Page 34 of Playing Hard to Hate

GRIFFIN

PRESENT

She’d fallen asleep in my arms on the couch, her head resting on my chest, soft breaths blowing against the small area of my chest that was exposed by my V-neck shirt.

While she slept, I made the mistake of scrolling through all the local headlines.

We were featured among a few, but one news station had done an in-depth report on the robbers.

Malcolm Zev

Darren Holloway

Damian Voss

The three men arrested in connection with last month’s violent grocery store robbery have been released on bail, sparking concern among many of the residents. While two of the suspects have long criminal histories, one man claims he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Darren “Dare” Holloway, 37, is believed to be the mastermind behind the crime.

With multiple prior arrests for armed robbery and assault, Holloway is known for his short temper and reckless behavior.

Authorities suspect he was the one who escalated the situation, turning a simple robbery into a full-scale hostage crisis .

Malcolm Zev , 35, has a long history of breaking the law, with charges ranging from burglary to weapons possession.

Described as calculating and cold, Zev is believed to have been the enforcer of the group, keeping victims under control while Holloway led the operation.

His release has left many uneasy, as his past suggests he’s no stranger to violence.

Damian Voss , 22, maintains that he had no part in planning the robbery.

A former grocery store employee, Voss claims he was roped into the crime under duress.

With no prior record, his lawyer argues that he was merely a getaway driver who didn’t realize what he was involved in until it was too late.

While authorities have not cleared him, some believe he may have been just another victim of Holloway and Zev’s schemes.

With the suspects now free, speculation swirls about whether justice will truly be served—or if this is just the beginning of something worse.

Damian Voss had been a classmate. The slimy fucker who held a gun up to Tatum’s head had been someone we’d gone to school with our whole lives.

I wanted to find him. I needed to know why .

He knew everything she’d been through. Fuck, this whole town knew.

So much anger boiled in my veins after reading the article.

I tossed my phone to the side when Tatum snuggled further into my chest. Finally at peace.

She’d been anxious all night. She got up a few times and paced beside the television.

She kept checking her Instagram where comments and direct messages never seemed to stop flooding her notifications.

And weirdly enough, I found myself a little jealous at all the attention she seemed to get on an hourly basis.

I wondered if that was why she took hours to answer my messages or why she never texted me at all.

I was growing sick of this love-hate relationship between us. I didn’t have time for games. I wanted her to know that. This wasn’t fucking high school anymore. I didn’t care about looking cool for the masses. I just wanted this. The quiet moments together.

My phone buzzed with a text, and I reached over her to grab it, careful not to jostle her body.

I was afraid she’d wake up and run away to her room.

Holding her settled my nerves. I knew she was safe in my arms. With one hand on the small of her back, thumb slowly rubbing circles on the small strip of skin peeking out from her shirt, I knew she was safe.

Graham

Tate, okay?

I’d been with the twins earlier tonight when I suddenly got uneasy and told them I had to go to Tate. Hunter had been pissed. Graham, on the other hand, was a little more understanding. Out of the two, Hunter was the hothead, and Graham the empath who tried to see their side every single person.

It usually worked well when they were together and were both in agreement, but tonight it had caused another argument. Hunter was getting sick and tired of me running over here. Graham didn’t care. He had actually offered to come with.

Griffin

A nervous wreck when I got here. Hunter cool off?

Graham

He went out to some bar. He’ll probably go home with a girl and work off some steam.

Griffin

What does he have against Tate?

Graham

She’s going to take you away from us.

Griffin

She’d never do that.

Graham

It won’t be on purpose. You’ll want to get a place with her, and we’ll lose our best friend. He’s not handling his emotions very well.

Griffin

You’re more than just my friends. You’re my brothers.

Graham

I know that, but he doesn’t seem to grasp it.

I’ll talk to him. Don’t say anything to him. It will only make things worse.

If you need us, we’re a call away.

Griffin

I know. Hopefully, I don’t have to ever make that call.

The next morning she was back to being the ice queen. The one who still hated my guts and couldn’t let go of how much I hurt her years ago. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. But there was no point. I wouldn’t be getting through her thick skull this morning.

“You should probably go,” she said, arms crossed over her chest, naturally lifting her already big breasts and making them more noticeable. I wanted to tell her to stop. It was not fair to use her body against me, but I didn’t think she knew that was what she was doing.

She’d never had a boyfriend. I was her first kiss, a fact I was very happy about .

“And why is that?” I asked her, standing up and stretching. My body ached in so many places. It probably wasn’t wise to sleep on the couch before a game, but I wasn’t missing out on the opportunity to be with her like I had last night.

“You have a game today.” Her brown hair was messy, a few pieces stuck up in the wrong direction, and I found it pretty damn cute, especially when she went to rub her eye. I saw the little girl who’d been my best friend standing before me, not the stone-cold woman she’d turned into.

“You want to come? I can get you and Millie seats. Perks of being on the team, you know.” I wiggled my brows causing her to giggle and her cheeks to flame.

“We’re okay watching from home,” she admitted, and then the little girl was gone, and the ice queen was back.

“I have some things I need to do today. If you could get going, that would be great. Thank you for last night. It, uh…won’t happen again.

” She tucked a piece of her crazy hair behind her ear.

I closed the space between us and rested my hands on her hips. Her hands fell to my shoulders, and her lips looked so fucking kissable.

“I told you once, and I’m going to tell you again. You call me whenever you need me. I’ll drop everything to be here for you.”

“You sound like the boy I used to know,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “I’ve missed him so much.”

“I’m still here, Tate. I never left,” I murmured, my voice raw with truth. “I’m still here, baby.”

Her lashes fluttered open, revealing those big green eyes I’ve never been able to resist. “I can’t fall for you, Fin. I can’t let myself fall,” she said, shaking her head, her voice barely holding steady.

I stepped even closer, our chests brushing and my heart pounding. “You can, baby. I’ll catch you. ”

She sucked in a sharp breath, hesitation flashing across her face. “I don’t want to be another number.”

“You could never be.”

“I don’t want to compete with your past.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, fragile but fierce. “I’m so scared you’ll hurt me again.”

I lifted my hand, tracing my thumb along her jaw. “Then let me prove you wrong. Give me a chance.”

She swallowed hard, conflict warring in her eyes. “I need to think about it.”

A slow smirk tugged at my lips. “Can I come back tonight? After we win?”

She huffed out a soft laugh, but there was a spark behind it. “Presumptuous, aren’t we?”

“I’m winning the title, Tate.”

She exhaled, shaking her head, but I didn’t miss the way her lips twitched like she wanted to believe me. “Call me after the game.”

I leaned in, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead, inhaling the scent of her, memorizing the moment. Not only was I going to win this game, I was going to win her . By the end of the night, this beautiful, stubborn ice queen of a woman would be mine.

We’d won.

There was chaos in the grandstands and in the locker room as we all entered, the adrenaline coursing through our veins, and we celebrated our second win of the playoffs .

I couldn’t wait to get out of there, though. The need to shower and clean up as quickly as possible fueled me as I thought of my upcoming phone call with Tate.

Tonight would be the fucking night. I’d kiss her and know it was going to happen again and fucking again. Hopefully, she’d let me sleep in her bed again because my neck still hurt from the couch, but I’d sleep wherever she wanted me to.

“You’re in a good mood. You finally get lucky with Tate?” Hunter asked, doing very little to keep the venom from his tone.

“Don’t talk about her like that.” I sneered. She was so much more than a romp between the sheets, and I sure as shit thought my best friend would know that.

“You won’t be celebrating with us tonight, I assume?”

I shook my head. “Hopefully not.” I dragged the towel down my body, drying myself before sliding on a pair of black boxers and a matching V-neck.

“Never thought you’d put a girl between us.”

“Hunter, cut it out,” Graham interrupted, glaring at his twin.

I slammed Hunter against the lockers, holding him by his uniform. I towered over him by a few inches, but there wasn’t a bit of fear in his eyes—only anger and irritation.