Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1) (8 page)

D A N I

“Wait,” I said, panting heavily. “I can’t go again. I
need a minute.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking down at me as sweat beaded
on his forehead.

I nodded and swallowed
hard, unable to answer with words. When my heart rate finally, slowed I cleared
my throat.

“That was crazy,” I
finally managed.

“You’re pretty good,” he
complimented and I laughed.

“Don’t patronize me. The
next one is all mine,” I said, narrowing my eyes playfully.

“If you say so.”

For the last twenty
minutes, Tabor and I had been in an intense game of
Just Dance
, and somehow he’d managed to beat me. Every. Single.
Time.

For someone of his
build, he had impressive dance moves. We took turns picking out the song to
compete to, and inevitably I ended up standing behind him laughing so hard that
I couldn’t dance. He had every step down and even attempted to throw some sass
into his moves. He was adorably awkward to watch dance, and I loved it. I
couldn’t remember the last time I had so much fun playing a video game or
laughed so hard.

When we’d left
Metropolis, the local fans had swarmed the sidewalk outside of the restaurant.
Apparently someone had Tweeted Tabor’s whereabouts, and that was all it took. I
stood back while he dutifully signed every piece of paper, picture, and jersey
that was shoved in front of him. He would look over and give me an apologetic
shrug, but I waved him off. He talked to all of them with a smile and asked
them questions. It was easy to see why people liked him so much.

After nearly thirty
minutes of signing, he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling my body to his.
I melted into him as if I belonged there, and I didn’t want him to let me go.
As he guided me toward his SUV, there were eyes watching us and
whispers—something that was foreign to me.

Neither of us was ready
for the night to end, so we went back to my place to hang out and get to know
one another better. I had no idea he was a video game junkie too.

“I have to sit down,” I
sighed, fanning my face. “Why are you so good at this?”

“My sister,” he answered
simply, taking a seat near me on the couch.

His body seemed to take
over the entire piece of furniture, demanding attention. His broad shoulders
spanned an entire section of the couch, and his arms were thick, widening his
frame. He had a strong, sharp jaw, but in the past half hour he hadn’t seemed
as intimidating in my living room as he had at the restaurant. I couldn’t help
but look at him and observe this man hanging out in my condo. The Tabor I was
getting to know was down to earth and charming. I had really yet to experience
JT Hunter.

Or maybe I have.

Maybe it’s just my perception.

“Ah, the sister who
would like me?” I clarified. “Or do you have others?”

“There’s just Abbi and
me. I don’t think my mom could handle more than the two of us,” he laughed.

“Are you two close?”

“Yeah. But she’s back
home in Chicago, so I don’t see her often,” he admitted. “She just took her
last final and called earlier to tell me she’s getting married.”

“That’s exciting,” I
said. “Do they have a date yet?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t
have time to get the details, other than she wants me to walk her down the
aisle.”

“That’s sweet,” I
gushed. “But what about your dad?”

Tabor shifted and angled
his body toward me. “Dad passed away when I was fourteen, and it’s been just
the three of us ever since.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,
but I miss him. He was a great dad.” He smiled to himself and I couldn’t help
but smile sadly.

“How did he die?”

“Cancer. He fought hard
for year, but in the end he was too weak.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t
mean to pry.”

“You’re fine,” he
answered sadly.

I didn’t know what I’d
do without either of my parents; they were my lifelines. Tabor looked up at me,
his eyes pleading with me to change the subject.

“So how long has your
sister been with her fiancé?”

“Longer than I thought,”
he laughed. “A year.”

“Wow, that’s great.”

“Yeah. I mean, she’s
happy, so I guess that’s all that matters.”

“But?”

He leaned back and
stared at the ceiling as if he could glean some wisdom from it. I didn’t say
anything, because he looked lost in his own head. When he finally looked at me,
he shrugged.

“I’m happy for her, but
I guess I’m worried, too. Ever since my dad died, it’s just been Abs, Mom, and
me. I’ve done everything I can to support them and be there for them.”

“What’s Abbi’s boyfriend
like?”

“Marshall? He’s pretty
cool. A little on the quiet side, and he was the first guy she brought around
who didn’t kiss my ass because of who I am. So there’s that.”

“What’s your sister
like?”

He placed his hand over
mine and squeezed softly, a gesture reserved for people who actually knew each
other. While it felt strange, I also liked it.

I liked him.

“Enough about my sister.
Tell me about you,” he said sweetly.

“What about me?” I asked
coyly. I didn’t like having attention on myself; I was much happier to grant
that spotlight to others. But since we were in the get-to-know-you phase, I had
to participate.

“What made you get into
teaching?”

“My roommates,” I
laughed. “Millie and I have known each other since high school and we met our
roommates at freshman orientation. I was the only one who didn’t know what I
wanted to study. Jolie is a lawyer, though you’d never guess it from her
tattoos and piercings. Viola is a musician—she actually gives music
lessons to kids. And Millie is a teacher too.”

“So you were general
studies,” he teased.

“Yeah, for the first
year. But Millie always knew she wanted to teach, and talked so passionately
about it that I got excited too. Honestly, I’m not sure if I really fell in
love with the idea of it or her excitement for it. But in the end it was a
perfect fit. I love what I do, and the kids I get to work with are incredible.”

Tabor nodded and smiled,
but soon, only the sounds of the paused video game and us breathing filled the
room. He was still wearing the same thing he wore for our date, but had taken
off his jacket and undone a few buttons. Since I was at home, I’d changed into
jeans and a T-shirt, happy for the comfort.

I shifted in my seat and
tucked my knees underneath me to get a better look at him.

“What about you?” I
asked, taking the pressure off myself. “What’s it like?”

“What’s that?”

“You, being JT Hunter
and all the fans and the schedule…what’s that like for you? Did you always want
to play football?”

He thought for a moment
before speaking, and I’m not sure what I expected, but I was surprised by his
answer.

“I’ve been with the
Quakes now for two years. I finished up college and was drafted in one of the
last rounds. No one expected much out of me in the way of performance, but I
was determined to prove them wrong. My dad got me into it as a way to channel
my aggression as a kid. Dad and I would throw the ball around when I was a kid,
and I guess after he died, I just kept doing it.”

“Doesn’t sound like you
like it that much,” I said.

“When I started, it was
about proving something, and I’ve done that. But I’m a part of a great team and
I love it here.” He scratched his head. “So what’s it like being me? Most days
it’s pretty great. I’ve gotten to travel around the country, met some cool
people along the way, and got to start my own charity. These are things I
wouldn’t have had the chance to do on my own. But there are days where it kinda
sucks.”

I raised my eyebrows,
shocked by his candor, but he simply laughed.

“Don’t get me wrong, I
don’t take a second of it for granted. I’m grateful for everything I have and I
want to give back. But yeah, there are days where I wish I could just be me and
not worry about people freaking out when I walk into a store. That’s why it was
refreshing when I met you. I was able to do exactly that: be me.”

When he finished, he
winced and looked toward the darkness outside the window. I didn’t understand
the true reality of his life, but it sounded too intrusive for my liking. Tabor
turned back to look at me, his brow furrowed, and shook his head slowly before
scoffing. “I sound like a little bitch, don’t I?”

“Not at all,” I answered
honestly. “I can go anywhere I want, and no one knows who I am.”

“It can get lonely
sometimes,” he admitted. “That’s why I’m so close with my mom and sister. They
keep me grounded. Ya know?”

“Yeah, totally.” I
smiled, thinking of my own family. “My parents live about thirty minutes away,
and my sister is further than that. But we get together every weekend for
dinner and catch up on life. It’s nice having them around.”

“You have dinner with
them every weekend?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“Mom is a great
cook—no one wants to miss her meals,” I admitted. “I wish I could cook
like her.”

“Every time my sister
comes to town, the media speculates as to whether or not she’s my girlfriend.
It’s pretty fuckin’ sick.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty
nasty,” I laughed. “But you’re a celebrity, I guess, right? Part of the
territory. I can’t imagine what it’s like for you.”

“There’s never a dull
moment,” he offered.

“What’s the craziest
thing a fan has done?”

He thought for a minute
and smiled. “There was one time when a woman showed up to a charity event and
started telling everyone there that I was her boyfriend.”

“That’s weird,” I
laughed.

“Not as weird as the
valet chick at the airport.”

“What did she do?”

“That’s the
thing—I can’t be sure. This woman with blue hair comes over to take my
keys. I can tell she’s legit, she’s in uniform. I could tell she recognized me,
so when she asked if she could get a picture, I told her it was no problem. I
was flying out to see my mom and it wasn’t until I got inside the airport that
I realized I forgot my ChapStick in my car.”

“Sounds harmless,” I
said with a shrug.

“Yeah, except the
ChapStick was missing when I got back from my trip.”

“Do you think she took
it?”

“I don’t know, but can
you picture some woman walking around telling people she has JT Hunter’s
ChapStick? It’s weird, I mean, it’s just ChapStick.”

I laughed so hard,
because it was totally something I could see happening. People adored this guy,
and getting a piece of him was like winning the lottery.

“Just watch
out—first it’s your ChapStick, and next thing you know, she’s pregnant,”
I teased and Tabor laughed, warming me deep inside.

“You know, Dani,” he
extended his hand to mine and when we touched, something ignited inside of me,
“I’d really like to see you again, but you should know, if we go out, there’s a
chance that you’ll see firsthand what it’s really like to be with me. What you
saw tonight was pretty tame.”

“Can I get to know Tabor
first, and see how that works, before jumping into the JT Hunter madness?”

“It’s hard to separate
the two.”

“I know, it’s your job,
you have an image to uphold.”

“It’s not about image.
I’m not two different people. I mean, what you see is what you get. But I can’t
say that football isn’t always there. Interviews, practice, teammates, my
manager—they’re all a part of my daily life. If we go out to dinner or to
a movie or whatever, people are going to look. They’re going to talk. We
haven’t even discussed the paparazzi yet.”

His words echoed in my
ears as I tried to understand what his life was about. It made me sad for him,
because he deserved to have a life, but all I heard was how much people wanted
a piece of him. All. The. Time.

Tabor cocked his head to
the side and waited for me to give him my attention. His lips curved up
slightly, but it wasn’t a full smile. This look was more reserved…almost sad.
“I really want to see you again.”

“Yeah?” I asked, drawing
my bottom lip between my teeth.

“Yeah. But I understand
if it’s too much.” He looked down at our entwined fingers and added, “Dani, I
don’t know much about you, but I really hope I get the chance to learn.”

“You’re a charmer,
aren’t you?” Tabor was really everything I liked in a guy, and I was completely
smitten.

“No. Just honest,” he
replied. And I believed him.

He pulled his phone out
of his pocket and showed me the screen alerting him to a call.