Chapter 17
brEAKING: MORNING AFTER COMES WITH COMPLICATIONS Denial efforts underway
Alaia
A phone beeps and I groan. I’m not ready to wake up. I didn’t get nearly enough sleep last night. Thanks to the man who’s currently wrapped around me.
Tanner Long. I never should have agreed to fake date a man I find irresistible. But I thought I could resist him. He’s a player and a goofball. Totally resistible.
Wrong.
There’s more to Tanner than the image he presents to the world. He’s serious about his position on the team. He’s driven to win a Super Bowl ring. He’s caring and protective. He’s interested in my career. He even begged Coach Knox to allow me to interview him.
Still.
I shouldn’t have let him have his wicked way with me. Why in the world did I think we could eat fast food in bed and watch movies together and nothing would happen? He was wearing a tux for mermaid’s sake. Every man is sexy in a tuxedo.
Who was I kidding? Me, obviously.
A phone beeps again and Tanner’s arm tightens around me. “Shut it off.”
“Not my phone.”
He groans and I elbow him. “I’m serious, Tanner. My phone doesn’t shout touchdown.”
“Crap. It’s Belinda.” His arm tightens around me. “I was planning to enjoy the morning in bed with you.”
My core quivers. It’s down with his plan.
I’m not. We need to get back on track. Because no matter what, Tanner is gone at the end of the summer. I won’t be the summer fling he forgets all about once the season is in full swing. He’ll be off scoring touchdowns while I’m on Smuggler’s Hideaway crying into my moonshine with a broken heart.
No, I won’t. I refuse. I will not develop feelings for Tanner Long. If I do, the next thing I know, he’ll be taking over my life and making all my decisions for me. He’s already proven how good he is at convincing me to do things. I am naked in his bed after all.
He kisses my neck. “Be right back.”
The second his heat is gone, I roll out of bed and aim for the bathroom. I’ll take a quick shower and be ready to go in no time.
Wrong again. I have to wash my hair three times before the texture begins to resemble hair. How much hairspray did those stylists use yesterday?
When I finally exit the bathroom dressed in my normal clothes, Tanner is waiting for me on the bed.
His brow wrinkles. “Why are you dressed?”
I check the time. “Our plane leaves in three hours.” My stomach growls. “And I’m hungry. I never finished my McDonald’s last night.”
His green eyes darken to the color of emerald. “I remember why.”
Time for the ‘talk’. “Speaking of which.”
His eyes narrow. “No.”
“No, what? You don’t know what I was going to say.”
“You were going to say some bullshit about regretting last night. I don’t regret last night.”
“Neither do I.”
It was a mistake, but I don’t regret it. I could never regret spending a night getting naked and sweaty with Tanner. He’s an amazing man who doesn’t let many people get close enough to realize how amazing he is.
But it can’t be more than one night. More than one night and I’ll develop feelings for this man.
Which would be a big mistake. The worst possible kind. He doesn’t do relationships. He only agreed to ‘date’ me to save his reputation. And his PR agent forced him.
“But this can’t happen again.”
“Why not? Don’t say you didn’t enjoy yourself. You’d be lying. I felt it. I know you—”
I hold up a hand before he can get graphic. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against graphic or dirty talk. But not when I’m trying to reinforce our ground rules.
“We have an agreement. This arrangement is fake.”
“It didn’t feel fake last night.”
No, it didn’t. Which is why it can’t happen again. But I’m not telling Tanner how I’m afraid he’ll break my heart. I’m not giving him any ammunition to hurt me. Or worse, manipulate me.
“Tanner, come on. Stop being stubborn. This relationship is over at the end of the summer. There’s no reason to complicate it now.”
“Complicate it?”
I roll my eyes. “Sex complicates everything.”
“It doesn’t have to.”
Thank you for proving I’m making the right decision. He can have sex with me all summer long and then walk away. Probably while whistling. I’m not the kind of person who can have meaningless sex. I have sex and I catch feelings – whether I want to or not.
“I do—”
The doorbell rings and interrupts me.
“Who’s at the door?”
Tanner launches off the bed. He’s wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. The jeans are molded to his ass and thighs. I watch them bunch as he walks to the door. I should turn away. Not stare. But I don’t.
“I ordered us breakfast. I figured you’d be hungry after last night.” He winks before opening the door.
How sweet and thoughtful. I shake my head. It doesn’t mean anything, Alaia. He’s probably hungry, too.
Tanner motions the room service person inside. He pushes one cart while pulling another one. There are two carts? How much food did Tanner order?
“Hurry up!” Tanner says when we’re alone again. “We don’t want the food getting cold. Not the way it did last night.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“Always the charmer,” I mutter as I make my way to the dining area of the suite, where he’s placing tray after tray of food on the table.
“How much food did you order?”
He shrugs. “I didn’t know what you eat for breakfast. I wanted you to have whatever you want. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. In life. In your career.”
Those words fill me with way too much warmth. I shouldn’t feel all warm and squishy when it comes to my fake boyfriend.
Hold on. I need to re-frame this. Tanner is also my friend. And friends want the best for their friends.
“Thank you, charmer. You’re a good friend.”
He scowls. I hold my breath waiting for him to start another argument about how we could have sex all summer. How friends with benefits is a great idea.
“I got pancakes and waffles. Sausage and eggs. Fruit and yogurt. Cereal and milk. Whatever your heart desires.”
I blow out a breath. Phew. He’s moved on from the subject of us. Good.
“In other words, you ordered the entire breakfast menu.”
“Whatever you don’t want, I’ll eat.” He rubs his belly. “I have a big appetite.”
“You also have a weigh-in on Monday.”
“No biggie. I’ll go for an extra run.” He pauses. “Unless you want to help me burn off some calories in another way.”
I groan. “Knock it off.”
He pulls out a chair for me. “Sit. Eat.”
“What did Belinda want?” I ask once I’ve piled my plate high with pancakes, sausage, and fruit.
He grunts. “To criticize my life and every decision I’ve ever made.”
I frown. I don’t know what decision he made to lead him to having a PR company try to clean up his act. Everyone who follows football knows Tanner is a goofball who’s always getting in trouble. But, as far as I know, he’s never hired a PR company to save his reputation before.
I wonder what he did. What could be bad enough for his manager to threaten to quit? I want to ask, but I promised not to pry. I also promised to keep my hands to myself. But never mind.
“Anything in specific?”
He finishes his bite of pancake before answering. “She was annoyed with us for leaving early last night.”
“Early?” My brow rises. “We waited until the speeches were finished, and I was faint from hunger to leave.”
“She wanted us to dance a few times. Let the world see how I’m a reformed playboy. Now everyone thinks I dashed you off to have my wicked way with you.”
My cheeks darken.
“Which I did.”
I choke on my coffee. “Warn a girl next time.”
“Nah. I enjoy it when you’re off kilter.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Be nice. I know a fisherman who would happily throw a few crabs into your hotel suite on the island.”
“And here I thought you were the good girl.”
“I am, but I was raised with two evil twins who carry around a notebook with revenge ideas.”
“Beth and Anne are hilarious.”
“Hilarious when you don’t have to live with them.” I rub a finger over my eyebrows. “I thought my eyebrows would never grow back.”
“How did they manage to pluck out all your eyebrows anyway?”
“We had a moonshine drinking competition first. I should have realized something was going on when they kept leaving the room and coming back. I was completely smashed. They were sober. And there went my eyebrows.”
“What did you do?”
I clutch my chest. “Why do you assume I did anything?”
He merely raises an eyebrow.
“Fine. I told the history teacher about their twin switcheroo act.”
“Tell the truth. You must be a little jealous you don’t have a twin.”
“Nope. Not even a bit.”
The doorbell rings, and he checks the time on his phone. “Our car is here. Time to return to reality.”
The reality where Tanner and I aren’t a couple. It’s merely fake. My stomach drops but I ignore it.
I do not want a real relationship with Tanner Long. He can be manipulative and overpowering. It’s dangerous to my independence. In conclusion, he’s a bad bet.