Page 21 of Wicked Player

“One more picture.”Brandon yawned. We’d been back in the room for thirty minutes and he’d been awake for almost an hour. He was fading quickly but smiling. Next to him, Elizabeth was still sitting on the bed. He was propped up on pillows and morphine to keep his pain away along with stronger antibiotics through his PIC line to kick his current infection.

“You’re tired honey,” Penny said, but she was still holding her phone and Elizabeth’s.

Mine was firmly pocketed in my back pocket. I had enough photos of Brandon and a few other kids I’d met and bonded with, but no way was I getting it out. I didn’t need the photo memory of the pesky little reporter who was distracting me more and more with every passing minute we were crammed together on Brandon’s bed.

I should probably be sent to hell with the ideas I had for what I could do with her on a bed while we took picture after picture, sometimes the three of us, sometimes the two of them.

But hot damn, the woman was sexy and sweet and when Penny and I came back to the room, Brandon’s cheeks had actually been pink. The first sign of healthy color he’d shown in awhile.

I figured because even though he was sick and a little kid, Brandon still had man’s blood running through him and not a single man on this planet could be around Elizabeth and not get hot in at least one place.

Still, the fact I’d been hiding a hardening dick for the last thirty minutes had crossed the point of painful twenty minutes ago.

“I can come back another day,” Elizabeth said. She covered Brandon’s hand with hers.

“No.” His eyes drooped and popped open. Hell, he’d fall asleep while talking if we didn’t get out of there.

“Let’s do that,” I said. I’d been close to Elizabeth but seeing Brandon struggle, I moved in closer. She was right in front of me. Her shoulder to my chest. I caught a whiff of her flowery scent and squeezed my eyes closed. Good God. Just the smell of her turned me on.

“Another day, Brandon. We’ll be here a lot this week and next.”

He yawned again and his head fell forward. Nodding, he whispered, “Just one more. Of you two then.”

His voice went raspy and I barely heard him, but as I registered his words, the woman in front of me stiffened. She shook her head and all that hair swished back and forth, brushing along the back of my hand.

Goddamn. I’d just had it wrapped around my fist and the more I was around her, two things had become clear.

She truly had no idea who I was.

But…she really fucking liked what she saw whenever she looked at me.

I could practically smell her arousal.

“Okay, Brandon,” Elizabeth said. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. The pink had faded, but at her lips on his skin, he cracked a huge smile. “Only one though, and then I’ll let you get some rest.”

She slid off the bed, her whole back brushing my chest. I was so close, she almost stumbled back toward the bed and I wrapped my hands around her tiny waist to keep her on her feet.

“Oh.” Her hands went to mine at her stomach and at that first touch of her, flesh on flesh, the same heated spark I felt last night shot right to my chest and mainlined to my dick.

“Sorry,” she said and threw her hands off me.

And shit. I was a goner. “No worries,” I whispered along the top of her head. “Just didn’t want you falling on him.” I pulled us a step back and with my hand still wrapped around her, because I was a fuckingidiot, I gestured toward Penny.

She stood on the other side of the room, smirking.

“Take the picture, Penny.” My voice was a growl.

Penny laughed, snapped a few photos on her phone and then Elizabeth’s.

I dropped my hand from Elizabeth’s waist and stepped back.

“I’ll see y’all later. I figure by now Patrick and Karen have both lost their minds at my disappearance.”

“I’ll see you later,” Elizabeth said. She wasn’t looking at me, but at the bed where Brandon’s head had fallen back. His lips were parted and his chest rose in even breaths.

Damn. The kid had fallen asleep in seconds.

“Right,” I said to Elizabeth and then to Penny, “I’ll check in tomorrow.”

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