Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5)
Read Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) Online
Authors: Kate Donovan
Cover
Playing for Kicks
Sean Decker takes pride in his reputation as
the best kicker in the league. His
other
reputation—for
falling in love with every girl he meets—is more of an urban
legend. Sure, he likes women, but he just wants to meet a nice one
and settle down, especially since his latest hookup has gone all
kinds of wrong. If he can just extricate himself from that
suffocating mess, he swears to learn from it. And when he meets the
blend of fresh air and independence that is Tess Colby, he knows
she’s the one to help him.
Tess has no interest in being Sean’s latest
conquest. Not only has she heard the rumors, but she’s focused on
making the jump from bartender to sportswriter. In exchange for an
interview, she’s willing to give him the same in-depth advice she
always gives brokenhearted guys across the bar. But date him? No
way.
Sean claims he doesn’t want to date. Just
hang out. Although for some reason, his definition of hanging out
includes kissing. It’s fun, but Tess knows she needs to stay
strong. Not just for her own sake, but maybe for the kicker’s,
too.
Title Page
Copyright
Playing for Kicks
Kate Donovan
Copyright © 2016 by
Kate Donovan
Material excerpted
from
Play by Play
c
opyright © 2013 by
Kate Donovan
Cover design and illustration by Dar Albert,
Wicked Smart Designs
Published by Beyond the Page at
Smashwords
Beyond the Page Books
are published by
Beyond the Page Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-940846-74-3
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Dedication
This story is dedicated to Glenn Frey
Prologue
As Tess Colby surveyed her domain for
possibly the last time, she wondered if she could really leave it
all behind. Sure, it was just a sports bar in the Pacific
Northwest, but she had spent three great years here. Helped it grow
from a modest watering hole to a thriving hot spot where regular
guys—
yum
—and celebrities—
double
yum—gathered.
Of course, her new career as a sports
journalist would be fun, too, assuming she didn’t crash and
burn.
“Hey, Colbee,” a familiar voice greeted her,
and she turned to one of her favorite regulars.
“Bobby! We were afraid you wouldn’t
show.”
To her delight, he wasn’t alone. And unless
she missed her guess, the pretty woman with him was the famous
Jenny—a co-worker he had been whispering to Tess about for
months.
Confirming that suspicion, Bobby said
proudly, “This is Jenny. The girl I told you about. Jenny, this is
Colbee. The best bartender in the world.”
Jenny’s nose wrinkled. “You told her about
me?”
“Huh?” The poor guy’s face fell. “No, not
really. Just that—you know—you’re so nice.”
Tess wanted to rescue him but didn’t really
have a fix on Jenny yet. Was she actually pissed? Or just
embarrassed?
As a bartender, Tess could read men pretty
well, but women? That was above her pay grade.
Jenny’s suspicious brown eyes dipped to
Tess’s chest, either to confirm her name, which was stitched in
blue thread on her white T-shirt, or to evaluate the cleavage.
Luckily, Tess had chosen this modest scoop neck to be attractive to
guys while also assuring girlfriends, wives, and assorted other
female patrons that “Colbee” didn’t date her customers. She just
wanted to show them a good time, platonically speaking, and send
them on their way. She even wore her blonde hair in a ponytail to
reinforce the girl-next-door image.
Totally harmless.
“It’s such a relief to meet you, Jenny,” she
tried carefully as she filled an order for one of the waitresses.
“I almost gave up hope seeing you before my last day here.”
“You’re leaving?”
Tess laughed at the hopeful tone. “That’s the
rumor. But I’ll miss these guys. They’re all so adorable, right?
I’m madly in love with
all
of them, but let’s face it. Ever
since you and Bobby pulled that all-nighter on the Simmons account,
his heart belongs to you and you alone.”
Jenny’s annoyance faded as she turned back to
Bobby. “You told her about that? You saved my job that night.”
“I wouldn’t want to work there if
you
weren’t there,” he assured her huskily. They stared into each
other’s eyes for a long amorous moment, then he told Tess, “We’re
on our way to that French place you recommended. I just wanted her
to meet you. And you keep saying you’re leaving, so I figured we’d
better do it soon.”
Before Tess could respond, a chorus of rabid
cheers went up from the far side of the circular bar. Laughing, she
said, “I guess we scored. I’d better get over there so I can take
credit.”
“You
always
get credit,” Bobby said
with a grin. “You’re our lucky charm.”
Jenny eyed him curiously. “Do you want to
stay and watch the game?”
“Huh? No way. I’ve been planning this date
for weeks. But . . .” He glanced sideways at Tess as though
seeking advice. “I could just check on the score if you girls don’t
mind.”
“Go,” Jenny told him. “I want to talk to
Colbee anyway.”
“Two minutes,” he promised, but only after
Tess gave him a slight nod to confirm it wasn’t a bonehead move.
She could see he wanted to do something affectionate with
Jenny—squeeze her arm, peck her cheek, drag her into a corner and
make babies—but he settled for smiling wistfully then slinking
away.
After serving one of her regulars
his
regular—Scotch neat—she told Jenny, “We love Bobby so much.
Please
tell me you’ve got a huge crush on him.”
“For months,” she admitted. “I’ve been
dropping hints, but he’s so shy. Plus he’s worried because I’m his
supervisor and he doesn’t want to get me in trouble.”
“Not a real supervisor though. Just team
leader, right?”
“Wow, he really
does
tell you
everything.”
“Jenny, Jenny, Jenny. She’s so beautiful.
She’s so smart. She’s so funny. Blah blah blah.” Tess flashed a
teasing smile. “Thank God you’re real.”
Jenny blushed, then asked carefully, “He
comes here a lot, right? I mean, practically every night?”
“Probably twice a week year-round, but more
during football season. He hangs with a really sweet group of guys.
They have a couple of beers, crack jokes, and make five-dollar
bets. Male bonding at its best, trust me.” Hesitating, because she
didn’t want to mess things up for her friend, she said carefully,
“If you want to see for yourself, come back on Sunday. Mariners
versus Angels. There
will
be blood.”
“Will you be there, too? To keep me
company?”
“I’ll make a point of it,” Tess promised.
“And even if it’s not your cup of tea, I think you’ll be reassured.
Plus I’ll give you the dirt on his buddies. I love them to death
but what a bunch of losers. Oops, here comes Prince Charming.” She
beamed at Bobby as he walked back to them. “Are we winning?”
“Tie score, but we have the momentum.” He
moved in close to his date as though confirming she was still there
in the actual flesh. “We should get going. Right, Jenn?”
She smiled up at him and nodded.
“Oh, my God, you guys are too adorable,” Tess
complained.
Then someone yelled, “Hey, Colbee!” and she
spun toward the voice, laughing at the insistent tone.
“Give me ten seconds and I’m yours,” she
called back.
The group of guys—all regulars, all great
tippers—chuckled knowingly.
Then she turned back to the happy couple.
“Have fun at dinner, you two. No funny business, Bobby.”
He laughed. “I’ll try to restrain myself. If
you’re not here next time, good luck with the new job.”
“I’ll be here Sunday. After that . . .”
She bit her tongue, so tempted to tell him she would be
interviewing the reigning Super Bowl quarterback in less than
twenty-four hours. But it was a little soon to count
those
chickens, wasn’t it? She had to get past the quarterback’s wife
first, because apparently the great Johnny Spurling had a
gatekeeper. Then she needed to write an entertaining article, sell
it, and hope that someone, somewhere, read the darned thing.
So she settled for waving to the couple as
they walked hand in hand to the exit. If her bartending career
ended on this note, she’d never regret it. But in the meantime,
five lusty males were calling for her, demanding that she officiate
their latest arm-wrestling match.