Playing Hard to Get (The Players)

“WHAT THE HELL is your problem? You’ve been grinning nonstop since Thursday afternoon.”

This comes from Cam as we’re changing into our uniforms in the locker room. It’s Saturday. Game day, and I’m ready to fucking crush our opponent.

“So?” I try to muster up a scowl, but it’s like I can’t. He’s right.

All I can do is grin.

“Something happen? You get some news you can’t share with any of us yet?” Cam asks, his curiosity obvious. I’m surprised it took him this long to ask.

“No, no news.” But something definitely happened, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Thinking about her.

That’s why I have a grin on my face. Why practices have been going well. Why I’ve been sleeping at night instead of tossing and turning and why I got a nine out of ten points on the opening paragraph for my essay.

It’s all thanks to Jo Jo.

No one else knows about us and I like it that way. My hands are itching to get a hold of her again soon. Maybe even tonight. I haven’t talked to her since our last “session,” and I’m okay with it. The memories of kissing her are on replay, like an endless loop in my brain, and I’ve gone over the moment countless times already.

The feel of her pressed against me. Sitting on my lap. Her lips on mine. Her tongue tangled with mine. Her fingers in my hair. Her hands clinging to my shoulders. The sounds she makes when I kiss her…

I’m eager to see her again. Maybe even desperate.

And I never feel desperate over a woman. Ever.

“Something happened.” This comes from Derek, who’s making his way toward us with a determined look on his face. “You got laid.”

“I did not.” I school my features, trying for impassive. “I’d tell you if I got laid.”

“Would you, though?” Derek practically shoves his face in mine, his gaze narrowed. “I’d keep it a secret too if it saved me a grand.”

“He didn’t get laid.” Cam shoves Derek away from me, shaking his head. “I’d know it if he did.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“We live together, asshole. Remember?” Cam turns to me. “And I haven’t seen him sneak anybody in lately.”

“That’s because I haven’t. There is no sex happening here. My body is a sacred temple.” I wave a hand at said body, meaning every word I say because it’s true.

I didn’t have sex with anyone. I kissed a woman for about an hour. That’s it. Haven’t done something like that in a long time, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. I forgot how fuckin’ great kissing is. When that’s all you can do, you really throw your all into it, and that’s what I did with Joanna.

She’s a good kisser. She tastes delicious. Smells good too.

“A sacred temple.” Derek shakes his head. “What a crock of shit.”

“Hey. It’s been untouched for the last two months.” Sort of true. “That’s pretty fucking sacred for me.”

Cam laughs. “He’s not wrong.”

I don’t take offense to what Cam says because he’s right.

Once we’re suited up, Coach Mattson gives us a long-winded speech about trying our best, working hard to stay on top and ends it with a rousing, “let’s go kick some ass!” which is exactly what we hear every Saturday before a game, but it always works.

We run out onto the field minutes later, the announcer shouting over the intercom, music playing loudly and the crowd screaming their approval. It’s a crisp and sunny fall afternoon and it looks like every freaking seat in the house is full.

I love that we get so much love from the fans. That they’re proud of us and they turn out every week, whether it’s a home or away game. Makes me realize I’m not only trying to win for myself and my team, but for the people in the stands too. I want them to be proud of us.

Proud of me.

I’m scanning the seats closer to the field, specifically the section where I gave Joanna her tickets. My gaze lingers on each face as we draw closer, searching for her when I spot—

“I see Blair showed up.” This comes from Cam, who’s jogging right beside me.

I glance over at him, slowing my pace, as does he. “I didn’t give her a ticket.”

“Yeah, I know. But I did.”

“What? Why?”

“She asked me for one.” He shrugs.

“And why didn’t she ask me for one?” I’m offended, which is stupid. “When did you see her?”

“I don’t know why she didn’t ask you. I ran into her last night and we got to talking. She mentioned going to the game and sitting in the student section, and I told her I could get her a better seat, so I did.”

“Where did you two talk?” I had no idea Cam and Blair spent any time together, let alone enough time for them to chat and Cam offer her a ticket to the game.

“I went out last night with a couple of the guys. Remember?”

Oh right. Cam asked if I wanted to go, but I stayed in, which is unheard of for me. But the last thing I wanted to do was go to a couple of bars and fight off the groupies on a Friday night. I lounged in bed instead, attempted to watch a movie on Netflix but passed out about thirty minutes in. I woke up to the credits, snapped my laptop shut and fell back asleep.

“So you saw Blair at a bar?” I don’t like the idea of my sister hanging out at bars. She’s so damn sweet, a total creeper might take advantage of her, and she’d have no clue until she was in too deep.

“Well, yeah. She’s twenty-one, and she was with her roommates. Don’t worry, I kept watch over her,” he reassures me when I send him a skeptical look.

Relief floods me that my friend took care of her. I trust him more than anyone else. He’d never let anything happen to Blair.

“Thanks for that. And thanks for getting her a ticket.” We both swivel our heads in Blair’s direction, catching her watching us, a faint smile curving her lips. She lifts her hand in a little wave and we both wave in return, my gaze lifting, snagging on a familiar face right behind her.

Jo Jo. Her friend Natalie sitting beside her.

“No problem.” Cam’s gaze is still locked on the stands. “Anything for your sister, am I right?”

“As long as you treat her like she’s your little sister and nothing else, I’m good, bro.” We head for the sideline, my gaze lingering on Joanna as we run past her section, but she doesn’t even notice. She’s too busy chatting with her friend.

Instead of letting that little fact get inside my head and ruin my focus, I tunnel all of my energy into the game. The team we’re playing is nationally ranked, just like we are, and there is a lot on the line for both of us. The outcome effects both of our teams’ standings and, of fucking course, I want us to move up instead of descend.

A loss today is unacceptable. We have to beat these assholes.

“How’s the knee?” Cam asks me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“It’s good.” I started physical therapy this week, slotting it between everything else I’ve got going on, and while it hurts like a bitch sometimes, it’s also helping. I can already tell. “Getting stronger.”

“Good.” Cam slaps the back of my helmet. “We need you on top of it today. They’re going to guard you like crazy.”

“I know. I’m ready for it.” We’ve played this team before and they’re always all over me. In our last game against them the previous season, Cam could barely throw to me, I was so well-covered. Something we’ve already strategized for—Cam is going to throw to everyone else but me, the entirety of the first half, unless he absolutely has to.

“I am too.” He holds up his hand and I slap it, grinning at him. “Let’s do this.”

“Bring it, QB.”

The game is just as intense as we predicted during the first half. Their defensive line is impressive—and frustrating. They’re barely letting anything slip through, and by halftime, we’re down by three.

The second half is when it gets interesting. Cam throws a forty-yard pass, and I catch it, running the ball into the end zone with three motherfuckers nipping at my heels. The crowd goes wild when I make the touchdown, but we’re still barely ahead, so I can enjoy it for only a few minutes before it’s back to business.

The opposing team rallies and gets a field goal, but we get two more touchdowns and secure the win. I gained a lot of yardage, despite only scoring one touchdown, and my knee isn’t bothering me too badly, so all in all, it was a solid game.

Helped that I had the girl I made out with sitting in the stands, watching me. I did my best not to pay attention to her, but my gaze would drift in her direction, every once in a while, to find her focused on the field, Natalie doing the same. I swear at one point I saw them talking to my sister, but I blew that off, thinking there’s no possible way.

I don’t care if Joanna does talk to Blair, but then again, I don’t know if I want them together—talking about me. What if Joanna tells her we kissed and then Blair casually mentions it to Cam? He said kissing doesn’t count, but my cover will be blown and I might have to pay up.

Though I’d try to get out of that shit. My definition of remaining celibate is no sexual penetration. Everything else is fair game. We just can’t actually do the deed.

Stupid but true. Meaning my options are completely open for what Joanna and I could possibly do…

We stay out on the field after the game is over, reporters clamoring for our attention. Cam is speaking with a cute blonde from ESPN, his hands on his hips as he speaks into the mic, always our confident leader.

“Knox Maguire! Can I have a few minutes of your time?”

I turn to find a tall, attractive brunette woman standing before me with a mic in her hand, a cameraman lurking behind her with his equipment. “I’m with Sports Magazine and was hoping we could chat.”

“Sure.” I shrug, waiting while she gets everything set up with the camera guy. “What do you want to know?”

She speaks into the camera, saying her name and mine before she thrusts the mic in my face. “What’s it like, being such a legacy player on the field?”

I frown at her, not sure what she means. “Legacy how?”

“Son of retired Bronco Owen Maguire. Nephew of Super Bowl legend Drew Callahan. Cousin to the hottest quarterback in the NFL Jake Callahan. Named after your father’s best friend and another superstar on the field, Wade Knox.” Her brows lift. “Need me to go on?”

“Okay, you’ve got me. I’m related to a lot of great players. And I was named after a pretty great one too.” I rest my hands on my hips, just like Cam did. “There are a lot of expectations resting on my shoulders, which I can’t lie—it’s kind of tough.”

“I’m sure it is. Despite all of the pressure, you played a fabulous game today. You’ve been great this season so far. But how is that knee holding up? There’s still some speculation it could hold you back.”

Always got to bring us down a little bit, don’t they? “The knee is fine. I feel stronger than ever.”

“It’s apparent that you are, with how quickly you moved on the field. Good job on today’s game.” She smiles, and so do I.

“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it.” I nod at her, noting the little scowl that appeared when I called her ma’am. She’s probably only about three years older than me tops.

Oh well, that’s what she gets for lifting me up and knocking me down all in one sentence.

I’m headed back to the locker room, when I spot something that makes me do a double take.

Derek’s standing in the end zone, talking to a couple of girls, including my sister. But that isn’t what has me seeing red.

It’s the fact that Joanna is there too, laughing at whatever Derek is saying.

Fuck.