Page 106 of Dirty Pucking Player

I flinch and take a half a step back. “You knew about us?”

He growls, and anger flashes in his darkening eyes. His size was never intimidating before because there was no reason to be afraid of the friendly guy who made sure we all had everything we needed and took such good care of the guys. But now, his barrel chest and large stature create a roadblock between me and my car.

“Are you kidding?” He scoffs. “It was so obvious. When I walked in on you two in your office, there wasn’t any question what was going on, especially after the way I saw him touch you at the party.”

Shit.

“Are you the one who told Bob?”

“Of course, I told Bob.” He spits the words at me and clenches his fists until his knuckles whiten. “He wasn’t right for you. It wasn’t right for you to be involved with a player.”

He isn’t wrong but Jesus, this guy’s a total psycho.

My keys bite into my palm, and I position them between my fingers, just like Dad always told me to. A make-shift weapon in case I need one. “I’m sorry, Steve, but I have to go.”

Get far away from you…fast.

I shoulder past him and walk as fast as my legs will carry me to my car, dragging my bag behind me on the concrete walkway. His footsteps echo behind, and I glance back as I round the hood to the driver’s side.

He stands a few feet from the car, watching me with intense, almost black eyes.

How could I never have noticed the way he looks at me?

“I’m sorry I have to go, Steve. We can talk more about this when I get back.”

After I inform Bob about this creepy behavior and file for a restraining order.

He grunts a response and clenches his jaw. His hands bunch and flex at his sides.

I drop my bag in the back seat and climb into the driver’s side, keeping one eye on Steve. Engaging the locks lets me breathe a sigh of relief, and he stalks away to his car at the curb. I throw the car into reverse and back out of the driveway, while Steve sits in his across the street watching me.

He’s a problem I just don’t have time to deal with.

I need to get to Bash.

Given how complicated his relationship with his father is, he shouldn’t be making decisions about his career when the man is on his death bed. I need to talk some sense into him and get him to realize what a mistake he’s making.

But first, I just need to be there for him. No matter what happened between us or how we ended things, he needs to know I’m there. As a friend, of course. Because I care about him in a friendly way.

Not because I love him.

He can never know that. It would only hurt both of us. To say it and have him not say it back would break me. I’m going as a friend, nothing more. That’s all I can ever be.

I press the Bluetooth button on my steering wheel as I wait at a stoplight. “Call Jill.”

She picks up three rings later. “Hey, Greer, what’s happening?”

“Bash’s sister just called me.”

“Oh…that’s…odd. What’s going on?”

Jill doesn’t exactly follow sports, except for what I’m up to, so there’s no way she saw the news about Bash.

“Bash is retiring.”

“What?” A door slams in the background of the call. “Why the hell would he be retiring? That doesn’t make sense.”

No, it doesn’t.

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