Summary:
All Wade Lewis wants during rookie preseason camp is to play great football and to make it to the final fifty three man roster.
He absolutely does not want Tristan Nicholson.
His complete and total opposite.
His teammate.
His competition.
And his roommate.
During the day, Tristan unexpectedly proves to be helpful on and off the field, but at night, when the lights go out, Tristan also becomes the only man he canât resist.
First heâs a friend, then astonishingly, he becomes a lover.
And then he becomes the last thing Wade ever expected: everything.
Summary:
Sebastian Howard is the best damn cornerback in the NFL.
Or at least he was.
Age and injuries have taken a toll, and while most people have written him off, Sebastian isnât ready to acknowledge that at only thirty-two, heâs already in the twilight of his career.
He signs with the Miami Piranhas intending to prove everyone wrong.
Only to realize that the head coachâs son, out-and-proud Beau Dawson, doesnât believe he can.
Beau is infuriating but brilliant, and when he offers to help him on the field, Sebastian wants to say yes, but thereâs one thing stopping him: the unexpected, inconvenient, and all-consuming crush he doesnât want to have on Beau.
But Beau isnât interested in playing it safe, with football or with anything else, and soon theyâre embroiled in a hotâand secretâaffair that would finish Sebastianâs career if Coach Dawson found out.
As Sebastian falls harder for Beau, he begins to realize that actually the worst thing in the world isnât getting benched, but losing the man he loves.
Summary:
Center Logan Banks didnât come to Miami looking for a best friend.
He came for football and for a chance at freedomâthe freedom to live out of the closet.
But after a water main break, he lands an unexpected roommate, the new Piranhas kicker, Dylan Leonard. Between practices, games, and too many late nights on the couch, a best friend is exactly what he gets.
When Loganâs past rears its ugly head and threatens to destroy the freedom heâs hoped for, Dylan becomes more than just a friend. He becomes a lifeline.
But then their friendship gets incorrectly labeled as something more, and Dylan shocks Logan by suggesting they play along with a fake relationship.
Logan knows itâs off limits to fall in love with Dylan. Heâs supposed to be straight, heâs his best friend, his roommate, and his teammate. But the closer they grow, and the more he and Dylan fake falling in love, the more real it feels.
The more real Logan wants it to be.
Making a play for love is the biggest risk heâs ever taken, but he wants it all and he wants it with Dylan.
Expected Release Date: October 12, 2022
Ex-quarterback Davis Abernathy knows heâs on his last chance.
If he strikes out as Paxton Kellyâs coach, nobody else is going to call him. Not to get back on the field, and not to stand on the sidelines.
Heâs got a lot to teach Pax, and as a second-year quarterback, Pax has a lot to learn. But Davis doesnât anticipate the irresistible way theyâll be drawn together from their first meeting. He never could have predicted such a fierce and uncontrollable yearningâor that Pax would feel the same.
It should be easy to remember rules arenât meant to be broken, and certain lines arenât meant to be crossed, but the only thing thatâs easy is falling totally, completely in love with Pax.
As Davis falls harder, Pax succeeding becomes just as importantâand maybe more soâthan resurrecting his own career. If he messes this up, his last chance isnât all heâll be sacrificing.
What he should be is focused on being the perfect mentor. But what he wants Pax is in his bed, Pax in his life, and more impossibly, to win Paxâs heart forever.
Playing for Keeps #1
âYou knew coming in that we wanted you to switch to safety,â Beau said.
âI knew it was a possibility.â
Sebastian began to pace in front of where Beau was pressed up against the front of his fatherâs desk.
âYou thought you could show up in camp and prove yourself,â Beau guessed.
Sebastian shot him a glare from underneath eyelashes a model wouldâve killed for. âYou and your daddy really are the same, arenât you?â
âWhat?â Beau couldnât follow. âWeâre not . . . no, weâre not alike at all, really.â
âThatâs what he said.â Sebastian breathed out, and for a moment, he was silent. âThat I planned to come to camp and prove you wrong, that I should stay a corner.â
Sebastian unsettled him so much, he could barely think. âIt was a reasonable conclusion,â Beau said. âItâs not like a big injury slowed you downâa bunch of little ones, more like, and age. Youâve been playing ball since you were what, twelve? Thirteen? Itâs a lot of wear and tear, itâs going to happen . . .â
âSo you thought you could push me, teach me a lesson, huh?â
âNo. No. I want . . .â Sebastian took a step closer, and Beauâs breath clogged in his throat. He gripped the edge of the desk and told himself firmly, even though heâd never, not once, been tempted to touch a player who hadnât clearly wanted to be touched, that he would not reach out and press a palm to Sebastianâs bare chest.
âWhat I want,â Beau started over again, âis for this to be mutually beneficial for both of us. You want to keep playing. We want you to keep playing.â
Sebastianâs lip curled. âOh, youâre two regular do-gooders.â
âNo. We want to win football games. And youâre gonna help us.â
For a long moment, Sebastian just stared at him. Like he was assessing him. Beau found himself standing a little straighter, and hoping that after pulling off his cap, his hair wasnât too much of a mess.
Like any of that mattered.
âI think,â Beau continued, uneasily, âthat this could be a real good change for you. Honestly. What I want is for everyone to succeed.â
âWhat if what I want is to play corner?â
Beau shrugged. âYou can teach Rose everything you know. Heâs got potential. He wonât be you in your golden years, sure. But he could still be really, really good.â
âSure,â Sebastian retorted.
âListenââBeau found his voice growing sharperââyou want to know what I really think?â
Sebastian gestured like, sure, might as well, and Beau kept going. âI think that youâre miserable trying to be your old self. Youâre working yourself so hard, youâre going to end up with another injury, and itâs going to end up being a vicious cycle. You played safety this afternoon, and I saw a dynamic, aggressive player who got to be himself again because he wasnât worried about outrunning a guy he couldnât outrun anymore. You saw the field, analyzed it, and attacked the play.â
Sebastian stared at him.
Long enough that Beau told himself not to squirm under the intensity of that gaze, but he couldnât help it.
Finally, he spoke. But only after taking another step closer, and then another to be even closer still. Beau swallowed hard. All heâd have to do was lean in and their chests would touch. He was wearing a cotton polo, but he bet that heâd feel the warmth of Sebastianâs skin, even through the fabric.
âYou think you know me?â Sebastianâs voice was low and quiet and so dangerous.
Dangerous to Beauâs peace of mind.
Playing the Player #2
âTake a seat,â Coach added, gesturing to the chairs set in front of his desk. âI just wanted to chat real quick. Helenâs told me what happened, Logan, and Iâm sorry. I know you wanted to do this on your own terms.â
Logan nodded. He had. But other than Dylan getting dragged into it, he wasnât . . . well, he couldnât really be angry about it, because there wasnât any point. Even though he hadnât picked the timing or the scenario, he couldnât deny that the outcome was exactly what heâd wanted.
âItâs actually not so bad. Iâve gotten used to the idea of everyone knowinâ now,â Logan said. âAnd I wanted to do it anyway.â
âStill doesnât give anyone permission to reveal it without your say-so,â Coach said firmly. âHelen tells me youâre releasing a statement today.â He picked up a piece of paper from his desk. âYouâve read the final version?â
Logan nodded. Words werenât ever his strong suit, but Helen had done a really great job of crafting all of what heâd felt into one concise statement.
Thereâd been a firm rebuttal of his relationship with Ricky, and all the accusations Ricky had leveled at himâbut mostly sheâd focused on what was important to Logan, and expectations of the future.
Specifically, sheâd penned a line: As much as I understand the intense interest in my personal life that this article has generated, I still ask that my privacy be respected and my personal life remain personal.
He hadnât confirmed or denied anything. But everyone, of course, would assume that any allegation that he didnât specifically refuteâAKA that he was dating Dylanâwas plain and simple fact.
âAnd you, Dylan . . .â Coach sighed. âHelen tells me that you actually offered to help Logan out here. But I want you to know, itâs not necessary. If you change your mind . . .â
Clearly, Coach had not seen the picture from last night.
Heâd seen it, first thing this morning, when heâd opened his email and there it was, a forward from Helen, who said it was spreading through social media.
He hadnât been able to help the way his gaze had lingered on the photo, even as small as it was on his phone screen. The surprise on his own face. The undeniable joy in his eyes. The way Dylanâs own had fluttered closed.
The possessive arm heâd slung around Dylanâs shoulders.
âIâm not going to change my mind,â Dylan said firmly. âI donât have a problem doing this.â
âYouâre sure, then,â Coach said. âAnd you, Logan? Nobody says you have to do this. I know yâall were close friends before that. No need to . . .â He hesitated, and Logan swore he saw something heâd never imagined heâd see in his coachâs eyes: understanding. Then as soon as Logan had identified the emotion, it was gone. âNo need to compromise your friendship, just to refute this jerkâs claim.â
âItâs not compromised, Coach,â Dylan said very earnestly. âItâs even stronger than ever.â
Coach sighed. âAnd now I get to give my real fun speech, Iâm sure you two know the one. Itâs a little less relevant considering yâall arenât actually dating, but the point remains: what happens between you doesnât impact what happens on the field. Okay?â
âIt wonât,â Dylan swore earnestly.
âBesides,â Logan added, âwe arenât even on the field at the same time.â
âDoesnât mean,â Coach retorted sternly, âthat the drama wonât impact your individual playing time. I just ask that you make sure it doesnât.â He paused, his face softening. âReally, Iâm not too worried about yâall. Logan, youâre a rock. And Dylan, you came to us for a reason, because we had faith in you and that hasnât changed. But for equalityâs sake, I had to give yâall the same speech I gave Tristan and Wade and Sebastian and Beau.â
âYou werenât worried about them either,â Dylan guessed. âNot really.â
That was the thing about Dylan. He was so smart, unexpectedly. Nobody expected someone who kicked a ball for a living to have so many insightful observations. But Dylan always did.
Coach eyed him, and then his smile grew, slowly.
âIâll neither confirm nor deny,â Coach said, but the sly twinkle in his eyes gave him away.
A lifelong Pacific Northwester, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.
Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasnât a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. Sheâs published twenty-three novels and seven novellas.
Playing Dirty #.5
Playing for Keeps #1
Playing the Player #2
Playing by the Rules #3
Series
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