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“Did you?” I ask, not hiding the sarcasm. “You seemed pretty well entertained.”

He frowns. “You mean Heather?”

I shrug, turning to my closet for the coat. It’s petty, but I’m not feeling generous right now. I’m tired. Hurt. Confused.

“I left Heather in a threesome with Jefferson and Bridget.” He catches my hip and spins me to face him. “It was fucking killing me not to be around you.”

The urge to fall into him is intense. To be held by those strong arms and forget all my insecurities. But that’s what keeps me in this same place, right? Cycling through the same emotions over and over again. For once I resist.

“Hey,” he tries to catch my eye, “are you really upset about it? Because I was just trying to play things cool in front of everyone.”

Fair. It’s all fair. I’m not in the position to ask for more but maybe that’s the problem? I never do.

“I’m just…” I search for the word. The best one I can come up with at the moment is, “tired. It’s been a long semester.”

“It’s almost over. My probation. Football season. All this petty shit driving us mad.” He sits on the edge of the bed, but not before grabbing me by the waist and pulling me on his lap. “I’m sorry things have been so hard. You’re such a tough, incredible, chick.” He kisses my neck. “With impressive as fuck baking skills.”

I laugh. This guy.

He looks over at the bag I’m packing. “Leaving in the morning?”

“My flight’s at nine.”

“You need a ride to the airport? Mine doesn’t leave until later, but I don’t mind going early.”

“I’m hitching one with Twyler and Reese, they leave around the same time.” I push the hair on his forehead back. “Are you worried about going home? You didn’t really seem happy about your dad being brought up today.”

He tenses, almost imperceptibly. “I just don’t like to have my identity tied up in his.”

“I can see that. It seems like he’s pretty well known.” I run my nail down the denim on his knee. “Reese says you may not go into the draft because of him.”

This time his irritation is less hidden. The muscle in his jaw throbs and his eyes narrow. “You tracking my career now, T?”

“What? No. It just came up at dinner.”

“I thought this was a safe space.” He shifts, sliding me off his lap and onto the bed, before standing. “I should go.”

“This is a safe space,” I say, making sure to keep my voice low. “Since when is asking you about your family or hockey off limits?”

“When it’s shit I don’t want to talk about.” He strides over to the window. “Or there’s an ulterior motive.”

“Ulterior motive?” I set my hands on my hips. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know darlin’,” I don’t miss the wary expression of distrust on his face, “but when a notorious jersey chaser starts asking me about my aspirations with the draft, I get a little suspicious.”

I’m shocked, but not enough to not say, “That’s rich coming from a guy who promisedmea safe space, but is just like every other athlete I’ve ever known.” Lifting my chin. “You’re using me as much as Brent did. Sneaking around, late night calls, pretending you’re different, while keeping me a secret.”

His chiseled jaw drops, and eyes darken, heated emotions flickering in their depths. Something sharp is on his tongue, and I brace myself for it, but whatever it is, he thinks better of it and snaps his mouth shut.

“I’m done with this,” he mutters, turning to open the window.

“Same.”

He moves quickly, out the window faster than conceivable for a man his size. In a blink, he’s gone vanishing into the night, leaving no evidence he was ever here other than my broken heart.

How could I allow myself to do this again?

Theme parksor big cities like Miami are usually what comes to mind when people think of Florida. Flashy lights, loud music and lots of tourists. Not everywhere is like that, there are areas that are more like small towns. Tight knit communities with nice neighbors and beautiful beaches.