Love on the Highlight Reel (Connecticut Kings Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

asked. It’s gone viral now, JJ. Think of how many eyes could have been looking at a Jessmyn instead of a… whatever the hell that was you had on.”
    I frowned. “It was a plain ass tee shirt.”
    “Exactly. My brother is supposed to be fly at all times. In Jessmyn Johnson Signature. ”
    “Bye Jess,” I chuckled, shaking my head.
    “Byeeeee,” she sang. “And hey… you know I love your big head ass right?”
    “You and everybody else.”
    “Oh whatever. But seriously, you’ve been a little different lately, so I wanna make sure you know.” Her voice changed a little, going from playful to a serious edge that hinted at her worry. “I don’t really claim you in public like that, but I’m proud of you, and I love you.”
    I leaned forward, running my hand over my face as I tried to shake off the tightness in my throat. “Thank you baby girl. I love you too.”
    “Aiight,” she said softly, still in that concerned tone. “I’ll talk to you later.”
    As soon as I hung up the phone, I wished I’d picked up something stronger than a damned beer. I knew it wasn’t her intention, but that conversation had dredged up shit I’d rather not think about.
    I tossed my phone down on the couch and went back to the kitchen, grabbing another beer before I returned. When I sat down, I noticed that my phone was blinking again. I ignored it for a few minutes, expecting it to be more of Nicki cursing me out. I watched the first few plays of the recorded game, and then finally curiosity won.
    It wasn’t Nicki.
    There were very, very few people in the world I considered friends. Not associates, not people I partied with, not people who wouldn’t fuck with me anymore if the money ever ran out. Real friends.
    Trent Bailey was one of them.
    “JJ… what’s up, man? What happened with you and that reporter? –TB”
    I sighed, then read the message again. And then a third time.
    What had happened?
    It was taking the easy way out to say that Kendra Fulton had purposely pushed my buttons to create a story. She went too far, she was just getting under my skin. But that wasn’t what happened.
    “I lost my cool. I don’t like being a loser, bruh. This shit is getting to me.”
    God’s honest truth, to somebody who would give me the same respect. Trent had never been anything except real, so I wasn’t about to play him by bullshitting.
    “It would get to anybody. You’re human. But you gotta stay focused. I know better than anybody how dirty the media can be, how they spin shit however they can for a story. Don’t give them shit. Make them work for it. Stay focused. – TB”
    I sat back.
    He wasn’t lying, at all. I’d watched my friend get dragged through the mud, no mercy. Arrest, trial, conviction, jail time. Getting put off the team. TB had been through some shit – shit that made my little problems seem trivial in comparison. But he survived it, and was still able to be cool when he needed to. Coming from Trent, the shit wasn’t just a platitude. It was gospel.
    Stay focused.
    “Bet.” Was all I sent back. I hit the “ignore” button on another call from Nicki, then turned off my phone and picked up the remote. Tonight, the only thing I planned to do was watch my performance in this game, and figure out where I could improve. Then watch everybody else, and figure out how to work with and around their shit.
    It was all about being focused.
     

     
    I knew who had walked into the locker room before I even turned around, from the chorus of greetings that went around the room. Because of who she was – or rather, who her father was – they were much more respectful than most other women would have gotten.
    The demandingly soft sound of her clearing her throat behind me made me grin, and I kept that grin on my face as I turned around to feast my eyes on Nicole Richardson.
    As usual, she had her hair pulled back, and black framed glasses perched neatly across her nose. If I had to guess, she thought the bun and