Bad Boy's Downfall by Gina Azzi

Author:Gina Azzi [Azzi, Gina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781954470279
Publisher: Three Cities Publishing LLC

Eighteen

Lola

“How come you don’t really bond with the team?” I ask halfway through our dinner. We spent the first forty minutes picking at delicious appetizers and going through the usual, first date, small talk topics.

How are my classes going? Is he happy with his performance this season? What does he think about the Bolts making the playoffs? Have I submitted any additional job applications?

But as our entrees arrived and the wine in our glasses disappeared, the conversation flowed effortlessly. The connection between us sparked deeper than the physical attraction. I grew more obvious with my desire to learn more, to learn everything, about the mysterious man sitting across from me.

His mouth twists before his lips purse and I like that he’s giving my question thought. I like that he’s giving me real answers, with his thoughts behind them, instead of the usual quips that roll off his tongue.

“It’s hard for me…to want to invest in something. Someone.”

“Because you grew up in foster care?” I wonder aloud. My cheeks burn the second the words are out, hovering in the air between us. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…” I shake my head. “I just—”

“I know what you meant,” he interjects, leaning forward over the table. “Because of the transient nature of it all? People always coming and going?”

I nod, relieved he understood my line of questioning, yet embarrassed I couldn’t articulate it. “It must have been…difficult.”

River snorts, his black eyes darkening to night. A shiver rolls down my spine but it’s not the darkness that lingers along the edges of his irises, it’s the emptiness, the flat void, that fills the centers. “It was fucked up,” he admits. “And yeah, I guess that’s why. Teams are transient. Players get traded or injured or whatever. The Bolts are new, only two years into this massive rebuild. And yeah, Coaches Scotch and Merrick are cool. They’re legit and do a great job of building a culture that isn’t as cutthroat as most. But…” River shrugs. Tries for a smile. It slips. “I don’t like to get too close.”

I nod in understanding. Everything he says makes sense, even if it makes me sad for him. The Bolts players are a great group of guys. Sure, they’ve got their own issues and the past two seasons have seen each of them experience relationship changes, but witnessing how they stepped in for my dad proves that they’re caring, genuine guys. Together, they’re more family than team. “Plus, you’ve got a solid friend group,” I point out, wondering if that’s part of it too. It’s not like River doesn’t have a support system, it’s just not the Thunderbolts like it is for some of the other players.

“Yeah,” River says, taking a bite of veal saltimbocca. “It’s different when you have that much history with people. Plus, they’re connected to Cullen so…”

I grin. “It was nice to meet your brother. He’s protective of you.”

River snorts. “The Sullivans are. My foster mom, Gayle, she’s more angel than human. My foster dad, Ken, is probably the only man who could’ve gotten through to me.

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