by T. K. Rapp
“Danielle, I want you to sit down as close as you can to JT and put your legs over his lap. It’s going to feel awkward to be so close, but this is the shot I need,” Martin instructed and I complied as I took my place.
Tabor reached down and fixed my skirt that crept up as I got into position, intentionally grazing my thigh. I looked at him and narrowed my eyes playfully and he shrugged, challenging me with a raised brow.
“Okay you two. JT, I want you to run your hand through her hair and Danielle, I want you to grab ahold of that hand like you want it to stop but are torn.
“That’s easy,” I muttered so Tabor would hear.
He lifted his hand and slowly touched my jaw as he moved his hand to my hair. I tried not to laugh, because acting wasn’t something I was accustomed to.
“This is so weird,” I laughed.
“Shh,” Tabor said. “Close your eyes and pretend it’s just the two of us at my place.”
I took a deep breath and did as he said, allowing his touch to ignite every one of my nerves. My breathing became heavy while Tabor’s voice lulled me.
“I love you so much, Dani,” he whispered.
I opened my eyes and stared into his, falling for him even more than I thought possible. Leaving all my apprehension and fears in the sand below, I leaned forward and kissed him, ignoring the camera, the people, and the concerns of others finding out. I loved this man, and he was putting it out there for me.
When we separated, he rested his forehead to mine and I closed my eyes, reveling in our shared moment, but forced them open when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked over to see Damian moving his phone from his ear while Martin stood next to him smiling so wide that I was certain I had seen his molars.
“So, that was interesting,” Martin offered with a chuckle. “Is there something we should know?”
I looked at Tabor, who smiled and shrugged, leaving it to me to decide.
“We’re dating?” I answered as if it were a question.
“Looks like more to me,” Martin teased as Damian crossed his arms over his chest.
“Observant man,” Tabor said.
“All right, you two, now let’s try it the way I said,” Martin instructed with a wink.
“We’ve got a job to do, babe. Try to control yourself,” Tabor mocked.
“I promise nothing.”
C h a p t e r 20
D A N I
“So I guess you decided to make it official,” Grace said when I answered my phone.
“What are you talking about?”
“That site Fangurl Sports Gossip just showed leaked images from Tabor’s shoot yesterday. Since when do you moonlight as a model?” she teased. “You looked amazing, by the way.”
“I stepped in to help, that’s all. One-time gig, I assure you,” I said as I opened up a search on my computer.
I typed in Tabor’s name and under recent news were several images from the shoot. Someone had captured a shot of him mid-change and shirtless—he looked hot. These weren’t the images that Martin took; they were too far away and pixelated. Another caught my eye, and it was me sitting on the beach in his arms. I smiled, remembering the moment I had given in and decided I didn’t care who knew about us.
“So?” Grace asked.
“I didn’t see anyone else out there,” I admitted. “But yeah, I guess it’s publicly official.”
“Good for you,” she said proudly. “’Bout time.”
I muttered a thank you, distracted when I opened the link that Grace had told me about.
Hunter’s Latest Prey
Bad news, ladies of San Diego: looks like JT Hunter may be off the market, at least for a little while. It’s been rumored for some time that he’s been seeing someone, though we’ve been unable to confirm the story. Until now. From the images below, looks like things are hot and heavy. She’s one lucky lady.
But don’t worry, he probably won’t be taken for long. If you recall, he was involved with starlet Natasha Dion several months back, but that ended amid rumors of cheating. So don’t count Mr. Hunter out just yet, because you never know.
As for his current leading lady, sources confirm that he’s been quietly dating a schoolteacher named Danielle. We can’t help but wonder what she’s teaching him. And why they’re so determined to keep it secret. Stay tuned as the story develops.
“Gracie,” I mumbled. “This article makes me look pathetic, and Tabor like he’s a jerk.”
“Fangurl is in the business of generating gossip, Dan. You need to let it go,” she warned.
“This is what I was nervous about all along. I hate the idea of people making up shit about me. They don’t know me.”
“That’s right, but Tabor does. So who gives a crap what they say?”
“Easy for you to say—it’s not your name they’re putting out there.”
“At least they didn’t put your last name,” she consoled. “And what’s with the Danielle thing?”
“Fucking Damian,” I said flatly. “That bastard is the one who sold the story.”
“Who’s Damian?”
“The owner of the company we were modeling for. He was hitting on me and asked me out, but I told him I was seeing someone—I just didn’t say who. But he was right there when I kissed Tabor.”
“Someone sounds jealous,” she teased.
“Are those stories about Tabor and the ex true?” I asked. Grace had been his fan long before I ever met him.
“I have no idea. I remember seeing some things about them dating, but other sites claimed they were just friends. You should ask him.”
“Yeah, I will. I need to go. We’re going out to dinner tonight—first time since our date.”
“Where to this time?”
“I’m not sure, but I guess I should be prepared for anything.”
***
“Are you ready for this?” Tabor asked as we climbed out of his SUV.
“As I’ll ever be,” I admitted, nervousness flooding my core.
We walked into Moonbeams, a small restaurant that I’d wanted to take Tabor to for a while. Since everything was out in the open, I figured it was as good a time as any.
Kayla, the owner, was at the hostess stand when we walked in, and her eyes grew wide at the sight of Tabor. She was unable to tear her eyes away until I cleared my throat.
“Kayla?”
“Hm?”
“Kayla,” I snapped, laughing as she finally turned to me.
“It was you in that picture,” she said excitedly. “I knew it!”
“Guilty,” I admitted. “Ta—JT, this is Kayla. Kayla this…”
“JT Hunter. Holy crap. JT Hunter is in my restaurant?”
“I’ve been bragging about this place for a while, and well, since the cat’s out of the bag, figured this is the best place for our inaugural public date.”
“Come on, I’ll get you my best table,” she gushed, hurrying over to a corner table.
“She says every table is her best,” I said jokingly.
Kayla looked over her shoulder and smirked, wagging a finger at me. “Don’t give my secrets away.”
Tabor chuckled and thanked her as we sat down with menus in hand. He looked around and took in the eclectic decor and odd table/chair combinations. There was no method to her madness. Kayla had opened the place with her husband because it was her dream, and she’d managed to be successful. I became friends with her when, during my third visit, I’d talked her ear off about my kids at school.
“What’s good here?” he asked.
“Everything,” I said honestly. “I’ve never eaten anything I didn’t like. But my favorite is the pot roast.”
“In the summer?” he asked, seemingly shocked.
“It’s that good.” I nodded, my mouth watering at the suggestion, and I knew what I was getting.
Kayla came back with two glasses of water and looked from me to Tabor and back. She didn’t walk away, and looked like she wanted to say something.
“How’s everything going?” I asked. “Sorry I haven’t been in lately.”
“Yeah, I guess you’ve been busy,” she laughed sweetly. “Things are great.”
“This is a cool place you have,” Tabor said, and I watched as her eyes glazed over and a sappy smile appeared.
“Thanks, Mr. Hunter,” she said with a giggle.
“JT,” he said. “Dani tells me the pot roast is her favorite, so I’m gonna give it a try.”
“Two, please,” I said.
“Coming right up,” she said before disappearing.
When she was gone, Tabor reached over, took my hand in his, and rubbed his thumb over the back of mine.
“Gracie called me today. Told me about that gossip site outing us,” I admitted.
Tabor exhaled loudly and leaned back in his chair, still holding onto my hand. He looked disappointed with my words, but I also had to ask. I needed to know the answers that were plaguing my mind.
“So is any of it true?” I asked him.
“I’m dating you,” he said, dodging the question.
“What about the part about you dating Natasha?”
He sucked in a breath and shook his head. “Long story.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He huffed and looked uncomfortable, as if my question was too intrusive. But we were together, and if we wanted a chance to make this work, in private or public, we needed to communicate.
Tabor finally looked me in the eyes and nodded. “Yeah, we were dating. It wasn’t serious—mostly going out when she was in town between shoots.”
“What happened?”
“You read the article,” he answered defensively. “Apparently I cheated.”
“Did you?” I asked, but hated myself for it.
“When I’m with someone, I am exclusive, Dani. So no, I didn’t cheat.”
“Did she?”
“Among other things,” he said sadly.
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to make you feel uncomfortable,” I said, embarrassed with my need to know right then and there.
He leaned forward in his seat and dropped his head to look into my eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. My pulse increased as he gave me so much in that look.
“Dani, I love you, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I know that this is what I wanted, to tell the world that you’re mine, but now that the bubble’s been burst, a lot of things are going to come out.”
“Like what?” I asked nervously.
“Women, stories, rumors. Lies. Some have truth mixed in, but I hate that when you hear them, you might look at me differently.”
I squeezed his hand and forced a smile. “I trust you. I’m just trying to keep myself from any surprises that may pop up.”
“I understand, and like I said, I’ll tell you anything.”
“So why did it end with you and Natasha?”
“She invited a bunch of her co-stars to my place while I was away for a game. She threw one hell of a party that was caught on my surveillance.”
“Did she not clean up or something?”
“No, she cleaned up just fine. But I have a bit of a problem with someone I’m dating shacking up with some dude in my bed and bringing drugs into my place.”
“Damn,” I muttered.
“When we broke up, she begged me to keep quiet about everything and I had no intention of making a big public announcement about anything. I like to keep my private life…private. But the next thing I knew, my name was splashed all over that site claiming that Natasha was brokenhearted because she’d caught me with someone else.”
“Did you confront her about it?”
“I did. Told her I had the video that showed her with some guy. But she said it could ruin her career and I just gave up and told her I never wanted to hear from her again.”
I was quiet for a moment as I considered his story and couldn’t help but laugh before explaining.
“I thought sex tapes are all the rage out there in Tinseltown. Wouldn’t that have just skyrocketed her career?”
“I said the same thing,” he laughed. “I think it had more to do with her parents finding out.”
Kayla brought out our food and stood by quietly with something in her hand. Tabor glanced at me and I nodded my head toward Kayla, and he gave her his attention.
“Could I get your autograph?” she asked timidly.
“Yeah, no problem.” He smiled, taking the pen and paper from her.
She walked away, smiling and bouncing off toward the kitchen, leaving us to eat in silence.
I was about to take a bite of food when I noticed several pairs of eyes watching us. I tried to ignore them, but it was so weird and uncomfortable.
“Just keep talking to me,” Tabor said, acknowledging what I was seeing.
“I don’t know how you do it,” I muttered. “It’s so rude.”
“You get used to it after a while,” he admitted, a hint of sadness in his voice.
***
“Dinner was fantastic, Kayla,” Tabor gushed as he paid our bill. She flushed at his compliment and thanked us for coming in.
“See you soon, Dani?” she asked, and I knew she wanted details.
“Will do,” I said giving her a quick hug before walking to the door.
Outside there was a crowd of people and I knew this was a repeat of our first date. Tabor would be signing things and chatting with people, but it was something I needed to get used to. It was part of his life.
“Ready?” he asked.
I slipped my hand into his and squeezed before we stepped out to a throng of people calling out his name.
“Just stay next to me,” he instructed, and I willingly complied.
“JT! JT! Can you sign my ball?” a little kid asked. He was tiny and being pushed by a grown man behind him with a massive camera.
“Hey buddy,” Tabor said to the cameraman, “can you watch out for this little guy?”
He took the ball and marker from the kid and began asking him about school and if he was ready for it to start.
“I hate school,” the kid said defensively.
“Don’t say that too loud.” Tabor glanced over his shoulder at me. “My girlfriend is a teacher and that might hurt her feelings.”
The kid looked around Tabor and saw me, so I waved and smiled.
“She’s pretty,” he said sweetly.
Tabor was still talking when someone shouted, “Danielle! Where do you teach?”
I shook my head, unwilling to provide that information.
“Aw, c’mon, you know we’ll find out anyway. Might as well tell us.”
“JT, can I take a picture with you?” a stocky woman asked.
“Yeah.” He smiled, wrapping his arm around her and smiling as she took a selfie. She handed him a magazine that sported his image and he took the marker she offered. “What’s your name, sweetie?”
“Mercedes,” she said excitedly. “Thank you, JT!”
She threw her arms around his waist and squeezed tightly and I laughed. He returned the gesture and I swear she almost fainted.
“JT, are you ready for training camp?” someone called out and Tabor shook his head.
“As ready as ever,” he laughed.
After another fifteen minutes of people calling his name and asking him to sign things, he waved at them and said we needed to get somewhere.
As we walked to his waiting SUV, the same obnoxious photographer followed us, but stopped when Tabor turned around.
“Can I help you?” Tabor asked sternly, and it was clear that help was not what he was interested in offering.
“Danielle, how comfortable are you dating a cheater?”
Tabor’s body tensed I stepped back, pushing my back against his chest, giving his hand a squeeze.
“I think the better question is, how comfortable are you being an intrusive, rude, unimportant asshole?” I asked calmly before turning my back and pulling Tabor behind me.
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He began opening the door when we heard the guy mutter “bitch” under his breath and Tabor stopped moving.
“Let it go,” I urged. “He’s not worth it.”
“That’s bullshit,” he said gruffly.
“But it’s our new reality. Right?”
He nodded and closed the door behind me, and stalked over to the guy, who looked like he was wanted to run away. Tabor raised his hands up in surrender and the man stood still. I opened my door to get out and heard Tabor’s voice.
“That wasn’t cool man. I know you have a job to do, but I love that woman, and she doesn’t deserve that shit. The only reason I’m not beating your ass is because she told me not to. How would you feel if someone insulted your wife or girlfriend?”
“I got it,” the man said apologetically.
There was a short conversation that took place with hushed tones, and I wished I knew what was said. I watched as Tabor shook his hand and walked back to the car with a boyish grin on his face. I closed my door and saw the guy disappear into the darkness as Tabor climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Impressive,” I complimented.
“Our new reality, right?” he said, repeating my sentiment.
“Yep.”
C h a p t e r 21
D A N I
Watching Tabor pack his stuff for training camp was tough. He would be gone for two weeks. Granted, it was only at a hotel downtown, but I wouldn’t have as much access as I was used to. I knew that it would be a new experience and Tabor was worth it. My heart grew heavy watching as he prepared to leave me, but I was thankful I had work to occupy my time and hopefully distract me.
“You all set for tomorrow?” I asked as Tabor put the last of his clothes in his duffle bag, shaking me out of my depressing thoughts.
“No. Because you won’t be with me,” he said honestly.
I was lying across his bed on my side, resting my head on my arm. I knew he’d be close and I could call at night, but then he’d also have some preseason games that would interfere. I had gotten used to calling and having him answer almost every time.