by J. H. Croix
As for Harper…she was great. I still wasn’t sure what it was about that last time she saw Joe in the park, but the brief encounter seemed to have helped her kick off the last of the chains she’d been trailing behind her because of that. I loved that woman so damn much, I was half-crazy if I got worried about her, so it was bloody great to know she was doing so well. Oh, we weren’t perfect. Far from it. The first few months after she decided she’d stop treating me like fling material had a few bumps.
I had a stubborn streak and discovered hers rivaled mine. Stanley and Callie had circled each other for months until they finally got sick of us bouncing between our two flats. Callie eventually started sleeping curled up against Stanley’s chest and paced like a mad cat if he wasn’t there. I cajoled Harper into moving into my place, if only because I already had a kitty door for Callie. We were planning to find a bigger place though. Harper wanted Stanley to have space to run outside. Ever since Liam and Olivia moved into a house in one of Seattle’s lovely neighborhoods with flowers and ferns everywhere, Harper had been dragging me all over looking at houses. Honestly, all I wanted was to be with her, so it didn’t really bother me a whit where we lived.
I headed toward the locker room and encountered Harper and Olivia coming out of Coach’s office with Bentley. Bentley was Olivia and Liam’s little brown dog. He had special privileges to wait in Coach’s office. Stanley had been declared too big, although I doubted he’d care to come to our games.
Harper looked my way, her blue gaze locking with mine. I’d gotten used to it, but bloody hell. All she had to do was look at me, and it was like a bolt of lightning hit me smack in the chest. I ignored everything around me and shifted to a jog, catching her in my arms. She buried her face in my neck, dropping a few kisses there before lifting her head.
Her eyes were sparkling, and her smile was wide. “You won!”
I chuckled and held her high against me. “That we did.”
She wiggled against me, but I held tight. “Were you going somewhere?” I murmured.
Damn it felt good to hold her. She was strong and soft at once. Of course, my body, as usual, forgot I was drained from a tough match, every fiber attuning to her. Her cheeks flushed pink. “Um, no. But there’s people everywhere, and…” I didn’t doubt she could feel how hard I was. Maybe I should’ve cared, but I didn’t.
I shrugged and caught her lips in a kiss. Ethan’s voice came from behind. “Bloody hell, Alex. Did you forget there’s cameras behind us?”
Did I mention I forgot everything when it came to Harper? I truly did. The only press that had gotten any traction about me related to Harper. First, it was my scuffle with Joe. Then, it was that someone had finally stolen my heart. In the one and only interview I’d agreed to answer questions related to Harper, I’d told them she hadn’t stolen a thing. I’d had to win her heart.
I held her fast against me and threaded a hand into the silky fall of her hair. I allowed myself just one kiss and then eased her down, tucking her against my side as we walked down the hall.
***
Harper
My feet struck the pavement underneath in a rapid, even rhythm. My breath came in steady gusts, and I gloried in the subtle euphoria coursing through me. I loved running outside just when dawn was breaking, and I’d had the gift of it back for over a year now. Alex ran at my side. We rarely spoke when we ran. We’d gone from months of easy jogs to using our morning runs for training. As an elite pro soccer player, he stayed in peak condition, so these times with me were just more of the same. For me though, I was training for my first marathon since college, and I couldn’t wait.
Stanley flanked me on the other side, easily keeping pace with us. As we rounded the corner on the path where the trees thinned and a view of Puget Sound opened up, we slowed to a walk. I caught Alex’s hand and stopped. The air was misty and damp with the sun’s rays barely breaking through the clouds here and there. Alex looked down at me, his strong features stark in light of dawn. He arched a brow.
I reeled him closer and reached up, tracing along his jawline.
“What?” he asked, a slight smile curling the corners of his mouth.
His smiles were like little presents—rare enough I loved every one.
“Nothing. Just…this.”
I curled my hand around his nape and tugged him down just far enough to kiss him. He dipped to me easily. The moment my lips dusted against his, he took over. What I’d meant to be a little kiss turned hot and heavy in a flash with his tongue tangling against mine. By the time he lifted his head, I was on fire inside and out. Breathless, I glanced up to find him grinning.
I swatted him on the chest. “You just like showing me up. Race home?”
I didn’t give him a chance to answer and dashed off. I didn’t get far before I heard the sound of his feet pounding the ground behind me. In a flash, he caught me from behind and swung me into his arms. All I could do was laugh.
***
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Please enjoy the following excerpt from Play Me, the next book in Brit Boys Sports Romance!
Excerpt: Play Me by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved
Chapter 1
Tristan
I rounded a corner, heading down the hallway to my office, and collided with a woman walking so fast, she nearly knocked me over. Her blonde hair flew in my face, and she caught her balance by grabbing onto my arm.
“Oh my God! I’m so… Ack!”
The woman exclaimed as her feet scrambled and, hell if I know how, she managed to drag us both to the floor in her tumble. It was then my body discovered that this woman was a veritable buffet of curves. I could feel her full breasts pressing against my chest and, as luck would have it, my cock was nestled at the apex of her luscious thighs. She was soft and tempting all over. I still had no fucking clue who she was, but my body would’ve been happy to stay right where I was.
Small problem—she was wiggling out from under me inside of a second. “Oh my God! I can’t believe that just happened.”
Her voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
I had some manners, so I rolled to the side and pushed myself up. I glanced down to see her brushing her blonde hair away from her face and looking up at me. My heart nearly cracked a rib with its swift kick.
Daisy Knight sat on the hallway floor before me. Bloody hell, she was gorgeous. The last time I’d seen her had been almost a year ago. We had what I’d chalked up to an almost one-night stand, and I’d yet to forget it. We hadn’t even gotten close to the full act, and she’d still left me more tied up than any woman—ever. I’d hoped to see her again. Yet, whether by accident or design, Daisy managed to avoid me so completely ever since then I figured that was her preference. Given that her two best friends were married to two of my best mates, I didn’t doubt she’d gone out of her way to avoid seeing me. I had plenty of other things to focus on and eschewed attachments, so I’d figured I’d never get the chance to find out how amazing sex with her could have been.
Daisy’s wide brown eyes met mine. With the feel of her body imprinted against mine and staring down at her, my cock twitched. Her lips parted—her plump lips with her slightly lopsided smile. I could see the rise and fall of her breasts with her breath. It didn’t fucking help matters that she was wearing a blouse that pulled tightly across them. My eyes dipped into the valley between them. My cock hardened, and I dragged my eyes up. Right. We were in the hallway in the medical research wing of the hospital. It wouldn’t do to have me leering at her.
I held a hand out. “Hello, Daisy. Long time, no see,” I said, keeping my tone level.
She gripped my hand, and I helped her up. Once she was standing, she brushed her hands over her skirt and adjusted her blouse. None of that made me forget any inch of her delectable body
. But I had manners and needed to respect the distance she seemed to want to keep from me. I took a step back.
“What brings you here?” I finally asked.
Her cheeks were slightly pink. Between the heavy fall of her blonde hair, those wide doe eyes, and her porcelain skin, the subtle flush nearly did me in.
She straightened her shoulders. “Hello Tristan. It has been a while, hasn’t it?”
I nodded and considered whether it was worth mentioning the last time I saw her. Likely not, so I stayed quiet.
“Actually, I’m here to see Dr. Wells. He’s temporarily covering the clinic for one of the studies I manage,” she explained. “They told me his office was down here, but nothing’s marked, so I lost track. What are you doing here?”
My heart gave another kick to my ribs. Daisy had known I’d graduated from medical school. She also had to know I’d been sidelined from playing ball after a brutal injury to my left knee at the end of last season and wouldn’t be back to play for another few months. Most of my life had been playing football, otherwise known as soccer here in the United States. I’d signed with the Seattle Stars a few seasons back, along with several mates from England. All through university and through my professional career, I’d kept on track and finished my medical degree. It had been loads of work, but I’d known I wanted something other than sports for my career because it wouldn’t last forever.
For now though, I was temporarily running the research clinic within the hospital while the director was traveling, a clinic that happened to have signed onto a study for a new medication trial before I took over. It was ideal for me because I didn’t want a long-term position, just something to fill the next few months until I could start playing ball again. I should’ve connected the dots and realized they led straight back to Daisy. She appeared to have completely forgotten my last name.
I was about to answer when the flush on her cheeks deepened. “Tristan Wells. Right. I should’ve figured that one out. I bet you think I’m a dolt,” she said with a wry laugh. “I didn’t forget your name, it’s just I’ve never called you Dr. Wells, so it didn’t sink in.”
“No one would ever accuse you of being a dolt,” I replied. “Follow me.”
I resumed walking toward my office, and she turned to follow beside me. I had a stern little convo with my cock on the walk down that hallway. Fortunately, it was a fair distance because my body’s response to being near Daisy was off the charts. This woman just did it for me. She turned every invisible knob on the dials of my desire. I’d kept women in a tidy compartment in my life. I might have access to plenty, what with my college and then pro years as a soccer star, but I considered relationships messy. I loved sex as much as any man, and I found it pretty easy to keep it to nothing more than that.
I stepped through my office door and gestured for Daisy to enter first. Her generous hips swayed with each step. As usual, she somehow managed to pull off this entirely professional way of dressing that had a hint of naughty to it. I knew how wild her response to me had been, so it only amped up my reaction to her. She wore a fitted skirt, a tad bit shorter and tighter than the usual professional skirt, that rested just above her knees paired with black kitten heeled shoes. Atop that she had on a fitted blouse. Perfectly respectable at a glance unless you happened to notice her breasts strained the buttons. She walked to the windows and looked out before spinning to face me. With her thick blonde hair, her heart shaped face and those brown doe eyes, bloody fucking hell I wanted her.
I’d somehow managed to forget just how tempting she was. I reminded myself rather forcefully why Daisy was here. Work. Nothing more. Just because I wanted to bend her over my desk didn’t mean it would be happening.
“So you’re here to check in on the study protocol, I suppose?” I asked as I rounded my desk. Before sitting down, I gestured for her to take the seat across from me. Once she was seated, I sat down and leaned back.
She opened her purse and pulled out a pair of glasses. Fuck me. I’d never seen her in glasses. This would not help. Oblivious to my internal state, she perched them on her nose and pulled out a small computer tablet. She tapped a few times and then glanced up.
“That’s exactly why I’m here. When Dr. Horton signed the clinic on to our study, we were in the planning stages then. Since he left, there wasn’t much to deal with, but now we’re ready to start coordinating with you on patients who choose to enroll in the trial. This here,” she paused and faced the tablet screen toward me. “Shows the process for how we’ll track patients in our system. Since you’ve been here…?”
Her words trailed off with a questioning look.
“A few months,” I added for her.
“Oh, then you must be familiar with this for the other study with our program.”
“I am. It’s very straightforward. The tech team here has already set up the online linkage for our unit, so there should be no issues.”
Daisy closed the tablet and slipped the tablet back into her rather voluminous purse before looking back to me. “Excellent.”
A moment of silence fell, the air instantly feeling electric. What the hell was it with how she affected me? I’d better get a handle on it because as far as I knew, I’d be working with her regularly now.
She idly twirled a lock of hair around her finger and eyed me as if she was considering something. “So, how are you?” she asked brightly.
I shrugged. “I’m well. Yourself?”
She worried her bottom lip for a moment, sending a shot of lust straight through me again. “Same, same. I’d imagine this last year might’ve been hard since you were out with your knee injury.”
Ah, so I hadn’t fallen off the face of the earth in her mind. “It wasn’t great as far as that went, but I’ll be back in play next season. Meanwhile, I’m here.”
She kept twirling that lock of hair around her finger and eyed me. “I hope you didn’t think I was avoiding you,” she said abruptly.
If I’d been wondering, now I knew for certain. Daisy was many things, but she wasn’t one to shy away from something. Unless it bothered her.
For a beat, I considered politely going along with her. But I didn’t quite feel like it. Rather, I wanted to push her.
I stood, my chair rolling back behind me, the sound of its wheels loud in the quiet office. Rounding the desk, I leaned my hips against it and looked down at her.
“I think you were.”
Her gorgeous brown eyes widened, and she stood quickly. Oh bloody perfect. I’d pissed her off. Precisely what I wanted.
She was mere inches from me. I couldn’t have planned it better. She rested her hands on her hips and glared at me. “I was not!”
I curled my hands on the edge of the desk, solely because if I didn’t I’d be yanking her to me inside of a second and that wouldn’t do. Daisy and I had nearly set each other on fire with a few kisses and heavy petting. For reasons unknown to me she’d put the brakes on hard and literally dashed away from me. Yet, I wanted to draw this out for the sake of seeing where it went.
I met her flashing eyes and arched a brow. “Really? You mean to tell me that in almost a year, you somehow managed to avoid every single time I happened to be with my mates? I find that nearly impossible. I used to see you every few weeks. We were about the let things go somewhere, and I haven’t seen you since. What I want to know is why you’re so tied up about it? Weren’t you the one who said it was nothing?”
I was taunting her and I damn well knew it. Distantly, I wondered if I’d gone mad, but I didn’t quite care to contemplate that just now.
Her cheeks flushed a deep pink, and she pointed at me. “I am not tied up about it.”
Then, she actually jabbed me in the chest with her finger.
***
Daisy
I knew I was flustered, and I knew I needed to get a grip, but I couldn’t think straight. I jabbed Tristan’s chest with my index finger and repeated myself. I hated when people repeated themselves, and here I was
doing exactly that.
“I am not tied up about it.”
Tristan looked down at me for a beat. Sweet hell. He was too handsome for words. He was tall, dark and mysterious and so sexy it was dangerous. At least for my health and well-being. His black curls were slightly rumpled. His hazel eyes locked with mine, and my breath lodged in my throat. Heat spread like wildfire in my veins.
This was not supposed to be happening. About a year ago, I’d had a few too many glasses of wine, and I’d given in to the thrumming need Tristan had elicited inside of me ever since I’d known him. I’d meant for it to be nothing more than sex. I’d figured Tristan would let me down like every guy did. Problem was, once his mouth was on mine and his hands were mapping my body, I came close to two things I’d been chasing forever—an orgasm and intimacy. Completely clothed with his mouth driving me mad and sweet streaks of pleasure shooting through me, I’d felt as if we were caught in a web together. I was so accustomed to sex being distant and mechanical—to thinking too much.
With every fiber of me desperately wanting to let go into the best feeling ever, I’d shoved him away from me and dashed away. Because all of it scared me. I knew perfectly well how Tristan viewed relationships. According to my two best friends who happened to be respectively paired up with his buddies from the Seattle Stars, he deemed them messy, and he didn’t do messy.
So there I was nearly gaga over a guy who I just couldn’t expect anything from. Little did he know I wanted nothing more than to settle down. I couldn’t make a fool of myself over him. Leave it to me to be stuck alone pining for a man I couldn’t have.
