Playing for Keeps Series by Neve Wilder, Riley Hart

Falling for a teammate who also happens to be your brother's best friend? Total rookie move. McRAE: I’ve had a crush on my brother’s best friend since the moment I laid eyes on him four years ago. Warner Ramsey is 225 pounds of pure hotness, a media darling, and one of the best NFL quarterbacks in the league. Hell, he’s the reason I figured out I’m solidly bi. It was easy to keep my crush under control when I was in college... moreFalling for a teammate who also happens to be your brother's best friend? Total rookie move. McRAE: I’ve had a crush on my brother’s best friend since the moment I laid eyes on him four years ago. Warner Ramsey is 225 pounds of pure hotness, a media darling, and one of the best NFL quarterbacks in the league. Hell, he’s the reason I figured out I’m solidly bi. It was easy to keep my crush under control when I was in college. Now, we play for the same team, and every time he talks smack, I want to shut him up. With my mouth. But I’ve got other things I should be focusing on, like dominating my rookie year with the Denver Rush and finally stepping out of my brother’s shadow. Besides, Ramsey’s straight. RAMSEY: I’ve never tapped into my bisexuality—never told anyone except my best friend that I’m bi. All I want is to play football and not draw media attention like my dad, who got ousted from the league. Garrett McRae is my biggest temptation. He’s gotten under my skin for years. I’m supposed to be looking out for him, not thinking about getting him naked. And definitely not the kiss we shared. That I somehow instigated. It was stupid, and not like me, but God, it was hot. We’re teammates, with million-dollar contracts on the line. And yet…is a little experimentation really so bad? Rookie Move is a low-angst, high-heat sports romance in the Playing for Keeps series. less

If only my feelings were as fake as this "relationship" with my former teammate. CULLEN: I’ve been the NFL’s “problem child” since my rookie year. If there’s trouble, I’ll find it. But my biggest weakness has always been Houston McRae. We were secretly together in college before it blew up in our faces. So, when I see him again years later, you’d think I’d know better than to end up in an airport bathroom stall tearing his clothes off... moreIf only my feelings were as fake as this "relationship" with my former teammate. CULLEN: I’ve been the NFL’s “problem child” since my rookie year. If there’s trouble, I’ll find it. But my biggest weakness has always been Houston McRae. We were secretly together in college before it blew up in our faces. So, when I see him again years later, you’d think I’d know better than to end up in an airport bathroom stall tearing his clothes off. To make matters worse, because of mistakes I’ve made, I find out afterward I’m being traded… to Denver. Where Houston lives. Because of course. I’m not taking responsibility for the two of us ending up in a fake relationship. That’s all on him, but I can’t pretend I won’t enjoy it. As long as I don’t let myself fall for him again, I’ll be fine, right? HOUSTON: I lived, breathed, and slept football until an injury sidelined me for life. Now I’m solely focused on finding my place again… until Cullen Atwood walks back into my life and tempts me into an airport bathroom stall, where every ounce of passion for him I thought I’d buried returns with a vengeance. Now he’s playing for the Rush…. And staying in my apartment. And did I mention he’s also my fake boyfriend who makes it clear he still wants me every chance he gets? I’ve got my future to think about, though, and we’re one wrong move from becoming a tabloid headline. I can’t afford to think of Cullen as anything more than a casual hook-up. So why do I keep wishing this relationship was real? False Start is a low angst, high-heat sports romance in the Playing for Keeps series. less

I've hated spoiled, cocky Patrick Whitt since the first time I saw him at football camp when we were kids. Once we made it to the NFL, of course, he landed on the LA Royals, the biggest rivals of my team, the Denver Rush. Everything about him rubs me the wrong way. .. until one unexpected night, we happen to rub each other the right way, and suddenly I can't get enough of him. And Patrick can't get enough of me either... moreI've hated spoiled, cocky Patrick Whitt since the first time I saw him at football camp when we were kids. Once we made it to the NFL, of course, he landed on the LA Royals, the biggest rivals of my team, the Denver Rush. Everything about him rubs me the wrong way. .. until one unexpected night, we happen to rub each other the right way, and suddenly I can't get enough of him. And Patrick can't get enough of me either. I'm his secret, and he's mine, stealing moments together where he comes undone for me. There's more to Patrick than I thought, and now one thing is clear to me. Despite all of the obstacles in our way, Patrick Whitt is mine. I don't know what it is about Malik Tucker that gets under my skin, but he irritates the hell out of me. Maybe it's that he was drafted instead of me to my dream NFL team, the Denver Rush. Or maybe it's that he's a force to be reckoned with on the field and adored by fans and his family off the field. He seems to be living the perfect life while I live the perfect lie. And then we have a chance encounter that changes everything. We keep it professional on the field, but off the field, there's all kinds of illegal contact happening between us. Every time we're together, I'm drawn in deeper, intoxicated by the way Malik makes me feel, the things we do to each other in the bedroom. At some point, we're going to have to let go, but I'm not sure I'll be able to. less