Head Over Heels by Crystal B. Bright Page B

late.
    Before she could stop his manhandling, she managed to position him with the bed behind him. She pushed him against the mattress and gave him a hard shove so that he would fall back. When he did, he lay on the bed with his arms outstretched, laughing the entire time.
    “You’ve had a hard day, Mr. Wells.” Kari bent over and removed his black leather shoes. She placed them at the foot of the bed. “You really need to get some sleep.”
    “No. I want to keep drinking.” He raised his hands in the air.
    “I don’t think that’s a great idea.” She planted a knee on the mattress and hovered over his body. She undid the top three buttons on his shirt.
    “And I want to fuck.” He put his hand to his mouth. “Oops. I mean make love.” He wagged his finger in the air. “No cursing in front of women, my mother would say. Used to say.” His voice trailed off to almost a whisper. “Would have said.” When he reached up to touch Kari again, she moved away.
    “That’s not such a great idea either.” Even though the thought had tripped through her mind even before tonight. Kari couldn’t take advantage of this man, not like this, not right now.
    “If I drink, I won’t remember anything. I don’t want to remember anything about today.” Thane became somber for a moment before he brought his legs up on the bed and placed his head on the pillow. “Come here. Lay down with me.” He patted the mattress next to him while keeping his eyes closed.
    “No. You have the bed all to yourself. But I’ll be here in case you need me.” Now that she had intimate access to Thane Wells, she didn’t want to walk out the door. Plus, if he vomited in his sleep and choked, she would never forgive herself. Neither would Frank.
    As soon as she heard Thane’s heavy breathing, she turned off the light and backed out of the room. She kept his door open and left the light on in the living room so she could keep monitoring him.
    Kari took a seat on the couch and exhaled. What luck that she would get this close to Thane this quickly. When the alcohol wore off, however, she would have to be fast on her feet to keep his attention. Then again, the man had called her beautiful. He had also touched her and kissed her. Truth be told, he probably would have done that with any woman helping him or even standing outside his hotel room.
    She removed her shoes and glanced at her phone for the hundredth time. Thankfully, she’d called Michael before it had gotten too late. She liked talking to him before he went to bed.
    Kari would have to think fast about what to do when Thane slept off his mistake.
    She should have done her research. She should have at least Googled him to see what he planned on doing during his stay in Virginia.
    One thing she did know. His behavior that night did not fit the person she admired. Kari had seen Thane in practice and on the field. He played with an intensity she hadn’t seen in a young player. It impressed her enough that Thane had done so little time at Carolina Wrens farm team before making pros.
    In past interviews, his coaches had described him as a solid pitcher, a good team player, a reliable member of the Wren family. A person like that wouldn’t go on a bender like the lump she’d left on the bed. A part of her wanted to chalk it up to his young age.
    No, his state tonight had to do with the funeral and the loss of his mother. She understood that. Kari had made questionable decisions herself after she’d lost her beloved grandfather.
    Now that Thane slept soundly, Kari decided to get some sleep herself. The long drive down had zapped her of her strength. Wrestling with a drunk man, a sexy one at that, had drained the rest of her power. She padded over to the closet by the door and found a pillow and an extra blanket. Before going back to the couch, she crept over to the bedroom and poked her head inside to check on Thane.
    He remained motionless as he slept. As she scanned his body, she wondered