Playing To Win: An Elite Athlete Sport Romance Anthology

by Mignon Mykel

  Acknowledgments

  My Boys – I love you more than anything on this earth. Everything I do is for you.

  To my AMAZING beta readers – Kristen, Candyce, April, Ana, and Cheryl. Thank you for reading Colson and Sydney’s story before anyone else, for your honest feedback, and helping me make their story better. I’m so grateful for you! <3

  My Rebels Babes – I flove being able to connect with all of you in my Reader Group. I feel like I’ve found a place where I can share with you my triumphs and crazy ideas, as well as catching up with you about everything going on in our daily lives. I’m so grateful to have all your support.

  To my Rebel Release Team, thank you for being a part of this one. I’m excited to hear what you think of Colson and Sydney.

  Kristen – You keep it real with me, always! It’s what I love about you. Thanks for riding my ass when I need it, but also reminding me to be patient with myself too. Girl, you’re stuck with me now! LOL! Not even sorry about it either.

  Candyce – You’ve helped me in so many ways since we’ve first met. I’m so appreciative for all you do behind the scenes. Thank you for everything!

  Kim Cermak – Thank you SO much for everything! You’ve been a good friend to me and have supported me in so many ways throughout this journey.

  Kate Jessop and Lyssa Cole – What would I do without you? I don’t want to find out. Thank you for being there for me when I need to brainstorm an idea or tell me it’s going to be okay when I need to hear it.

  My editor, Roxane LeBlanc. I always enjoy working with you. Thank you for being honest, patient, and so very helpful to me.

  My proofreader, Julie Deaton. You have a fantastic eye for detail, and I appreciate all your help in getting this book polished off. Thank you for everything!

  Lastly, to all the fantastic bloggers and authors who have shown me support throughout this journey. I hope you know how grateful I am for every one of you.

  About Brooke O’Brien

  Brooke O'Brien is the Author of BRIX, the Heart's Compass series, and the Tattered Heart duet.

  Growing up Brooke always had a love of writing; she started out writing poetry when she was young and began journaling her thoughts as she grew older. Diving headfirst into a good book has always been therapeutic for her. Now her two passions have collided.

  Brooke believes you can cure any bad day with chocolate or by going on a long drive with the windows down and the music turned up! She's found that's when her characters talk to her the most! If she's not reading or writing, you'll probably find her spending time with her family and friends, watching Hawkeye football or NBA basketball, going to the movies, or collecting signed paperbacks.

  She LOVES to interact with readers! Keep in touch with Brooke by following her on Social Media and join her exclusive Reader Group:

  www.authorbrookeobrien.com/followbrooke

  Also by Brooke O’Brien

  Heart’s Compass Series

  Where I Found You

  Lost Before You

  Until I Found You

  Now That I Found You

  Tattered Heart Duet

  Torn

  Tattered

  A Rebels Havoc Series

  Brix

  Learn more and purchase your copy at:

  www.authorbrookeobrien.com/booksbybrooke

  Personal Foul: A Men of Blaze Novel

  Copyright © 2020 by Brooke O’Brien

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permissions of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which has been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Visit my website at www.authorbrookeobrien.com.

  Edited by Rox LeBlanc, Roxs Reads

  Proofread by Julie Deaton, Deaton Author Services

  Throw Like A Girl

  Tina Gallagher

  Penny

  “It’s a good thing we got here when we did,” I said to my friend, Nadia.

  I looked around the restaurant and sipped my Dirty Martini. Two large parties came in minutes after us...a big family and a group of guys...and took up all the tables on the other side of the room.

  “It is Friday night.” Nadia picked up her Salted Caramel Apple Martini and took a drink.

  “Is it? Without a training schedule to keep, I’ve lost all track of time.”

  “The struggle is real,” she said and held up her glass in a mock toast. After another quick sip, she placed it back on the table. “So what are you gonna do with your time off?”

  Nadia and I are both on the Olympic softball team but just found out that the games are postponed until next year, so we have some unexpected time off.

  “I’m going to enjoy some quiet time at the beach. Dale won’t be here for about three weeks, so I’ll have his condo to myself,” I said, referring to my brother who plays first base for the Carolina Waves. “Once he gets down here, I’m not sure.”

  “I’m sure you’re welcome to stay with him,” she said. “You guys are close.”

  “Yeah we are, but he’s a single, professional baseball player down here for spring training. I’m sure he’d like some privacy, if you know what I mean.” I cringed. “Not that I want to think about that in reference to my brother, but I’m not stupid. I don’t want to cramp his style. Maybe I’ll go to the ranch for a bit. I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

  It’s pretty sad that at twenty-eight, I don’t have a place of my own. But since college, I’ve lived like a nomad and it never made sense to pay for an apartment I’d barely sleep in. Thankfully Dale and I are close and when I’m not traveling to play softball, he lets me crash either here in St. Pete, at his ranch in Aspen, or his condo near Myrtle Beach.

  My brother and I are a prime example of pay disparity. We’re both professional athletes, but while he’s made millions playing baseball, I barely make minimum wage in my softball career. I mentally shrugged. It is what it is, I suppose. At least I sort of make a living doing what I love.

  “How about you?”

  “I’m going to just enjoy spending time with Greg,” she said, referring to her super-supportive husband of four years. “And I let the training facility I work at during the offseason know I’m available for lessons and such. If you stay down here, let me know if you’re interested. They’re always looking for people to run camps and work with the teams.”

  She and Greg live in Clearwater, which is how we managed to plan a night out. All my other friends are either on the road playing softball or at home, scattered across the country.

  “Don’t look now, but one of the guys from that party over there is staring at you.”

  I was about to give in to the urge and take a peek when our waitress approached with the assortment of appetizers we’d decided to order in place of entrees. As she left, I took the opportunity to glance over my shoulder and my heart skipped a beat, then pounded as the man in question smiled. I felt the edges of my lips curl in response.

  “Do you know that guy?” Nadia asked. Before I could answer, she said, “Holy shit, he’s coming this way.”

  His gray gaze locked on me, Kenny Hanover walked across the room. In khakis and a button-down shirt, he shouldn’t look hot, but that’s exactly how he looked. My stomach flip-flopped and my nipples tightened as he approached our table.

  “Long time no see,” he said.

  “H
i Kenny.” Thankfully my voice came out sounding normal. “I’m surprised to see you here. Shouldn’t you be home getting ready for the season?”

  “My friend is getting married down here next weekend and the bachelor party is tonight. I decided to take a couple weeks off then I’ll probably stay for a bit once the team arrives.”

  I nodded, acknowledging his words, then realized Nadia’s eyes were ping-ponging between us and remembered my manners and introduced them. I felt cold when he turned his attention to Nadia to shake her hand.

  “What about you?” he looked back at me and asked. “Shouldn’t you be off playing somewhere?”

  “With the Olympics postponed until next year, I have nowhere to be for a while, so I’m staying at Dale’s condo for now.”

  Laughter erupted from his party and someone called his name. He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

  “I’d better get back over there and let you eat your food before it gets cold,” he said, then added around a sweet smile, “Maybe I’ll see you around while we’re both down here.”

  I nodded my response, too breathless to speak. The man’s mere presence sent a flush of heat through me, even as my entire body broke out in goosebumps making me feel like I’d been dipped in Bengay.

  “Nice to meet you Nadia,” he said, and I watched as he turned and walked across the room to join his party.

  “Yowza,” Nadia said, drawing my attention her way. “There were so many sparks flying between you two I’m lucky I didn’t get singed.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The hell you don’t,” she chuckled. “I’m surprised you didn’t melt with the way he was looking at you.”

  I shifted in my seat and felt the moisture that had collected between my thighs during the brief encounter with Kenny. Something was definitely melting.

  “You okay over there?” Nadia’s smirk matched her knowing tone.

  “I’m fine.”

  I picked up a mozzarella stick and took a big bite, taking a minute to collect my thoughts and my hormones. Nadia ate a few pieces of calamari, but I could practically hear the questions bouncing around her brain. She managed to keep them contained but looked like she might burst while I finished off a potato skin. Taking a big sip of water, I gestured for her to speak.

  “What’s the deal with you two? And don’t say nothing because there’s obviously something.”

  “I don’t know,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at Kenny. Thankfully his attention was on his friends so he didn’t see me mooning over him. “I’ve known the man for years. His father owns the Waves and he works for the team, so he’s always been around whenever I went to games or events. But this past season, it was different. My heart pounded whenever I saw him and my voice took on a ridiculous breathless tone whenever we spoke. I would have felt ridiculous acting like a teenage girl with her first crush, but he acted different too. It seemed like he saw me as something more than Dale’s little sister.”

  I picked the sword-shaped toothpick speared with three blue cheese stuffed olives from my martini and plucked one off with my teeth. After chewing and swallowing, I continued.

  “We had a mild flirtation going on and I thought he might ask me out, but that never happened. Then the season ended and I didn’t see him until tonight,” I said, biting off another olive.

  “Why didn’t you ask him out if you were interested?”

  “Call me old-fashioned, but I like the guy to make the first move.” I shrugged. “And you know my game off the field is kind of pathetic.”

  “So you say, but guys are always interested in you.” She tilted her head in the direction of Kenny’s table. “Especially that one.”

  “Yeah well, interested or not, I don’t think he plans on doing anything about it.”

  “With the way that man was devouring you with his eyes, it’s pretty obvious he wants you.” Sitting up, she rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Now we just have to figure out how to convince him to take action.”

  Kenny

  My knuckles turned white as I held on to my pint of beer, fighting the urge to turn around and look at Penny. I shouldn’t have gone over there. She and her friend had been minding their own business...she never would have known I was here. But I couldn’t help myself.

  What the hell was I thinking?

  I mentally snorted and took a long drink of beer. The same thing I thought about every time I saw her at the stadium last season. When the hell did Penny Montgomery start looking so damn good?

  She and Dale are pretty tight so she’s been around the stadium since he’s played for the Waves. I don’t know what the hell happened last season, but out of nowhere I saw her as something more than a player’s little sister. I’m not sure if that’s because I was in a long-term relationship for years so I was oblivious or if her hotness factor just increased...but whatever the reason, I can’t get her out of my head.

  And don’t think Dale didn’t notice. The man glared at me every time he saw me speaking to his sister and at the end-of-the-season party, blatantly warned me away from her. I’ll admit, I enjoyed spending time with Penny and flirting with her, but even without her brother’s disapproval, I realize nothing can ever come of it.

  My last serious relationship ended up being long-distance and didn’t work out. There’s no way I’d hop into something with a girl who travels all over the country for a living knowing how impossible it would be to keep things together. And no matter how much I want her, I have too much respect for Penny to start something when I couldn’t offer her more than a quick fling.

  “Yo Hanover, you with us tonight or what?” my friend and soon-to-be groom, Max Carr, asked before tossing a french fry at my head.

  “I’m here.” I finished my beer and reached for the pitcher. “I just can’t get a word in with this gang.”

  He bobbed his eyebrows and glanced in Penny’s direction before looking at me again. “That gonna be a one-night thing or should I tell Trista you’ll be needing a plus one?”

  “You’re an ass.”

  He looked around at the other eight guys at our table and asked, “Am I an ass?”

  Considering we’ve all been friends since college and have gone through a few pitchers in less than an hour, their answers ranged from agreeing with me that Max is indeed an ass, to much worse.

  “Well damn,” he said around a short laugh. “Don’t tell Trista until after the wedding.”

  That led to more insults and laughter. I joined in enough to keep their attention off the obvious zing flowing between the copper-haired beauty across the room and me. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy for me to do the same.

  Penny

  My feet pounded against the sand, each perfectly-paced step bringing me closer to the end of my workout. I’m not one of those runners who can find their inner bliss, floating along in a meditative haze as they stomp along. I’m more of a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other kind of girl who concentrates on keeping everything moving forward.

  Although I have to say, running on a beach in St. Pete definitely beats getting miles in on a treadmill in a smelly gym. Sugar We’re Going Down by Fall Out Boy sounds in my earbuds, so I put my head down and plod on, knowing there’s only one more song left until I can stop to cool down and enjoy the view.

  My playlist is perfectly timed for a five-mile run and as I look up and spot my brother’s condo complex in the near distance, I know I’ve kept a good pace. I’m not looking to win a marathon, just maintain my cardio. Ten minutes per mile is my goal and as Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen starts to play, I know I’ve done it perfectly today.

  I mentally patted myself on the back and settled in for the final three minutes and twenty-nine seconds of my run when I felt, more than heard, someone coming up behind me on the left. Shifting slightly to the right, I fought the urge to peek over my shoulder as they slowed down, staying a few steps in back of me.

  Keeping my stride, I was a beach-length
from the condo walkway as Freddie Mercury sang his last note. Instead of sprinting in that direction, I slowed to a walk, continuing up the beach, to do my usual cool-down. Despite my reduced pace, whoever was behind me hadn’t passed, so I decided to stop and stretch to see if they’d keep moving along.

  Bending my arms at shoulder height, I twisted to the right and as I moved to the left, my elbow made contact with something...make that someone. I turned and jumped back, falling on my ass in the process. Looking up, I saw Kenny rubbing his shoulder. My heart, which had been pounding both from my run and being startled, now raced for an entirely different reason.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said as I stood and brushed sand off my behind.

  “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “I called your name but I guess you didn’t hear me.”

  I barely heard his words over the music in my ears as I struggled to keep my eyes focused on his face. I’ve only seen him wearing khakis and either button-down or polo shirts, and he looks pretty good in those. His athletically thin body in running shorts and a tank top may make me drool if I allow myself to get a really good look.

  Not that his face isn’t distracting, especially covered with dark stubble like it is now. It makes him look more casual and relaxed. Plus, I can’t help but wonder what it would feel like against my skin.

  Shaking away that last thought, I pulled my earbuds out and held them up for him to see.