Page 21 of The Game Plan

Fuck. That man is too sexy for his own good.

“What you up to on your week off?” Ivy asks Jaden. “All play?”

He takes a drink of water that our waiter has set down for him, then leans my way. “This is what I love about your sister.She’s like a den mother and coach all rolled into one.”

I know he means it. Ivy has a way with guys. They always end up a little in love with her.

She laughs when Jaden gives her a friendly half hug and exaggerated kiss on the cheek, but then she frowns, her gaze shootingacross the restaurant.

“Damn,” she mutters.

Jaden follows her gaze. “What? That dude with the camera?” He shakes his head. “Little pests, man.”

Paparazzi. Ivy and I grew up with them. Though they’re nowhere near as annoying toward athletes—or most of them—as they arewith actors and singers. Even so, we’ve always regarded them as the enemy.

Since I’m not really news, I’ve grown lazy about spotting them. But Gray is a huge star here. Already one of the best tightends in the NFL, and ridiculously hot to boot, he has his fair share of attention. Ivy, as an agent, daughter of my dad andGray’s wife, gets a lot as well.

“I think they took a picture of us kissing,” Ivy says to Jaden.

“And tomorrow they’ll be saying we’re having a wild affair,” he finishes with an annoyed sigh. “Don’t let it bother you, Ivy.”

“I don’t.” She shrugs. “It just pisses me off. Gray deserves better than that shit.”

“Well.” I toss down my napkin and turn to Jaden. “Let’s give them something else to talk about. Smack one on me, lineman.”

A glint lights his eyes. “I like your style, Fiona.”

I know Jaden can tell we’re just messing around to help Ivy. I’ve always been a flirt. Pretending to kiss a guy is nothingto me. But some small part of me wonders why I offered to do this, because it suddenly feels very wrong.

It’s too late to back out. Jaden cups a hand at the back of my neck and leans in. His kiss is brief—hell, he’s practicallylaughing as he does it—but it’s just long enough to make certain the photographer will see and take a picture. And thoughJaden is good-looking, I don’t feel anything other than mild satisfaction that we’re taking attention away from Ivy and Gray’srelationship.

Jaden pulls back and smiles wide. Ivy is laughing and shaking her head. But her smile fractures, turning into dismay as sheglances over my shoulder.

And I feel cold to the pit of my stomach. Because Iknow. I turn and Dex’s gaze clashes with mine. The cold within me turns to hot, painful lead. His expression is unreadable. Gray’sisn’t; he’s pissed.

Together, they make their way to us.

“Ivy Mac,” Gray says softly as he bends to kiss his wife. He snags a chair from an empty table behind him and sits close toher. Dex takes the empty seat at my side.

Shit. Fuck. Shit.

My throat clenches tight, but some sullen, childish part of me wants to rebel. We’ve only exchanged one kiss and, okay,some seriously hot boob action, but we aren’t in a relationship. We don’t even live in the same city. Then I think of how I’d react if I saw Dex kissing someone else. I’d want to punch him in the junk.

Guilt and embarrassment grow painful as I feel Dex beside me, his arm resting on the table near enough to touch.

“Gray, my man.” Jaden and Gray exchange a dude shake, and then Jaden looks at Dex. “Dexter. Last time I saw you, I took yourQB down at the thirty.”

Dex’s mouth twitches in a shadow of a smile. “Yeah, that two-point conversion we made on the next play for the win must havechafed.”

Gray starts laughing. “That loss fucking sucked. Way to bring it up, J.” He gives Jaden’s back a hearty slap.

The guys laugh.

“Forgot about that part,” Jaden admits with a head shake.

“Happens to defensive linemen all the time,” Dex says as if in sympathy. “They’re easily confused.”

Annoyance rises within me. Here I am feeling guilty as hell for exchanging a fake kiss with a stranger, and Dex is actingas if nothing happened. Well, it didn’t. Buthedoesn’t know that. He’s ignoring me.

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