Chapter 1
The bar smelled of whiskey poured over a heavy serving of sex. Women with their cleavage hanging out leaned over the counter, pushing their boobs up to their chins, trying to get the attention of any football player. The pre-season for the Miami Thunder in any local watering hole was like taking dogs in heat to a dog park on a hot summer day.
Jessica Roads twisted her long blonde hair into a ponytail. She’d moved to Florida two years ago after accepting a position in the marketing department as the on-line social media coordinator for the Miami Thunder organization. The move from Virginia had been a difficult one, leaving all her family and friends behind. But then she’d met the man she believed was her soul-mate.
She no longer believed in fate.
Glancing over her shoulder she saw Robert and his wife, in the back corner gazing at each other like they were the only ones in the room. Of all the places her ex could go hang out, he chose the one place he knew she might actually frequent.
Was she his ex? He’d been married when they met, though she had no idea for almost a year. She shook her head. Under no circumstances was she dumb.
Just blind.
“Can you believe these women?” Lilliana Foster asked as she plopped herself down on the barstool. “I was in the bathroom and one went on and on about how hot our boss is and I’m like girls, he’s madly in love with his wife.”
“Yeah, but come on, Ian Dare is one hell of a sexy man. Hell, all the Dare boys are,” Jessica said, twirling her hair, trying not to look over her shoulder. It had been a few months since she’d seen Robert and the last time it hadn’t been pretty.
At least twenty men from the team were in the bar. Some picking up women, others with their girlfriends, others just hanging out, letting off steam. It was only two weeks until the first pre-season game and the boys were restless. She glanced around, noting who was there. Her job didn’t require her to check out what happened outside the stadium, but this gave her some insight into the players, helping her to make them more human in a hundred and forty characters.
“Married men are so not sexy to me. And no way should they be to you.” Lilliana worked in the advertising department and had become Jessica’s one of her only two friends in Miami. Jessica had promised herself she’d get out and meet more people, instead of crying over a lying cheating asshole.
“Now, Nolan Greer is one hell of a sexy man.” Lilliana kissed her thumb and forefinger and made a smacking noise.
“He might be sexy, but he’s barely speaks to anyone, except for yelling out plays in practice. I wonder if he’s going to be as hot-headed with refs the as a coach as he was as a player.” Jessica had interviewed everyone on the team, including coaches, but the new offensive coordinator had yet to give her the time of day.
“I think his aloofness makes him even hotter.”
Jessica laughed. “I wouldn’t call him aloof. I’d say he’s more like the brooding, angry type. He almost never smiles and every interview I’ve seen with the man, he has no personality. He answers the questions about the game or his performance, but you ask him about anything personal, or family? He responds with a ‘I don’t discuss that’ or ‘let’s keep it to the field’.” However, she could get lost in his emerald eyes. They were like pools of aqua spring water, hot and steamy.
Lilliana scowled. “Robert’s here, and with the ball-n-chain too.”
“I noticed them the second we stepped foot in this place and I would prefer to pretend he didn’t exist.”
“Why didn’t you say something. We could have left?” Lilliana looped her arm around Jessica, kissing her check.
“Because I’m not going to let him stop me from having a good time.” While she enjoyed Lilliana’s company, she couldn’t honestly say the evening had been any fun, but only because of Robert. Every time she saw him, the sting of being made a fool of cut through her pride and now she second guessed every man she met, making it impossible to date without thinking they were either married or hiding some twisted dark secret.
“Then move, because here they come.”
Shit.
“Hi Jessica,” Robert said. “Maggs, you remember Jessica, don’t you?”
“The charity event with the football, team, yes?” Maggs batted her long brown lashes.
The nerve of that man to say hello to his ex-mistress in front of his wife. Poor woman. Jessica had to wonder if she knew about her husband’s cheating ways? Or did she turn a blind-eye?
“Robert,” Maggs said. “I need to use the ladies room.”
“I’ll bring the drinks back to the table, darling.”
Jessica stared at the woman’s swollen belly. Fury bubbled from the pit of her stomach to her throat and it was about to erupt in word vomit. She waited until his wife was out of site. “You’re a fucking piece of work. Your wife is pregnant and you waltz her over here in front of your ex-mistress? I have a mind to tell her what a cheating bastard you are.” Jessica waved the bartender over. “I need another and get me a couple shots of Fireball.”
“Take it easy on that stuff,” Robert said. “You don’t handle hard liquor well
“Fuck off. My boyfriend won’t like seeing you standing anywhere near me and he knows all about you and I doubt he’ll be as considerate as I am of your wife’s feelings.”
Robert’s eyes went wide before turning into narrowed slits. He turned on his heels and left.
“That man is an asshole.”
“I feel so sorry for his kid,” Lilliana said.
Jessica tossed her head back, dumping the shot into her mouth, letting it linger as it slowly slid down her throat in a brutal burn. She certainly was over him, but she wasn’t over the humiliation she had felt that night he’d seen him and his wife at an event that he had to know she’d attend. “Except I just told him I had a boyfriend and that he’d be here any minute.”
Lilliana grinned and her eye brows waggled, like they always did when she had a crazy idea. “I dare you to kiss the next guy who walks through that door.”
“Don’t dare me.” Jessica had always enjoyed a good dare, and most of the time, she’d do them, if they weren’t too outlandish. With one more shot, this dare was something she could do, especially if it meant showing Robert she was soooooo over him.
She threw back the other shot, took out her ponytail and fluffed her hair, praying the next guy was God’s gift to women. Standing only five feet from the door, she watched it as someone slowly pulled it back. Staring at a pair of sexy feet wearing flip-flops, she let her eyes take in thick, muscular calves, then a pair of pink golf shorts. She didn’t have to look any further than this man’s form fitting shirt, showing off his taut stomach, to close the gap between them.
Flinging her arms around his thick, broad shoulders, she thought she heard Lilliana call her name, telling her to stop, or maybe don’t stop.
Jessica blinked quickly, catching a glimpse of familiar sea green eyes, before landing her mouth on his soft plump lips.
His rock-hard body went rigid as she tried to coax him into kissing her back.
But he didn’t move.
She darted her tongue across his lips and felt a moan vibrate from his throat to her mouth. His strong arms wrapped around her waist as he thrust his tongue inside, taking over the kiss like a wild animal trying to get out of his cage.
Or in this case, get in it.
He demanded more as his hands pressed firmly on her back, pulling her closer.
Her chest heaved into his as she struggled to breath. The room spun around her in a haze of green and gold. The chatter of people talking phased into a low hum like an engine waiting to be revved. He slowed the kiss, stroking the inside of her mouth like a soft brush hovering over the canvas, waiting for the artist to make that first mark. Her mind formed a picture of the man she’d seen for barely a second before. Soft green eyes. Short, brown hair, almost buzzed on the side with the top longer, and a thick wave…fuck, I’m kissing Nolan Greer.
Double fuck. He’s kissing me back.
She pried her lips from his, keeping her eyes closed tight. Not only did she not want to look at him, she figured all of his players were staring. He cheeks flushed.
“One way to get that interview,” he whispered into her ear.
“I’m sorry.” The words came out in a throaty pant. “Will you please just pretend to be my boyfriend for like the next half hour?” God, this had to be the second dumbest thing she’d ever done. The first one had been believing Roberts lies about why he couldn’t spend the night most of the time, or be with her on Valentine’s Day. What a fool she’d been.
“Why would I do that?”
She shouldn’t have had that second shot.
She shouldn’t have taken the dare.
“So, I can show my ex I’ve moved on, that I am over him, and could care less about him.” She really needed to shut up. Robert was right about one thing: hard liquor wasn’t her friend.
“I think I handle that.”
She cocked her head back, opening her eyes, hands still on his shoulders.
“Just like that? The elusive, anti-social, hot-headed Coach Greer is going to play along?” Did that babble actually fly from her mouth? Yeah, he’s going to want to pretend to be like a bee and buzz off.
“I’m not anti-social.” His lips drew into a smile, creating a single dimple in his right cheek. His hands still roaming her back in a seductive motion. “But I’ll concede to being the other two.”
She pursed her lips, staring into those damn eyes.
He chuckled. “The starting quarterback is staring at us from across the room, along with three other young men I coach. The chick in advertising has her mouth gaping wide open. So, I either play along, or you and I have some serious explaining to do.”
“We’re going to have to do that anyway.”
“Maybe we won’t.” He winked. “Come on. Let me by my girlfriend a drink.”
People really needed to learn not to dare her.