Page 77 of The Game We Played

Is he serious? He’d court the wrath of Belinda and ignore his friends to spend time alone with me?

I want to say yes. I want to get out of here. I want to keep Tanner all to myself.

But I can’t. I made a commitment to help him repair his reputation. And I take my commitments seriously.

“It’s okay. I’m sure the barbecue will be fun. Besides, your teammates love me.”

He narrows his eyes. “Which teammates have declared their love? Whose ass do I need to kick?”

I giggle. “Your teammates are too busy falling in love to pay any attention to little old me.”

“Then, they’re fools. You’re the most gorgeous woman on Smuggler’s Hideaway. And the smartest. And the strongest.”

“Strongest?” I flex my non-existent bicep at him.

“Strong as in willing to stand up to my parents. Most people quiver in their boots when they’re confronted by Dr. and Mrs. Dr. Long.”

I lift up my foot to show off my flip-flops. “I don’t wear boots.”

“Which makes you even stronger.”

My entire body warms at his praise. He believes what he’s saying. His gorgeous green eyes are filled with honesty. Maybe he’s not the same as other men. Maybe he wouldn’t try to control my life. Maybe—

“I—”

I’m cut off when a football lands at our feet. Probably a good thing since I was about to suffer a case of verbal diarrhea. Who knows what I would have ended up confessing?

“Great catch, Long!” Nolan shouts.

Tanner picks up the ball and kicks it in the quarterback’s direction. “Can’t catch the ball if you throw it into the ground.”

He leads me to the table next to the fire pit, which is already laden with food. We add my seven-layer dip to the spread.

“Tanner! We need you,” Gage yells.

“Of course, you need me,” Tanner yells back. “The team would be nothing without me.”

“Someone’s cocky,” I mutter.

Tanner frowns. “My family is cocky. Not me.”

Oops. I hit a pain point. I palm his cheek. “There are different kinds of cocky. Cocky as in you must do as I say or suffer my wrath. You’ve met my twin sisters.”

“And you’ve met my family.”

I don’t respond to the comment about his family. He knows what assholes they are. Me reminding him is not helping anyone.

“And there’s fun cocky. The kind where a man who knows his value teases his teammates.”

He puffs out his chest. “I know my value. Although, I’d rather tease you all afternoon.”

I wag my finger. “We agreed. No more sexy times.”

Although we already broke that rule once. Maybe we can break it again?

“But you love our sexy times.”

He’s not wrong. I do love getting naked and sweaty with this man. I’d be a fool not to. Tanner knows his way around a woman’s body.