Playing for Hearts (72 page)

“Moot point, since you're in my room,” he muttered.

“Huh.” She inhaled deeply. “But we wouldn't tell her that…I mean, if you had a girlfriend that you were into. Not that it would be fair to her to keep secrets—that's wrong, don't ever do that—but it'd be easier for both of us if we just act normal. So, I won't tell anyone, not that I was going to. Like, really, who would I tell? Drew? That'd be messed up, plus he wouldn't care. Jules might like to know if I was sleeping with you, but she'd go all whacked and assume we're really—”

“No one will bother you. Football season is starting and I don't date when I'm playing,” he muttered. “Now go to sleep.”

Confused, she wondered if he was cranky over not having a woman around him or if abstinence really did drive a man mad after awhile. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Every time she'd run into him in the city, he was either with a couple of his friends who were also professional athletes or with Drew. There were always girls around, but nobody that stood out as someone he was serious about.

For that matter, she hadn't been that serious with anyone either. Sure, she dated a lot and she had an okay sex life, but she'd never quite found Mr. Right. Not that she'd looked too hard—she was too busy growing up and trying to establish herself.

Feeling self-centered around her own problems, she decided from here until her first paycheck arrived and she could move out, she'd catch up more on Gary's life. Always a loner, even in a crowd, he deserved all the good things that happened in his life. He had no one. His birth mother had given him up to the state when he was six years old, and he'd never connected with any of his numerous foster parents. That was why Gary spent most of his time with Drew growing up. It was hard to feel content at home when his guardians put him on an if-we-have-time-for-you list; which they never did. As soon as he turned eighteen, he was on his own.

That would all change now that she was back in town. She'd support him, and because of her new job, she'd also be at every game to cheer him on. A quiver of excitement went through her. She couldn't believe she was the massage therapist for the Seattle Seahawks. Could life get any better?

No way would she ever have thought she'd get the job, but Gary had encouraged her over the phone to try for the spot when she'd moved to Deadhorse. She owed him for giving her the tip about the job.

In the next second, her thoughts shifted and she worried. What if she couldn't do the job? She had experience, and she was damn good. But the boys on the team were big. They had muscles where normal people didn't, and their bodies were their tool to earning a nice living.

Gary's body was perfect.

She rolled to her side and stared at him in the dark. Better than perfect.

On the car trip back from Deadhorse, she'd noticed his thighs and forearms. How could she not, when there was nothing to view out the window? The way he handled the car fascinated her. He made moving look graceful and natural. She warmed and threw the blanket off her upper body. She hid her curiosity from him, but she wondered what he was like as a boyfriend.

All she'd ever experienced were his great hugs. Once in a while, she'd kiss him to show him thanks for helping her out, but he always pulled away or held her shoulders, distancing himself. Just one time, she'd like to experience his full lips for more than two seconds.

She leaned up on her elbow and studied Gary's form. His breathing came deep and even. Getting up on her hands and knees, she carefully crawled closer. When she was beside him, she slowly lay down. With her head on his chest, she let herself relax, content to be near him.

She closed her eyes, aware of Gary's warmth, the rhythm of his breathing lulling her to sleep. Promising herself she'd move back to her side of the bed before he woke in the morning, she settled down for the night.

A car horn outside woke Gary. He blinked sleep away, aware of a pleasant warm weight lying atop him. Lifting his head off the pillow, he gazed down his body.

Angie lay between his sprawled legs, her head cushioned on his stomach, the heat of her body pressed against the biggest hard-on he'd ever had. His head hit the pillow and he stared up at the ceiling.
12 to 11 in the fourth quarter with twenty seconds remaining. The running back has the ball. I stand between the opponent and the end zone.

He groaned. Quoting football plays wasn't going to work this morning. Angie was soft and pliable. He was hard, and he wanted her. There was no way he could extract himself out from under her without waking her up. There was also no way she would miss his erection when she became conscious. He lifted his hand, hovering his palm over her hair. He curled his fingers into a fist and dropped his arm onto the bed without touching her.
Shit.

Being Drew's friend sucked. He should call him up and tell him he was never going to see or talk with him again. Their friendship was over, because Gary was going to have sex with Drew's little sister. He'd…

Fuck, I sound like I'm breaking up with Drew.

Angie squirmed. He flinched, bracing for the pain when her shoulder settled in his crotch. Only more pleasure came his way, and his heart threatened to burst out of his chest. The room compressed in on him and all he could feel was the pressure of Angie on him.

“Gar…?” She rubbed her cheek along the bare skin of his abdomen and opened her eyes.

The moment she spotted him, her gaze warmed and she sighed heavily, perfectly content to cuddle against him. “Morning.”

He cleared his throat, buying time to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “Hey.”

“What time is it?” She stifled a yawn.

Her mouth opened and then her warm breath tickled his skin. His cock responded, his balls tightened, and he groaned as he lunged, hauling her off him in one swoop. She bounced on the mattress, and he jumped out of bed, keeping his back toward her.

“Time to get up. I'm going for a jog.” He strode across the room and escaped into the bathroom.

One cold shower later, he peeked out into the bedroom and breathed in relief to find the room empty. He quickly pulled a pair of sweats and a T-shirt out of the drawer, and dressed. For the next hour, he'd have an excuse to stay away from her.

The cool morning Seattle air, the separation of mind and body, and physical exertion would get Angie off his mind.

He exited the bedroom at the same time Angie walked out of her bedroom. He stopped, sweeping his gaze over her. A bad feeling came over him.

She tightened her ponytail. “Ready?”

“For what?” He crossed his arms.

She wore a skimpy pair of shorts, an oversized sweatshirt, and a pair of running shoes. Dread mixed with curiosity raged against each other inside of him. He'd really love to see her running in those shorts, but there was no way in hell he'd let her go jogging with him.

“I'll partner with you this morning. I haven't exercised in over a week.” She patted his chest. “It'll be good for me.”

“If I told you I like to run alone, would you stay home and leave me in peace?” He followed her down the hall.

“Fine.” She pushed up her sleeves and glanced over her shoulder. “I'll jog behind you. You won't even know I'm there. If you think you can lose me, feel free to try. I know my way around and will run my own route.”

“I don't need a personal trainer,” he said.

“Not trying to be one.” She shrugged. “It's just if you want to be alone, you better be faster than me. That's all.”

“You think you can out run me?” He laughed. “Really?”

She arched her brows and pursed her lips. “Whatever, big bad football star.”

He shook his head in amusement, but his humor fled at the weary gaze that darted away and stared at the floor.

She grabbed the door handle. He planted his hand over her shoulder on the door, and stopped her from going out. This close, he inhaled the vanilla scent he was getting used to recognizing as her.

He sighed. “What are you doing, honey?”

She turned and put her back to the door and looked up at him. “I want to be with you.”

“I'm not stopping at the nearest convenience store for donuts and chips.” He studied her.

She scoffed. “Just because you have a problem with all the junk food I eat doesn't mean I don't try to balance the food groups with exercise.”

He remained silent. She was avoiding his question. Twice now she'd crawled into his bed, and he wanted to know why. Now she wanted to hang with him while he exercised. No, something was going on in her head, and he wanted to know what she was thinking.

“You'll jog in front of me, and when you get tired, we'll stop.” He straightened. Two could play at this game, and if she wanted to prove a point, he sure in the hell could enjoy the scenery of her jogging in her tight blue shorts while she figured out what she was doing.

“Fine.” She swooped through the door and called over her shoulder, “Don't let the dust choke you.”

Cute. He let her jog ahead fifty feet, and then kicked up the pace to a fast walk. He'd wait her out. She'd tire and he'd take her back to the apartment. Maybe he'd slip into the workout room at the community center at the condominium later instead of worrying about getting his three miles in.

Angie rounded the corner and for a second, Gary lost sight of her. He burst forward at a jog, gaining ground. He should catch up with her on the next corner.

Three blocks later, Angie still remained ahead of him by a good twenty-five feet. He pumped his arms, finding his pace. Obviously she was in better shape than he'd realized. But he wasn't worried. With his longer legs, he'd eventually catch her.

He relaxed and enjoyed the jog. His gaze stayed on her, following her lead as he grew closer. Preferring to go out in the morning alone, he'd never noticed the benefits of a run with someone else.

He pushed her. The pace helped his heart rate, and the scenery was spectacular.

Angie's ponytail swayed from side to side. She stayed focus on her path, her shoulders straight, her elbows bent. His gaze lowered. Her ass tight, round, and—

His body pitched forward. He stumbled to keep his feet under him, and lost the battle. He dove for the grassy area to the left of the sidewalk to avoid the concrete and rolled. A grunt expelled from his lungs on impact, and he lay on his back, looking up at the sky.

A single raindrop hit his chin. He peered up into the gray cloud rolling across the sky. Damn Seattle weather.

Angie's face blocked his view of the clouds. “Are you okay?”

He hoisted himself to his feet, groaning. Angie brushed off a few strands of grass from the front of his shirt. This close to her, he could see the rise and fall of her breasts as she caught her breath. His already racing heart was doing overtime.

“Yeah.” He stepped away, testing his knees. “I make tackles for a living. I'm used to crashing.”

Excuses. He sounded like an asshole. What was he going to say? He'd tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. A fucking crack.

“If you're sure.” Angie frowned, studying him. “Are you feeling all right? You look kind of weird. Your face is flushed and you're sweating.”

The rain picked up. He motioned his chin. “Let's head back. I don't feel like jogging in the rain.”

“Okay.” She stayed beside him, taking two strides for each one of his.

He had to give her credit. “You run often?”

She glanced over at him without slowing her pace. “Every other day. I've only worked up to four miles, but I enjoy being outside and clearing my head. Gives me time to think.”

“Yeah, I get that.” He turned the corner. The Angie he knew back when she was a teenager would never have taken up any form of exercise. The fact that she was on a dedicated running program impressed him. Not that she needed the exercise, but that she enjoyed running alone. He always pictured her around a group of girls, or more content to hang out at a gym.

“You might think about where you're going to live when you get enough money for a deposit. It'll have to be in a nice area, so you're safe and can continue jogging. You'll probably want to stay away from the downtown area, because of the steep street levels.” He pointed across the road. “About six blocks over there are new apartments. Half are done, and the rest are still being built. You'll probably have a year of construction headaches, but once it's over it'll be a nice area.”

“How much?” She slowed to a walk.

He followed her lead, and joined her as they cooled down at the entrance to the gated area of the condominiums. “Not sure, but I could call a guy I know. He's a realtor. Does property management for most of the area around here.”

“Okay. Thanks.” She wiped her forearm across her forehead. “I'd like to stay around fifteen hundred a month, if I can.”

He laughed. “You won't find anything in that price range around this area. You're used to having a roommate…you might want to ask around and see if you have a girlfriend who is looking to double up.”

She pursed her lips. He studied the stubborn tilt of her chin and furrowed brow.

“What? You don't like the idea of sharing a place?”

“I was thinking I'd live alone.” She shrugged, following him up the driveway to his place. “I loved living with Jules, but the constant go-go-go of being around friends, especially girls, gets old.”

He laid his arm across her shoulder and squeezed. “Little Angie is growing up.”

“Maybe.” She grinned up at him. “Nah.”

He dropped his arm and opened the door. “You'll probably have to go further out of town to find rent at the price you want. Maybe an older home or studio, instead of a gated apartment.”

“I was thinking of a studio off the pier. I know the price is higher and I can crunch some numbers if I have to, but I like the atmosphere. It's artsy, relaxing, and I'm by the water,” she said.