Page 82 of Her Player

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second,” I said as I looked around.

I didn’t even get up from the bedside before Jett handed me a warm cup of water and a washcloth.

“Thanks,” I muttered as I took it from him.

All he did was give me a chuckle, however, before he moved somewhere behind me. I didn’t know if he left, or if he had taken up residence in a chair. Possibly a corner. All I knew was that Rhett looked at me with that one bloodshot blue eye, and it broke my heart.

“Just hold still, okay?” I asked softly.

I dipped the washcloth into the water and slowly slid it beneath the eye he had already opened. He tracked my movements, his crystalline orb moving with my face. I wiped at the crusties, making sure to get the top of his eyelid as well, along the row of impossibly long eyelashes he had that should’ve been illegal on a man.

My God, the man was perfect.

“Here, let me get the other one,” I murmured as I dipped the washcloth back into the warm cup of water.

I swear, the ends of his lips crooked upwards into a grin as I softened the crusties binding his other eye closed.

I wiped his eyes and his face. I rushed it along his chapped lips, allowing the water to dribble a bit into his mouth. It was warm water, sure, but he clearly needed it.

“Jett, can you⁠—”

“Already got it, Miss Caldwell,” he said as he handed me a cup of nugget ice.

The good ice.

“Thanks,” I said as I nodded up at him.

He thumbed over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go tell Coach that he’s awake.”

I just nodded as I turned my attention back to Rhett. “You up for some ice?”

His tongue darted out to lick his lips, but all he did was nod. I was glad for it, too. He had to conserve his energy so that he could heal. I plucked a nugget of ice out of the cup and held it up to his lips. His mouth encircled the tips of my fingers, and the warmth shot goosebumps up my clothed arm. He chewed it slowly, his eyes fluttering closed.

“Please, keep them open?” I said softly.

He chewed and swallowed before his hoarse voice came forth. “Anything for you, beautiful.”

I just snickered, trying to keep my tears at bay as I fed him another nugget of ice. And another. Watching him slowly chomp on them, allowing the melted water to dribble down the back of his throat.

Then his voice cleared itself enough to speak again. “There any blue Jell-O around here?”

Ah, so that’s why Jett mentioned the stuff. “I think your bestie’s already on it.”

He chuckled. “Ah, gotta love that Jett.”

My lower lip quivered. “You scared the shit out of me, Rhett.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

I drew in a broken breath as I set the glass of ice off to the side. “I saw you out there on that ice not moving and I thought⁠—”

Fucking hell, I didn’t even want to breathe the idea into existence.

But then I felt a warm, comforting grip cover my hand.

“Victoria, look at me,” Rhett said.

I slid my watery eyes over to him. “Yeah?”