Drew raised a hand and rubbed at his shoulder, as though his injury from last season was bothering him again. “Wyatt and I weren’t exactly friends in San Antonio,” he said finally. “But we weren’t enemies, either. Not at first. We weren’t really anything. We worked together on the field, but that was it.”
If Drew had been keeping her from Wyatt over a vague dislike with no solid basis, she was going to kill him. “And that means I shouldn’t date him?”
Drew shot her a look. “Are you going to let me tell the story or not?”
“Sorry.” She pantomimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. She wanted to hear this story so badly it had her legs trembling.
Wyatt is a good guy, she repeated over and over in her head. Whatever Drew said, it wouldn’t change that. Right?
“Wyatt dated a girl for a while,” Drew said finally. “Becky.”
“The cheerleader he broke up with,” Tamera said, remembering the one small article she’d read on the subject. It hadn’t given a lot of information—just mentioned the couple had been dating, but Becky had cheated.
Drew nodded. “Yeah. The cheerleaders don’t usually spend a lot of time with the team outside of games and maybe a few parties. But Becky started hanging around more and more once she and Wyatt started dating. Before too long, she started coming onto me. I tried to put her off. I mean, she was Wyatt’s girlfriend. But she cornered me in the locker room one day and kissed me. Wyatt walked in before I could push her away and was furious.”
Tamera rubbed her temples, trying to process what Drew had just told her. “He thought you were having an affair with Becky.”
“I couldn’t really blame the guy.” Drew blew out a breath. “I tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t interested in hearing it. Becky was sobbing and saying she’d made a mistake, but Wyatt wouldn’t listen to her. He told her they were over. It was so cold. Like she meant nothing to him.”
“He’d just found out his girlfriend was cheating on him,” Tamera said hotly. She folded her arms, feeling her skin flush as she jumped to Wyatt’s defense. “That kind of thing hits you like a ton of bricks. It isn’t easy to control your reaction in the heat of the moment. I should know.”
“Shhh.” Drew grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him, forcing her head to rest on his chest. She resisted at first, but finally relented when his hands started playing with her hair. “I’m not trying to bag on Wyatt. I felt just as bad about the whole situation as he did. But then Becky wouldn’t leave me alone.”
Prickles of unease had Tamera feeling a little queasy. “How so?”
“She kept calling me, showing up at my apartment, that sort of thing. Somehow Wyatt found out. Maybe Becky told him—I think she was still trying to get him back. I don’t know. But from that point forward, it seemed like Wyatt’s mission in life was to ruin my career.”
The words sank in, and the queasy feeling in Tamera’s stomach hardened into a rock. She pushed away from Drew, shaking her head. “No. That doesn’t sound like Wyatt.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it either if I wasn’t there. Maybe we weren’t friends, but I always thought he was one of the good guys.”
Tamera rose and began pacing again. She ran a hand through her hair, imaging the way Wyatt’s deep brown eyes pulled her in and made her way to stay near him forever. She shook her head again, this time more frantically. “He wouldn’t ruin your career because his girlfriend was awful.”
Drew leaned back against the couch, watching her with his sky blue eyes. “You can’t ignore the facts, Tamera. Wyatt started slacking at practice. At first, I thought he was distracted because of the breakup. Things like that sometimes mess with a guy’s focus. But a few weeks passed and nothing improved. I started noticing he deliberately wasn’t protecting me from getting sacked.”
“No.” Tamera put a hand to her heart, feeling it twist.
“Wyatt’s the reason I got hurt last season.” Drew rose, and there was a fire in his eyes she’d glimpsed a time or two while they were playing Eye in the Sky. “He deliberately left me open and my throwing arm got damaged as a result. Coach saw what was happening as clear as day, and told Wyatt he could either be traded at the end of the season or he’d take what he knew to the press.”
Tamera blinked back the tears forming behind her eyes. “He wouldn’t do that. This ha got to be some sort of crazy misunderstanding. Did you actually talk to him after you got hurt?”
“I knew there wasn’t a point. He was so angry, and the damage had already been done.”
Red flags were waving frantically in Tamera’s head, but she didn’t know whether to trust them. Was Drew’s version of events actually false, or did she just want Wyatt to be good that badly? Drew wouldn’t lie to her, but sometimes perception wasn’t quite the same as reality.
Drew scratched the back of his head. “That was a really hard time for me. You actually helped me a lot on Eye in the Sky. Hanging out with you felt so normal.”
Tamera snorted. “Nothing about reality television is normal.”
“You know what I mean.” Drew nudged her arm, sending her a flirty grin. “I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play again. The uncertainty was killing me. But then I met you, and we had so much fun together.”
Okay, they were venturing into territory Tamera didn’t even was to put a toe in. “So you knew the coach was blackmailing Wyatt into a trade?”
Drew scowled. “It was a generous offer. Coach could’ve ended Wyatt’s career, but he didn’t.”
“The Coyotes is a huge step back and you know it.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to be part of a team,” Drew shot back. “Coach asked me to keep quiet, so I did. Wyatt was transferred to the Coyotes and that was that.”
She couldn’t be falling for another guy who’d fooled her into thinking he was something he wasn’t. “No. There’s got to be more to the story.”
“Tamera.” Drew grabbed her arms, forcing her to stop pacing. His touch was gentle, but firm. “Think about it. Why else would Wyatt trade from a team with a shot at the championships to a team that’s probably not even going to make the playoffs?”
Tamera had had similar thoughts when she first found out about the trade. In some twisted way, Drew was making sense. A tear fell and she quickly brushed it away. She folded her arms and looked at the ground, not wanting to meet Drew’s eyes. “I really liked him.”
Drew pulled her to him. He was bigger even than Wyatt and her arms barely fit around his waist. She blinked again, but all it did was make more tears fall onto Drew’s shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and she closed her eyes. Why couldn’t she be attracted to Drew in a romantic way? He was such a good friend and seemed interested in pursuing more. But her feelings had never been more than platonic.
“I’m sorry,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I should’ve told you from the beginning. But Coach asked me to keep everything quiet. He was worried that the story would negatively impact the Vigilantes if it got out. Now that Wyatt’s been traded, I don’t want to throw mud at each other in the press. That’ll hurt me just as much as it’ll hurt him. I just want to move on and forget the whole thing ever happened”
“I won’t tell anyone,” Tamera whispered.
Drew rested his head on the top of hers. “I know you won’t.”
They stood there for a moment while Tamera tried to wrap her head around this new information. She’d been so wrong about Wyatt. At this rate, she’d never be able to trust her feelings.
“Come on.” Drew pulled away. “I’m taking you out on the town tonight. You need some fun.”
Tamera forced a smile. “Sounds great. Let me freshen up a bit and then we can go.”
Drew nodded and Tamera escaped to the solitude of her bedroom. She sank against her closed door and slid to the floor.
How could she have been so wrong?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Drew was once again trying to ruin Wyatt’s life. He stared at the ceilin
g of his hotel room for hours, failing spectacularly at keeping Tamera from his mind.
When Drew had showed up at Tamera’s condo, Wyatt felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The air had escaped him in a whoosh of despair. No doubt Drew had stayed at Tamera’s condo for hours, telling his side of the story. Scratch that. Lying about his side of the story.
Why couldn’t he have waited two minutes to show up? Wyatt was pretty sure he’d been about to experience an earth-shattering kiss with Tamera. He desperately wanted a second chance at that particular moment. But Drew would try his hardest to poison Tamera’s mind.
At five o’clock, Wyatt finally gave up trying to sleep on the too-hard hotel mattress and got up. Two weeks and he’d be sleeping on his own bed again, in his own home. Somehow the excitement of his offer being accepted had been dashed by Drew’s arrival. Worse yet, Wyatt hadn’t gotten help with his clearly atrocious acting. He’d really needed that help.
Since it was Saturday, there was no team practice. Wyatt tried to keep busy by lifting weights in the hotel gym, then running ten miles. He talked to Natalie on the phone for a while and wrote a few scenes for his latest script, then headed to the movies alone just to have something to do.
The action movie was weak at best, relying more on special effects and scantily clad women than an actual storyline. Wyatt’s attention drifted in the dark theater. Had Drew headed back to Texas, or was he spending the day with Tamera? Was he staying at her condo or at a hotel? One thing was certain—Drew was interested in Tamera as more than a friend. Wyatt had recognized the predatory glint in his nemesis’s eyes. He just hoped Tamera could see through it.
His thoughts continued to consume him as he drove back to the hotel after the film. The congested California traffic had him gritting his teeth as he crept along the freeway inch by inch. Yet another strike against Drew. In that moment, Wyatt missed Texas so badly it took his breath away.
“You’ve received a new text from Tyrone,” Talia said, her voice filling the cab of his truck. “Would you like me to read it to you?”
“Sure,” Wyatt said, clutching at the outside interaction like a lifeline. Maybe Tyrone would invite him over to hang out. Anything would be better than this crushing loneliness.
“Party at Schroeder’s tonight,” Talia read. “Can pick you up in ten.”
Ugh. Next time, Wyatt would be more careful what he wished for, because another silent evening spent alone in his hotel room sounded a thousand times more appealing than suffering through another one of Schroeder’s mindless parties. Wyatt had only attended one so far, but he had a feeling they were all the same—lots of booze and lots of women. But failing to make an appearance would create waves in waters Wyatt would rather remain still.
“Send a reply,” he said.
“Okay. What should I say?” Talia asked.
“On my way back to the hotel now. See you in a few.”
“Sent,” Talia said.
Wyatt nodded and gripped the steering wheel, feeling his pent up frustrations pulse through him. Until yesterday, he’d still been half convinced that staying away from Tamera was the right decision. But then his conversation with Natalie had messed with his head and he’d almost kissed Tamera instead. Now he … what? Wanted to see where things went with Tamera? Wanted to officially date her?
“You’re an idiot,” he muttered to himself as he pulled into the hotel parking lot. Drew had probably done him a favor by showing up and stopping the kiss.
Wyatt recognized Tyrone’s sleek silver Maserati immediately, straddling two parking stalls near the back of the lot. The designer vehicle looked decidedly out of place among the minivans and economy cars of the other hotel guests. Wyatt parked a stall away from Tyrone—no sense tempting fate by parking close enough to potentially scratch Tyrone’s paint job—and jumped out of his truck.
“Thanks for driving,” Wyatt said as he climbed into the car. He settled back against the rich leather and barely held back a sigh of satisfaction. He couldn’t deny that luxury cars were a dream to ride in, even if they did cost as much as a house.
“No problem, man. Where you coming from?”
“The movie theater.”
“By yourself?”
Wyatt shrugged. “There’s not much to do at the hotel. I was ready to get out for a while.”
Tyrone nodded as he pulled out of the parking lot. “Any luck house hunting?”
“Yeah, actually. I just had an offer accepted yesterday.”
“Congrats. We’ll have to do a housewarming party to christen the place.”
“Definitely,” Wyatt agreed. Nothing sounded less fun, but he didn’t want the team to perceive him as snobbish or anything. Maybe Tamera would have some ideas on how to make the party great. Natalie would want to make suggestions for the food, obviously, but Tamera seemed like the type who played hostess well. He could almost imagine her laughing with Tyrone and the other guys as she sat on his living room couch. Would it be weird to ask for her help? He wasn’t sure where they stood at the moment. His phone burned in his pocket, tempting him to call her and find out, but he thought giving her space this weekend was probably the wisest course of action.
Tyrone waved a hand in front of Wyatt’s face. “Anyone home?”
Wyatt blinked. “Yeah. Sorry.”
Tyrone grinned knowingly. “It’s a girl, ain’t it? Only a woman can make a man look that stupid.”
Wyatt shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t want anyone on the Coyotes to know about his history with Drew. “Maybe.”
“What’s her name?” Tyrone prodded.
If he tried to keep it secret, that would only make Tyrone more curious. “Tamera. She’s my real estate agent, but we hung out last night. She’s an aspiring actress and offered to help me with the stupid commercial spot.”
“She must like you, too. Pretty sure acting class isn’t in her job description as a real estate agent.”
“It’s complicated.”
Tyrone snorted as he revved the engine and darted between two cars. “You like her. She likes you. Doesn’t sound that complicated to me, bro.”
“Did you hear the part where she’s my real estate agent.”
Tyrone waved a had dismissively. “Only for a few more weeks. That’s a weak excuse and you know it.”
It was only two weeks until he closed on the house. Wyatt really hoped they wouldn’t be awkward and tense. He had no idea what to expect the next time he and Tamera spoke. Drew had told his side of the story. Anything Wyatt said would just seem like a lie. Of course Tamera would be more inclined to believe the friend she’d lived with in a glass house for twelve weeks over the acquaintance she barely knew.
The conversation switched to discussing the team’s last few practices as they made their way toward Schroeder’s beachside mansion in Malibu. Tyrone slowed as they approached the gates and after three security checkpoints they pulled into the driveway.
Schroeder’s home boasted an impressive outdoor living space and enough land between him and the neighbors that no one would complain about the loud music that pulsed out of the home. The driveway was already crowded with BMWs and Mercedes, but Tyrone found an open spot and parked with a sigh.
“Let’s get this over with,” Tyrone said.
“Took the words right out of my mouth.” Wyatt tapped his index finger against one leg. “What’s the deal with guys like Schroeder? We should be able to skip a party without declaring war.”
“You know how it is, man. The quarterback owns us. That’s how it’s been on every team since high school.”
Wyatt got out of the car with a snort. Drew had certainly called all the shots in San Antonio. He was still calling the shots. Wyatt knew that for most of the guys on the Coyotes, the almost weekly parties at Schroeder’s were a benefit of the team. But Wyatt could already tell he was going to hate them.
Tyrone pushed open Schroeder’s massive front door without knocking. Music played at a decibel that nearly shattered Wyatt’s ear
drums, but no one in the crowded entryway seemed to notice or care.
Wyatt gave a few of the guys fist bumps as he and Tyrone pushed their way toward the main area of the house. Schroeder sat in the living room, blonde twigs with surgically enhanced bosoms nuzzling him on either side.
“Hey!” Schroeder raised a hand toward them, a stupid grin on his face.
Wyatt raised a hand as well, consciously willing himself not to scowl. Schroeder’s arrogance reminded him so much of Drew. The similarities made it hard not to dislike the guy on principle.
“Drinks in the kitchen,” Schroeder said. “Help yourself. The hot tub and pool are open outside, and the game room’s downstairs.”
“Thanks, man,” Tyrone said. He nodded his head toward the kitchen and Wyatt gratefully followed him out of the room.
In the kitchen, soda cans and beer bottles rested in troughs filled with ice that ran the length of the counter. The nutritionists would be apoplectic if they saw this spread, but most of the guys thought one cheat day a week wouldn’t hurt anyone. Their performance on the field begged to differ.
Wyatt grabbed one of the few bottles of water and looked around. “Well, this is fun.”
“I guess there are worse ways to spend a Saturday night.” Tyrone stole a can of something without caffeine and popped the tab. “So what was it like playing for the Vigilantes?”
“Awesome. They were my dream team, you know?”
“Yeah. We’re all wondering how you ended up with the Coyotes.”
It wasn’t like Wyatt had been immune to the whispers about his trade, but he flinched at the blatant question in Tyrone’s eyes. “I guess I was ready for a change of scenery.”
A group of laughing women spilled into the kitchen, empty beer cans in their hands. Wyatt leaned against the counter and took a sip of his water as the women reached for more alcohol. Man, their laughter was shrill. They pushed their way back out of the room, squeezing past someone new. A tall man stood in the doorway, a long dirty blond ponytail hanging down his back.
Match Me if You Can (No Match for Love Book 7) Page 11
