Page 78 of The Game We Played

Because he’s a player. I force the thought away. I don’t need a reminder of all the women he’s been with.

“Tanner!” Nolan shouts. “Come on. We need you. We’re uneven.”

Tanner rolls his eyes. “I’m needed out there.”

I push him. “Go. Have fun.”

“You sure? I can stay with you. It’s no fun being at a barbecue by yourself.”

I snort. “I’m the bartender atBootlegger.I recognize every person on this beach.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. Go. Have fun.” My nose wrinkles. “Maybe take your shirt off, so I have something pretty to look at.”

He smirks before whipping off his shirt and throwing it at me. “Your wish is my command, gorgeous.”

His gaze catches on something behind me and he freezes. His smirk deepens and he swaggers toward me. “Don’t miss me too much,” he says in a loud voice.

My brow wrinkles. What just happened? My Tanner disappeared.

He kisses my cheek before spinning around and hurrying toward his teammates. He kicks sand at Brock, who growls at him in return.

“Uh oh. Mr. Grumpy is in attendance. I’m so scared.” He laughs as he feigns running away from Brock.

What is going on? This isn’t the Tanner I’ve come to know.

I glance behind me. The paparazzi isn’t hard to spot. There are three of them kneeling in the sand with their camera lenses aimed our way.

Ah, they explain why Tanner flipped on the goofball switch. He’s playing a game with them.

When he’s with me, he’s another person. He’s not playing a game with me. He’s real. I get to see the Tanner Long no one knows.

I just hope he’s not playing a game with my heart.

Chapter 24

BREAKING: FOOTBALL PROVES IT’S NOT “JUST A GAME” One player learns who’s really in his corner

Tanner

I squeeze Alaia’s hand. “Thanks for coming today.”

She smiles at me and my heart jumps. I want to see her smile up at me forever. Not just this summer. Not just until the new year. I need to tell her how I feel, but every time an opportunity arises, I freeze.

How will she react to my declarations? Will she laugh at me? Will she sigh in derision?

I need to stop being a wimp. Alaia isn’t my father or mother who laughed at me when I told them I wanted to play on the high school football team. Or my siblings who rolled their eyes when I got a football scholarship to college.

“No problem. I have a ton of emails to check, and I want to get this month’sSiren’s Spillcolumn written.”

I lift an eyebrow. “You seriously think you can write an article while I’m out there playing football?”

Her nose wrinkles. “Why? Do you think the football game will distract me?”

I tickle her ribs. “I’ll show you distraction.”

She giggles before running away from me. Cute. Does she think I can’t catch her? I’m one of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL.