Fighting For You (The Connor Family 5)

“I know. You’re right.”

She nodded, melting against me as I kissed her.

My teammates were still heatedly discussing the game they’d watched when we boarded the plane. Brooke was sitting alone again, and it crossed my mind more than once to just sit next to her, but I didn’t think I could be that close to her and not give us away.

So I remained in my seat next to Andrew, trying not to be too obvious in checking out Brooke when she got up from her seat to take her laptop out of the overhead bin.

“Dude, did you score last night?” he asked.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Brooke wince.

“What are you talking about?”

“Knocked at your door this morning to go for a run, but you didn’t answer. Figured you didn’t sleep there.”

“Then I was out running already.”

“Yeah, right.”

I cocked a brow at Andrew, who immediate

ly dropped the topic. Brooke had already slipped into her seat, and I couldn’t see her face, couldn’t tell what was going through her mind. I wanted to put her at ease. Did she really think that if something happened, she’d have to fend for herself? Even if it meant I’d make life harder for myself at the club, I’d fight for her.

Chapter Seventeen

Brooke

The LA Lords headquarters was a flurry of activity over the next week. We were nearing the end of the season, which concluded on October 31. The teams with the most points would then go on to compete in a sequence of playoff games for the MLS Cup.

Everyone was on edge, torn between cheering for our boys while also not putting pressure on them.

I’d taken a close look at Jace during lunch today. I hadn’t spoken to him more than a few words because we were surrounded by coworkers, but once I was behind my desk, I shot him a text. I knew he was watching tapes this afternoon.

Brooke: You looked very tense during lunch.

Jace: Pressure is high. Are you offering to help me relax? :-)

Brooke: Of course. What can I do?

Jace: I have a few ideas.

Brooke: Why didn’t I see this coming? :-))

Jace: Tonight, I’m going to the education center to play ball with some of the students, but I want to spend time with you too. Come with me? I know you don’t want people at the club to know about us, but I want to see more of you outside the club.

I hesitated, but the truth was, I needed more of Jace too. As long as we were being careful around here, I couldn’t see the risk. Besides, I wanted to see the center with my own eyes.

Brooke: I’d love to.

I grinned when he texted me the address. We drove there separately in the evening. Jace was behind me right until we reached an almost empty boulevard, and then he drove past me. I sped up, driving past him, grinning at him in the rearview mirror.

Jace had a competitive bone, but so did I, which was why we chased one another right until we pulled up in front of the center.

We climbed out of our cars at the same time, and Jace strode right to me.

“You like speed. I learn something new about you every day.”

“I can drive like a Tasmanian devil,” I confirmed, wiggling my eyebrows. Jace leaned in, feathering his lips on my cheek before moving to my mouth. Oh, fuck, how he kissed me. My knees buckled. He brought his hands to my waist. His fingers pressed into me greedily.