“Todd will come around,” he said, resting his hand on my bare knee.
Goosebumps spread across my skin, not from his touch, but his words. I’d done well to not think of Todd during our interview, but now it was unavoidable. Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to fight them away. “I think my skeletons were too much for him to bear.”
“I don’t think it was the skeletons, just the fact you didn’t tell him,” Kane stated sternly.
“I couldn’t,” my voice choked as I spoke.
There was no use fighting the tears, they were already rushing down my cheeks. Kane leaned in, wrapped his strong arms around me, and pulled me close. My sobs grew quickly in his comforting arms, my body vibrating with pain as the hurt from losing Todd surfaced once again.
“Do you love him?” he asked.
His hand brushed my hair flat against my back, then moved to pull the stragglers away from my wet face. “Yes,” I gasped, admitting it even to myself for the first time.
His squeeze tightened as he pulled me closer to his chest. I could feel the compassion, the empathy in his embrace. “I didn’t realize it was serious,” he whispered.
I guess I hadn’t either. It was fun, but serious? It was Todd Morris, adrenaline junkie. I guess I'd assumed he would tire of me once the thrill of sneaking around was gone, and it was best not to get too close. But I did. I let my guard down, and my heart now bled for him.
“After seeing him drown in alcohol last night, I wondered if it was more than just a hookup.” Kane’s deep voice vibrated through his chest against my cheek. “I’ll talk to him for you,” Kane promised, caressing my back gently with his large hand. I didn’t want to let go. He was comforting, warm, and it felt good to have someone understand my side. I didn’t lie, not really. It was just a huge misunderstanding.
Kane’s body tensed, and his grip around me loosened. My heart raced as I slowly pulled away, turning to see Todd standing behind my chair. Not again! I was practically in Kane’s lap as I sucked up the sympathy he offered. It wasn’t what it looked like, but I knew what it looked like.
Todd’s eyes were dark and empty, and a strange smirk spread across his face. He shook his head, chuckled, and turned to walk away. I knew better than to chase after him. I let him go. This was a mess. One I continued to make bigger and bigger. There was nothing I could do, except watch him walk away from me, out of my life for good.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Todd
What the fuck did I do?
My head was killing me as I stepped into the elevator. Thank God we didn’t have practice or a game today. As the lights passed Kat’s floor, my heart sunk a little deeper into my chest. Those strings she’d tied to it were tugging hard this morning.
Why did I let her leave?
Orange juice, maybe a splash of vodka to ease the pain, and a couple aspirin, then I’d hunt her down. We needed to talk. After last night, her display of selflessness in front of the guys, that meant something. I knew it. I was just too angry to deal with it last night. In the light of day, things were a little clearer.
“Good morning,” a little blonde behind the bar spouted with a perkiness that made my head pound harder.
“You have any aspirin back there?” I asked.
“Sure. Hair of the dog?” she asked, still far too perky for my tolerance level this morning.
“Please. Orange juice, just a splash of vodka,” I ordered.
I watched her pour the vodka into my glass. It was more than I'd ordered, more than I wanted. But, maybe I needed it. I left a twenty on the bar, took my glass, and headed outside. Vitamin D from the sunshine always helped soothe a hangover, and this one was a doozy.
My eyes squinted at the bright sun as I walked out by the pool. Several women were lounging in chairs, tanning even though it was still considered cool in Florida. I looked for a table, something with an umbrella to block the sun from directly blasting into my eyes when I saw her, them.
Kane Steele, that smooth son of a bitch had Kat nearly in his lap while he embraced her, caressed her, and comforted her. What the fuck?
I popped the aspirin in my mouth, downed my drink, and walked toward them. I wasn’t sure what I was gonna say or do. The closer I got, the more my mind raced with doubts about Kat.
“Go with your first instinct, kid.” Words from my first coach rang in my head. What was my first instinct about Kat? Was it when we first met, when I trusted her? Or was it yesterday, when I overheard her lies unfolding? It certainly wasn’t earlier, when I was on my way to find her, to listen to her, to apologize for being a dick.
Watching her cuddled up in Kane’s arms, sniffling like a wounded kitten made my stomach flop. I guess fear of heights worked for me, but now she had to pull out the helpless little girl routine to win over Kane. Good luck, buddy!
When Kane’s eyes met with mine, it was obvious he was uncomfortable. When Kat’s eyes finally turned to me, she was obviously mortified. Good. Good riddance.
There was nothing to say. I shook my head and walked away. Don’t be played a fool twice, Morris.
I didn’t want to go back to my room, and I certainly wasn’t going back out to the pool. I needed something to take this edge off, to mask the pain. I pulled my phone from my pocket and began scrolling through nearby activities. Richard Petty’s Driving Experience looked good. I dialed the number and spoke to a woman on the other end who informed me it was booked for the day. Fuck!
My heart raced and sweat formed around my brow. Skydiving? That was risky, but I didn’t care. Fuck baseball, fuck everything!
Out of season bastards were either closed or booked. The closest place I could find was over a hundred miles away. While scrolling through the tourist pages, a Harley rental ad popped up. A bike ride always managed to calm me down, and Volusia County provided a variety of fun roads to travel. My thumb hit the call button. A man answered, he was helpful, agreeable, and told me to come on in. I’d already returned the Corvette so a cab would have to do.
I wondered if Kat was still out there with Kane, in his arms, crying even harder about how bad she felt. Yeah right! All part of the game, kitten. I’m on to you.
Finally, my cab arrived. A dark-skinned man with a turban wrapped tightly on his head greeted me with a thick accent. “Ahhha, I know who you are,” he said, his smile displaying the yellow teeth in his mouth. I nodded, not in the mood for small talk. “You’re the big baseball star. Morris, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” I said, sliding into the back seat.