“Are you okay?” he asked, his face lined with concern.
Holy crap. She knew who he was.
“You’re Wyatt James.” Her words tumbled over themselves in uneven gasps.
“Uh, yeah.” The smile vanished from his face, but he extended a hand.
She must smell worse than a football locker room right now. Tamera accepted the help up, all too aware of her sweaty skin and tear-streaked face. How humiliating.
His fingers closed around hers, and her breath hitched. His grip was strong and sure as he pulled her to her feet. The genuine concern in his eyes had her limbs turning liquid. Or maybe that was the ten miles she’d just ran.
“You’re okay then?”
She grabbed a tissue from the box on the windowsill and quickly wiped her nose, sniffing. “My ego got the worst of it.”
The concern in his soulful brown eyes almost made her lose it again. “Bad night?”
She laughed, fighting the urge to cover her face with both hands and sob. “That’s the understatement of the century.”
“Geez, I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t make it worse by scaring you. I thought the gym would be empty by three a.m.” He hopped onto the treadmill, but started it at a walking pace.
“You didn’t make it worse.” Tamera forced her rubbery legs to support her weight and got back on her own still-moving treadmill, setting it at a walking pace as well. She couldn’t believe she’d been caught crying by Wyatt James, the star offensive lineman of the San Antonio Vigilantes.
He glanced at her again, his brow furrowed in concern. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
Tears burned her eyes once more, and she blinked quickly. When she spoke again, her voice was a little shaky. “My sister got married today.”
“Oh.” His muscled arms swung gently as he walked, and his brown eyes asked the unspoken question.
“To my ex-boyfriend.”
“Oh. Oh!” He ran a hand over his closely-cropped hair. “Wow. I’m really sorry.”
“Me too.” She waved a hand rapidly in front of her face, trying to combat the tears. “It’s kind of ironic I ran into you, since I just sent one of your teammates home. Drew was nice enough to be my date tonight.”
Silence filled the room. Tamera glanced over at Wyatt, wondering if he hadn’t heard her over the whir of the treadmill belts.
“How do you know Drew?” His tone was flat, all the warmth from before gone.
She blinked. Was she imagining his cold attitude? “We were both on Eye in the Sky.”
“The reality show. Right.” Wyatt increased the pace on the treadmill, keeping his focus straight ahead.
“I’m surprised to run into you at a hotel. Don’t you have a house here in San Antonio?” Drew owned a palatial mansion worth seven figures, and she assumed Wyatt probably had the same. Tamera and her business partner, Landon, had been trying to break into the high-end real estate market for almost a year. The commission from a single sale would allow her to spend months focusing only on auditions.
“They’re doing some renovations on it. I’m at a hotel for a night or two.”
Didn’t he have a teammate who would let him crash on the couch? She opened her mouth to ask, but he’d pulled out his earbuds and placed one in his ear, the other dangling down near his massive shoulder.
He wanted to run alone. She could relate to exhaustion over fan questions. Her calf was starting to cramp anyway, and she had to leave for the airport in three hours.
“I’d better go,” Tamera said, surprised at how much she wanted to stick around.
His shoulders relaxed and he nodded. “I hope you have a better day tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” She turned off her treadmill and picked up her phone, running a finger over the case. Her agent’s voice practically screamed at her to get a picture before leaving. Right now, her biggest asset was her social media presence, and celebrity encounters were the type of photos that got lots of engagement. “Can I get a picture with you before I leave? My followers will love it.”
Wyatt looked uncomfortable, but stepped off the treadmill, leaving it running. “Sure.”
She grinned and opened up the app. Wyatt stood next to her, his body posture stiff. She could feel the energy coming off him in waves, and it made her entire body tingle.
Maybe she shouldn’t have asked for the photo, whatever her agent would say. Tamera knew what it felt like to wonder if she could force a smile one more time. Oh well. It’d be awkward to take it back now. Instead, she held out her phone and positioned them in the frame. “Smile.”
His entire face transformed, and she instantly recognized the “fan face” she’d seen in pictures online. She had that face, too. Landon pointed it out to her when she returned from Eye in the Sky.
After a few clicks she dropped her phone, and Wyatt immediately stepped away. Cool air rushed in to brush her skin where his had almost touched hers moments before.
“Good luck on the upcoming season,” Tamera said, trying to act unaffected by his presence.
“Thanks. It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too.”
Wyatt tucked both buds into his ears and increased the speed on the treadmill. Tamera stood in the doorway, admiring his long and even stride, before shaking her head and leaving. She pulled out her phone, fingers flying as she posted the best of the five photos to social media. Met Wyatt James tonight! she posted. #celebritysighting #footballforever
Within seconds, she had over fifty impressions. And for the first time, the weekend didn’t seem like a total loss.
CHAPTER TWO
Wyatt glanced over his shoulder to make sure Tamera had really left. The door to the hotel gym was tightly closed, and all signs of the sorrowful brunette were gone.
He breathed a sigh of relief. His protective instincts had kicked in when he saw her tears, but then she’d mentioned Drew and asked for a photo. After the disastrous last five months—thanks for that, Drew—Wyatt just wanted to run in a hotel gym without having his picture plastered across social media. He’d get enough unwanted press after tomorrow.
She’d looked so devastated, with her eyes rimmed in makeup and skin splotchy from crying. He’d wanted to tuck her in his arms and promise her everything would be okay. That would’ve been a very bad idea, considering he’d sworn off women for good.
Wyatt rolled his shoulders, then increased the speed on the treadmill. Time to put Tamera’s enticing hazel eyes out of his head and focus on plotting a satisfying third act for his latest script. He’d rediscovered his love of writing since Becky left.
Scratch that. Since Drew stole Becky, blamed a career-damaging injury on Wyatt, and got him transferred to the floundering Los Angeles Coyotes.
Tamera would make a great character in a script. She had managed to look both adorable and broken while sitting on the ground in a heap, mouth opened in a surprised o. Her skin glistened with perspiration. A pink tank top clung to her body, wet with exertion. Her espresso-colored hair was a mess of frizzy curls. But in that moment, he’d never found a woman more attractive. Then he’d caught sight of the tears, and everything in him demanded he fix whatever was wrong.
Yeah right. He couldn’t even fix his own problems, let alone a woman’s. Especially not a woman who was friends with Drew.
The script. That’s what he should focus on. It’d distract him from how much he was dreading tomorrow, when he’d officially become a resident of California.
He managed to spend all of two minutes contemplating how to get his hero and heroine out of the morgue without alerting the bad guys before something sparkled near the floor, drawing his attention. The carpet around Tamera’s vacant treadmill was littered with fancy clips that glittered in the florescent lighting, silently taunting him with their presence. Had Drew really been her date for her sister and ex-boyfriend’s wedding? There had to be a story there.
“Stop it,” he growled aloud.
He was moving to California tomorrow. Somehow, he h
ad to figure out how to start over. No more cheating girlfriends. No more playing for his dream team—the one he’d drooled over and cheered for since he was six years old. No more soft southern drawls and gun racks mounted on every truck.
Tomorrow is where his focus should be. Not on some girl who he’d had a five minute conversation with.
He shook his head as anger tried to strangle him. Drew hadn’t even stuck with Becky a month before casting her aside—shortly after the shoulder injury that was supposedly Wyatt’s fault, in fact. Part of Wyatt thought his ex deserved it, but another part of him ached that she’d thrown away their six-month relationship for a fling. He’d been daydreaming about their future together, and she’d been sneaking off with the quarterback.
Wyatt ran ten miles, managing to maintain just over a six-minute pace. By the time he showered and collapsed into bed, it was almost five in the morning. Still, he couldn’t manage to relax and fall asleep. Worry about the upcoming press conference niggled at the back of his mind. His entire chest tightened at the mere thought of being on television, but the Q and A with reporters was standard protocol after a trade. The speculation over his switch from the Vigilantes, who were favored to win the championships this year, to the Coyotes, who barely made it to the playoffs most seasons, would run rampant. And Wyatt couldn’t do a thing about it.
He still wasn’t sure how Drew had managed to spin his injury as Wyatt’s fault to the coach. Drew claimed Wyatt intentionally let him get sacked as revenge for the Becky situation, and Coach had believed him. Nothing Wyatt did or said could convince him otherwise. Drew told Wyatt if he didn’t agree to the trade, he’d tell the press it was all Wyatt’s fault. That’s what he got for going up against the darling of the Vigilantes—defeated.
Were Tamera and Drew close friends, or just acquaintances? Did she know what he’d done to Wyatt?
With a sigh, Wyatt grabbed his tablet and pulled up Tamera’s bio from the show website. Might as well satiate his curiosity since sleep clearly wasn’t happen. The bio was short, but enlightening. Tamera had grow up in a military family and moved frequently before finally graduating from high school in Texas, which explained why her sister had gotten married here. She was naturally competitive and loved watching and playing all types of sports, although football was her favorite. Another reason she was friends with Drew?
Wyatt’s phone buzzed, pulling his attention from the webpage.
You awake? Shows you’re online.
Seriously, did Bobby ever sleep? His agent was probably still wearing his suit from yesterday, hunched over a laptop in his sparsely decorated home office with a string of licorice in one hand and cold coffee nearby.
I’m up. Wyatt had barely pushed send when his phone started ringing.
“It’s five in the morning,” Wyatt said. “Are you just waking up or going to bed?”
“I’ll sleep after the press conference.” Bobby’s tone was breezy, like staying up for twenty-four hours straight was no big deal. “That’s actually why I called. Mr. Ryder wants to move it up an hour. Something came up, and he really wants to be there for his first trade since buying the team. It would mean coming straight from the airport.”
Wyatt’s chest tightened again with nerves, and he took a slow breath. This was okay. Good, even. Less time to anticipate the torture of sitting in front of dozens of microphones while cameras filmed his every move. “That’s fine.”
“Good, because I already told him to move up the time. No sense angering the new boss.”
Wyatt rolled his eyes and clicked on an article of Tamera. “So glad you asked.”
“This is probably the last trade of your career.” Bobby’s tone was suddenly serious. “You’ll be lucky to play another five years. Might as well make it count.”
Five years. The looming deadline felt worse than a shoulder to the gut. Football had been Wyatt’s entire life for so long. But the whispered accusations from Drew had made Wyatt realize just how quickly his career could end, whether it was by injury or by damage to his reputation. Or just by age. What was he supposed to do once football was no longer an option?
Wyatt glanced at the script open on his laptop. But that was a hobby, not a career. “I’m making the best of this, Bobby.”
“Good.” Bobby’s voice was gruff. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but word on the street is you aren’t the only trade for the Coyotes. You might still have a shot at a championship-winning season. I think McKinley will be good for the team.”
Wyatt wasn’t holding his breath over that one. McKinley had recently been hired as the coach, but the Coyotes would have to trade half the team for a decent shot at the championship. “Guess we’ll find out.”
“Stop being so pessimistic. Mr. Ryder’s invited you to dinner after the press conference. McKinley will be there, too. I accepted the invitation on your behalf.”
“Whoa.” Wyatt dropped the tablet to his bed and leaned forward. He’d never been invited to an owner’s house before, and the Coyotes would be his third team since being drafted. Had Drew gone back on his word and passed along an anonymous tip? Wyatt struggled to control his breathing. He’d watched the replay of Drew’s injury dozens of times. Wyatt had left Drew open to being taken down by the other team. But that had been a miscalculation on Wyatt’s part, not a deliberate attempt at sabotage, which is exactly how the sportscasters had interpreted things in the playback.
Drew had told Wyatt if he didn’t take the trade, he’d go public with his version of the truth. And Drew’s version unfortunately sounded all too believable—and cast Wyatt in a very bad light.
“I’m sure they just want to get to know you better,” Bobby said. “Mr. Ryder seems like a very hands-on owner.”
“Guess we’ll find out. Can you make sure I have somewhere to change clothes and freshen up before the conference?”
“Already got a hotel room booked nearby. Don’t worry—I made sure it was a piece of crap so you aren’t wasting any of your precious money.”
Wyatt rolled his eyes and looked around his current hotel room. Bobby acted like a decent economy hotel was akin to a third world country. But the last few months had changed a lot of things for Wyatt, and how he handled money was one of them. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake as other professional athletes and be broke by thirty. “See you tomorrow. I’d better get some sleep before I leave for the airport in a few hours.”
“Don’t be late,” Bobby said, and hung up without saying goodbye.
Dinner with the owner and head coach. Surely Drew hadn’t told Mr. Ryder anything. It would’ve put the trade in jeopardy, and Wyatt staying in Texas was the last thing Drew wanted.
Wyatt shook his head and returned to the article on his tablet. It was no use obsessing over the reason for dinner. He’d find out soon enough.
The Eye in the Sky website mentioned both Drew and Tamera frequently in the articles about last season. She had won a record seven Head Honcho competitions while on the show. A good thing, too, or she surely would’ve been voted out by the other players long before the final four—at least that’s what the message boards claimed. Wyatt opened a new tab and input Tamera’s name into the web browser. A slew of online celebrity gossip magazines and blogs showed up. But one name stood out to him—Luke Ryder.
Wyatt frowned and clicked on the link. What connection did Tamera have to the owner of the Los Angeles Coyotes?
The article was almost a year and a half old. Wyatt’s eyes widened at the headline—Toujour date major disaster for Billionaire playboy. Toujour … He wracked his brain for a connection. That’s right. Toujour was a professional matchmaking firm that Luke’s wife ran. Tamera had been a Toujour client? What’s more, she’d dated Luke Ryder?
Why did that make Wyatt so uncomfortable?
He clicked on the video and watched as an obviously inebriated Tamera spilled beer all over Luke while lunging at the three big guys in the row behind her. She’d seemed emotional tonight, but not like the type t
o get drunk and flip out. Then again, you couldn’t know a person in five minutes. This wasted version of Tamera definitely seemed like Drew’s type. After dumping Becky, the quarterback had probably been on the lookout for his next conquest.
Wyatt clicked on a link at the bottom of the article and watched an interview Tamera had done while on Eye in the Sky.
“Yeah, I freaked out a little on that date,” she said, flashing the camera a winning smile. “Not my finest moment, obviously. But I’d just found out my sister and ex-boyfriend were engaged, and she asked me to be the maid of honor. They had an affair behind my back for an entire year. How would you react?”
Wyatt’s breakup with Becky hadn’t been quite that dramatic, but he definitely hadn’t reacted well. His distraction on the field, and resulting trade to the Coyotes, was evidence of that.
“Yeah, I’m still mad,” Tamera said as the interview continued. “How’s that going to affect my game play? I’m going to channel my anger into the competitions and kick butt.”
Wyatt couldn’t help but smile at that.
“When I win that million dollars, I’m going to buy Katie and Caleb a very nice wedding present,” Tamera told the camera. “After all, if not for their betrayal, I wouldn’t be here.”
Wyatt laughed out loud. Tamera had spunk. He could see why America loved her. She had entire pages dedicated to her on social media, and it seemed fans had practically rioted when she came in fourth place instead of first.
He’d sworn to never watch Eye in the Sky since Drew was on it. But something about Tamera begged him to find out more.
Wyatt clicked on the first episode, paid the fee, and started watching. He could sleep on the plane.
CHAPTER THREE
The plane pulled to a stop and a ding sounded throughout the cabin as the fasten seatbelt sign flickered off. Tamera breathed a sigh of relief as she gathered her purse. The flight had been long, filled with restless sleep that was almost worse than none at all. Right now, all she wanted was to forget this weekend had ever happened.
Match Me if You Can (No Match for Love Book 7) Page 2
