Page 68 of Broken As Puck

I shuffled sideways as much as I could, putting a little space between us. “I’m actually with a beautiful woman tonight, and I’m not interested in anyone else.”

One of her eyebrows rose, but she nodded. “I respect that. Good for you.”

She slinked away and I watched her go—and then realized that Chelsey was standing not far behind us, observing in silence. She met my gaze and, after a heartbeat, she smiled.

That smile gave me hope. Perhaps I hadn’t won her over right here and now, and maybe it would take some time for her to open up to me again, but I got the feeling we were on the way. Life was about the journey not the destination, right? As long as we were traveling the same path, maybe we’d end up where I wanted us to go.

I turned back to the bar and realized that the bartender was finally ready to take my order. I gave it to him and waited for my drink. Once I had my drink in hand, I made my way to the booth in a dimly lit corner where Austin, Nick, and Mitch were deep in conversation.

It was interesting to find myself fitting into this group. Nick made a point of being everyone’s friend, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d included me, but Austin and I had never been close. We got along well enough, but I wasn’t sure Austin had even had friends until his girlfriend came along. As for Mitch Davenport… Well, he just didn’t seem to enjoy being social. He didn’t have an attitude; he just kept to himself.

But I supposed that we were all a similar age and all key components of the team. Not to mention the fact that Austin, Mitch, and I had never been the types to go out and let off steam like some of our teammates did when we were in other cities. Nick ventured out occasionally, but perhaps because we were getting older, he did so less often.

We talked for a while about the game and how everyone was feeling, what aches and pains we had, and then I headed upstairs. Jesse had already told me that he was hitting up a casino, so I knew not to expect him in the room when I got there. Honestly, with him, there was every likelihood he’d come crashing in at 3 a.m., drunk as hell and semi naked.

Why the nudity? No one knew. But he had a habit of losing his clothes, and we’d all seen what he was packing plenty of times before, even outside the changing rooms.

I brushed my teeth in the en suite, stripped down to my boxers, climbed into bed, and had just turned out the light when there was a knock. I checked the time. If it was Jesse, he’d returned earlier than expected, and with a lot less noise.

I got up, flicked the light back on, and opened the door. My jaw dropped. It wasn’t Jesse standing on the other side, but Chelsey. She’d changed out of the clothes she’d been wearing earlier and was now in yoga pants and a tank top, her long hair loose and smelling of fruit and sweetness.

Her nostrils flared as her gaze raked down my chest, but then her eyes darted back to mine and she swallowed.

“Hey.” I smiled, wondering why she was here. I didn’t think I’d done anything to upset her today. “Is something wrong?”

Her teeth sank into her plush lower lip, and her eyes seemed to become impossibly bluer. “Is anyone else here?”

“It’s just me for now.” I scratched the back of my neck. “Jesse is at the casino. He’ll be back later.”

She nodded and tilted her head, her hair swaying and making me itch to wrap it around my fist. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah. Of course.” I stepped aside to let her in and locked the door behind her, figuring that if she wanted to have this conversation in private, then we ought to make sure no one could stumble upon us.

She glanced at Jesse’s bed and then at the one I’d just gotten out of. There were no chairs in the room, so I imagined she was sizing up places to sit. In the end, she just stood there, her hands folded over her lower belly, shifting her weight anxiously from one foot to the other.

“Can I help you with something?” I asked, since she seemed nervous and I didn’t like to see her so unsettled.

She let out a huff. “I’m scared.”

I rubbed my chest, which suddenly felt tight. “Scared of what?”

Whatever it was, I’d fix it for her.

She met my eyes. “Scared of being hurt.”

“Oh.” Well, I couldn’t take back any past hurt, but I could promise not to hurt her again. Was that what she wanted? It was impossible to tell.

“I miss you,” she whispered, dropping her gaze to where her toe was scuffing on the floor.

Tangles formed in my gut, and I drew in a deep breath, aware that a lot might ride on whatever I said next. “I miss you too. I’ve missed you since the day we broke up. I never stopped. If you let me, I promise to do my best to make sure you’re never hurt again.”

She peeked up at me. “I want to try. I want to see if there could be something between us.”

Fuck yes.

I didn’t let my elation show on my face. I knew how nerve-racking this must be for her and if I made a single misstep, she might run so far and fast that I never got her back.

“So do I. I’ll do anything for you. Anything. If there’s something that will make you more comfortable taking a chance on me, just say the word and I’ll do it.” I meant it with every fiber of my being.