Chapter 14
brEAKING: TANNER LONG MIC’D UP. FILTER MALFUNCTIONS IMMEDIATELY Flirting caught on record
Tanner
“Thanks for coming.” I kiss Alaia’s cheek.
“Of course, I came. I said I would.”
Yes, she did. But after our kiss on the Fourth of July, she’s been acting weird. I thought our kiss was better than the fireworks display, which was pretty awesome. But Alaia obviously doesn’t agree.
Except she clung to me and was a full participant. Her tongue dueled with mine and she wrapped her leg around my waist.
If it weren’t for her dad clearing his throat, I would have taken her to the ground and stripped her bare before sinking into her wet heat. My cock twitches.
I nod to her note and pen. “And it’s a good opportunity to discover a story?”
She shrugs. “If a story lands in my lap, I’m not pushing it off.”
“What if I land on your lap? Will you push me off?”
Her gaze rakes over me. “I’ll probably end up with a broken lap.”
I wink. “I can land gentle.”
She giggles. “Tanner Long is many things but gentle isn’t one of them.”
I want to show her I can be gentle. Although, I’m not entirely sure it’s possible when it comes to her. We touch and passion explodes. Gentle is the last thing on my mind. My cock perks up. It wants to be invited to this party.
“Come on.” I grasp her hand. “I want you to meet my friends.”
“Your friends I’ve met at Bootlegger numerous times?”
My friends have followed me to the bar more than once. They claim they’re making certain Alaia doesn’t take advantage of the situation. They’re a bunch of snoopy liars.
“We’ll refer to this as the official meeting.”
She tugs on my hand. “We don’t have to do this. Your friends know this isn’t real.”
My jaw clenches at the reminder of how our relationship is fake. It’s a good thing I have an excuse. “My PR team is here today. We’re putting on a show.”
I guide her across the field to the benches where my friends are loitering around.
I point to the running back. “This is Gage.”
“The man obsessed with my friend, Addy.”
He smiles. “Guilty.”
“Nolan is our quarterback.”
“I’ve heard you’re good at touchdowns.” She winks at him.
“And this is Brock. He’s a fullback.”
“I’ve met your son, Jace. He’s a great kid.”
Brock grunts in response.
“Brock’s other name is Mr. Grumpy.” He glares at me but I motion to Corbin. “And, finally, Corbin. You might remember him from the crab day.”
“Crab day?” Nolan asks. “What the hell is crab day? And why wasn’t I invited?”
Alaia groans. “It’s the day Floyd jumped out of his truck to check the tailgate was closed but forgot the truck was in gear. Causing the truck to roll forward, hit a telephone pole, and spill live crabs all over the boardwalk.”
Nolan blinks at her. “There were live crabs all over the boardwalk?”
She licks her lips. “And they were delicious.”
“Bloodthirsty.” Brock nods. “I approve.”
Alaia snorts. “You approve because I serve you beer when you’re supposed to be dieting.”
I laugh. “She got you.”
“Tanner Long,” Belinda shouts and I groan.
“What’s wrong?” Alaia asks.
“Belinda wants me to be mic’d up during today’s practice.”
“And why is this a problem?”
“Because practice is serious business. She’s turning my work into a publicity stunt.”
Alaia squeezes my hand. “I’m not an expert, but isn’t it normal to get mic’d up sometimes to create content for the social media team?”
“You’re right. I’m …” I trail off. Admitting my fears isn’t easy.
“Worried about your future. I get it.”
My gaze meets hers. Her light blue eyes are open. There’s no deception to be seen. She understands I’m worried. She’s not punishing me for being an idiot. She’s standing beside me, helping me.
My desire for her grows. I’ve wanted Alaia from the second I laid eyes on her. Every second since then has proven my first instinct right – this woman is worth taking a chance on. Too bad she doesn’t think I’m worth taking a chance on.
“Tanner!” I cringe at Belinda’s shriek.
“I'd better go.”
“Go.” Alaia pushes me away. “I’ll be here watching.”
I nod to her notebook. “And taking notes.”
“I am who I am.”
I kiss her cheek before jogging to Belinda.
“Do not say anything that will get us fined,” she says as she clips the mic pack to my waistband.
I scowl down at it. “Define anything.”
“Anything,” she repeats flatly.
Alaia bites back a smile as she stands a few feet away, notebook in hand. I wink at her and she shakes her head.
“Tap it,” the cameraman says.
I sigh and tap the mic. “Testing. Testing. I’m being held against my will.”
Belinda pinches the bridge of her nose. “We can pull you from this.”
As much as I want to shout, ‘pull me,’ ‘pull me, I can’t. I can’t lose my manager. If I lose him, I’ll lose my career since no other agent will touch me. I can’t lose my career. Football is everything.
“Nope,” I mutter. “I’m committed now. We done here?”
I don’t wait for an answer before jogging back over to Alaia. “Hey.”
She lifts her pen. “I’m working.”
“Sure you are.” My gaze drops briefly to her mouth – a mouth I know tastes wild and sweet all in one. “Taking notes about how impressive I am?”
“I haven’t seen anything impressive yet.”
I smirk. “Give me five minutes.”
“Remember,” Belinda hollers, “you’re mic’d.”
I wave her off. “Yeah, yeah.”
The whistle blows. “Line up!” Coach Knox barks.
I jog to my position and roll my shoulders. Playtime is over. It’s time to focus.
“All right, Long,” Coach says. “Try not to flirt your way through this drill.”
I smirk. “No promises, Coach.”
“Long—”
“I’m kidding.”
I crouch at the line. I inhale a deep breath and concentrate on the field. Football is the only thing on my mind now.
The ball snaps and I explode forward. At five yards, I cut. At ten, I accelerate. At fifteen, I break sharply. A defender tries to jam me. I knock his hand away.
“Hands off,” I mutter.
I can feel the ball in the air. I don’t look back until the last second. Then, I turn, track the ball, and snag it out of the air like it was always meant to be mine.
“Again!” Coach shouts.
I toss the ball back to Nolan. “Little higher next time.”
Nolan scoffs. “Catch it first before you complain.”
“I did catch it.”
“Barely.”
I grin. “You love me.”
“Run the play,” Knox snaps.
We reset and I glance toward the sideline in search of Alaia. I can’t keep my eyes off her. I can imagine her on the sidelines every day. The idea should instill fear in a man full of trust issues. A man who doesn’t believe in relationships. But it doesn’t.
“You writing all this down?”
“I’m deciding whether it’s worth writing about.”
I press my hand to my chest. “You wound me.”
“Focus!” Coach roars.
I return my attention to the field. “Yes, Coach.”
There’s another snap. I choose another route. And increase my speed. I leap and catch the ball one-handed. I don’t even break stride as I land.
“I’ve still got it.”
Corbin jogs past me. “You’re talking to yourself.”
“I’m mic’d. I have an audience.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“And yet, I make it look good.”
Coach Knox blows his whistle. “Water break.”
I jog off the field, snag a bottle of water and dump half of it over my head before aiming straight for Alaia.
“You saw me catch the ball, right?”
“I saw you show off.”
“It’s not showing off if I can do it every time.”
“That’s literally the definition of showing off.”
I step closer. Her breath catches.
“Careful,” she says lightly. “You’re still mic’d.”
I glance down. “…Right.” But I don’t step back.
“I’ll keep it clean.” I drop my voice. “But I’m thinking it.”
Coach blows the whistle again. “Back on the field!”
I start to jog off the field before pausing and turning back to Alaia. I drop my voice. “Still think I’m nothing more than a goofball?”
“You’re a very fast goofball.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” one of the PR assistants whispers from behind us.
Belinda groans. “He’s supposed to be talking about football.”
“Long!” Coach snaps. “You done flirting?”
I don’t look away from Alaia. “Never,” I whisper to her before raising my voice. “Coming, Coach!”
I jog back onto the field and the next drill starts. I focus on the field, on the game I love. On the game that saved me from my family.
I force myself not to look at the sideline. I don’t need to. I know she’s watching.
Alaia doesn’t know it yet, but things are changing between us.