Page 23 of Tempting the Player
“You did us dirty.” Archer points at his brother.
“It’s just a game, bro. Don’t take it so seriously.” Hendrick isn’t even trying to hide his smug smile.
“I will so get you back for this.”
I link my arm through Hendrick’s. “Tell it to Selena the next time you write.”
Everyone around us laughs as I pull Hendrick away from the beer pong table. I stop when we get into the middle of the yard and drop his arm. It’s louder this close to the speakers. The band is taking a break, but they turned on music to keep the vibe going. I stand on my toes and shout near his ear. “I hope I didn’t just create a mess of trouble for you at home.”
“They’re harmless,” he shouts back. “Or I think so. Been awhile since I messed with them.”
“I feel like there are probably some good stories there.”
“Yeah.” He smiles, and then it falls and is replaced with some expression I can’t quite read.
“Will you tell me some of them?”
He considers it and then nods. “Sure.”
I tip my head toward the house. He follows me inside where I grab a seltzer for myself. “What do you want? We have beer, seltzer, champagne—”
“I’m all set. Thanks.”
With my drink in hand, I walk through the living room and out to the front porch. He lingers in the doorway as I sit on the top step.
“It’s quieter out here,” I say by way of explaining my choice of location.
His long legs erase the space between us, and he lowers himself to the step beside me. We both stare out into the night. Cars are lined up down the street and the music and voices drift out here in a pleasant, inviting way. Or it would be inviting if I didn’t want to be alone with Hendrick.
I angle my body toward him, and my knees rest against his thigh. “What was it like growing up with a big family?”
“Loud and chaotic,” he says.
“Sounds fun.”
“Sometimes it was.”
“And other times?”
“I wanted to kick their asses.” He shoots me a sheepish half-smile. “Knox and I were the worst. We were always butting heads over dumb shit. Both of us were too competitive to back down. We got into a lot of brawls. Mostly harmless.”
He pauses then, like he’s surprised himself by how much he’s said.
“Mostly?” I laugh lightly. “Your poor parents. Did you get in trouble a lot?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Hendrick stretches one leg out in front of him. He gets this look on his face when he’s thinking, like he’s far away in the memories or deciding how much to share.
“Not really.”
“Were they not around much or...”
“Our mom died when Archer was twelve.”
“Oh my gosh.” I place a hand on his leg. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have pried.”
“It’s okay. We fought before that, but after it was worse, with all of us dealing with it in our own ways.”
“That makes sense. I’m really sorry.”
