Page 29 of The Quarterback Sneak

Olivia chuckles, shaking her head. “Because if you want people to believe that you and Zach are a couple, then you need to be in each other’s presence for longer than a few minutes.”

Zach’s blond hair pops against the red leather seats, and my breathing slows. He hasn’t noticed me because he’s too focused on a few of his teammates.

“Does Zach always come to these after-practice lunches?”

“Nope.” Olivia pops the p. “He’s usually too busy, or he’s not invited, but today he wanted to make a statement with you.”

Jamie sits on the other side of the restaurant with Connor, Brett, and Kyle. That’s why Zach brought me here. To flaunt our relationship in front of them and give them a little taste of what’sto come. My body shudders; I wish Zach had warned me. Now we’ve got to make this believable.

Glancing over at Zach, I’m surprised how at ease he is here. Considering he normally doesn’t hang out with these guys, he looks happy. Drawing a play on a couple of napkins, his tongue pokes out in concentration, making me smile. It’s cute.

I pause.

Did I just think that?

Zach’s cute? I swallow, watching his smile grow as he raises the napkins. There’s no denying he’s gorgeous, but he’spretendingto be my boyfriend. That’s it.

His face lights up when his eyes connect with mine, and my stomach cramps. The smell of the burritos is clearly getting to me. I’ve avoided coming to places like this because they’re too tempting.

“Don’t just stand there looking like a goofy idiot. Go claim your man. Jamie’s watching.”Right. That’s what I’m here for.

Following diligently behind Olivia, I keep my focus on Zach. The way he watches me acts like a compass, guiding me straight to him.

“Livi,” Mike shouts, standing and wrapping her in a hug. “What are you doing here?” He kisses her cheek, then looks over at me and smiles. “Hey, Honey. Are you here to see your boy?” he asks with a smirk only he and I can see. He knows I wouldn’t step foot in a place like this without a good reason.

I swallow, wetting my bottom lip. Before I can respond, Zach wraps his arms around me. “Hey, Kitten,” he says, loud enough for the other two players at the table to hear. He kisses my cheek, and I freeze, still not used to the zing of electricity I get when his lips touch my skin. “Relax,” he whispers. “Sam and Hunter are watching.” He’s right; if I want the football team to back off, they need to believe this.

“Hey, Z.” He smiles when I stretch my arm around him, and I’m surprised at how much wider he is than Jamie. Squeezing my side, he leads me to the table. “Sam, get yourself a chair. I’m going to sit in the booth with my girl.” The words fall out of Zach’s mouth easily, but I have to stop myself from cringing. This whole thing feels so cheesy.

Scooting into the booth, I look around the restaurant, surprised that nothing has changed. “Have you been here before?” Zach asks, shuffling in.

“Once when I was six. My nanny brought me here because she believed queso was the answer to all life’s problems.”

“Sounds like she’s got her priorities straight.” Zach jokes.

“Too bad my parents didn’t see it that way. They fired her the next day.”

Mike lets out a low whistle, and Olivia stares at me with wide eyes. Come to think of it, the whole table has stopped and is watching me with surprise. I adjust myself against the seat and try to laugh it off. “Joking,” I chime, but no one is laughing.

“What do you want for lunch, Sugar Lips?” Zach taps his thigh against mine, trying to help me out.

Why is this so hard, and why does it feel so awkward? Zach is nice, and he’s the perfect distraction from Jamie, but I just can’t get comfortable around him. I constantly feel like I’m on my tiptoes and worried about saying or doing the wrong thing.

With every touch of his thigh against mine, I scoot farther away until I’m backed into the corner. He lifts a brow before placing his arm around me. I lean into his chest, trying to make it look natural but feeling incredibly uncomfortable with an audience. Maybe we should have practiced before coming here.

“I’m not hungry,” I say, ignoring the tortilla chips and queso in front of me.

“You sure about that? I can hear your stomach growling from here.” I whip my head in Zach’s direction, narrowing my eyesat his cavalier attitude. “What? I can’t say I’m surprised. Your stomach must be yearning for something other than lettuce. She’ll have a chicken enchilada with rice and beans,” Zach tells the waitress, and before I can retort, he squeezes my shoulder, encouraging me to play along. I look up, catching eyes with Sam and then Hunter, and do my best to muster up a smile. I can’t believe I agreed to come here with Olivia. What a stupid move. By the time I’ve eaten this, I’ll be bloated and huge. If my mother doesn’t smell the cheese on me when I get home, she’ll certainly see the weight gain. Then she’ll probably check that tracking app she doesn’t think I know about.

Zach kisses my forehead, then flicks my hair over my shoulder. “Jamie’s watching,” he says so softly it almost sounds like he’s saying something dirty.

His breath tickles the back of my neck, and I giggle, too engrossed with Zach’s acting to notice anything else.

“Is that what we look like?” Olivia asks with disgust on her face.

“Nah. We’re much more discreet.” Mike copies Zach, kissing Olivia on the forehead.

“Please, for the love of God, spare us.” Sam elbows Hunter on the side to get his agreement.

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