Playing for Hearts

by Debra Kayn

  In the kitchen, he peeled off his shirt. In the living room, he toed off his cleats and over exerted himself. Angie or not, he was going to be bare ass naked by the time he hit his bedroom and slipped out the sliding door onto the balcony where the hot tub sat.

  “Go ahead and soak.” Angie unzipped his bag. “I’ll throw your things in the washing machine and make you a couple of sandwiches to eat. Then you can sleep.”

  He nodded, or maybe he didn’t. He couldn’t be sure, because even that much movement hurt as he dragged his feet across the floor.

  Thankfully, he’d known the condition he’d be in when he returned home and earlier had removed the top off the hot tub. All he had to do was climb two steps and ease himself into the water. He stood on the deck, eyeing the steps as if he were a geriatric patient who’d only snapped out of a drug-induced coma an hour ago and had yet to figure out how to move his feet.

  Eventually, he made it to the top, heaved his leg over the side, and slid down into the jetted water. His body seized and quickly succumbed to the power of the warmth in blessed relief. He sighed long and loud. At that moment, nothing compared to how he was feeling. Not even sex or winning the Super Bowl felt better.

  He let his head fall back on his shoulders and he closed his eyes. His arms half floated out to the sides. All his muscles gave away their tight control and he succumbed to the weightlessness of the water. Only then was he able to breathe without any pain.

  Today’s practice pushed him, and despite the soreness, being back in the routine that he loved felt good. Angie’s presence in his life upset the balance, in a good way, but even thinking hurt when he’d given one hundred and ten percent on the field. But with the season also came the control he needed to keep his head in the game, and hopefully distance himself from Angie.

  He thought about Drew and all the phone calls that went unanswered. It wasn’t uncommon for it to take days to make a connection. They both lived busy lives, and they were guys. They rarely called to chitchat. If he left a message and told Drew it was important to return his call, he had no doubt Drew would contact him. He just wasn’t ready to come clean.

  Once he took a snooze, he’d try calling the gas station again. He’d feel out Drew for any sign that he would raise hell if Gary put the moves on Angie. He dunked his head, and came up shaking the water out of his hair. It was going to be a long season if the other players kept on with their fascination over Angie.

  “Sit up.” Angie materialized beside him. He hadn’t even heard her come out over the noise from the jets in the tub.

  She handed him a towel. “Wipe your hands off, and you can eat while you relax.”

  “Not very hungry yet.” He took one of the sandwiches off the plate. “But thanks. I know I’ll be starving in an hour.”

  She climbed up on the step, and perched on the side of the hot tub. Despite the exhaustion and the high temperature of the water, his body hardened instantly.

  “Uh, honey, I don’t have shorts on.” He popped the last bite into his mouth.

  She handed him the second sandwich. “I know.”

  To his surprise, she glanced down at the water. Holy shit. She was looking. It took all of his willpower not to stretch out fully or stand up and let her see. He was proud of his body. More importantly, he had the mother lode of all hard-ons, and he wanted to show it off.

  “Anybody ever tell you curiosity killed the cat?” he said, trying his best to ignore her.

  She laughed softly. “Sure, but I also was told recently that to cross the end zone, you have to put your head down and run, giving it everything you’ve got.”

  “Huh?” He wiped his mouth off with his hand. “What does that mean?”

  She rolled her eyes and hopped off the edge of the tub. He watched her close the sliding door and go inside the condo. End zone? Giving it everything?

  Fuck. She was talking his language, and he sat here like an idiot.

  He pulled himself out of the water, wrapping the towel around his hips, and grabbed his phone from where he’d left it on the lawn chair. Drew better answer the damn phone. He had an emergency on his hands.

  If he was going to move forward with Angie and be honest, he needed to talk to Drew first.

  The ringing stopped. Drew answered, “Yo.”

  “Where the hell have you been?” Gary clutched the ends of the towel.

  “Working,” Drew said. “Some of us don’t play for gold and diamonds for a living.”

  Gary grunted. Now that he had Angie’s brother on the phone, he had no idea how to broach the subject.

  “Everything okay with Ang?” Drew asked.

  “Yeah.” Gary cleared his throat. “She started work today and seems to like it. The players have definitely noticed her.”

  Drew cussed. “Assholes.”

  “Exactly.” Gary leaned against the railing, peering out into the woodsy area behind the gated community.

  “So, what’s so important, you filled my voicemail over the weekend?”

  Gary blurted, “I’ve got a problem.”

  “What can I do?”

  He stooped over and leaned against his elbows. This was why Drew was his best friend. He never questioned, yelled, argued, or bullied. His quiet acceptance and position in his life was to support and back him. He never took that friendship for granted.

  “It’s not easy living with your sister,” he said.

  Drew laughed. “Tell me about it.”

  “I’m serious, Drew. I think she’s messed up. Something big is going on in her head and making her act crazy.” He rubbed his hand over his face.

  “Talk to me,” Drew said, quietly.

  He sighed without saying anything. What he and Angie talked about was between the two of them, no one else. There were certain things she probably wouldn’t appreciate him saying, especially to her brother. He had to come clean with Drew about his feelings, and leave Angie out of the conversation.

  “Your sister’s an attractive woman.” He squeezed his eyes shut. God, he sounded like a prick. Attractive didn’t begin to describe her. Hot, sexy, luscious, fantasy material…

  “Good looks run in the family, man.” Drew laughed.

  “I’m serious,” he said. “The guys on the team are noticing. You know your sister; she’s going to fall for their bullshit and we’ll have more trouble on our hands. With the season going now and her always with the team, massaging them, there will be times I’m not around to protect her.”

  Silence.

  His chest tightened and he exhaled his held breath. “I’m thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start a rumor that I’m dating Angie. Hell, she already lives with me, it wouldn’t be hard to drop a few hints and let them see her with me.”

  Jesus. He couldn’t do it. All he had to do is blurt out the truth that he loved Angie, and he chickened out.

  “I just want you to know that it’s not the easiest thing having her in my house, in my life twenty-four/seven, in my business,” he said, mouthing in my bed.

  Drew’s breath came heavy over the phone. “Do what you have to do. I trust you.”

  “I know you do, but—”

  “Listen. Angie’s an adult. You know if I stepped into her life and told her how to live it she’d kick my ass and make sure I suffered for a week,” Drew said. “Maybe you should keep your plan from her. It might go over smoother.”

  “Right…”

  “Just don’t play her. You’re family and the bottom line is, I don’t want something to happen where one of you gets hurt, and it breaks up my family. You get me?” Drew waited for his answer.

  “I hear you.” He pushed off the railing.

  “Okay.”

  Gary stretched his back. “Thanks for talking to me.”

  “No problem. Talk to you later.”

  “Bye.” He hung up.

  Gary stared at the sliding door. Instead of coming clean, he’d stepped right into the fire. Though if he did pretend Angie belonged to him it’d keep t
he other guys away. But…

  He cussed under his breath.

  He couldn’t spread rumors and his hands were tied in the situation. The players had a contract that they wouldn’t become involved with any of the employees of the Seattle Seahawks. Shit.

  Why hadn’t he realized that sooner? He knew the rules. Angie was off limits. If they even suspected they were dating, Angie would lose her job.

  Chapter Twelve

  Angie paced the length of Gary’s bedroom, nibbling on the corner of her fingernail. Determination fueled her. She was going to have to pump up her attempt. Gary needed to know she was open and willing to start a relationship with him.

  No one night stand. No fling for the rest of their time together. No weekend dating. She wanted him permanently in her life. Yes, her decision to go for it with him had come out of the blue. She could no more explain her reasons of upsetting her life by loving a professional athlete and friend than she could her irrational fear of feeling like if she didn’t do something right this minute, she’d lose him.

  The sliding door slid open. Gary stopped inside the bedroom at the sight of her.

  She pointed to the huge monstrosity taking up most of the room. “Lay on your bed.”

  He raised his brows and stayed in the same spot, not moving an inch. The heat from his gaze scorched her. With her own desire staring back at her, she knew exactly what she had to do. She held out her hand. When he took a step forward and latched on to her, she led him to the bed.

  A low hum came from Gary, resembling a growl. She pushed him forward and he fell flat on his stomach, the towel around his hips landing on the floor. Before she chickened out, she climbed on top of him and sat on his bare ass.

  “Ang?” he mumbled into the mattress. “Doing?”

  “Giving you a hundred and fifty dollar massage.” She placed her hands on his back.

  Behind him, she smiled, proud that she’d wrangled him into bed, naked and hot. She ignored the fact she was too afraid to blurt out the truth. She was talented with her hands, and she’d let her fingers do her talking for her. By the time she finished, if Gary hadn’t rolled over and confessed his true feelings, she would know all was lost between them.

  She spread her fingers wide and swept the flat of her palm along the length of his back. She swallowed hard. His warm skin, hard muscles, and broad width gave her a large area to work on. She slowly loosened his muscles, taking her time on his lower back, running her hands over the slight indention, taking in his narrow hips, his waist, and how his upper back flared wider with the heavy muscles.

  Gary moaned. She leaned forward, rounding his shoulders with the palm of her hands. Pressure from the heel of her palm followed the large cord leading up to his neck. The tension eased under her touch. Soon she moved through the motions automatically, while she let her gaze wander along his body.

  She’d recognize Gary in a crowd. Probably even in a dark room. But she’d never seen him naked. Not even when she’d followed him and Drew around, tagging their every step, when she was in high school and they went to the lake and went skinny-dipping. To her disappointment, they’d found her in the back of Drew’s old pickup and forced her to sit in the cab of the truck until they were finished.

  A tan line ended above his buttocks. She trailed her finger over the line. Unable to take a deep breath, she said, “You’re tense.”

  He nodded against the blanket without saying a word. Hand over hand, she pressed on a half turn of her wrist, bringing circulation to the surface, feeding his muscles the extra blood flow and oxygen they needed to unconstrict. A quiver rolled through her and she leaned forward until her breasts brushed his back. Her hands rubbed over his biceps, his forearms, his wrists, until their upper bodies lined up perfectly. Then she worked her way back until she was once again in a sitting position, her hands on his lower back.

  She knew it was wrong and unprofessional to take as much pleasure as she was giving, but she couldn’t stop now. “Gary? We need to talk…”

  He inhaled deeply before propping himself up on his elbows. “I can’t get up.”

  “You’re still sore?” she asked, moving off him to sit beside him on the mattress.

  He turned his gaze on her and the naked lust shone brighter than his bare ass. “I’m in no condition to stand up right now.”

  “Oh.” She gulped. “Okay. That’s good. I mean, fine. You lay there and I’ll do the talking.”

  He blinked twice and nodded. “Okay.”

  “I’m just going to blurt everything out.” She shrugged, looking over his head. “I want you to know I never planned any of this. Well, the backrub I sorta did, but not the—” she pointed back and forth between them “—you and me thing. It’s not that I haven’t always felt this way. I have. Kinda. Not to this degree or anything. I think it’s because we’ve both done our own thing, and because you’re Drew’s friend, I took it for granted that you’d always be around. You’re family.”

  “I’m family?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes. No. Of course, you are. You’ll always be a part of my life, and you’re my friend.”

  “A friend?”

  “Stop doing that.” She sighed and eyed him. “Are you following any of this?”

  “I think so.” He motioned with his chin. “Hand me that towel on the floor, so I can sit up. Listening while you ogle my ass is distracting me.”

  She tossed him the towel and returned to the bed. “The last thing I want to do is make things uncomfortable. I should be able to ogle you without you freaking out.”

  “I’m not freaking out.” He shook out the towel and rolled, covering himself.

  “I think you are. Or maybe I am. In fact it’s really burning up in here.” She fanned her face with her hand. “I’m probably going to die from internal combustion. Have you ever seen that documentary? It’s a real thing. One minute the person is lying there, and the next thing you know a relative found them fried to a crisp in bed. Über crazy.”

  Gary gawked at her. “Are you serious?”

  “Totally.” She shifted and sat back down crossed legged on the mattress. “Of course, I doubt if you or I will die like that, so you shouldn’t worry.”

  “Honey.” He frowned, cupping her face with his hand. “You worry me.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned against his touch. “I’m nervous,” she whispered.

  His lips touched her forehead. “I know.”

  “What?” She opened her eyes. “You understood what I’m trying to say?”

  “Yeah.” He sat down beside her, leaned forward, and braced his elbows on his knees.

  Every cell in her body leapt to attention, fizzling and sending pulses erratically within her. She leaned her head against his shoulder. This was something different than they’d ever had. They’d both breached the boundary of their friendship.

  Only a towel kept her from seeing all of him, and because she still wore her yoga pants, it would take her exactly five seconds to join him naked on the bed.

  “It’s my turn to talk.” Gary stared at the floor by his feet. “Once you hear my side of things, maybe you can tell me exactly what you’re thinking. No jumping from one subject to the other, no horror stories to make me worry about your sanity, and only the truth. Okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Good.” He inhaled deeply. “A lot of this is backstory you already know. My mom gave me up to foster care and I moved around a lot until I reached junior high. That’s when I met Drew. You were—”

  “Twelve years old,” she interrupted.

  “Right.” He chuckled. “I started hanging out with Drew and spending more time at your mom’s house, because—”

  “Your foster parents were jerks.” She leaned against him. “I’m glad you became friends with Drew.”

  He straightened and looked at her. “Me too, but stop interrupting me because this isn’t about where I came from or where I’m at now. It’s the in between stage I need to tell you about. The part you
don’t know and can’t answer me on.”

  “Oh…okay.” She sagged against him. “Continue.”

  “Your mom taught me that all families are different. Whether it’s a foster family, a single parent, or two parents. You make the best of what you have, and as long as there’s love, everything will be fine,” he said.

  She crossed her arms. It’d been a long time since someone reminded her of her mother’s words, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Part of her wanted to hear more, and her sensible side wanted to push the memories away.

  “This is the important part, so listen.” He lifted her chin. “You gave me something different than what I got from Drew and your mom. In you, I found understanding. Whether that was sitting in the same room as you, keeping you company while you tried so hard to take care of your mom and make sure Drew was happy, or letting you talk my ear off when the stress bottled inside of you and the only way to let it go was to talk.”

  “You were there for me every day,” she whispered. “During that time, you’d sleep on the couch and no matter what time of the night I got up, you’d be there.”

  Her pulse roared in her ears. She’d hidden her feelings from everyone. How had he figured out that she’d gone to him when she couldn’t handle the truth of having a mom dying of cancer and a father who was absent from her life when she needed him most?

  “It was for that single reason that you gave me a purpose to keep positive about my own life. You needed me, and in the same way, I needed you.” Gary cleared his throat. “Then I went away to college, you went your direction, and I lost the person that grounded me. I’ll be honest. I went wild. I enjoyed the girls, the attention of being the football star, and the freedom of knowing that everyone I cared about had no idea how I was screwing up my life.”

  She opened her mouth, and he put his finger on her lips. “I came back to Seattle during breaks to reconnect with Drew, but it was never the same between you and me. You had outgrown your need for me. Then I graduated from college, played one season for the Steelers, got signed with the Seahawks, and spent the next three months at your house before I was scheduled to start season practice.”