by S. R. Grey
I’m sure the diner she works at, the one listed in the pages of the folder, doesn’t intrude in her life, not like this.
For sports players and their significant others, though, image is everything. And to cultivate the right one, teams need to know all the facts.
That’s okay. I’ll help Eden along as best as I can. She seems like a really sweet person. And fuck, if her beauty hasn’t captivated me.
I was curious before as to why someone would sign up for this gig. But after paging through her background info, I think I understand what her motivation is—she really fucking needs the money.
But it’s not just for her.
She’s the sole guardian of her fifteen-year-old brother, Paul. Their father is dead, and their mother took off years ago. Or so it says here.
Oh, and it looks like Paul just got into an art school that’s kind of expensive. It’s mentioned here that tuition and room and board are covered, but day-to-day living expenses and practice art supplies are not.
Hell, I was a teenage boy once, and I know shit can get expensive real fucking fast. I bet it will; this kid will need to keep up with what looks like a tough curriculum.
I glance over across from me at Eden and see she’s worrying her lip.
Jock is wrapping up, saying, “I think there’s a lot to digest in these packets. Nevertheless, I have no doubt you’ll have a better feel for each other in no time.” He stands, brushing a piece of lint from his expensive navy suit. “I’m afraid I must get going now, though. I suggest you two stick around for a while, spend some time getting to know one another in person. Remember, you need to be officially moved into this house by tomorrow.”
Eden looks a little panicked, surely over what sticking around and “getting to know one another in person” might entail.
To assuage her concern, I ask, “Are you hungry, Eden? We could order a pizza if you’d like. Then maybe afterward, just sit around and shoot the breeze for a bit.”
She lets out a relieved breath. “Yes, sure, okay. That sounds good. I am a little hungry.”
“Perfect.” I smile over at her. “Let me see Jock off, and then we can find a place that delivers.”
Standing, I usher my crafty agent to the door.
The man is smiling like a Cheshire cat, clearly freaking pleased with his own damn self that he made a good match. I bet the team has a bonus lined up for him if this continues so smoothly.
“I told you you’d be happy with whom I chose for you,” he says under his breath once we reach the foyer. “She’s gorgeous, right?”
“She is very pretty,” I say softly.
He pats me on the back. “I’m telling you, Tettersaw. I have a good feeling about this. And after the way you two were gawking at each other when you first met, I sense it could turn into something more.”
Chuckling, I say, “Now you’re a psychic too?”
He just laughs.
And then he leaves.
I return to the living room to find Eden still on the sofa, though now she has her legs up and crisscrossed. Her folder is resting in her lap, and she’s carefully flipping through the pages.
To start our alone-time off on a light note, I joke, “Hey, don’t believe everything you read in that thing. I promise you that I’m not as big of an asshole as they make me out to be.”
She looks up at me curiously. “You don’t seem like an asshole at all, Graham. Not in these pages…or in real life.”
Damn.
Those eyes…that face…that bod…her kind words.
She really is smoking hot.
And so nice too.
Fuck.
“Why, thank you,” I say, smiling. “I just hope you’ll still see it that way once we’re living together.”
She makes a not-so-happy face. “Right, I almost forgot about that part.”
I assure her, “Hey, it won’t be so bad. I only have a few bad habits.”
I’m still trying to keep things light, as I sense this could head south fast since she’s so uneasy.
I guess my attempt works.
She smiles slyly and says, “Uh-oh. Does that mean you leave dirty dishes lying around everywhere and hog all the hot water when you shower?”
I chuckle. I’m glad we can joke around like this with each other already. It bodes well for the days ahead.
We may as well make the most of our situation, right?
Lowering my head sheepishly, I confess, “I actually take pretty quick showers, so I probably won’t tap out the hot water tank. But, as for leaving dirty dishes lying around, I have been known to forget a plate or two after watching TV.”
“I knew it!” She tries not to laugh. “That’s it. There’s just no way this will ever work. We may as well give up now.”
“Wait a second. I may have something to say about that.”
Chuckling, she says, “Yeah, like what?”
I pretend to be thinking hard as I cross my arms over my chest.
Interesting.
Her green eyes flitter to where my tee is pulling tightly across my wide pecs. I must look huge, though that doesn’t seem to intimidate her in the least. To the contrary, I think she likes our size difference.
Shit, I like it too. The things I could do to her in bed.
Wait, what am I thinking?
I have no intention of actually getting involved with this girl.
But then Eden looks up, and our eyes meet.
Maybe…
No!
She sees me shuttering my runaway thoughts, and she does the same.
Clearing her throat and looking away, she murmurs, “Uh, we should probably order that pizza, huh?”
I blow out a breath.
Whoa, it was tense there for a sec.
“Sure.” I take out my phone. “Let’s see what’s close by.”
I sit down near her, but not directly next to her.
Turns out, there are at least a dozen pizzerias in the area. Since Eden’s from Columbus, though not from this neighborhood specifically, she still knows which places are good and which aren’t.
“Papa Petito’s is fantastic,” she says excitedly after I finish reading off the choices. “I really like their calzones.”
“That works for me.” I pause for a beat, then add, “Wait. Does that mean you want calzone instead of pizza?”
She nods, but quickly amends, “Unless you really have your heart set on sharing.”
“Nah, this is better.” I scroll through the Papa Petito’s menu on my phone. “It looks like they have veggie hoagies on whole grain buns. I have to go away to training camp in a couple of days, so that’s better for me.”
Eden nods. “Good.”
Once the order is in, I inform her, “They said they’ll be here in about twenty minutes.”
Crossing her arms, she asks, “What should we do until then?”
“Uh, I guess we could try to get to know each other a little better, like Jock suggested. I mean, we have these info packets, right?” I nod to where both our folders are lying on the coffee table. “I’m sure there’s a lot more ground to cover.”
“Yes, definitely,” she agrees. “Like, so far, I only know that you take quick showers.”
“And…” I hold her gaze and state very seriously, “leave grimy dishes lying around the house.”
She smacks her forehead. “How could I have forgotten that one? Yuck. But wait, that doesn’t mean you expect me to clean up after you, does it?”
I shake my head. “No, of course not.”
“So says you and every other guy on the planet.” She snorts. “You sound just like my brother. And that makes me think that living with you, Graham, may not be all that much of a change for me, after all.”
Whoa, wait, hold the bus.
I may not have plans to start anything “real” with Eden, but I sure as hell don’t want her thinking of me as her brother.
Nope, Not My Brother
Okay, I may be sitting here trying to co
nvince myself that living with Graham will be just like living with my brother.
But yeah, no, nice try.
There’s no way that one’s going to fly. Graham is way too gorgeous for me to view him in any familial sense. I mean, not two minutes ago I almost drooled when he crossed his arms over his wide pecs and his biceps bulged all sexy-like.
I could do nothing but imagine those strong arms wrapped around me. Only thing that would’ve made it better would’ve been if he had lost the pale blue tee.
Though maybe not, as that color really brings out his pretty blue eyes.
Stop, Eden. Just stop.
I sigh.
I wish I could stop. It’d make this all so much easier.
But I can’t fight the truth that I am wildly attracted to Graham Tettersaw.
Plus, bonus! He’s so freaking nice and easy to be around.
We’ve spent maybe an hour together thus far, but it already feels like I’ve known him for weeks.
I remind myself that I haven’t.
Graham is quiet after I made that comment about him reminding me of my brother.
I venture a peek over at him, and he looks less than thrilled.
I don’t really see him as my “brother”…but he doesn’t need to know that. One of us has to stay clearheaded.
So, in keeping up with the safest way to play this, I say, “Do you want to know what my brother and I always do when we have food on the way?”
Looking disappointed that this sibling theme is continuing, he replies flatly, “What do you do?”
“We work out ahead of time who’s in charge of pre-meal prep and who’s on cleanup duty. So tell me, would you rather gather the plates and cans of pop from the kitchen now, or do you want me to do it and you can clean up our mess after?” I pause, then add, “The latter option might help you with your leaving-dishes-lying-around problem, so you should seriously consider that.”
“Ha-ha, Eden. Just for that…”
Graham opts for pre-meal prep, and off he goes.
Mmm, his ass looks fine in those jeans.
Wait. Please smack me now.
I’m pretty good from that point on, meaning I behave and don’t entertain any further lusty thoughts about the guy I’m not supposed to have lusty thoughts about.
After our food arrives, we spread it out on the floor in the living room and position ourselves in front of the giant flat-screen TV up on the wall.
There’s a preseason football game on, and since one of the teams playing is the Dover Sharks and they’re scheduled to play against the Comets in an upcoming exhibition game, we decide to watch that.
“Do you follow football, Eden?” Graham asks sometime during the first quarter.
I shrug and take a bite of my calzone as the Sharks quarterback gets sacked.
“A little here and there,” I reply.
“Hmm,” Graham murmurs.
The next play is third down.
We watch as the Sharks quarterback drops back with the ball. He checks up the field and, finding no one open, lobs a lateral pass to his running back.
Instead of running, though, the running back tosses the ball back to the quarterback, who then throws deep…for a touchdown!
“Wow, what a great flea flicker play,” I remark. “It doesn’t always work out that way, though, right?”
“Right.”
Graham looks impressed, which for some reason makes me happy.
Smirking, he says, “Looks like someone knows more than a little about football.”
I smile. “Okay, I admit that maybe I played down my knowledge of the sport. I’m no expert, but I can hold my own.”
Softly, he says, “I think it’s awesome you know so much. It’ll make it so much easier, being able to talk to you about games.”
“Thanks.” I blush.
Why do I think it’s awesome that he wants to talk to me about games?
Before I dwell too long on that, Graham asks what I think about the Comets.
“Oh, I like them a lot,” I reply honestly. “The whole city is really behind the team. Even so, it was pretty rough last season. The Comets struggled a lot with their former, not-so-good quarterback.”
“So I’ve heard,” Graham says solemnly. “I guess that’s why he got cut and they hired me.”
A commercial is on, so I mute the TV. And then I say, “Yeah, but you know what?”
“What’s that, Eden?”
“I think you’re a really great addition to the team. I bet the Comets kick ass this season with you as their new quarterback.”
He raises a brow. “What makes you so confident that I’ll do so well?”
“Pfft. Don’t go all shy on me now, mister. Everyone knows you’re a great QB.”
Now it’s Graham’s turn to blush.
“Thanks, Eden. Let’s just hope I still have it once the real games begin.”
He’s so humble. It’s really kind of cute.
“You will,” I assure him. “Talent like yours doesn’t just go away. And I’m serious when I say the team is lucky to have you.”
Looking down, he says quietly, “Kind of like how I’m feeling lucky right now to have you.”
“Umm…”
Hurriedly, he holds up his can and adds, “As my fake girlfriend, of course.”
I tap my pop to his, and though it’s for the best, I can’t help but feel dejected as I say, “Of course.”
What If
The next two days fly by.
Eden moves into the New Albany house, and so do I.
We’re able to spend a little time together before I have to leave for camp, though it’s mostly comprised of us putting away our crap and moving furniture around to our liking.
“No, I think the sofa should face this way.” Eden points to the wall with the TV. “Remember how the other night we had to sit on the floor to watch the game? It’s stupid that it faces that way.”
I totally agree, but hesitate to reply since I’m enjoying the view so much. Eden’s brow is creased in concentration, and she looks cute as hell. Her hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail and her hands are on her slender hips. Not to mention, her legs look amazing in the micro-shorts she’s wearing.
Now if she’d just turn around…
She does, to show me how we’d be able to see the TV so much better.
“Uh-huh,” I agree, my gaze glued to her shapely ass.
She turns back my way and I’m almost busted.
Good thing I’m quick.
And for the record, that sofa gets moved so quickly it’s not even funny.
“Is that better?” I ask once it’s in place, exactly where she wants it.
She murmurs a pleased, though somewhat distracted, “Mmm-hmm.”
When I spin around to see what’s up, I catch her staring at my body.
I’m all pumped from moving furniture, so I guess I look appealing to her. I am a little sweaty, though, but she doesn’t seem to mind.
Damn, I’d like to get sweaty with her while doing some other things.
I cock a brow to let her know I’ve totally caught her gawking, and she quickly looks away.
“Sorry,” she says.
“No, it’s all right.”
I start to go to her, but she holds up her hand. “No, Graham, don’t.”
I may have promised myself that we should keep our distance, but I’m heavily reconsidering.
So I ask her, “Why?”
She looks at me like I’m crazy. “What do you mean, why?”
“Eden, we may as well admit we’re attracted to one another. Why not act on it?”
“Are you serious right now?” She shakes her head like she can’t believe I’m suggesting such a thing. “Acting on it would be a horrible idea, Graham.”
Now it’s my turn to bristle. “Why? We’re supposed to be a couple anyway, right?”
“Yes, a pretend couple. Acting on it for real would just make things…uncomfortable.”
“Wh
atever,” I mumble.
She throws up her hands. “Graham, we don’t even know each other, not really. Our backstory in that stupid packet isn’t freaking real. None of that ever happened.”
“Okay, okay.” I back off. “I see your point.”
And I do, I think.
No, I do.
She’s right.
My first inclination was to keep this platonic and that’s the way to go. Acting on our attraction really would be a stupid idea. It’d put all sorts of pressure on us both, and I have enough pressure with training camp starting and the upcoming season on its way.
“Yeah, this is just a business arrangement,” I say softly, more to myself than to her.
She hears me, though, and the sadness in her tone is unmistakable when she says, “Yeah, it is.”
This is clearly confusing for both of us.
I guess that’s why, from that point on, we kind of avoid each other.
That’s fine because the next day I have to leave for training camp.
The next two weeks pass with no contact between us.
I think it’s for the best.
Eden has plenty of time to acclimate herself to the house without me being in the way. I hope she feels comfortable, like it’s her own space.
Thanks to the info in the folder, which I’ve pored over every chance I’ve had at camp, I’ve seen pictures of her apartment.
It looks really bare. And so small too. Her brother and she must feel cramped. I mean, there’s hardly room for one person, let alone two.
I guess she’s keeping it, though, so she can move back in when the team breaks us up.
At that thought, I’m reminded again of how crazy this is.
And it’s only just begun.
Speaking of which, the social media consultants the team hired have been busy. Not only have those photoshopped vacation pics been posted to both of our Instagram accounts, but somehow—I guess by using body doubles—the team staged “secretly captured” photos of Eden and me leaving the diner late at night during the summer.
Those are online now too.
It’s amazing what technology can do.
The fake photo that makes me laugh the most is one of a body-double Eden hiding her face as body-double me whisks her away in a dark blue Porsche Carrera.