by J. H. Croix
Table of Contents
Play Me
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
More from J.H. Croix
Find My Books
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Play Me
Brit Boys Sports Romance
By J.H. Croix
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 J.H. Croix
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10: 1548769703
ISBN-13: 9781548769703
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Play Me
One kiss…so hot it scalded me.
One year later…a second chance to give her the one thing she’s never had.
I’ve known Daisy for years.
She’s all curves, but I’m not supposed to notice.
Because we’re just friends.
I want her anyway.
She wants two things—commitment and that elusive O.
I can only give her one, so I make a deal.
One month and more O’s than she can count.
Relationships are messy, and I don’t do messy.
I've never had a problem keeping my distance.
But the clock is ticking.
This was supposed to be easy.
I didn’t count on wanting more.
*This is a steamy, full-length standalone sports romance with a guaranteed happily-ever-after. No cliffhangers. Nothing but steamy romance & HEA!
Reader’s note: For a limited time, as a thank you to my readers, all books in the series are included with Play Me! Each title is a full-length, 60K plus standalone novel.
Dedication
This one goes out to my mother who taught me what it means to be true to yourself.
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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. 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 I’d yet to forget. We hadn’t even finished the act, and she’d left me more tied up than any woman—ever. I’d hoped to see her again and pick up where we left off. 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. Staring down at her with the feel of her body imprinted against mine, 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 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 a single 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 last season after a brutal injury to my left knee. I’d spent most of my life 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. I was lucky enough to be able to return to play soon with my knee finally back up to speed.
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 in for the next month or so. I should’ve connect
ed the dots and realized they led straight back to Daisy, seeing as she was a lead medical researcher at the company the clinic had partnered with for the study. 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 had a healthy sex life, but it was more about enjoying the sex, and eschewing the emotional mess.
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 bloody 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 it 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 drummed her fingertips on the arm of her chair and eyed me as if she was considering something. “So, how are you?”
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 soon. Meanwhile, I’m here.”
She kept drumming her fingertips. “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 bolted 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 to 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.
Chapter 2
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 closer 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—and completely unsatisfying.
With every fiber of me desperately wanting to let go into the best feeling ever, I’d shoved him away from me and bolted. 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 didn’t do them. He declared them messy and steered clear. I’d always wondered why. Normally, I didn’t mind being nosy, but I hadn’t been able to bring myself to pry on this issue, too worried it would reveal just how personal my curiosity was.
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 do
wn. I couldn’t make a fool of myself over him. Leave it to me to be stuck pining for a man I couldn’t have.
Tristan arched a brow. Hell, he even had an amazing face. Strong features with a blade of a nose, and a permanent five o’clock shadow. I remembered just how his stubble felt against my skin. As these thoughts tumbled through my mind, my pulse took off at a dash and I could hardly breathe.
He curled his hand around mine where my finger pressed into his chest. My belly did a slow flip and everything in me tightened with need. He was quiet, his eyes boring into mine. I felt prickly hot all over, exposed and vulnerable. On the heels of this came anger. It infuriated me that I wanted him so much.
“I think you are,” he said, his low voice sending a hot shiver down my spine. “What I want to know is why?”
My cheeks were hot, and I willed the heat away, an entirely futile endeavor. I wanted to shake my head wildly and argue with him, but I didn’t. My ability to speak deserted me the second he lifted his hand and traced it along my hairline, slowly sliding his fingers through my hair.
My breath came in short pants, while my pulse lunged. Need throbbed at my core. I wanted him so much. This was precisely why I’d avoided him. I knew how it felt to have him touch me, and it was so good, it pushed me past the bounds of sanity and made me forget everything else.
“If you’re not lying, then have dinner with me,” he said, his eyes never once breaking from mine.
Sheer stubbornness kept me from closing my eyes. I wanted to, but dammit, he was not going to see how much he rattled me.
“Fine. Let’s have dinner,” I snapped.
He still had my hand caught in his, while he idly sifted through my hair with his other hand. Heat rolled through me and my low belly clenched, but I would not let myself push him away. I could handle this. I’d show him he didn’t have the upper hand, and I’d get over my body’s obsession with him.