Read The Playbook (a Secret Baby Sports Romance) for Free Online Page A

offices, or he would find “Lucia” in ten seconds flat. My hands were shaking, my knees were knocking together, and my heart was racing. I felt like I’d just run a marathon and was about to collapse on the asphalt at the finish line. But standing with my back against the door, as if I were attempting to barricade and deny my feelings, I realized that wasn’t the scary part. The scary part was that I wanted to kiss him again… and again.
    The dam was broken. Perhaps even irreparable.
    What I had I just done? Why hadn’t I left at the first glimpse of the man?
    With a heavy sigh and with adrenaline still coursing through my body, skin that Jacob Maddox had touched, I pushed off the door in a great hurry. I threw on a spare sweatshirt I had stashed in a drawer, then grabbed my work bag, searching desperately for my keys. I needed to get out of here before Jacob starting his quest again, looking for the elusive Lucia .

5
    Jacob
    M y head hurt like it had been through five rounds with Tyson. And the phone call I’d just received was the last thing I needed. How he’d gotten my number—I’d changed it so many times—was beyond me. But as soon as I’d heard his voice I hung up and blocked his further attempts. When was he going to get the message that I didn’t want anything to do with him?
    I thought it would take him longer to find me. I groaned. I was going to have to get a new cell. Instead of dealing with his crap I wanted nothing more than to lie in my bed and recuperate. Not only from the relentless hangover but also from the encounter with the most intriguing woman while looking for the untouchable and unfindable Lucia from the playbook.
    While I didn’t remember everything about last night, I did remember enough to make me feel bad for the woman I had nearly accosted. Although I still had a bet to win, the searing kiss from my gym bunny had me wondering if I would run into her today at the stadium. I didn’t know her name, but I knew the curves of her body, and I just hoped that she wouldn’t go running the other way when we finally did meet without the aid of alcohol. I wanted to apologize for my drunken kiss, with the hope that she would let me take her out on a date so that I could end our night with something more fulfilling.
    But first, I had to meet with some fucking performance coach or therapist or some shit like that. Today was not the day to be pouring out my feelings to some shrink who couldn’t care two fucks about me or my performance. Her voicemail from yesterday afternoon already told me that she wasn’t my biggest fan, considering I had missed the first appointment.
    “ Mr. Maddox, you are required by the contract you signed with the Jupiter Suns to meet with me, and I expect my clients to show up when I schedule them. I further expect to see you in my office at nine a.m., first thing in the morning. Don’t be late, or I will be forced to turn in my blank report, which won’t be very good for you.”
    Her tone belied her frustration, but I couldn’t help but notice a sexiness behind it. Images of an authoritative woman in killer heels standing ready to dress me down in the bedroom had my cock standing at attention. Shit. Her voice was starting to get me hard, and that didn’t bode well for the meeting that morning. I needed to get laid and soon, before I started humping the first thing in sight.
    I pulled the car up to the stadium and parked in the players’ parking lot, wincing as I opened the door and climbed out into the bright sunshine. That was one thing I was already missing about Minnesota. In a hangover situation, it was nice to have a cloudy, overcast day instead of one that felt like it was driving dazzling spears into my eyes. My sunglasses didn’t even block out the rays; they pierced them, making my head throb.
    Thankfully it wasn’t long before I was walking into the air-conditioned building and down the hall, my thoughts returning to the foolish bet I’d made with