Blindsided (Fake Boyfriend #4)(27)

“Wow. Am I being played right now?”

Maddox grins. “Seriously though. If I’m the only one you’ve told, I’m all you’ve got. When I went through the same thing, Damon introduced me to all his friends, and knowing someone else out there could relate to me without even having to talk about it helped.”

“Thanks. Can we, maybe, hang out again while I’m in New York?”

Maddox claps me on my shoulder. “Of course. It’ll be good to hang out with someone who I can talk football with. Damon’s all baseball, baseball, baseball.”

“And you want me to sign with him?” I joke.

“He can care about football if he has to. He has Matt.”

With a nod, I get in the back of the cab that pulls up curbside.

The trip home gives me enough time to both sober up and freak out. Logic tells me the difference between now and the hour until I get home won’t make a difference. It’s not like Talon’s on his knees right now about to suck off some random guy, and the only thing stopping him is my phone call, but it’s hard telling my irrational side that. Once the image is in my head, there’s no getting rid of it.

On the ferry, I send off a text.

Me: You gonna be around in about forty minutes?

The lights of the disappearing New York skyline become dimmer, and I take in the saltwater stench that’s uniquely New York Harbor.

I stare at the blank screen on my phone, almost not expecting a response, because it’s hard to tell if he’s avoiding me or I’m avoiding him, but my message was the last one sent. That means it’s his— My phone dings.

Talon: Yeah, what’s up?

My dick. Yeah, I’m not gonna say that.

Me: Bored.

Talon: Aren’t you in the city?

Me: How did you know I went out?

Talon: Jackson.

Of course. And he knows because of Noah.

Me: Can I call you when I get home?

He doesn’t answer me, and when I finally get home and through the door, I don’t expect him to pick up when I call either.

My finger hovers over the icons next to his name and hits FaceTime. If he rejects the call, he rejects it. Not much I can do about that.

Surprising me, his face pops up on the screen as I fall back on my bed. With the grace of the two-fifty pound six-five beast that I am, I drop my phone, and it smacks me right on the corner of my eye.

“Motherfucker,” I hiss.

Talon’s laugh fills my room, and for a brief second, it feels like he’s here with me. I’ve gone six years without him and then spent six awkward weeks with the guy just to end up right back where I was as a twenty-one-year-old love-struck fool, who was devastated by Talon’s absence. The words I miss you want to fall out my stupid mouth, but I rein them in.

“You good now?” he asks, his voice smooth and effortless.

I grab my phone and hold it above my head, pointing the camera at me. “Yeah.”

Talon’s face appears on my screen, all perfect, good ol’ American charm oozing from him. “Guess it’s lucky it’s not your job to catch the ball, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Talon’s also in bed, shirtless, and his hair is mussed as if he’s been there a while. “So, what’s with the late-night call?”

“Late night? It’s barely midnight, Grandma.”

“Some of us aren’t on vacation.”

“Wanna swap places?” I growl.

Talon’s smile slowly falls. “Sorry. How’s recovery going?”

“Slow. My leg is useless. I couldn’t even walk a few blocks tonight.”

He frowns, and I think that’s more adorable than his smile. “Is that normal?”

“The physio says I’m on track, but I dunno. I thought I’d be further along by now.”

“When can you start reconditioning?”

“Not until the end of the season.”

Talon’s frown deepens. “Is that gonna be enough time? What’s your management plan? Where are you working out?” Quarterback Talon makes his appearance. The one who’s all business, and one of the reasons I find him so hot.

“I dunno. I’ll probably do it all here in New York.”

Talon’s lips purse. “Nah, we should go somewhere and do it. Like a training retreat. I’ll have to go home at some point and see the fam first, but then we can go to the middle of nowhere so there’s nothing to do but eat and train.”

“Wait, what?”

His blue eyes pierce mine through the screen. “After the season, I’m gonna ride your ass until you’re back in shape.”





Chapter Eleven





TALON





The words tumble out of me before I can stop them. Miller’s mouth drops open, and I wince and fuse my eyes closed, wishing I could put the words back in my mouth.

“Talon.” Miller’s voice is strained.

“I didn’t mean …” I refuse to open my eyes. “I mean I want to be there to help get you back in form so we can do what we’ve talked about since we were teenagers.”

“Talon,” Miller says again, firmer this time. More in control.

I don’t want to open my eyes because I’m scared it’s going to be written all over my face. What it is, I’m still not sure. It’s why I’ve withdrawn from … whatever game we were playing.