Page 50 of Craving the Player

Chapter Twenty-Two

BRADEN

Morning-after breakfasts have never been my thing—clearly. But seeing the shine in Sierra'seyes when the waiter brought her stack of strawberry pancakes to our table seemed to be enough to drag me over to the dark side.

I'msure her hands would have been clapping in front of her when the plate was pushed across the table if it weren'tfor the several eyes roaming carelessly around the restaurant. She would hate to draw attention to herself, although I'mnot sure why. Most gorgeous women love attention. But maybe that’sone of the reasons that Ifind myself so drawn to her. She’sthe most beautiful woman that I’ve ever met, but she doesn’tlet it define her. It’ssexy as hell.

Her megawatt smile punches me directly in the chest as she looks up at me from her stack of pancakes, glowing with astrong sense of bliss. My lips lift in alazy smile and Ilean back against the booth, tilting my head slightly.

Her long hair is pulled up into alump on the top of her head again, allowing me to soak in the full extent of her natural beauty. I've always been atotal sucker for freckles, and of course, she has plenty spackled across her porcelain skin.

She raises acurious brow when she notices my intense staring. "You know, food is way better when you eat it while it’sstill warm."

Ilook down at my plate full of assorted meat. "Might have apoint there, baby. You do know your meat.” It’saridiculous, child-like tease, but when she rolls her eyes and her shoulders shake with asilent laugh, astrong sense of pride swells in my chest.

After afew moments she’sback to eating her pancakes and I’mwatching her again, content with just sitting here, soaking in her presence."Ididn'tknow that you loved pancakes so much," Isay and shove apiece of crispy bacon in my mouth.

She swallows her mouthful and slides her tongue along her bottom lip to clean off the blob of red syrup that Ican'tseem to take my eyes off of. Iwatch her tongue disappear again before she speaks, tearing my eyes from the provocative action that has my blood rushing to my groin.

"My sister used to make me astack every Sunday morning. It was our thing."

"You have asister?" And why haven’tIasked about your family before now?

"Yeah. Clare is afew years older than me. Her daughter, Lizzy, is the cutest thing ever." Sierra smiles wide, stabbing another piece of pancake. “My parents weren’treally around when Iwas young, so Clare went out of her way to be amother figure for me in away. We’re really close. Best friends, Iguess you could say.”

“She sounds great. You’ll have to introduce us sometime.”

She seems as shocked by my offer as Iam, but recovers quickly, nodding once. “She’dlike that. But what about you? Do you have any siblings? Or is Clayton your loaner brother?"

Laughing lightly at that, Igrab my glass of orange juice in my palm and gulp down half of it while staring across the table, focusing on the way her pupils dilate when Ilick it off my lips. "Clayton could only be so lucky as to call himself my blood brother. My actual brother, Tyler, is the opposite of Clay in almost every single way."

"Isn'tthat agood thing?"

"Depends on what type of guy you like, Iguess. Clayton is loud, obnoxious, and judges people before getting to know them like the little shit he is. Tyler is the silent broody type who doesn’tcare enough to judge you. The only people my brother has let get close enough to judge would be his wife, myself, and aselect few friends."

Sierra nods, her brows scrunched as if she'sthinking hard about something. It makes me nervous and Ibegin to feel desperate, not wanting her to shut down and run out of here.

"What else should Iknow about you, my little fighter?"

"Like? Idoubt you want to hear about my hobbies." Her forced, mocking laugh stings worse than Icare to admit. Itry to push off her backhanded insult with atight smile. There’sno way that I’mgoing to let her stop me from finding out everything that Ican about her. She’sgot me too interested now. Ican’tkeep being held at arm'slength.

"And if Ido? Don'tbe shy, Sierra. Tell me something interesting."

"Alright then," she hums and taps her chin. "Istarted anew job at adecent sized marketing firm pretty recently. Ithink that Imight actually have achance at getting somewhere in my career for the first time in what feels like forever."

Ifind myself enthralled with the way she speaks about it with such confidence and pride. It makes me grin, as if I'mproud of her for doing something that she'sso happy with.

"That'sgreat," Ipraise, reaching across the table and covering her hand with mine. The shock that flashes across her face has me coughing awkwardly and pulling my hand back, shoving it in my lap as the unfamiliar burn of rejection scalds the palm of my hand. Iwant to have the right to hold her hand whenever Iwant to, and Idon’tdo well with rejection.

I’mnot sure what Iwas hoping for when Iasked her to go for breakfast with me, but Iknow that Ididn’twant to leave her so quickly. Ineeded more time with her. It didn’tmatter what we did or where we went. Ijust needed to be with her. I’ve been going around and around with my feelings for weeks, tearing myself up inside over what Iwanted to do with them. But Idon’tthink that Iwant to keep fighting them anymore. Not if fighting them means dealing with the constant pain in my chest that only Sierra’spresence can soothe.

Idon’tknow what this all means, or if she feels even slightly the same in her feelings towards me—if there even are any beyond our shared lust for one another—but Ican’tstay away from her anymore. That much Ido know. Iwould rather take my chances than keep torturing myself.

"Have you always wanted to do that?" Iask before clearing the boulder from my throat.

"Yeah. I've worked really hard to get where Iam."

Her words make me think of her boss and my jaw tightens. Ithink he would love for her to work just alittle harder—

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