Page 82 of Tempting the Player
“Come on. Have one beer with us?” Arch sets one beer on the counter in front of me, then gets another from the fridge and takes both into the living room for him and Brogan.
“It’s late and I gotta get this to Jane before she passes out.”
Brogan gives me a thumbs down as he lifts the bottle to his lips.
I slip back into my room and then freeze. My heart tries to climb up my throat and heat swirls in my gut. Jane’s dress is lying at the end of the bed and she’s passed out mostly naked.
I do my best not to look at all her tempting skin splayed out over my navy comforter. I set the water and meds on the nightstand, then open my dresser and grab one of my T-shirts for her.
Coming back to the bed, I sit on the edge of the mattress. “Sit up for me.”
She does with a groan. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I lift my shirt and pull it down over her blonde hair. She struggles to get her arms through, but then flops back onto the pillow wearing my old Huskies football shirt. It’s too big for her, but it’s bunched up around her waist, leaving her tiny black panties in plain view.
“Tonight. Cam. Everything.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. You were right, it’s none of my business.”
She flinches at my words. “Well either way, tonight was really great for a while. I forgot about everything and was able to just have fun. I didn’t realize how much I needed that, so thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I get the Advil and water and wait while she downs the medicine.
She hands the glass back to me looking so unsettled that all I can think about is wrapping my arms around her. I’m still pissed about Cam, even if I have no right to be.
I start to stand. “Night, Jane. If you need anything, I’ll be in the living room.”
“Wait.” She reaches out and grabs my forearm. “Don’t leave. I mean, you don’t need to keep sleeping on the couch. We can build a pillow wall.” She takes two pillows and puts them down the middle of the bed.
“It’s fine. The couch isn’t so bad.”
“I don’t like being alone anymore,” she says quietly.
My chest is tight. “I won’t be far.”
She nods and turns back to her side to sleep. By the time I pull the comforter up over her bare legs, her breathing has evened out. I shut the light off and slip back into the living room.
I go straight for the beer still sitting on the counter, twist off the top and take a long drink.
After I swallow, I let out a long sigh and take a seat in a chair across from Brogan and Archer.
“Hard day at the office?” Brogan asks as he brings the bottle back to his lips.
Archer snorts, then takes off his hearing aids and sets them on the coffee table. I wonder what it’s like for the world to be silent. He stands and asks, “Another?”
Brogan nods. I do the same.
“Yeah, why not?” Maybe it’ll distract me from the half-naked woman sleeping in my bed.
My brother comes back with three more beers.
“Thanks,” Brogan says and signs the word. He’s always been the most considerate of Archer’s hearing loss.
We all know ASL, but rarely need to use it since Archer learned to read lips instead of relying on signing himself. He was ten when he had the accident that caused him to lose his hearing, so I don’t blame him for wanting to keep as much of his life the same as possible, but sometimes I wonder if he’s accommodated us too much instead of the other way around.
The hearing aids help, but they don’t give him perfect hearing. He told me once wearing them made the world feel more alive around him, but that sometimes he preferred the silence because it was exhausting trying to keep up with conversations when it sounds like everyone is whispering around you.
I sign thank you as he takes a seat across from me.
