Page 57 of The Game We Played

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 watchthem 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.”