Page 39 of Imperfect Player

His fingers run down my arm and then back up again.

“How do you feel, honey?”

“Grateful. So damn grateful that we’re over and I’m rid of you.” I slap his hand away. “You are a controlling, manipulative prick, and I honestly don’t know why I ever wasted my time on you.”

“Wasted your time on me?” He scoffs. “You’re lucky I—”

“Dumped me? Yeah, I am. I’ve never been happier than I am now—without you.”

The stunned look on his face is more than enough to satisfy me. In all the years we were together, never would I have spoken to him like that.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have a game to watch.”

Kai grabs my arm.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Assault charges would look terrible on your record,” Chelle tells him. “One button and the cops are on their way.”

Kai releases me.

“You’re not worth it. Never were.”

“Back at ya . . . honey.”

Kai walks away, and the weight of our breakup and the fact that I let him walk all over me for years is finally lifted off my chest.

I sigh.

“That was amazing,” Chelle tells me.

Sure, there were probably a dozen more things that I could have probably said, but the fact that I said anything at all was huge.

“It felt amazing,” I admit. I turn to see Ethan’s face on the screen again, his stats next to him.

I’m amazing. And thanks to him, I finally see that.

The bottom of the eighth turns into the top of the ninth and Ethan takes the mound.

Three strikes. That’s all he needs to put game two of the series behind them.

“Come on,” I plead as I watch the ball leave his hand with grace and precision.

“Oh yeah, not falling at all.”

I throw a death glare in her direction before returning my attention to the screen just in time to see the ball sail into the catcher’s mitt.

Two strikes down. One to go.

The camera zooms in on Ethan, his face resolute, focused. When he blows out a breath, my eyes fall to his lips.

“Here’s the wind up,” the announcer says. “And the pitch.”

“Strike three,” the other announcer shouts. “That’s two in the three-game series for the Railcats.”

As the announcement is made, I jump out of my seat and cheer.

Chelle watches every move I make, a satisfied look on her face. Based on my reaction, she’s deduced that she’s right. That I’m falling for Ethan Ambrose.

There’s a chance that she just may be right.

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