.

“If you two are done, I want to talk to you about something else.” Connor shifted, so he was directly facing me, his observant eyes boring into mine. I’d known him long enough to know he was watching for my reaction to whatever he was about to say, which put me on guard.

My shoulders tensed, and I sat up straighter. “What?”

“I know Ryan wanted to become a cop, but I want her on my team,” Connor started, studying my face as he let the words fall slowly from his lips as if he was afraid I’d lose my shit on him for suggesting my girlfriend go work for him.

“Huh.” I turned his words over in my mind, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I didn’t know if it was what Ryan wanted, but I thought she could fit in well with the guys. “Are you sure?”

Connor’s eyebrows shot up. “Am I sure that I want someone on my team who has the balls to take down a grown-ass man? Who isn’t afraid to work hard? Who’s completely loyal to the people she loves and trusts to the point she’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep them safe?” he scoffed. “Yeah, I’m pretty fucking sure.”

I sighed, rubbing my rough stubbled cheek with my palm. My eyes flicked over to Sebastian. “And, your guys are fine with a girl joining the team?”

“Don’t look at me, man. She could kick my ass, and she’s not stepping on my toes. I’m happy to have her join up if it’s what she wants. If Connor trusts her, I trust her. I know the other guysfeel the same.” Sebastian’s eyes shone back at me with his truth, and I knew he meant what he said.

Turning my attention back to Connor, I was struck by how much everyone around him trusted his instincts. He was so careful who he gave his trust to that when he deemed someone trustworthy, we all followed. He was a powerful and formidable ally to have, and I’d never been more glad to call him my friend.

“The question isn’t are the guys okay, which they are. The question is, areyouokay with her doing this? Because she’s going to be in danger. If she’s on my team, I’ll protect her as much as I can, but she’ll be the one sticking her neck out and protecting the people we work for. I need you to understand that,” Connor pointed out.

“Look, I know she’ll be in danger. But I trust that she can handle it. She wanted to be a cop. At least this way, I know you’ll do everything you can to make situations as safe for her as possible. And I know you won’t send her into anything until she’s trained and up to your standards. I’m not the type of guy who’s going to hold her back from doing what she loves. She doesn’t need my permission. But if something happens to her, I reserve the right to kill you.” I leveled him with my hardened, unblinking stare making sure he got my fucking point.

“Noted,” he agreed, an almost smile tilting his lips up.

The front door swung open, and Ryan and Quinn shoved through the entryway. The bags and suitcases draped all over them and hung from their arms making it hard for them to move through the narrow opening. Quinn cursed and dropped all his bags at once with a loud thud. Ryan looked at him appreciatively before doing the same thing with a loud sigh. “Good thinking, Quinny.”

She glanced around the room at all of us as Quinn moved into the kitchen and pulled a beer out of my refrigerator. “What’s going on in here?” she asked.

“We were actually just talking about you, Freckles,” I told her, pulling her down into my lap. She shifted as I wrapped my arms around her waist, resting one on her hip. Her ass pushed right against my dick, and I groaned at the feel of her.

She flashed me a knowing smile. “Oh? What about?”

“Connor thinks you’re a badass and wants you for his team,” Griffin stole Connor’s thunder, and the big guy shot him a harsh glare. Griffin just grinned, looking smug as fuck, and I chuckled.

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