Blindsided by Jami Davenport Page B

table, to get a feel for what she was thinking about their duet. He’d been mesmerized by her, transported into another world as they’d sang that song together. Even weirder, he’d felt as if they’d been connected in some inexplicable way he’d never experienced before, and damn it, he wanted to feel that connection again.
    Had their song affected her as much as it had him?
    He felt Emma’s eyes on his back and imagined her sipping on her Pepsi, while he worked his charm on the crowd, shaking hands, making small talk, and signing autographs. He might be a crappy NFL quarterback, but around here he was still king because of his national championship with the hometown college team and a reason why he desperately wanted to stay in Seattle. Any other town would’ve ridden him out on a rail his rookie season but Seattle still loved him. Tanner could think of nothing worse in his life than not being adored. While his brother Isaac didn’t give a shit what people thought of him, Tanner was the exact opposite. He needed the adulation, the attention, and the praise because without it, he might just disappear inside himself and become as worthless and insignificant as his father insisted he was.
    Finally Tanner sank his tired ass into the chair next to her. He ordered some nachos and another beer. Leaning his chin on his hands, he studied Emma. Damn, she was gorgeous. Whenever he looked at her, he felt this instant pull of attraction. He’d been attracted to countless women before, but Emma was different. He wanted to talk, hang out with her, know more about her. For him, that was different.
    “Do you think we’ll be all over the Internet?” Emma asked, as she shredded a paper coaster.
    Tanner was used to being all over the internet, so he hadn’t given it much thought, other than he was behaving for once, which should make team management happy.
    “Hope so. It’s been a while since I’ve gone viral, especially when I’m staying out of trouble.”
    “Are you usually in trouble?” she asked him, her blue eyes full of concern, which gave him a warm feeling deep in his normally cold, barren gut.
    People didn’t care about him. His family sure as hell didn’t. His girlfriends used him to garner attention, just like he used them. His team used him to win games, at which he’d been a colossal failure, winning only six games in his two-year pro career. Sure, the Steelheads had a lousy defense. Sure, he had no offensive line and spent most of his time running for his life. But ultimately, it was all on the quarterback. A good quarterback knew how to win and elevate the play of the team around him. Tanner had done the opposite.
    “I am right now.” Tanner dropped his fake smile. Somehow he didn’t believe Emma bought it.
    “Why?” She leaned forward, her expression earnest, as if his answer really mattered.
    “The new ownership is family-oriented, and I’ve been more of an R-rated quarterback than a G-rated one.” Tanner shook his head as he recalled all of his past stunts, such as swimming naked with one of his celebrity girlfriends in a public fountain or getting into a drunken brawl in a New York bar. Just a few in a long list of infractions Carson most likely had stored on that ever-present iPad of his.
    “Carson’s a little rigid, but he’s fair.”
    Tanner couldn’t exactly deny that fact. After all, the team still had faith in him when he wasn’t sure he had faith in himself. “I don’t think singing karaoke with a beautiful woman will be an issue. You were fully dressed. It was a decent song. I was behaving.” Okay, except for the kiss, but even the kiss had been G-rated, not a lot of tongue, a gentle touch of the lips between friends.
    Right, like he kissed his friends all the time.
    Emma looked down, as if she’d read his mind.
    “Emma?”
    She looked up, her eyes full of worry. “I didn’t want my family to know that I came here.”
    Oh, hell. He’d forgotten all about her secret. He was a