Page 52 of Tempting the Player
“Flynn has a basketball game.”
Her smile widens, but she doesn’t say anything. That’s a first for her.
“What?”
“I’m just picturing you and all your brothers sitting on high school bleachers together.”
“Because?”
“I don’t know. You’re all so hot.”
I take another sip, then grimace. “You think my brothers are hot?”
“They look like you.”
I wish I could let the compliment land like she wants, but I promised myself I would not fuck this up again. She needs me. Even if she doesn’t realize how badly. Besides, I turned down the job Logan booked me with the old man Waverly and told him not to schedule anything for at least the next month. Protecting Jane and figuring out how to fix things with my brothers is all I have going on right now. And looking out for her seems like the far easier task if I’m honest.
“Is Flynn any good?” she asks, casting me a sideways glance. “At basketball.”
“Yeah, he is actually, but his first love is baseball.” I take another sip and then grimace.
“You don’t have to keep drinking it if it’s that terrible.”
“It’s growing on me.” It’s definitely not.
“Cam plays baseball.” She jabs a thumb over her shoulder. “The guy I ran into at the bookstore.”
“I remember him.” Unfortunately. “Are you going to the party tonight?”
Her jaw drops slowly. “You heard?”
“You pressed twice instead of once.”
She lifts a hand to her ear, then shakes her head. “I’m gonna have to take the thing out before I pee.”
I chuckle softly.
“So, are you?” I ask a few seconds later.
“No, I don’t think so. I haven’t really felt like partying lately.”
That seems so contradictory I can’t help but ask, “Why not?”
“I don’t know.” Her tone is soft and conflicted. “The thing at our party happened.”
“Your room being vandalized?”
She nods. “Then Grady was with me so that felt weird. It would have been like going to a party with my dad.” She makes a face that has me chuckling again. “So, I’ve just been keeping it low-key.”
As her bodyguard, I’m glad to hear that she’s keeping a low profile, but the more I get to know her, the more I see just how much the drama of the past month has changed her and stopped her from doing the things she loves.
I walk her all the way to the door of her sociology class. “Have fun.”
“Fun?” She quirks a brow, but still smiles up at me in a way that has me reciprocating.
“Learn something, I don’t know. See you after.”
Her gaze drops to my mouth and then she looks up at me with those gorgeous green eyes. “See you after.”
