Playing to Win

Carly hadn’t at all been what I expected. From the way Asher described her from those early days, I thought she might be aloof, distracted. But she was warm, welcoming, and thrilled to see Asher. Her eyes lit the moment he walked into her dressing room and she couldn’t stop touching him. Caressing his shoulder. Brushing his hair from his forehead. She must have hugged him ten times in the twenty minutes we visited with her.

He was right.

She did love him.

So did his dad. After the concert, Asher began seeing more and more of his mom. She took an interest in his songwriting and even sang a couple of his songs on her last album. Derek hadn’t been very excited about Asher’s plans, but recognized a losing battle when he saw one. Asher would never play hockey the way his dad wanted him to, and he’d just had to accept that. Shari helped.

“Here you are, Miss Parks,” one of the security guards gestured toward a roped off section beside the sound guys with a single padded chair. I’d invited Natalie and Kelly, but neither of them could get away.

“Thanks, guys.” I climbed over the ropes into my secluded area. It wasn’t very big and not as conspicuous as it felt.

“We’ll be back as soon as Mr. Sloane is finished to take you back to him.” Asher worried about me getting trampled or something, I guess. I thought the security and special seating arrangement were overkill, but Asher insisted.

I nodded to the security guards as I pulled my phone back out of my pocket. Two more texts from Asher. Surely, he should be concentrating on what he was about to do! Still, I was the same way before every hockey game. I’d been playing for the University of Wisconsin. Asher couldn’t always make it to my games, but he tried. And when he couldn’t make it, he always texted me right before to wish me luck and tell me he loved me.

Me: I’m here. Can you see me?

My hand shot up in the air.

Asher: Yes. Can you see me?

I scanned the left side of the stage where I knew he would be. He stood in the shadows, but I’d recognize that silhouette anywhere.

Me: Yes, babe. You’re going to be amazing.

Asher: I love you.

My heart leaped in my chest. He’d said the words before, many times, but it didn’t matter. Each time felt like the first.

Me: I love you, too. Knock em dead.

I looked back up and Jarom, Adam, and Bash had already found their places on stage. I marveled that Asher could send me a text message one second and stride out in front of thousands of screaming fans the next. But that’s just what he did.

Who needed a padded chair? I couldn’t sit down if my legs fell off. With my heart in my throat, I watched Asher point out into the audience, right to me. Our eyes connected.

“This is for you, baby,” his silky voice said into his microphone. “Always for you.”

The End.

Thank you for reading Jordan and Asher’s story! Keep reading for a free sample of the third book in the series, Playing the Field, by Christina Benjamin. And if for some reason you didn’t read the first book by Maggie Dallen, check out Playing the Enemy.

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PLAYING THE FIELD

By Christina Benjamin

Prologue

Alex’s Story

I don’t know how to describe my first kiss to you. I also don’t know if it was so incredibly mind-blowingly magical because the lips to first touch mine belonged to Grant King, but I’m not going to dwell on that. I’m going to dwell on how we finally got there. Because this play took some extra innings.

Chapter 1

Alex

“What do you mean there’s no softball team?” I demanded, my hands instantly balling into fists.

“Calm down, sweetie,” my mom said, brushing off my outrage like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb on me. “Your dad will put a call into the school. We’ll get this sorted out.”

“Mom!” I exclaimed. “Softball is my life! I’m a junior this year. If I don’t play softball my chances to get an athletic scholarship will be nonexistent!”

“I know, sweetheart. No need to be so dramatic. We’ll sort something out for you.”