Page 68 of The Players We Hate
“You really think this is about you?”
His jaw ticked.
I moved in closer, unhurried. “You think I’m here because of you? That I woke up and thought,What can I do to rattle Talon Pierce today?”
“I think you don’t do anything unless it benefits you,” he said, his voice hard. “And right now, you’re wrapped up in something that’s putting pressure on people I care about. So yeah, I want to know why you’re here.”
I held his stare. “You mean Gavin? Kade?” My voice came out sharper than I meant. “What bothers you more, Talon? Knowing eyes are on your team, or knowing you don’t control the story anymore?”
That landed.
He stepped closer, and I automatically backed up until my shoulders hit the wall. He didn’t touch me, but the air between us was tense enough to pin me in place.
His voice dropped, quiet but fierce. “You don’t get to waltz in here and act like this is just a job. Not when you’re watching us like a hawk. Not when guys are looking over their shoulders, wondering if they’re next.”
“This isn’t personal, Pierce,” I said evenly. “It’s a job. And I happen to be good at it.”
“You’re good at pretending,” he snapped. “Pretending to care. Pretending you’ve moved on. Pretending you didn’t walk away without looking back.”
So that was it. The sore spot he couldn’t let go. The one he kept circling like a bruise he wanted me to press for him.
I refused to give him that satisfaction, even if the words cut deeper than I’d ever admit.
My pulse thundered as I held his stare, lips parting before I forced the words out.
“I meant it when I told you I hated you.”
His nostrils flared, his chest lifting like he was holding himself back.
“I’m here to do a job,” I pushed on, my voice hard enough to sting. “And you’re going to respect it. We’ll keep it professional because we don’t have a choice. But outside of this? I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to talk to you.”
Something flickered in his face. Barely, but I caught it. The twitch in his jaw, the shift in his eyes, like I’d landed a hit he hadn’t braced for.
“So go back to pretending I don’t exist,” I said, my voice dropping. “Because in my world, Talon, you never did.”
I shoved past him, my shoulder catching his arm, the heat of him sparking against my skin. My pulse hammered in my ears as I walked away. I didn’t look back, but I knew he was still watching me.
And I hated that some reckless, traitorous part of me wanted him to follow.
The glass door shut behind me, and the cold hit hard, biting at my cheeks. It reminded me I was still standing, even if the world felt tilted under my feet.
My boots struck hard against the pavement as I cut across campus, every step rougher than the last. My pulse was still buzzing, my body wired like it hadn’t caught on that I wasn’t toe-to-toe with him anymore.
God, I hated him.
The way his eyes pinned me, sizing me up like I was some puzzle he’d already solved. How easily he read me, how he didn’t blink when I threw my walls back up—as if he’d been waiting for it, already knowing they weren’t as strong as I wanted them to be.
He made me feel exposed and invisible at the same time, and that was the worst of it. That it still got to me, even now, after everything.
I veered off the main walk, cutting down the path by the performing arts building. The lights here were weak, shadows stretching long across the concrete. Students avoided it at night. I welcomed it. Anything to cool the fire still burning under my skin.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I didn’t want to look because I already knew. Still, I pulled it out, thumb dragging over the screen.
Mother: Checking in. How’s the internship going? Just want to be sure everything’s on track—the optics matter with the event coming up. Call when you get a chance.
Mother: Also, confirming you’re set on coordinating the catering.
A laugh slipped out, sharp and bitter. Of course. She wasn’t worried about me. She was worried about optics. About how it would look if the governor’s daughter wasn’t just a student at Rixton U but working inside athletics. Too close to the scandal involving my brother they were still scrambling to bury.
