False Start: A Fake Dating Sports Romance (Red Zone Rivals)

My face was on fire after that kiss — along with every other inch of my body.

I hadn’t allowed myself long enough to think before I made the move. All I could process was how Kyle had looked when he’d first proposed this absolutely insane idea, how he’d said I’d be doing him a favor by coming to this wedding with him.

“I know you don’t need me, but I need you.”

I’d thought it was bullshit when he’d said it. I thought he was just trying to control the situation. But seeing his face after Leo made that seemingly harmless joke, I realized there was more depth to the statement.

He really was tired of being stag at these weddings.

He really was tired of all the jokes.

And the moment I’d pressed up on my toes to kiss him, I’d felt the weight of the world slip off his shoulders before he wrapped me in his arms.

That kiss…

It was still burning through me like raw electricity, my body humming with the desire to continue it.

His hands in my hair…

His lips claiming mine…

The little groan that no one else could hear, but I felt like a brand imprinting me for life…

I tried not to read too much into it, tried to remind myself it was all fake as I buried my face in his chest.

And now, his entire friend group was gaping at us.

The first to speak was a tall, lean blond with dimples and a dazzling smile. I’d tried to do a little research before I came, and I was almost certain it was Holden Moore, a quarterback for the North Carolina Panthers.

“Well, seems we have a lot of catching up to do.”

He arched a brow at Kyle with the words, and then, we were hit with a blast of sound like a bomb had gone off.

Everyone started talking at once, greetings flying every which way.

Kyle was ripped from my grip into the arms of a very attractive man with rich brown skin and a jet-black fade. I thought to myself that it was likely Zeke Collins, if I had done my research properly, but before I could analyze, I was pulled into a hug, myself.

“Oh, my God. It’s so nice to meet you!”

The girl hugging me was as short and petite as I was, but her hug felt like that of a bear. When she released me, she held onto my arms, her gray-blue eyes searching mine. She had long, brown curly hair and wore a pair of gold-framed glasses almost too big for her face.

“I’m Giana Jones,” she said. “Soon to be Giana Johnson,” she added with a little dance. “I’m Kyle’s agent. I’ve heard so much about you, and yet not nearly enough because Kyle is stingy with tropes.”

I blinked, trying to keep up.

I was also breathing a little more shallowly after her saying Kyle had told her so much about me, mind racing with what he might have said.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I finally replied. “Thank you for inviting us.”

I cringed internally at how weird that sounded, but before I could fold in on myself, the three girls flanking Giana introduced themselves.

There was Riley Novo, petite like Giana and me with long brown hair and the most beautiful bronze skin. She was athletic, that I could tell even in the joggers and warm-up jacket she wore, and she introduced herself with a firm handshake.

Julep Moore was next, and with the name alone, I put together that she was Holden’s wife. She had the kind of smile that warmed you from the inside out, but the kind of eyes that told me she had ghosts from her past that would forever be a part of her.

I could tell because I carried spirits of my own.

We shared a look of understanding after she hugged me, and then I shook the hand of Mary Silver. Mary had the body of Aphrodite, except instead of hers being pale white, it was covered with the most stunning array of tattoos. Her makeup was flawless, her long, wavy blonde hair the kind you see in commercials, and one look at her spaghetti strap olive-green velvet dress and the combat boots she’d paired with it made me want to raid her closet and be her best friend immediately.

After our introductions, I chanced a glance at Kyle, who was laughing with the guys. His eyes flicked to me, and my cheeks warmed again when the corner of his mouth tilted up just an inch, like he was replaying our kiss and wondering where the hell it came from.

As if I had a clue. I felt like I’d been possessed.

“I have to tell you, we were all a little shocked to hear Kyle was bringing someone with him,” Julep said, calling my attention back to the girls. “This is the first time he’s introduced us to a girlfriend.”

“That’s because it’s the first time he’s had one,” Riley chimed in with a smirk.

The comment sent a mixture of emotions through me. I hated the first thing I felt, a lash of jealousy thinking about the women he’d been with, the parade of them he’d likely had in his bed throughout the years.

But the next sensation was a distinct and penetrating sadness, knowing how alone he must have been to have behaved that way in the first place.

Riley put her arm around me, leading me toward the lobby bar. “I heard you grew up together. We should swap stories. You tell me all the embarrassing ones from high school, and I’ll tell you about the time he had to shave my name into his head.”

“That game was rigged!” Kyle yelled from behind us, which made all the girls laugh.

Then, they were threading their arms with me and with each other, and we strolled up to the bar like a burlesque troupe.

I was quiet while they ordered us drinks, Giana promising me I would love the fruity gin one she was having the virgin version of. I’d forgotten she was pregnant until that comment, and I noticed then that she had a little bump under the flared, plaid skirt she wore.

My chest hurt a bit as I stood there watching them all, the way they so easily laughed and joked with each other. I could tell they were best friends.

I’d never had anything like that.

“So, how did you and Kyle meet exactly?” Julep asked once we all had cocktails.

I cleared my throat, stirring mine. “We went to high school together.”

“I heard you were his babysitter,” Mary said, tilting her martini glass toward me. “I’ve had that job before, too. We can commiserate.”

“Babysitter?” Julep asked.

“Long story short, his parents didn’t trust him after a massive party he threw his freshman year, and they offered to pay me to basically keep him in line. I’m only a couple years older than he is,” I said.

“Oh, God. I bet he hated that,” Riley said. “I can picture him throwing fits.”

“He was an absolute horror the first month or so,” I confirmed, and I didn’t know why, but a smile spread on my face as I took a sip of my drink. “Although, I think he secretly liked when I bossed him around.”

“That tracks,” Mary said. “He called me daddy when I lived with him.”

I nearly spit out my drink. “Lived with him?”

“Against my will, trust me,” she said. “Long story short, I had no place to live, and the guys let me stay at The Pit for a while.”

“Okay, but can we get back to the most important question here,” Giana said, waving her friend off. Her eyes lit with excitement when she turned to me. “How did you reconnect? How long have you been dating?”

“Yeah, and how do you put up with the smell of his cleats?” Riley added.

I laughed with the rest of them, even as my heart started pounding in my chest.

Kyle and I hadn’t talked about any of this. We hadn’t made a plan.

I didn’t want to say anything different than what he might be telling the guys right now, so I tried to get as close to the truth as possible.

“I showed him a house. I’m a real estate agent in Seattle. We went to dinner to catch up and…” I shrugged. “Here we are.”

“Second-chance!” Giana said on a dreamy sigh. “I love that one.”

Riley rolled her eyes. “Sorry about G. She can’t help but romanticize everything, due to her consuming approximately four smutty books a day.”

“If you’re looking for recommendations, I have a Spicy Books for Beginners list,” Giana said to me with a wink.

“So, you’re in real estate?” Julep asked. “I have an unhealthy addiction to home renovation shows. What made you get into the business?”

I blew out a breath, trying to keep up with the pace of conversation that felt kind of like an interrogation. “Honestly, I was just trying to find a job I could do while also taking care of my son.”

There was a brief pause from the group, and I waited for it — for the reaction I’d had from many girls my age when I told them about Sebastian. Sure, I’d met moms who were as young as I was, but more often than not in Seattle, I was the youngest.

And more often than not, girls my age couldn’t imagine having a kid yet, and they also couldn’t hide their pity when they found out I had one. It was like they felt sorry for me, like I was missing out on partying and living it up the way they were.

If only they knew that partying was the last thing I wanted to do. If only they could understand that having Sebastian had changed my life for the better.

I loved him more than I loved anything or anyone in the world.

And where it might have seemed boring or like an obligation to most women my age, I cherished every moment I got to spend with my kid. I lived for our adventures, for our lazy days, for our nights we laughed so hard that tears ran down our cheeks.

I waited for someone to do the awkward, “Oh, you have a kid? That’s so sweet!” thing, but instead, Giana jumped for joy and abandoned her glass on the bar so she could grab onto me.

“You have a son?! Oh, my God! Show us!”

The girls all gathered around me as I pulled up my phone and showed them my background, which was Sebastian grinning at the camera from where he was bundled up and making a snow angel.

I was met with a chorus of AWWW before Julep was begging for more photos, and Mary was asking his name, and Riley was asking what sports he played, all while Giana tried not to cry.

“Okay, I need all your advice,” Giana said, one hand on her belly and the other reaching for her mocktail once I’d put my phone away. “Because your girl is very knowledgeable when it comes to books, PR, and wrangling that one over there,” she said, pointing to a brunet beast of a man I assumed was Clay Johnson. “But being a mom?” She shook her head. “I’m clueless.”

“Honestly, I think we all are. We just do our best to figure it out as we go,” I said. “You’ll be great.”

Giana’s eyes watered, and she fanned her face. “Sorry. These stupid hormones have turned me into an absolute mess. Oh!” She covered her mouth on a gasp. “Single mom! Another of my favorite tropes. Has Kyle met Sebastian yet?”

I couldn’t hide how I melted at that question, and all the girls saw it, because when I nodded, they squealed and surrounded me, begging for details.

But then, a large, warm hand wrapped around my hip from behind, and Kyle sidled up next to me, tucking me under his arm with a kiss against my hair.

I felt that kiss all the way down to my toes.

“Alright, I think it’s time I get my date up to our room before you four scare her onto the next flight out of here,” he said, winking down at me with a smile that made me melt even more into his side.

I told myself to get a grip, to remind my stupid body that all of this was for show.

But apparently, with that man’s hands on me, my brain just didn’t work properly.

The girls let out a chorus of jests at his expense.

“Boo!”

“You’re no fun, Robbins.”

“We were just getting to the good stuff!”

When Kyle only responded by chuckling and pulling me even more into him, the girls conceded, and I didn’t miss the looks they gave each other.

Giana pulled me from Kyle’s grasp long enough to wrap me in another hug.

“Go get settled. We’ll see you at the rehearsal dinner tonight. There will be plenty of time for us to steal you away again.”

“Good luck with that,” Kyle said, sliding his arm around me once more. “I’m pretty selfish when it comes to this one.”

I looked up at him, heart tripling its pace when I saw the sincerity in his gaze.

God, he’s good at this.

When I looked back at the girls, they wore a mixture of emotions. Giana looked like she was about to burst, her eyes doubling in size and hands clasped in front of her heart. Julep and Riley were exchanging glances like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing, and Mary was watching Kyle with an eyebrow ticked up in half-amusement, half-suspicion.

Kyle slid his hand down the inside of my arm, threading his fingers with mine. I stared at where he held my hand until the moment he tugged me away, and then I smiled over my shoulder at the girls, giving them a wave.

As soon as I turned around, I heard one of them squeal, and then they were chattering away — and there was no need to guess just who they were talking about.

“You survived,” Kyle said when we rounded out of view and were walking toward the bank of elevators. He didn’t drop my hand, even though no one was around to see us. “Sorry about all that. My friends are… a lot,” he said on a smile that told me he loved that about them.

I’d only been in their presence a half hour, and already I understood why.

“They’re…” I smiled, shaking my head as we stepped into the elevator.

“Crazy? Overbearing?”

“Lovely,” I said, looking up at him. “I’ve… I’ve never had anything like that.”

His smile slipped at my admission, his brows furrowing together. Then, the elevator doors slid closed, muting the noise from the outside world as it shot us up toward our floor.

And the moment we were alone, it felt like all the oxygen had been left in the lobby.

I was suddenly very aware of how close we stood, of how good he smelled, at how my lips still tingled with the memory of his pressed against them.

Kyle’s gaze dropped to where he still held my hand, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. Then, his eyes flicked back up to me.

He made no move to break the contact.

“That was some kiss down there,” he said, arching a brow. His smile returned when my cheeks burned at his words, and I could only imagine how red my face was.

I wanted to bury it in his chest like I did before, but instead, I covered it with my free hand on a groan.

“Too much?”

“Not at all,” he said quickly. “I’m just surprised by the gusto without any practice.”

I dropped my hand, glaring up at him with a teasing smile. “You say that like we haven’t kissed before.”

“We haven’t in years, and never like that.”

Those words hung between us for only a split second before the elevator doors opened.

Kyle tugged me out, still holding my hand.

“Well, I’m proud of you,” I said, hoping to lighten the tension threatening to suffocate me.

“Proud?” Kyle asked as he thumbed a card out of the small envelope he had in his hand. He still didn’t drop mine as he did.

“Yeah,” I said, lowering my voice to a playful whisper. “When we were younger, you couldn’t kiss me without popping a boner. And look at you now.”

I nudged his ribs with the tease, which made Kyle’s jaw hit the floor before he barked out a laugh.

“You’re going to pay for that comment,” he promised.

And even though we both laughed, goosebumps swept over me, my clearly disturbed mind running through all the ways I wouldn’t mind him making me pay…

But his laugh died as soon as he opened the door to our room, and when I followed his gaze, my smile slid off my face like a runny egg.

It was a beautiful room, spacious and modern with soft jazz playing from a speaker on one of the nightstands. We had a view of the city, the mountains stretching behind it in the distance.

But there was a real big problem.

Because it only had one bed.