by JA Low
Playing the Player
Book 2 - The Hartford Brothers Series
JA Low
Contents
1. Nell
2. Remi
3. Nell
4. Nell
5. Remi
6. Nell
7. Remi
8. Nell
9. Nell
10. Nell
11. Remi
12. Nell
13. Nell
14. Remi
15. Nell
16. Remi
17. Remi
18. Nell
19. Nell
20. Nell
21. Remi
22. Nell
23. Remi
24. Nell
25. Remi
26. Nell
27. Nell
28. Remi
29. Nell
30. Nell
31. Nell
32. Remi
33. Remi
34. Nell
35. Remi
36. Nell
37. Remi
38. Nell
Acknowledgments
Seducing the Doctor
About the Author
About the Author
Interconnecting series
Also by JA Low
Also by JA Low
Also by JA Low
Interconnecting Series
Also by JA Low
Copyright © 2021 by JA Low
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1
Nell
I’m frazzled by the long ass trip from the city to my home in Bridgehampton. Yes, I recognize it’s the end of school, but couldn’t you all have delayed till tomorrow to get out of town? My mood sours by the time I arrive home. I offer my mom a quick hug but don’t see Dad anywhere close by; he’s probably somewhere down in the stables working.
I shouldn’t have had that iced dark chocolate mocha from Starbucks while sitting in traffic because I’m bursting for the toilet. I rush upstairs, taking two at a time, and head down toward my bedroom. During the school year, I live in Manhattan with my mom, while Dad stays up here at the farm training his polo team.
I push through the bedroom door and dash past my bed, through to my en-suite, before twisting the knob and rushing in. “Shit,” I curse, looking at an extremely naked Remington Hartford stepping out of the shower.
“What the hell, Nell?” Remi screams at me, snatching his towel from the rail as I dash out the door, stunned.
I’ve just seen Remington Hartford naked. Oh my god, this cannot be happening to me. My heart beats wildly out of my chest as my cheeks get warm. Tingles flicker across my body. What is wrong with me?
“Nell?” Remi rushes out with a white towel wrapped around his hips. Water droplets fall down his tanned chest. My eyes track the beads as they ripple across his six-pack and melt down into his towel where I now realize lies something I should never have seen.
“What are you doing in my bathroom?” I ask, raising my voice a couple of octaves at him.
“Taking a shower.”
“In my shower?” I ask, pointing to my chest. His eyes slip down and seem to notice my newly found cleavage. That’s different.
Remi and I have been friends forever. He may be my brother’s best friend, but Remi’s always been nice to me when he’s come over to hang out with him. I’ve never thought of him as anything more than a second brother until now.
Naked.
In my shower.
And he’s never seen me any other way than as Dominic’s irritating little sister. Until now, as his eyes wander further south.
“Shit.” Remi grabs his crotch and sprints back into the bathroom slamming the door behind him.
What just happened?
My fist bashes against the bathroom door as I call his name repeatedly. “I need the toilet!” I yell as I do a dance, hoping my bladder doesn’t explode.
“Hang on,” Remi answers sharply. Then, moments later he’s dressed again and pushes past me, practically knocking me over.
“Hey,” I call out to him, but he’s gone.
After finally doing my business, I head over to Dominic’s room, where I assume Remi is. This conversation isn’t over. I don’t even knock as I try my brother’s doorknob. I jiggle it twice, but it’s locked. I head to the spare bedroom to the right, which shares a bathroom with my brother, and walk right into Remi.
“What the?” I mutter as I bounce off his hard chest.
“Nell?” Remi stares at me in confusion as I take in the spare bedroom and see Remi’s things all over the floor.
“Are you staying in here?” I ask, staring up at him with a frown.
“Um, yeah.” Remi tilts his head to the side and stares at me.
“For the summer?” I question him.
“No.” He shakes his head. “I live here full time.”
My entire body stills at his words. Why would Remi be living here full time? Doesn’t he have his own family?
“Did your mom not tell you?” he asks softly. I shake my head. “Your dad asked me to join his team full time.” Oh. Now I understand. “It was easier. Dom and I will go to school together too.”
Wait. He’s moved schools too? Why did no one tell me any of this? Why did my brother not tell me?
“I thought you knew,” Remi adds.
“I didn’t,” I reply, shaking my head, hurt that my entire family forgot to mention we have a new houseguest. “Congratulations though,” I add, remembering my manners. Remi making my father’s polo team is a big deal. He doesn’t give spots to anyone just because he’s best friends with Remi’s dad. Even Dominic had to try out for the team.
“Thanks. I’m looking forward to it. Traveling back and forth from here to the city sucks.” He grins, showing off his straight white teeth against his sun-kissed skin. His brown hair flops across his forehead and he gives it a shake, which pushes it back into place. “Look, I’m sorry about before. Your brother has company, so I couldn’t use the bathroom, and your room being down the corridor was easier. I didn’t think you were getting home till later.” He scratches the back of his neck with his hand. “I didn’t mean to…”
I wave my hands in front of me, trying to suppress the images of a naked Remi before me. Warmth flushes against my cheeks again as I try to forget all about him. “I
t’s fine.”
“Let me guess, Dominic’s with Sasha, again?” I ask, changing the subject.
Sasha is my brother’s high school girlfriend. She’s a mega bitch, whom he’s been dating for like a year. Since losing his virginity to her, all they seem to do now is have sex. I don’t get what the big deal is about sex. It’s not like I haven’t done anything with guys before, I have. Just haven’t gone all the way. Maybe it’s different if you really like the boy. Guess I haven’t found anyone I want to lose it to. Maybe Remi? Where did that thought come from? Nope. No. I can feel the embarrassment creep up my neck again. I need to get out of here.
“No, not Sasha. It’s Claudia.”
“Wait, as in Claudia McGee, Sasha’s best friend?” My eyes bug out at this bit of gossip.
“Yep.” Remi smiles. I know he wasn’t a fan of Sasha’s either.
“Oh my god, what happened?” I ask, tugging on his arm excitedly.
“Come in and let me give you all the details,” Remi states.
I follow and join him on his bed like I have done a million times before, it shouldn’t feel weird, but it does now. I’m hoping this weirdness stops.
“Apparently, Sasha has been seeing Danny Grain on the side,” Remi explains.
No way! Danny is the captain of the football team, who is Claudia’s boyfriend, and one of Dom’s friends. This is juicy.
“Understandably, Dom and Claudia were upset, so they hooked up at a party as revenge,” Remi fills me in. “But somewhere along the way, they kind of fell for each other.”
“No, fricken way.” I gasp. Remi just nods in agreement. “Guess Sasha isn’t too happy about that?” Remi grins.
“Nope. She’s livid and is constantly messaging Dom.” What a bitch! “But he’s super happy with Claudia and doesn’t care.”
“Never thought I’d see the day Dom and Sasha broke up.” I shake my head in surprise. “Why did he keep this from me?”
“He’s a guy. It was hard enough for me to get it out of him,” Remi explains.
Still, I’m upset that he didn’t text or call me. If Dom kept his socials up to date, then I guess I would have noticed, but he never posts and it’s frustrating.
“What about you then? I bet Claudia’s friends are excited you’re in town.” I raise a brow in his direction. Remington Hartford is hot. All the Hartford brothers are, even though they’re his older brothers. Remi’s only two years older than me; he’s turning eighteen later this year, and I’m turning sixteen in a couple of weeks.
“Maybe.” He gives me a devilish grin. “But I came here to play polo, not hook up with girls.”
Ever since I’ve known Remi, he’s been super focused on his polo career, and now that he has a chance of going professional, I don’t think he’s going to let some skanky girls distract him.
“And what about you? I bet those city boys are all up in your messages?”
“You know my dad won’t let me date till I’m like thirty,” I say, rolling my eyes at how overprotective my dad can be.
“He knows what guys are like, that’s all.”
“Lucky he doesn’t live in the city and Mom’s cool,” I say, grinning at him.
“You better not let some guy pressure you,” he warns. Remi’s eyes narrow on me as he tries to be all protective. Heat rushes through my cheeks with embarrassment, thinking that he would see me differently than his best friend’s little sister. I was wrong.
“It’s not any of your business what I do.” I rise from his bed, ready to run out of there.
“Nell.” Remi stands up and walks over to where I am, his enormous frame dwarfing me. “Boys are assholes, and you’re like a sister to me. I don’t want any of those fuckers pushing you to do something you don’t want to do.”
I hate that my stomach sinks at the idea that he sees me as a sister. It’s never bothered me before. Why now?
“I’m not talking about this with you.” I stare up at him before turning on my heel and disappearing from his room. Thankfully he lets me, and I slam my door shut, locking it for good measure, before flopping down on my bed and screaming into my pillow. This is not how I saw my first day of summer turning out.
After I compose myself, I grab my phone and call my girls, Audrey and Rainn.
“Hey, you made it.” Audrey picks up first.
“Yay. You’re home.” Rainn enters the conversation.
“Girls. I have so much to tell you.” The line falls quiet. “I don’t even know where to start.” I sigh dramatically.
“Spit it out,” Rainn states forcefully.
“Fine. I just saw Remington naked.” Screams echo down the phone line at my confession.
“How?” Audrey asks.
“Was it big?” Rainn questions.
“Oh my god, Rainn. I don’t know,” I say, rolling my eyes at my bestie. Not all of us live in a liberal hippie family where sex is talked about healthily.
“Was it long?” She giggles.
“Rainn.” Shaking my head at her. “It was… nice.”
“Nice?” She seems aghast at my use of word to describe it.
“I don’t know, Rainn; I haven’t seen many dicks in my life.”
“Why was Remi naked?” Audrey asks the burning question.
“He was showering in my bathroom because he lives here now,” I tell them.
“He lives with you?” Both girls gasp.
“Yeah. Dad offered him a spot on the team. He’s going to go to school with Dom.”
“A hundred bucks says Nell gives her virginity to him,” Rainn teases.
“What. No. Ew.” I scrunch my nose up at that suggestion. “No way, he’s like a brother to me.”
“But you’ve seen him naked?” Audrey adds.
“And I bet he looks fine naked.” Rainn sighs.
“Oh my god, I called you girls to help me, not complicate things for me.” I’m shaking my head at them both.
“You can’t tell me that now you’ve seen him naked that you aren’t a little interested?” Rainn pushes the topic.
My mind wanders back to the images of Remi naked, and I don’t really remember what we were talking about. “I knew it,” Rainn sings happily. “You’re thinking about him.”
“Am not.”
“I think it’s going to be an interesting summer.” Rainn chuckles.
Gosh, I hate my friends.
2
Remi
There’s something seriously wrong with me because I can’t stop thinking about my best friend’s little sister. The way her brown eyes widened and took me in as I stepped from the shower and her cheeks went a bright red. I liked her not looking away. Hopefully committing it to memory. No. She shouldn’t commit anything to memory. What the hell am I saying? She is like a sister to me. You don’t check out your sister the way you do Nell. I don’t even have a sister to check out. Wait. That’s not what I mean. This sounds all kinds of wrong.
“Get your head in the game.” Dominic clips me over the head with his hand while we train in the arena. This isn’t good. I push all thoughts of Nell and her impressive rack that seems to have grown over the school year from my mind while I spend the next couple of hours training.
“Hey, need some help?” Nell catches me off guard as she enters the stalls that I’m mucking out.
“I’m fine,” I tell her, gritting my teeth because I don’t want to be in close quarters with her while my head is all over the shop. Nell’s brows furrow together as she stares at me, probably trying to work out why my tone is short with her.
“What’s crawled up your ass?” Nell asks angrily.
I suck in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Nothing, just tired and have a heap of work to do before going in for dinner.”
“That’s why I offered to help.” She stands before me with her hands on her hips. She’s just come off riding her horse, and she’s dressed in a tight-fitting navy polo with tanned jodhpurs that mold to her legs and ass. Lord help me.
“Fine.
Just didn’t want you to break a nail,” I say sarcastically as I shovel the hay into the wheelbarrow.
“You’re being a dick; do you know that?” she says with a huff. Then she starts on the stall beside me.
“And I bet you can’t stop thinking about mine.”
Nell stills beside me; she slowly turns her head and looks over at me. I see pure rage coursing through her body. Her cheeks are bright pink, so maybe there is some merit to my words. Maybe she can’t stop thinking about that day like I can’t.
“I don’t know what’s happened to you, Remi, but you’ve turned into a jerk.” She throws down her shovel, and the sound rattles through the stables, startling some ponies while she stomps off. Shit. My attitude isn’t Nell’s fault. I have flicked some stupid switch in my brain, and now I can’t stop thinking about her.
“Nell!” I call after her before she reaches the end of the stables. “Nell!” I call again as I jog after her. She slows her steps before turning around. Her arms are folded across her chest, and I try not to look, but I’m a teenage boy and I just can’t help myself.
“What?” Nell asks as she taps her foot in annoyance.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her honestly as I run my hand through my hair. “I have some stuff on my mind.”