Page 7 of Personal Foul

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Kaiden tossed his keys on the foyer table as he walked into his suite. Operation Girlfriend was underway, but the gawking spectators gave him pause. He had to tell Romilly who he really was and see if she wanted to be in the circus that was his life. Of course, he also needed to see if they connected. He couldn’t be around someone who might be a gold digger or a raging bitch, no matter how much he needed her as a shield for his career. Although he didn’t get that vibe from Romilly, he still needed her to be a good conversationalist.

His phone rang and when he pulled it out of his pocket his ex-best friend’s name flashed on the screen. Trying to contain his annoyance, he connected the call and braced himself.

“What do you want, Nick?” he asked harshly.

“Kaiden.” His tone held relief. “Thank you for taking my call. I know it’s not been…”

“Nick,whatdo you want?” he asked again, inserting a little more anger into his tone.

Nick sighed. “I saw you on the news. I was worried.”

“There’s no reason for you to worry about me.”

“I’m still your friend. I still care about you—”

“Stop!” he roared. “You don’t have the right to say you’re my friend. I almost lost everything because of you, so stop calling me. Stop fuckingthinkingabout me.”

Nick’s harsh breathing came through. “I’m sorry, Kaiden. About everything.”

“If you are still my friend, as you say, then do me a favor and lose my number. Goodbye, Nick.”

He hung up and closed his eyes, trying to calm down. He and Nick had once been thick as thieves. They’d played football together through middle and high school, but Nick had decided not to pursue football as a career. He’d gone on to become alawyer.

Just then a text message came through from Romilly, asking if seven was okay. He immediately texted back and confirmed it was good. Then she sent him three emojis. A thumbs-up, a smiley face, and a unicorn head. He wasn’t sure what the unicorn head meant, but it made him chuckle, and right then it was exactly what he needed.

He also needed to expel the restless energy Nick’s call left him in, so he grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the hotel’s gym.

Chapter Four

Romilly’s leg jiggled nervously under the table as she waited for Kaiden to show up. She half convinced herself he was going to stand her up. What could he possibly see in her? He was Adonis and she was just … ordinary.

She picked up her Shirley Temple and took a sip just as Kaiden walked into the restaurant. He looked around and she raised her hand to get his attention. A blinding smile lit up his face and he joined her at the table, leaning over to kiss her cheek before sitting down.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.”

“No, not long.”

He held up his hand and almost immediately a server came over.

“Hello,” he said. “I’d like an iced tea, please.”

“Um, sure,” the young woman said. “You wouldn’t happen to be Kai—”

“No,” Kaiden answered immediately. “But I get that a lot. I guess I have one of those faces.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry. Let me get your drink.”

Romilly watched the woman hurry away before tilting her head to the side. “That’s the second weird thing that’s happened around you. Care to explain?”

Resignation flashed through his eyes. “Before I do that, let me ask you if you watch football.”

“English football or American?”

A smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “American.”

“Not really. Why?”

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