“I hope so because I did marry her,” Tanner joked.
Hunter didn’t crack a smile. “You weren’t in love with her when you married her. Now you are.”
Tanner opened his mouth to protest and present his case outlining all the reasons why he wasn’t in love with Emma, but Hunter turned his back and wandered off to offer words of wisdom to a couple defensive backs.
Tanner sat down hard on the bench and stared into space. Considering his background, he’d never given love much of a thought. Sure, he’d loved his mother and his sister unconditionally, but when they died so had his capacity to love, or so he’d assumed.
Maybe he’d assumed wrong?
Maybe that explained why the thought of losing Emma opened a gaping hole in his chest and hurt like fucking hell.
And maybe a couple hours before a Monday Night Football game wasn’t the time to be thinking about his future—or lack of—with Emma.
He tapped out another message. See you after the game. Signing out for now.
Good luck. Not that you’ll need it.
Putting his phone away, Tanner put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. Breathing deeply and rhythmically, he cleared his mind, just as the sports psychologist the team now employed had taught him. At this level, the mental game beat out the physical game, and Tanner needed every ounce of his concentration directed toward football.
He let his body relax, float, just be, until he found that elusive zone and visualized touchdown after touchdown. His mind followed his body and relaxed, opening up to possibilities and flooding him with confidence. He’d trained all his life for a professional football career. He could and would do this because he belonged here, and he was the only one who could screw up this opportunity.
And this new, improved Tanner didn’t beat himself. This Tanner was a winner.
* * * *
As usual Emma sat in the stands with her sisters, their guys, and Riley, except for Bellani, who’d remained absent from every game and continued to pout about heaven knew what. Instead, Cedric took Bella’s seat, loving American football as if he’d been raised around it, especially the hitting. He went nuts over a hard hit, not caring which team did the hitting.
The atmosphere in the stadium was different. The sold-out crowd tested their lungs long before the first snap. The team was two and one, off to their best start in five years. Tanner had played well. While his performances hadn’t been earth-shattering, he steadily improved and didn’t make the mistakes that had plagued him the past two years.
Emma leaned forward as Tanner ran onto the field for the coin toss. Detroit won the toss, leaving the Steelheads to receive. He took a moment to find her in the crowd, and she blew him their ceremonial kiss, which, as usual, he tucked in his invisible pocket.
A few minutes later the game was underway.
Demon ran the kickoff back to the Steelheads’ thirty-five, and Tanner took the field.
The first two plays were running plays followed by a short pass to Hunter for a first down. Emma watched with pride as Tanner stood behind center and barked an audible to his offense, commanding respect in a manner he’d been lacking the previous two years.
Emma’s gaze switched briefly to Jack Meyer, the quarterback coach and a Seattle legend with multiple Super Bowl wins. Meyer paced the sidelines, as if he wished he were out there. Yet, a catastrophic knee injury had forced him into early retirement and the Steelheads into the dark years under the former ownership.
Emma held the binocs to her eyes and watched Tanner. He took the ball from center, stepped into the pocket, did a quick read down the field and sent a bullet to Cam, who grabbed it midfield and ran like the devil tailed him. The crowd rose as one, including Emma, screaming her lungs out as Cam sprinted twenty yards for the score. Jumping up and down, Emma hugged Avery and then Izzy.
The Steelheads went up seven to zero and never looked back. Tanner played a perfect game, throwing two touchdown passes with no fumbles or interceptions.
After the game Emma waited with her family near the locker room. The atmosphere was charged with excitement, and Emma was as caught up in it as anyone. She’d never been a fair-weather fan. She’d supported the team through all the bad years, loss after painful loss, which made today’s win that much sweeter.
Emma couldn’t be happier for the team and Tanner. As soon as he walked out of the locker room, she ran toward him, only to be pushed away by a horde of reporters shoving mics in his face and cameramen jostling for the best angle for their shots.
Emma stood back, alarmed at how frantically crazy the press was. She’d never seen their rabid behavior before because the team had been such perpetual losers, only the local press bothered to interview the players. Finally the crowd dissipated as the reporters went in search of quotes from new victims. Tanner shrugged off the few remaining reporters and headed straight to Emma. She didn’t hesitate, but launched herself into his arms. He kissed her long and deep, and she kissed him right back, not caring who witnessed their affection or how many photos were being snapped and videos being recorded.
Finally Cooper and Isaac’s gagging and shouts of “Get a room” penetrated Emma’s brain. She pushed away from Tanner who reluctantly released her, yet kept one arm possessively around her waist. Tanner motioned to his wingmen and together the group left for a celebration dinner with family and friends.
* * * *
Isaac arranged for one half of a downtown Seattle Irish pub to be closed off for a private party. Avery never questioned why he was going to all this trouble for his brother’s team when he’d never done it for his own team, but he could tell by her expression, it was killing her not to ask. He’d be doing some explaining later tonight, but for now, he enjoyed a reprieve.
Isaac sipped a Coke and watched as Tanner’s teammates spilled into the large room. Isaac kept his distance, watchful and waiting for his brother to make the next move.
He’d sensed a crack in Tanner’s Kevlar armor, one he’d exploit if necessary. Isaac knew Tanner’s biggest weakness—an insane need for people to like him. While Isaac had pretended he didn’t need anyone, especially after the accident, Tanner needed everyone’s approval, even their asshole father’s. Isaac had understood that need when they were kids, but he sure as hell didn’t get it now. Made no sense to him, but obviously to his middle brother, it made perfect sense. Isaac had Avery, and she’d healed his broken pieces more than she’d ever know. Now Tanner had Emma, and Isaac hoped to hell she’d do the same for Tanner.
Isaac watched and waited for the right time to make his move, and to do it in such a subtle manner—not his strong suit—it would appear Tanner had made the first move. The Wolfe brothers were a stubborn lot. Isaac understood that better than anyone.
Avery slid into the chair next to him, having just finished a conversation with Izzy. He briefly wondered what those two were scheming now and decided he’d rather not know. Instead, he grasped her hand and held on tightly as he’d been doing for months now.
God, he loved this woman. She was his savior and his best friend. And she was damn good in bed. In fact, the best, the very, very best. He would never understand how he’d been so lucky to find her, but he was damn glad he had.
“What are you thinking?” Avery asked with a cute tilt of her head.
“I’m wondering how Emma will handle Tanner’s sudden celebrity status.” He gestured to the big windows at the front of the pub. Tanner stood outside under the streetlights, surrounded by people begging for autographs. Emma fidgeted off to one side, watching with an inscrutable expression on her face.
Isaac knew that look.
Tanner’s anonymity had just disintegrated, and his newfound fame appeared to have caught Emma off guard. Giving up, she walked into the pub, leaving Tanner with his fans. She smiled when she spotted Avery and Isaac and sat down next to them.
“Need a drink?” Isaac guessed.
“More than you can imagine,” she said, gratefully.
Isa
ac stood to get her one, but Avery put a hand on his arm. “I’ll get it.”
Isaac nodded, sat back down, and turned to Emma. “You okay?”
“I never thought it would be like this.”
“And what did you think it would be like once the team started winning?” Isaac asked gently.
“I don’t know. I never considered it. He loves it, just absolutely absorbs all the attention.”
“The man’s a sponge. He’s always been like that. Tanner needs validation from others. And you, how do you feel about it?”
“I don’t care much for attention.”
“You do when you’re on stage singing,” he noted.
“How would you know?”
“I’ve seen you at parties, once at karaoke.”
Emma nodded. “When I’m performing, I’m a different person, while Emma looks down from above and wonders who that person is.”
“You’re good, you know, and so is he. Two careers in the limelight going opposite directions could be hell on a marriage.”
She stiffened as if he’d hit a sore spot. “We don’t need to worry about that,” she whispered. He barely heard her.
Isaac assumed she planned to give up her hopes for a singing career to be Tanner’s wife. He could understand a decision like that. He only hoped she didn’t eventually regret it.
As he pondered how to approach that obviously touchy subject, Tanner strode into the bar, like a conquering hero. Flanked by his wingmen and amid cheers and backslapping from his teammates, he took the time to talk to almost every guy he passed. Someone shoved a beer in his hand, and he paused to buy a round for his linemen who sat together at a table.
Isaac glanced at Emma who followed Tanner’s every move. The wistful expression on her face almost broke his heart, but he minded his own business. Those two needed to work out their own problems without everyone else’s interference, well-meaning or not.
* * * *
Hunter wasn’t sure what force of nature pulled at him until he approached Emma’s table. He only knew he needed to go to her. He waited for an opening and casually wandered over while Tanner entertained several of their teammates. Emma sat alone as her two sisters danced with their men, and Cooper’s teenage nephew talked with Grady and Cam.
“Can I join you?”
“Of course.” She smiled sincerely, as if relieved to have some company.
“He’s very popular tonight,” Hunter noted.
“I suspect this is just the beginning.”
“As long as the team keeps winning,” Hunter added.
“Oh, they will. I can just feel it.”
Hunter cocked his head and studied her. “You know things?”
Emma glanced around nervously, as if not wanting anyone to overhear. “Sometimes. I have good instincts when I choose to listen to them.”
“So do I. I’m not sure I’d call them instincts exactly, though that certainly plays a part. My great-grandmother always said that some people just have the gift.”
“I’m not psychic or anything. Just perceptive. Tuned in.”
Hunter shrugged. “And what does your ‘tuning’ say right now as you appear troubled?”
Emma, who’d been tracking Tanner, snapped her head toward Hunter. She almost smiled. “Why don’t you tell me?”
Hunter chuckled. She was a nervy one, this woman. He liked that. “You’re troubled because you don’t know how to deal with his fame, and you’re not sure if you could deal with your own.”
Emma snorted. “I’m not famous.”
“Part of you wants to be.”
“You’re the second person tonight who’s mentioned that.”
“Then I guess I’m not as perceptive as I thought I was.”
Emma leveled her own dissecting gaze in his direction. Hunter squirmed, not exactly happy to have the tables turned. Only she didn’t say anything. Instead, something distracted her attention, and Hunter swung his gaze in that direction, as Tanner made his way over to them, grinning from ear to ear from all the attention he’d gotten.
“Hey, you moving in on my wife?” Tanner’s grin indicated he was joking, though his eyes held that steely glare, warning Hunter just in case.
Hunter held up his hands in mock surrender and shook his head. “Not me. I wouldn’t want you to beat the shit out of me. We were talking horses.” Hunter ignored Emma’s quick glance and Tanner didn’t appear to catch it.
“I have a mean right hook, buddy. Don’t you forget it.” Tanner sobered for a split second then caught his stride. “Oh, yeah, right. The race horse you bought. What’s his name again?”
“Seastrong.”
Tanner rolled his eyes. “Dumb name.”
Hunter shrugged. “It called to me.”
“Whatever. I want it to call to my bank account. When do we get to see it run?”
“Next spring.”
Hunter didn’t want to discuss the horse further. Tanner didn’t understand horses, not like Avery, who’d also convinced Isaac to invest in the race horse, a small fact Tanner didn’t know—yet.
Sensing it was time to leave, Hunter stood, nodded in Emma’s direction and clapped his friend on the back. “Later.”
He left the couple to their own devices just as Isaac had done earlier.
* * * *
Tanner sized up Emma, trying to determine if he was ankle-deep in shit or only had a toe in it. Her expression didn’t give anything away. He slid onto the tall stool next to her and cuddled close, nuzzling her neck, momentarily startled by how normal his affection for her seemed. Tanner’s life had always been anything but normal; his dysfunctional family saw to that. Yet with Emma, he almost believed he had a shot at just being a guy with a good wife, a good life, and a good career. What more could any guy want?
“Hey, baby, sorry I got caught up in all that.” He kissed the tip of her nose, an action which usually defused any annoyance on her part.
“It’s okay.” Once again, she hid her emotions well from him, which bothered him more than he cared to admit. He’d mastered the art of masking emotions, yet he hated when his wife did the same. He leaned close and studied her, allowing himself the luxury of inhaling her scent like roses and springtime.
She gazed at him, all innocence and sincerity, yet something in her eyes set off his warning bells. He’d been bitten by misconceptions and assumptions more than once when it came to women. Did okay mean okay or did it mean he’d be castrated in the middle of the night? Game playing wasn’t Emma’s thing, but she was a female.
Tanner leaned close to her and did the thing most likely to tilt her off balance and put him in control. He kissed her on the lips while cupping the back of her neck with one hand and stroking her thigh with the other. He loved the little sounds she made when he turned her on, as much as he loved the feel of her skin under his fingers and against his lips.
She pulled away and looked at him, blinking those incredible blue eyes. “Tanner, not here.”
He grinned his most wicked grin, “How about the bathroom? Or the hallway? Maybe the alley outside.”
“Stop,” she ordered, but her giggle hinted she found the idea of public sex intriguing. Well, damn, now there was a surprise he hadn’t expected, and Tanner was all in. He loved sex in forbidden places, which amped up the excitement all the more.
“Let’s go,” he said making a split second decision. He jumped to his feet and tugged on her hand.
She didn’t move. “No, I just ordered food, and you must be starving.”
“Oh, I’m starving, all right.” He raised a brow and cocked his head toward the door. “But if you don’t want to leave, I’m good with doing it up against the wall over there.”
“Tanner.” She swatted him and shot him one of her prim school teacher glares. He laughed, as his dirty mind imagined her in a school marm outfit sans underwear with him as the schoolmaster. He’d have to give her a spanking for being bad, bend her over a desk and—
“Tanner,” Emma almost shoute
d, drawing his attention.
“Oh, ah, sorry.”
The waitress saved him from further explanation by depositing their plates of food on the table.
Suddenly hungry, Tanner dug into his double-decker hamburger while Emma ate a chicken sandwich. He’d need the energy for later. Besides, the sooner they finished, the sooner Emma served dessert. His filthy mind drifted to images of Emma covered in whipped cream with a cherry on each nipple. They’d only touched the surface of his depravity and sexual desires, not that he was overly depraved, but a little depravity was always a good thing in his book.
Emma gave his arm a nudge. “Thought you weren’t hungry?”
He finished chewing, wiped his mouth, and grinned. “Me, too. Running around a football field does burn calories, and I’m storing up for later.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Tanner. Is sex and football all you ever think about?”
“Pretty much,” he answered. “Sex and Football. Sounds like a great title for a movie or TV show.”
“Every guy in America would watch that.” Emma rolled her eyes.
“Absolutely. Throw food in there, and you’re hitting all the marks.”
Emma lowered her head and glanced up at him through lowered lashes, the sexiest look ever. All the blood in his veins raced to his dick.
“You done?” Tanner asked, suddenly desperate to get her out of there and him into something more comfortable, which would be her.
“Where to?” She met his gaze and smiled, not a sweet Emma smile, but a seductive somebody-else smile.
Tanner swallowed hard and cleared his throat, fumbling in his pocket for his wallet. He dropped it on the floor, picked it up, yanked out some bills, and threw them on the table. Grabbing Emma by the hand, he headed for the door. Emma shouted goodbye to her sisters and his teammates, many of whom knew exactly what was on his mind and made the appropriate disparaging remarks. Tanner didn’t give a shit. Nothing and no one could distract him from his mission. His only deterrent—the lack of a good place to conduct said mission.
Blindsided: Seattle Steelheads Football (Game on in Seattle Book 6) Page 22