Page 5 of Hidden Plays (Desert Football #1)

My gaze chased the trail of his tongue, the line of wetness following it.

He did shit to men with that tongue. What the hell?

Stay on track here. “Uh, fine. I obviously never went to Penn State.” A familiar ache wormed through my chest. This wasn’t how I wanted to start the conversation.

Talking about the injury that destroyed my life might give him an edge.

“That sucks. Was it because of the injury?” He pulled fries out of his bag and squirted ketchup over them.

“Yeah. The docs tried to fix everything, but in the end, it just didn’t heal right.” I winced. How could I change the subject? “Anyway, we need to get along.” What a stupid thing to say. I was no good at this.

“We can get along on the field and in the gym. It seems we faked it pretty well back in high school.” He flashed a glare at me and swiped a fry through the ketchup. “Even though it was clear as hell you held back passes to me.”

“No, I didn’t. You were hardly ever open.” I bit into my burger, the salty juice filling my mouth. Damn, I hadn’t eaten here in a while. I’d forgotten how good it was. A soft moan floated from my throat.

JJ’s jaw dropped, and he stared at me. Shaking his head, he adjusted his shorts. “I was open, and the plays called for a pass. Still, you handed it off to our fucking running back.”

“I was being careful. You know it’s up to the QB to change the play when it’s called for.” I stared at my burger. “Besides, he was a sure bet when we only needed a few yards.” I hated defending myself. I knew my shit.

“You cost me the MVP.” His gaze bore into me. “You didn’t pass to me, so my stats suffered, and then what the hell did you tell the other guys? You excluded me from your little clique.”

“I didn’t tell them anything.” I breathed in deeply. There was so much to unpack. I should be truthful with him. “You were such a cocky bastard, waving your football prowess around like you were the only guy on the team that mattered. It alienated a lot of guys.”

“Including you?” He locked his hard gaze on mine.

“Yeah, including me.” I stood my ground, fixated on him. “Maybe giving the other guys the ball was better for the team.” Shit. My pulse picked up speed.

As a sly grin played over his mouth, he said, “So you admit it. You gave away my passes even when I was open.”

Fuck. I fell for that one. “No, only when it was the right thing to do.” I didn’t purposely fuck with him…did I? How did he have me questioning myself?

With a snicker, he shook his head and then took a bite of his burger. “Why the fuck should I trust you with my college career when you tried to sabotage it in high school? Do you think I’m stupid?” He drank his drink through a straw .

“JJ, we’re both different people now. I don’t want to sabotage you. I only want to do my job and make sure you’re playing in peak performance.” He had a point, though. Would I trust him, given the same situation? Probably not. I pulled my fries out and ate a few.

His eyes narrowed. “Prove it.”

“Prove what? That I have good intentions?” I raised my brows. Whatever was about to come from his mouth, I wouldn’t like. I braced myself.

“Yes. Prove you’re not homophobic, for one.” His smirk widened. “Go to the gay bar with me as my boyfriend.” He snorted. “I hate those fucking places, but it might be tolerable if the guys there think I’m taken.”

“Fuck no. How does that prove anything?” He was out of his mind.

I set my half-eaten burger down and stared at him.

Shit, he wasn’t a bad-looking guy. He’d attract considerable attention in a place like that.

But what did I care? Not my problem. “I’m not homophobic anyway, and I’d prefer you quit accusing me of it. ”

He leaned in, focusing on my lips. “Then tell me what really happened in high school. Your crowd didn’t want to be seen with the homo football player, right?”

My gut twisted. “N-no.” But it was true, wasn’t it? No one ever said it, but…“Some guys were uncomfortable with it, okay? But not me.” Furrowing my brows, I studied him. Was he hurt?

His gaze fell to his burger, resting on the bag, and his grin waned. His hands fisted and opened on the table. In a soft voice, he said, “I knew it.”

My heart ached for him. There was so much I didn’t know about him. Shit, Coach was right about this. How could I train him properly without knowing what made him tick? “Look, nobody wanted to hurt you. In fact, no one said anything derogatory about you. You were just different. And it made?—”

“Them uncomfortable. I get it.” He lifted his gaze to mine. “Because you think all gay guys want is to get in your fucking pants.” He sneered. “I got news for you. I don’t want in your pants. You’re not my type.”

“I’m not, huh?” Deep inside, something stung. What the hell was this feeling? Did I want him to be attracted to me? Why, ego? It must be. My share of gay men had hit on me at the gym. I always felt flattered, never bothered. Having him reject me didn’t feel good.

“So, back to my challenge. My friends all give me shit about never going to the gay bar. I don’t like it because I dislike men groping and grinding on me all night.” He tensed his lips. “Go there with me and prove you’re not homophobic.”

“And what, keep the guys off you?” Like a fucking bodyguard? I stared at him, his high cheekbones and floppy dark hair. He had the most striking blue eyes. Almost mesmerizing. Yeah, I could see why he’d be a hot commodity in a gay bar. Though I’d never been to one.

“Yes, keep the guys off me.” He ate more of his fries. “I’ll tell my buddies I have a date and take a few pics in there for Insta and then we can leave.”

“So, your friends won’t know I’m there with you.” Weren’t his friends on the team? I picked up my burger and bit into it. I wasn’t considering this, was I? “And you won’t take pictures of us together.”

“No, they won’t be there, and hell no, I don’t want them finding out it’s you.

” He glanced at me while sipping his drink.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure no one you know will be there.

” He lifted the edge of his lips. “Think you can handle seeing men dancing and kissing? Or having someone grab your ass?” He hooked a brow. “Or will it disgust you?”

I didn’t know how I’d feel about it. “It won’t disgust me.

I’m not homophobic, like I said. Love is love, right?

” I ate more of my burger. If an hour in a gay bar with him would earn his trust, then I’d do it.

“If I do this, you have to trust me. You need to do the stretches I gave you and listen to me.”

Covering his mouth with the back of his hand, he chortled. “I can’t believe this. You’re actually agreeing to go to a gay bar with me and pretend to be my boyfriend?”

“I am.” I ticked my head and crossed my arms over my chest. Would I regret this later? Probably. I’d chalk it up to new experiences. What the hell. “But no one can know, right?”

“Right.” He lifted his palm, and I high-fived him. With a roll of his eyes, he said, “God, I can’t wait for the guys to leave me the fuck alone about the gay bar.”

“Why are they pushing for you to go there?” I took the last bite of my burger and wiped my hands on a paper napkin. This hints at a deeper story.

“I was dating a guy on the hockey team, Myles Cummings?” His brows twitched together for a beat. “And he left me for Cooper Hayes.”

I blinked. “Cooper Hayes, the tight end?” I drank more of my tea. I knew Cooper was bisexual, but knew nothing about this boyfriend business.

He scowled. “Yes, that Cooper Hayes. He went to high school with Myles, and I guess Myles always had a crush on Cooper.” He clucked his tongue and stared out the window.

“I didn’t have a chance, but I was too stupid to see it.

” His gaze returned to mine. “The guys keep telling me to get over it with hookups, and I tried, but it’s just not my thing.

I’m a fucking relationship guy.” He puffed out a breath.

“ You’re a relationship guy?” I freed a stammering chuckle. I’d never seen him with a boyfriend in high school, but then I’d never paid much attention.

“Guess so. I don’t know. Maybe it relates to the dude I fooled around with in high school.” His gaze flicked to mine. “Yes, you knew him, and guess what? He was in the crowd you hung out with.” He ticked his brows. “You all let him in, but probably only because he kept his sexuality a secret.”

“What? Who?” I dropped my jaw. How many of my high school friends had been in hiding ?

“Colton Larson. Remember him?” He ate the last bit of his burger.

“Uh, yeah.” I hadn’t been close to Colton, but he’d been at all the parties we’d had and was always around. I eyed him. “When did you two hook up?”

“At my house. Shit…” Dipping his head, he scoffed. “He was the reason my family found out about me.” He stuffed the rest of the fries into his bag and crumpled it.

“Yeah?” I watched him. Something important was about to drop in this conversation, something I could use.

“We started hooking up over the summer, between sophomore and junior year.” He tensed the edge of his mouth, his gaze trailing over the diner like he was afraid someone else would hear him.

“My mom caught us together in my room. She was supposed to be out shopping, but…” He huffed a long sigh. “She was shocked, but cool with it.”

“Okay.” I’d never heard a coming-out story before. I sipped my drink. “And?”

“And she wanted me to tell my dad. She assured me he’d be fine with it.

” He ran his finger along a fold in the bag, his brows furrowing.

“He said he supported me, but our relationship was never the same.” His gaze rose to mine.

“Why the fuck am I telling you this?” With a scoff, he leaned back in his chair and raked his fingers through his dark bangs.

I parted my lips. I didn’t know what to say. “I’m uh, I’m sorry?” Would that help? But wait, the timing was right before football season would have started. “So, when you said it changed, how did it change?”

Glaring out the window, he said, “He became distant. It’s like he tolerates me, and that’s about it. He said nothing bad to me. He’s just not there.” His gaze swung to mine. “Thing is, he’s the reason I started playing football. He loves the sport. We used to bond over football all the time.”

“You had an uncle in the Niners or something, right?” I ate more fries. I’d heard that part of his history. A lot of players had family in football. Except me. Maybe I was never meant for the NFL. I glanced at JJ. My family didn’t have the money his had. He had all the advantages.

He breathed in deeply. “Yeah, my uncle played for the Forty-Niners, and he’s helped me a lot.

But my mom’s the one who really pushed me after…

well, after my dad decided he wasn’t interested in me anymore.

” He shook his head. “Fuck, now you know my inner demons.” With a smirk, he peered at me. “Don’t use it against me.”

“I’m not like that, JJ.” An ache ghosted across my chest. Was this the reason he’d been so full of himself in his junior year?

He’d been trying to impress his father, and then—shit, getting the MVP would have meant a lot to him.

“Is that why you’re so salty about the MVP award?

” I rubbed a finger along the table. Coach was right about this lunch.

I’d learned a shit ton about JJ and what made him tick.

With a shrug, he said, “Yeah, I guess. Maybe I thought it would have helped.” He stood and tossed his bag into a garbage bin in the corner. “Are we done here?”

“Sure.” I stuffed the last of my fries into my mouth and crumpled my bag into a ball. “I feel like we made some headway, don’t you?” I stood and gathered my backpack, throwing it over a shoulder.

“Sure, if you call me forcing you to a gay bar headway.” With a soft snort, he swung his backpack onto his shoulder. “Guess I’ll see you in the gym in the morning. We can work out our arrangement then.”

“Yeah, sure.” Fuck, I still had to do this. I clenched my jaw. I had committed myself. “See you in the morning.” I watched him leave.

After classes, I strolled into the apartment I shared with Arden, my best friend, and working toward the same degree as me. Closing the door, I examined the surroundings.

Arden sat typing at our dinette, a garage sale find with black legs and a dark wooden top. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I dropped my backpack on the kitchen island and took the chair opposite him. What would he think about this shit with JJ? Fuck, he’d find it hilarious. “Guess what?”

“What.” He stopped typing and lifted his gaze toward me, his brows raising.

“The asshole wide receiver I told you about?” I rested my forearms on the table, a smirk spreading over my lips. Should I tell him about this? Why not? He could keep a secret.

“Yeah?” He picked up a glass of water from next to his laptop and sipped it.

“Our offensive coordinator suggested I have lunch with him to understand him better, so I did.” I inhaled. “In order to gain his trust, I have to go to the gay bar with him.”

Spraying water across the table, Arden said, “What?” He broke out in a fit of laughter. “Dude, you’re not gay, so why the fuck would you agree to that?”

“He somehow thinks I’m homophobic and wants me to prove to him I’m not.” I’d already told Arden all about what had happened in high school. I shifted. When would JJ want me at the gay bar with him?

Arden balked. “You’re not homophobic, are you?” He cocked his head, eyeing me. “You seem to get along just fine with Justin.”

“I know.” Justin was a gay man in our classes.

I twisted my lips. “But I think in JJ’s twisted mind, me not passing to him in high school was because of him being gay.

He accused me of sabotaging his high school career.

” My gut tensed. How could anyone who knew me suspect me of that?

JJ never really knew me. “He came out to his dad the summer before that football season. I guess it didn’t go well.

” It all fell into place now. Maybe all his bravado was an attempt to be seen by his father .

“Do you really think going to a gay bar is going to mend things between you?” Arden peered at me and closed his laptop.

“I don’t know, but I guess it’s worth a shot.” I glanced at his open book. “How’s the women’s soccer team?” He worked as a student trainer for them.

“Great. What’s not to love about a bunch of sweaty women?” He smirked. “I’ve found that some of them aren’t gay.”

“You can’t date a player, can you?” I hooked a brow. I never researched it, actually. Was it policy?

“I don’t see why not. It’s not like I’m their coach. And besides, no one has to know.” He lifted the corner of his lips.

“I see how you are.” With a snicker, I shook my head. He was always on the prowl. “Anyway, wish me luck with JJ. He’ll be a tough nut to crack.”

“I can’t believe you agreed to go with him to a gay bar.” His shoulders shook as he laughed, and he rubbed his eyes.