The Player Next Door - Kathy Lyons Page 0,3

was able to maneuver her bottom half down. He heard the soft impact of her feet in the dirt, but supported every other part of her tight against his body. Hips, torso, those beautiful breasts—everything was pressed sweetly against his body.

Then it was over. Her feet were on the ground, her body was clasped tight in his good arm, and her face was pressed to his neck, her breath quick and hot against his skin. He breathed a sigh of relief and started to adjust her body against him. That was his mistake.

Pain seared up his neck and into his brain. Ice pick type of pain, and—fuck—he knew what that meant. He’d just made his rotator worse. His potentially career-ending injury was now worse. Jesus, the pain was throbbing through his brain. He let go with his right hand, doing everything he could to save his shoulder. She was on her feet at least so she didn’t stumble, but she was still flopped awkwardly against his chest.

“Did we land in the flox? I can’t see.”

Flox? He didn’t even know what flox was. “Straighten up,” he growled. He couldn’t take care of his shoulder if she didn’t get off him. Fuck, it hurt. But even worse was the knowledge that he’d just delayed his recovery by God-only-knew how long.

“They’re probably doomed,” she said with a sigh, her breath feathering across his chest as she tried to extricate herself from his hold. But her legs got tangled in his, and her arms were awkwardly placed with her left one beneath one shoulder, and the right one over the other.

“I landed there on Monday while trying to clean out the gutters.”

Jesus. If she would just freaking support her own weight he could deal with his pain. She managed it finally, but only after jarring his shoulder again. A list of profanities blew through his mind, and a few spilled out of his mouth behind his clenched jaw. Distantly he heard her squeak in alarm, but that was it. A tiny mouse sound amid the storm of agony in his shoulder.

He focused on that sound. It was high and came from somewhere near his left ear. And then he felt her hands on his face. Soft. Gentle. A stroke across his jaw in a steady, sweet rhythm.

He concentrated on that, letting it consume his whole attention while his breath eased, the pain dulled and he could slowly, inevitably open his eyes.

The first thing he saw was her clear blue eyes, wide and worried. The next was the sweet red bow of her lips. She had a peaches and cream complexion that was rosy in just the right places.

Beautiful.

Then she shook her head. “You should have told me you were hurt. We could have thought of a different way for me to fall. On a mattress or something.”

Too bad she was a complete ditz.

Chapter Two

He gave her a tolerant smile. The one reserved for lunatics and the terminally ill. But since that proved he wasn’t dying, Tori exhaled in relief. She could tell the strain around his eyes and mouth had eased with just that small gesture. If she could make him laugh, then everything would be okay. Or at least less bad. And lucky for him, she could make just about anyone laugh. Usually at her, but at the moment, she would make the sacrifice.

She looked down at the ground and huffed out an annoyed breath at the small patch of now trampled greenery. “We’ve killed it for sure.”

He sighed, sounding very much like Edward at his most impatient. It was not an endearing sound. “What have we killed?”

“My flox,” she said. “It’s not your fault.”

“I was saving your life—”

“I know. Thank you. I think they were doomed anyway from the other day.”

He’d immobilized his arm against his chest. She tried not to notice how broad his chest was but he was so tall that his torso filled practically her entire field of view. “You fell off the roof before?” he asked, clearly doubting her sanity.

“No. Off a tall chair. That’s when I thought to get up on the roof.” She frowned at him. “Shouldn’t we be putting ice on that or something?” She gestured to her house. “I’ve got ice inside—”

He shook his head. “I’ve got it at my place.”

He nodded and turned toward the street while she kept pace with him. He wasn’t laughing yet, and as he had saved her life, she intended to do what she could for him. “I