Playing for Hearts (71 page)

He grunted. “I'll know.”

“I don't think you will.” She grinned. “I'm sneaky like that.”

He leaned toward her. “I'll know.”

“How?” She tilted her head.

He inhaled deeply, and even a foot away, he could smell the warm scent coming from her that reminded him of a tropical scented shirt coming straight out of the dryer. “I can smell you.”

A rude noise came from her throat and her mouth opened. He chuckled and walked around her. That came out totally wrong, but he needed her to keep her distance. As long as she thought he was turned off by her smell, she'd never find out that he got a hard-on whenever she was in the same room.

She followed him into the kitchen. “What do you mean, I stink?”

He pulled out a water bottle. “Didn't say it was a bad thing.” He eyed her. “Just different than me.”

She glared, huffed, and left the room. He leaned against the counter. The sooner she earned enough to find her own place to live, the quicker his life would go back to normal. He had bigger things to worry about, like practice starting next week and figuring out how in the hell he was going to keep his distance from Angie for the next seven days.

His phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket. Angie.

FYI, I'm taking a shower.

He closed his eyes for a beat, then typed,
U don't stink.

She replied,
Dumbass.

He gazed down the hall. He should apologize. Instead, he changed the subject.
I'll order pizza.

He waited, and finally she answered.
Pepperoni
:)

Growling, because that was easier than laughing, he pushed a few buttons and called Petro's Pizza. Then he headed to his room to take a quick shower. A cold shower.

Twenty minutes later, he pulled a T-shirt over his head and answered the door. He paid the deliveryman, and carried the cardboard box into the living room. Angie walked into the room with her wet hair hanging around her shoulders, her cheeks flushed, and looking beautiful. He stopped a few feet from the couch and his appetite for food disappeared.

“Hey,” he said.

“If you tell me I stink, I'm calling you a liar.” She removed the pizza box from his grasp and set it down on the coffee table.

“Ang…” He sat down beside her. “You don't stink, honey.”

She grabbed a slice of pizza and lifted it toward her mouth. “Of course not, I took a shower.”

Her lips opened and she slowly took the pointed side of the triangle into her mouth. He watched as her eyes closed and she chewed, ending the erotic display with licking her lips clean. He cleaned his throat and looked away. “You smell like a woman.”

Angie elbowed him and covered her mouth until she was done chewing her next bite. “That's…wow, too much information and—”

“It's good.” He picked up a slice of pizza and eyed the topping. “Better than good. That's why I don't want you in my bed.”

“Oh, you can suck up.” Angie laughed. “Too late, and it doesn't matter what you want or don't want. I'm going to sleep in your bed, because when you're not here there's no one to stop me. It's a new house rule.”

He shoved the rest of the piece of pizza in his mouth. The direction the conversation headed scared him. The next thing she'd ask for would be to share his bed while he was home. He knew her. She hated to be alone. She talked a lot, and that required having someone around to listen to her.

This roommate status was going to kill him.

“Maybe you should call Jules and see if she wants to hang out. Not here at the condo, but maybe someone else. You could go see a movie or the mall.” He walked over to the open kitchen and grabbed a stack of paper napkins. Returning to the couch, he glanced at Angie. “I'm sure you have a lot of things you want to do, and I'll be busy.”

“I thought practice didn't start until next week.” She accepted the napkin from him and wiped her hands. “When I called and received my schedule before we left Deadhorse, you said on Monday you'd be going to the field too.”

He nodded. “Yeah…so, you'll want to get all your running around done this week. You might as well use all the free time to catch up on everything you missed doing while you stayed with Drew.”

“Good idea.” She pulled her bare feet up on the couch and leaned back. “Hey, how about we go out on Saturday. I'll call Jules. We'll take you out, and I'll even buy your drinks. I have enough money to splurge for one night.”

He finished polishing off his fourth piece of pizza. “I don't think so.”

“Why not?”

“Because.” He wadded up his napkin. “You're Drew's sister.”

He offered her another slice. She shook her head, turning any more pizza down. He closed the box and carried it to the refrigerator. There was no way in hell he'd go out with her, as friends, roommates, or as a family acquaintance. He was walking on ice, and having Jules present wasn't a strong enough buffer to keep him from doing something stupid.

“Fine. Be a boring dude who only lives for football and his big ass beautiful bed.” She leaned forward until her hair hung clear to the floor and her head was upside down. “Someday you're going to wake up and realize life passed you by and that you really should've spent more time with me while you could. I won't always be around to entertain you, you know.”

He stared at her, not following the conversation. She was right here. Where was she going, except to her own apartment when she earned enough money?

“Where do you think you're going?” He leaned against the counter, keeping his distance, and talked to her from the kitchen.

She turned her head, flipped her hair, and straightened. “I'm just saying, you never know what will happen tomorrow, next week, or in a year. I might live in Japan making a million dollars next year or I could get in a car crash and—”

“Okay, I'll go.” He pushed off the counter and rubbed his tightening chest. “Don't say shit like that. Shit. Make it one of your house rules if you have to, just don't go there.”

The thought of losing her from his life hurt. He never had her to himself, but to think she believed her life could end at any moment was too morbid for him to think about.

“It's true. Nobody knows what will happen in the future.” She studied him, frowning. “Haven't you ever thought about how cruel life is sometimes?”

“I don't think about it,” he muttered.

“Sorry.” She sighed. “But I'm glad you'll go out with me. We'll have fun.”

“Yeah.” He crossed his chest with his arm and slapped a hand on his opposite shoulder, rotating the joint. “I'm going to go out for a jog and wear off some of this pizza.”

“Okay.” She reached for the television remote.

He walked to his room and put on his shorts, socks, and shoes. Jogging was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had to get out of here. Angie was messing with his head. He'd had no idea she thought about what could happen to her. Yet, it made sense. She'd lost her mom as a teenager. He'd seen her struggle with the loss, and fear death visiting Drew next.

She'd been old enough to understand how cancer took her mom's life, and too young to deal with losing the only parent who brought her security. It was understandable that she feared something else could happen to upset her life. He grimaced. Back when her mom died, he'd sat with her for hours, telling her nothing was going to happen. She'd believed him, but he'd pulled away from her.

Dressed to go out and exercise, he left the bedroom. In the living room music played. He glanced over to wave at Angie, and stubbed the toe of his sneaker on the floor at the sight of her.

She danced in front of the window with her back turned toward him, her arms above her head, her ass swaying, her hair flowing. He hardened, and all he could do was stand there like a fucking loser while ogling her.

He moved toward her and was halfway across the room when she turned. Instead of surprise at finding him there, she smiled and continued dancing.

“I love this song,” she said, continuing to dance her way closer.

He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “I'm leaving.”

She nodded and gave him a thumbs up. He laughed. Shit, she was funny.

He walked out of the condominium and started out at a slow jog; until he lost his erection, he wasn't going to make it out of the parking lot. He'd worried about her talk of death for nothing. She went from deep life questions to fluttering around his living room without a care.

He only had to survive six days, twelve hours, and too many more minutes with her and then he'd be back to playing football and taking his frustrations out on the field.

Four nights later, Angie still couldn't sleep for more than two hours at a time. Every single night since moving in with Gary, she'd fought with the blankets, finding herself restless and frustrated. She flipped over her pillow, hoping the cool side would calm her enough to go to sleep.

When was the last night she'd slept at least six hours? Not that she ever had an easy time sleeping since before getting the news that her mom had breast cancer.

She snuggled under the covers on a sigh. That wasn't true. The last night she stayed at her brother's house and slept in bed with Gary, she'd slept like a baby.

She hated the nights. In the quiet and darkness, she could never forget waking up and finding out her mom had passed away. Growing up, her brother would take pity on her and stay up talking through the night. Even Gary had indulged her need to stay awake, and would sometimes keep her company before he'd left for college. But as soon as she closed her eyes, she'd remember.

She tossed back the covers and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. Putting thumbs to the keyboard, she typed.
U awake?

Several minutes later, she stretched out to put down the phone, thinking he was asleep, when the cell vibrated in her hand.

No.

Warmth curled inside her.
Can I ask U something?

Go to sleep, A.

Please?

She waited. If he wasn't asleep, what was he doing? She looked at the closed door to her room. He was right on the other side of the hall, but no noise came to her. Maybe he was restless too.

Her phone buzzed. She peered down and read.
What?

She sucked in her bottom lip. If she texted him, what would she say? She was scared to sleep at his condo? She has never been able to rest comfortably alone? She groaned and put the phone on the table, swung her legs off the bed, and sat on the edge. He'd think she was a baby, and he already seemed to view her only as Drew's little sister, as if she never grew up and became an adult.

Her wanting to sleep in his bed with him was more than being afraid. There was something about him that gave her comfort. He had the best hugs of anyone she knew. It probably had to do with his size, since he was also bigger than anyone she knew. A defensive end who ate a balanced meal and kept himself in rock-hard shape: perfect for cuddling. When his hand laid on her back or he stroked her hair, she knew nothing would happen to her.

But needing him came from deep inside of her. He was comfortable, and no matter what, he'd always been around. She depended on him. Being with him brought normalcy back into her life, like it used to be before her mom passed away and Drew moved on with his own life.

She stood and walked to the door before she could change her mind. Texting him was a bad idea. What she wanted from him could only be said in person, so he couldn't turn her down.

She crossed the hallway and knocked. He opened the door and leaned against the doorframe. She settled on the large expanse of chest at eye level.

“You should be in bed,” he whispered.

“I know, but…” She raised her gaze and stepped in front of him. “Can I sleep with you, please?”

He tilted his head and gazed at the ceiling. “Take the side of the bed closest to the window. Don't hog the blankets.”

She threw her arms around his waist and buried her head into his chest. “Thank you. I'll pay you back. Tomorrow, I'll make cookies…or buy some at the Fifth Street bakery.”

Then she scurried around him and dove onto the bed, crawling across the massive surface before he could change his mind. Following his orders, she hugged the edge of the bed.

When Gary stretched out on the other side, she couldn't even feel the indentation from his body, the bed was that large. She slid her arm under the pillow and snuggled on her side facing him. The sheets already warmed, she knew she'd taken his spot. Her stomach flip-flopped and she gazed at Gary in the dark. She couldn't see his face, only his large outline. He hadn't gotten under the covers, but lay on top of the comforter on his back.

He slept in his boxers. She puffed up her cheeks and let the air out. A solid rock of a man, he really was beautiful. She lowered her eyelids, peeking out between the lashes.

They'd grown apart over the last few years. She really knew nothing about his private life anymore. Since she'd been here, no girlfriend had stormed the condo demanding to know why he had a woman staying with him. Of course, she kept up with any news about his career and how he was doing through Drew, but she had no idea if he even had someone special in his life.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” she whispered.

His head turned toward her. “What kind of stupid ass question is that?”

“I value living.” She pulled her arm out from under the blanket and rested it on the bed. “I should know if you have anyone in your life that's going to kick my ass for staying with you.”

“You're Drew's little sister. Why would it matter?” he asked.

She laughed into her pillow. “Okay, obviously the answer is no, you don't have a girl in your life. Trust me, women don't think like men. If you had a girlfriend, she wouldn't like me being here, even if we're family friends. Women are territorial. She'd see me as a threat, and wouldn't trust you not to sleep in your own room.”