Page 15 of The Publicity Stunt

"Oh, please, don't hold back on my account. You two are teammates, though. I thought that was bro code or whatever."

He chuckles. "We were more than just teammates. We've been friends since college, which makes the whole situation suck that much more. What I can't get over, though, is how triumphant he seemed when he told me the added information Sasha left out. Like he'd won a game I didn't know we were even playing."

His phone chimes as she's about to speak, and she clamps her mouth closed. What in the world would this girl see in Rudy over Kace? Kace is more handsome, in her opinion. And something about how he looks like he could just toss her around makes her feel giddy.

"Speak of the devil."

"Rudy or Sasha?"

Holding out his phone, she sees the screen.

Taking his phone, she taps the camera and hands it back to him. "Take a picture of us. You're going to have to take it, otherwise we might get your chest and that's it. My arms are far too short for how ginormous you are," she says with a giggle.

He laughs and surprises her by pulling her into his lap. The heat from his touch makes her stomach flutter, but he leans in and smiles as he takes the picture. They both look at it while she remains on his lap with his arms wrapped around her while he types on the phone in front of them.

"She's going to lose her fucking mind."

His arm moves, and she takes it as a sign to shift back into her seat. A sudden emptiness without his touch strikes her, and she's surprised. She liked it far more than she would have expected. God, can she really pull off a fake relationship with someone she finds so damn attractive?

The phone rings with a video call request. "Good God," he groans.

"Decline it. You don't owe her a thing. Actually, turn your phone off. Trust me, nothing pisses a girl off more than a guy going ghost when she wants to get in touch with him. In this case, you're not the asshole. She is."

Kace smirks as the vehicle stops. "You know, you might just be one of the best friends I'll ever have."

"Do you have a lot of friends?" she asks.

The door opens, and the cameras flash like crazy, but Kace takes her hand and uses his large body to help shield her from the paparazzi until they're inside. He doesn't drop her hand until the hostess guides them to a private booth in the back, and she likes the feel of her hand in his.

Bri settles into the round booth from the right while Kade slides in from the left, his hand releasing hers.

"I don't have as many as I had in high school and college by nature of growing up, but I have my people I could call if I needed help moving or something," Kace says.

"Good evening. My name is Carl, and I'll be your server. Can I get you something to drink?" the man asks, his smile wide as he stares at the two of them.

Bri knows he's going to get a nice chunk of change for sharing that he served them on their date in the tabloids, and she pushes down the frustration she feels bubbling up inside. It comes with the territory.

"I'll take a glass of white wine and a water, please," she says.

"I'll just take a water," Kace says.

She turns back to Kace when Carl walks away. "If you had a party, how many people would you invite and expect to show up? Friends and family."

He leans back and thinks. "I don't know. I'd say, like, two-fifty or so."

The thought he has over two hundred people who would show up, many of them probably not in professional sports, intrigues her. Maybe being an athlete is easier than being a musician when it comes to friends.

"It wouldn't be like you throwing a party, though. I bet you'd need a fleet of security to help keep people out and avoid the fire marshal shutting it down."

Opening her menu, she avoids eye contact even though she feels him staring at her. "Not even close. If I just invited really friends and family, you know, people without an alternate agenda, I would have my team and Tessa. That's about it."

Carl stops by with their drinks. "Are you ready to order?"

Kace nudges her leg with his, and the touch sends sparks all the way up to her ears. She'd never been attracted to athletes, but this man defies everything she believes.

"I always order the same thing when I come here, but we can take more time, if needed," he says.

"Go ahead. I'll be ready in a minute," she says and scans the menu.

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