Playing Dirty (A Bad Boy Sports Romance) (4 page)

“How long are we allowed to stay, Lizzy?” I asked.

But she had already disappeared. When I turned around, I saw her chatting up another tall Adonis. Unlike Jay, this guy had let his hair grow slightly long, and it was a lighter shade of brownish-blond, which highlighted his bright blue eyes and complemented Lizzy’s darker beauty. She looked happy and without a trace of self-consciousness, and for a moment I was envious of her ability to just walk right up to a soccer star and start chatting with him.

“This is a prime bunch,” one of the guys called to Jay. He grinned.

“We’re gonna get our pick of the pussy tonight, boys,” he replied, just loudly enough for me to hear him from where I was standing off to the side. I wrinkled my nose. The girls were draping themselves on him and begging for autographs, and Jay was indulging them the same way that he might indulge a litter of puppies, all smiles and cajoling.

Seriously, why did women go for guys like him? He’d literally just referred to the women here as ‘pussy’ like that’s all they were to him; not human women, just slabs of meat to devour whenever he felt like it.

“What do you birds think of coming to a party with us tonight?” Jay said to the girls with a grin. “I think you girls would be a hit.”

As they all squeaked their unanimous acceptance, I rolled my eyes and turned around. Lizzy bounded back over to me, a signed soccer ball in her hands. “Come on,” she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me across the room. “Let’s meet Jay!”

“I don’t know,” I said. Some of my good mood had vanished. “He seems like a real asshole. He was talking about those girls like they were a herd of cattle.”
And they were eating it up
, I thought to myself with a scowl.
It’s like they want to be objectified!

“He’s not really like that,” Lizzy said. “I mean, he’s just excited. They just won a huge match and he has all these cute girls around him. Wouldn’t you be excited?”

I sighed. She had a point, and even nice men did tend to act like meatheads on occasion, especially when they were around a lot of other big, masculine guys.

“Fine, we’ll go meet him,” I said, remembering my earlier guilt for not getting excited about her interests. 

“Yay!”

Together, we crossed the room and stood in front of Jay, and Lizzy chirped his name.

“Hello there,” he said. He smiled warmly at Lizzy and me, and I could barely manage to wipe the scowl off my face. “You ladies like the match?”

His accent sent shivers down my spine. It
was
really sexy, but there was no way I’d ever admit that to Lizzy. I barely wanted to admit it to myself.

“Nice win,” Lizzy said. “You showed those Liverpool arseholes!”

Jay laughed. “We did,” he said, grinning and exposing a mouth full of even, white teeth. In person, he was even more handsome than he had been in the ads. I could see that his blue eyes were flecked with gold, and his tan skin practically glowed, even in the dull lighting of the locker room. As we posed for a picture together, I felt my heart racing in my chest when he casually draped his arm over my shoulders.

“Say, why don’t you two come by our party later?” Jay said. “It’s gonna be real craic!”

I blinked. Aside from not knowing what ‘craic’ meant, it seemed like the worst idea I’d heard yet. “I don’t know,” I said. “I mean, I just got in from the States today. I’m exhausted.”
And I don’t really love the idea of watching you preen around for hours in front of your adoring fans
while referring to them as ‘pussy’
, I thought to myself.
What a great way to make me lose my appetite
.

“Aw, come on,” Jay said. He winked at me and I felt my stomach do a flip-flop. “You look like you could use a night out. And if you come, I’ll score a goal for you at the next game. I promise.”

I snorted. “You’re going to have a lot of goals to score first,” I said, gesturing to the gaggle of girls that were now swarming another soccer player. “What about all of them?”

Jay shook his head and grinned, and I felt the same butterflies in my stomach. “I didn’t promise any of them a goal,” he said. “Just you. So will you come?” “

“She’ll come,” Lizzy broke in. “Right?”

She looked at me and I felt her green eyes boring intensely into me. From that alone, I knew I was defeated.

“Okay, I’ll come,” I said with a nod. “At least for a few minutes.”

“Good,” Jay replied, before winking at us again.

“As long as you behave and don’t act like an ass,” I added. “That’s my condition.”

Jay slapped one of his giant hands over his heart and gave me a solemn look. “I’ll behave,” he said, holding his serious expression. Then he grinned at me again, and I felt my stomach flutter.

I smiled. I liked that he had a good sense of humor, and it made me wonder if I’d overreacted in my initial assessment of him. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
And even if he is
, I thought.
It’s just one party.

How much harm could that do?

Chapter Four

Kate

“I can’t believe you said yes!” Lizzy’s face was glowing; she practically looked as though she was lit from within. “This is going to be so much fun, I promise.”

“As long as you don’t keep saying ‘arsehole,’” I replied with a giggle. “It makes you sound weird.”

Lizzy shrugged. “When in Rome,” she said, winking at me, and I blushed again. “So, you liked Jay, huh?”

I bit my lip. “He was fine,” I said, trying to keep a nonchalant tone to my voice. “Sexy. But kind of full of himself, right?”

Lizzy rolled her eyes. “I think something would be wrong with him if he wasn’t. He’s famous, right?”

“True,” I said, narrowing my eyes and digging through my suitcase. “What should I wear to this party, anyway?” Before Lizzy could see the black dress, I tucked it behind a pile of other clothes. “Jeans?”

Lizzy shrugged. “I’m wearing pants,” she said. “It’s not formal. They’re just having people over to their football club for drinks.”

I settled on black skinny jeans and a tank top with intricate silver beading on the front. The air had turned chilly since dusk had set in, and I shivered as I rummaged through my suitcase again.

“I can’t find any of my cardigans…got a spare?” I asked.

Lizzy nodded and tossed me one of her jackets, and I gratefully slipped it on, pulling my arms tight over my body as we stepped outside and began the short walk to the public transport which would take us to Manchester United’s FC. As we walked, Lizzy pointed out various shops and cafes that she liked, and I made mental notes to come back and try them all. So far, Manchester was absolutely charming. I’d heard some bad things about it before, but I decided that I liked it. It was definitely more relaxing than a trip to London would have been, and I silently thanked my sister for inviting me and pulling me out of my depressing rut.

I wasn’t nervous until we were almost there, and suddenly, anxiety slipped over me, making me close my eyes and take a deep breath. It’d been a long time since I’d felt like this; working on my show had knocked most of my old nervousness out of me.

“Is this going to be wild?” I asked. “I haven’t been to a rager since college, you know.”

Lizzy playfully slapped me on the arm. “It’s gonna be fun,” she replied. “That’s all. Just a few drinks. We don’t have to stay long. Just find me when you want to leave and we’ll go home together. “

I nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”

Then, taking a deep breath, we entered the club. It was crowded, loud, and warm with the crush of people, and Lizzy spotted the blond soccer player she’d been chatting with earlier before darting off in his direction. I was left standing alone in the foyer, tapping at the ground with the toe of my shoe as I tried to figure out my next move. Lizzy was already making herself at home—when I looked over, she was throwing her head back in laughter as the blond player pulled her onto his broad lap. She tossed back a shot glass filled with vile-looking pink liquid before letting out a screech, and I smiled and shook my head. Lizzy may have been mature for her age, but she was definitely still a college student.

I envied her ability to have fun like that. My own college years hadn’t been exactly filled with partying. I’d been on a scholarship, and I’d been so afraid of losing it that I almost never wanted to sit back and let go. I’d gone to a few parties and watched my friends turn into drunk messes, and that wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that inspired me to let my hair down.

“Glad to see you here, Kate.” A low voice greeted me, and I practically jumped a foot in the air as I heard a masculine chuckling sound. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

I turned and blushed hotly. “It’s fine,” I said. Jay was leaning up against the wall. He’d changed into dark jeans and a clean button-down shirt that clung to his muscular frame, and I felt my mouth go dry as he stepped closer. It suddenly occurred to me that he knew my name, and I wondered how—Lizzy and I hadn’t actually told him our names earlier when he invited us to the party.

I got my answer a split-second later.

“Y’know, I’ve watched your show,” Jay said. He gave me another one of his lazy grins, and my stomach filled with butterflies. “I really liked that segment you did on dealing with loss. That was good. I watched the whole thing.”

My eyes widened. I couldn’t believe it. A world-famous soccer player actually knew who
I
was? My show did quite well back home, but it wasn’t exactly primetime TV, and it certainly wasn’t something I thought British people would bother watching.

“Really?” I asked.

Jay nodded. “Yep. That segment was dead-on,” he said. “A lot of people here watch your show, actually. They run it in the mornings and late at night.”

Wow
. I’d honestly had no idea I was even remotely popular or well-known anywhere else in the world other than the States, and I couldn’t help the smile that was creeping over my lips.

“I wasn’t aware of that, but thank you,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward. Jay was sizing me up carefully, his gaze sliding over every inch of my body. I wasn’t used to being this thoroughly checked-out, and it was making me feel more self-conscious than ever.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jay said in a teasing tone. “You probably don’t think someone like me would watch your show. Well, we’re not all a bunch of jocks, as you Yanks would say.”

My blush deepened. It was like he’d read my mind; that was exactly what I’d been thinking when he told me that he watched my show, but all the same, it was embarrassing to have been called out on it.

“I’m glad to know you’re not a dumb jock,” I said. My voice sounded hoarse, and I mentally kicked myself.
Get it together, Kate.

“Can I get you a drink?” Jay asked, gesturing to my empty hands.

“Sure. Vodka tonic,” I said automatically. ‘Thank you.”

Jay grinned at me and I felt a little flutter in my chest. There was no doubt about it—he was gorgeous. Every inch of him seemed to be made out of tanned muscle, and when his blue eyes stared at me, I felt a kick of arousal in my lower belly.

“I’ll be right back,” Jay said. He touched me on the shoulder, and I felt sparks fly between our bodies. “Don’t go anywhere.”

He sauntered off, and I noticed with a gleam of pride that he ignored the lusty looks from all of the other women in the room. Lizzy was in the corner, wrapped around her player and kissing him so hard that their heads looked like they’d melted together in some sort of freak accident.

I felt a buzzing in my pocket and reached down for my cell phone, and I groaned when I saw the number. It was Josh. My heart sank.
What does he want? And why does he have to call me now?

I knew if I didn’t answer, he’d just keep trying, so I picked up. “Hi,” I said. “Now isn’t a really good time to talk. If this is about work, please email me.”

“That would be pretty fuckin’ hard to do, considering you never answer your emails,” Josh replied, his voice slurring slightly. I realized he was drunk, and I frowned. It was barely mid-afternoon back in NYC!

“I saw you on TV,” he continued. “You were at some soccer match. They zoomed up on you.”

I winced. I hadn’t thought of that. In fact, during the game, I’d barely paid attention to the cam shown on the big pixelated board. I’d been too busy concentrating on Jay and pretending like I wasn’t.

I bit my lip. “I’m visiting my sister in Manchester,” I said. “I sorted it out with the boss, so if you have any questions, ask him. I’ll be back before we start taping the back-to-school specials.”

“I’m not calling about that,” Josh said. His breathing sounded heavy and ragged. “I’m calling to tell you that you need to come home. You belong here with me and you fucking know it.”

There was a pause, and I didn’t answer. I was too shocked at his incredible arrogance.

“Kate? You still there?”

“Yeah. What on earth are you talking about?” I asked. “I mean…are you kidding me? We broke up. We’re done. We’re not getting back together, and I’m not interested in you anymore!”

Josh laughed harshly. “Yeah, I guess you’re having too much fun whoring yourself out to soccer players,” he said. “If you knew what was good for you, you’d be on the first plane back to America.”

Rage filled my body but I somehow managed to keep my tone curt and polite. “Shows how much you know,” I said. “Over here it’s called football. Bye, Josh.”

Before he could answer, I ended the call and shoved my phone back in my pocket. I was seething mad. Just who the hell did he think he was? And why on earth did he think he could control me like that? I wasn’t his. I’d never even come
close
to being his, because he’d been such a disrespectful prick!

Jay finally returned, carrying two drinks in his hands, and when he handed me one of the glasses, I threw my head back and sucked every drop of vodka down my throat. The alcohol hit me at once; heady, strong, hot. A pleasantly warm feeling soaked through my limbs, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the familiar sensation of the vodka. When I looked at Jay, all thoughts of Josh slipped out of my head and vanished. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief and desire, and before I knew what I was doing, I leaned up on my tip-toes and crushed my body against his.

Oh, god…

This was a bad idea. I barely knew the guy, and up until a few minutes ago, I hadn’t even liked him. And yet, kissing him was the only thing I wanted to do right now.

Our lips met, and I tasted salt and musk as desire flowed like lava through my body. I wrapped my arms around Jay’s neck, pulling him closer, and as he slipped his tongue between my lips, I moaned softly.

Pulling away, I fixed him with my lustiest gaze. “Come with me,” I said in a husky voice.

Jay looked surprised, but also smug, like he’d won the lottery. He took my hand and I led him through the crowded room. All around us, couples were making out, but I didn’t want to do this in front of a huge crowd of people. I was already anxious about my picture appearing on the big cam at the football match, and the last thing I needed was to be plastered on the cover of some tabloid, wrapped around a Manchester United player.

Jay grinned at me and tugged me through a back doorway until we were alone in a deserted little hallway. My heart was pounding in my chest as I stepped closer and pulled him to me again. His lips were soft against mine, and I felt my lower belly thump with lust as he twined his fingers through my hair and gently tugged at my scalp. Up close, he smelled like spicy cologne and musk, and the scent flooded my senses as I closed my eyes, twisting my head to the side and deepening our kiss.

Jay groaned softly and pulled me close against his rock-hard chest, and his pecs pressed against my chest, making me shiver with the slight stimulation on my nipples. He slipped his hands down my back and kneaded my ass firmly through the jeans. It felt incredible, and I spread my legs, allowing him to nudge one of his muscular thighs between my own.

“Kate,” he murmured into my neck as he nuzzled my skin. “I want you…I really fucking want you.”

I looked up at him, my heart pounding and my skin tingling with anticipation. I didn’t do things like this, ever
—
I wasn’t usually that kind of woman. But right now, I desperately wanted to
be
that kind of woman, and I wanted him just as much as he said he wanted me. On top of that, I wanted to rebel against my usual state of mind and the relationship rut I’d found myself in time and time again. Maybe this was exactly what I needed to get out of that rut—a fiery fling to keep me satisfied while I sorted myself out and figured out what I needed.

But could I really do it? Could I really just hook up with a big beefy football player who was essentially a complete stranger? I took a deep breath as I quickly thought it over.

And then I kissed him again.