Play Date (Play Makers Book 3)
Read Play Date (Play Makers Book 3) Online
Authors: Kate Donovan
Tags: #football, #sports, #Romance, #Bad boys of football, #sexy romance, #teacher, #contemporary romance
Play Date
Bam!
When quarterback Johnny Spurling cancels his blind date with Rachel Gillette on account of matrimony, she cheerfully agrees to a substitution—Sean Decker, another hunk in pro football’s feared Triple Threat. But love doesn’t spark between the adorable kicker and the kindergarten teacher, and she wonders if she’s destined to sit on the bench forever.
No one is crazy enough to match Rachel with the third member of the Triple Threat. Bam Bannerman is Thor-like of body, potty of mouth, and hot as hell. And when he spots the classy blonde at Johnny’s wedding, he’s determined to have some fun. Sure, she’s prim and proper, but he’s Bam, isn’t he? So no problem.
To Rachel, who’s tired of being ignored and rejected, the rowdy halfback is a hilarious change of pace. They sneak away, he rocks her world, then she fondly bids him farewell.
But Bam isn’t done scoring, and before Rachel knows what’s hit her she’s enjoying weekly hookups with the irrepressible stud. When a heartsick Sean signals he might want to get back into the game, she suddenly finds herself with her hands full—and discovers her arms, and maybe even her heart, are full too.
Beyond the Page Books
are published by
Beyond the Page Publishing
Copyright © 2014 by Kate Donovan
Material excerpted from
Play by Play
copyright © 2013 by Kate Donovan
Material excerpted from
Playing for Keeps
copyright © 2014 by Kate Donovan
Cover design and illustration by Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs
ISBN: 978-1-940846-28-6
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
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This book is dedicated to the city of San Diego, California,
where wonderful things happen—on
and
off the field
.
Contents
Chapter 1
Two nights before his best friend’s wedding, Sean Decker sat in a dark corner of his favorite bar and wondered what his problem was. The groom—quarterback Johnny Spurling—had made a joke at the bachelor party the previous evening, accusing Sean of always falling for some other guy’s girl instead of finding one of his own. Everyone had laughed and moved on.
Everyone but Sean. And possibly Johnny. Because there was a grain of truth to it, wasn’t there?
Sean’s crush on the QB’s bride-to-be, Erica McCall, was hardly a secret. He was openly smitten with the flirty ad exec. Would he act on it? Hell, no. It was all in his head. And she was a great sport about it. And she smelled so good, and understood him so well . . .
Get a grip, Decker
, he warned himself.
It was all in good fun, at least to a point. But the pattern couldn’t be ignored. Even his first sexual score had been with another guy’s girl. A pretty college student whose family owned a neighboring ranch had cried on his shoulder when her boyfriend—a college football star—cheated on her. She had returned the favor by cheating with sixteen-year-old Sean, giving him a great night but starting a not-so-great tradition.
Then there was his all-time biggest infatuation—which was still ongoing but hopefully known only to himself—with Kerrie Cosner, wife of “Coz” Cosner. Coz was the coach of the Portland Lancers. Sean’s team. Meaning it was anathema just to
look
at her, much less lust. It violated the NFL’s most sacred edict: Don’t screw with the coach’s wife.
That kind of fantasy football could get a guy ostracized if not flat-out cut.
Until this week, he hadn’t actually worried about his bizarre crushes. Sure, they were embarrassing, and sure, these weren’t the only three examples. But he had dated lots of single girls too, and had even fallen for a couple of them. So no big deal.
Now, thanks to his recent blind date with kindergarten teacher Rachel Gillette, he needed to figure out what was going on. Rachel was the most beautiful female he had ever met. A tall, willowy blonde. Classy. Intelligent. Sweet. Vetted by mutual friends. Looking for a relationship. And best of all, single.
They had met for brunch on Sunday and hit it off pretty well. Spent the day together, sharing horror stories about dating, explaining their careers to each other. Laughing, commiserating. She had shown signs she wanted to go to the next level. And so did he. So he had confidently made his move.
But they blew the head tilt.
Both
of them. For a hilarious few seconds they simply couldn’t connect on the kiss, and by the time they did, they were laughing sheepishly. Apparently it wasn’t going to happen. Or at least not right away. They could be friends. Maybe even friends who slept together at some point. But scorching-hot romance? Probably not.
Was he actually
this
obsessed with Erica? To ignore a gorgeous babe like Rachel? It didn’t seem funny anymore. And he was pretty sure Johnny wouldn’t think so either.
A movement on the far side of the bar caught his eye, and he sat up straighter, fixing on the petite blonde with the curvy body. For that instant, she looked like Kerrie Cosner, but of course, it couldn’t be. Still, whoever she was she had his attention, especially because she was alone. Given his track record, that was a good sign, wasn’t it?
She really did resemble the coach’s wife, although ten times flashier, with red streaks of artificial color in her hair that echoed the red of her sexy dress and the color on her fingernails. And because of that, he realized it must be Kerrie’s twin sister, Melody. The twin had a reputation for outrageous outfits. For bar hopping. For being bolder than her sister.
And best of all, for being unmarried.
Identical copies physically, the twins were reputedly opposites in terms of personality, so he reminded himself Kerrie’s allure was her vulnerability. Which meant this scantily clad party girl didn’t fit the bill. But his body didn’t seem to care. The bolder, more adventurous version suited him fine, at least for certain purposes.
He wasn’t proud of that, but there it was.
The pretty female looked completely disoriented. Then her gaze locked with his and she smiled a smile so hot it blasted him out of his seat.
Now he wanted her for sure. And she seemed to share the urge because she threaded her way through the pulsing crowd, moving her hot, sensuous body toward him, never once breaking eye contact. And while he wanted to do the same—to meet her halfway—he cautioned himself to stay put. Melody might not be the coach’s wife, but she was still a relative of sorts. A sister-in-law, right? If Sean actually hooked up with her, and he was praying he would, it would be safer if she made the first move.
After that, he’d happily make the rest of them.
The only flaw in his strategy was that he could hardly breathe by the time she reached him, so he just stood and stared down at her, transfixed.
“You’re Sean Decker, right? The kicker?” She threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, thank God. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Yeah, me too,” he croaked.
“I left my purse in the taxi when I paid the driver. All my money, my phone, everything. I wasn’t sure what to do. Now here you are. It’s like—well, like kismet, right?”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll call them and they’ll bring it back. Or I can drive you there to pick it up. No big deal.”
“Really?” She stared at him as though he had announced a cure for cancer. Then she embraced him again, her voluptuous body pressed against his. “That’s so sweet of you.”
“Yeah.” He pretended not to notice the great view down her front, even though it was clearly meant to be noticed. And just to prove his mind was on her dilemma, not her breasts, he pulled out his phone and did a quick search for cab companies in the area. “Do you recognize the name?” he asked, showing her the display.
She touched the third listing with her fingertip, activating the link.
It rang, then a tired voice asked, “Can you hold?”
“Sure,” Sean said, trying not to grin. He wanted to tell them to take as long as they wanted, because he never wanted this moment to end. Or at least not until it morphed into an even better, more naked moment.
“I’m parched,” she said with a hopeful smile. “Can I have a sip of your beer?”