Piper Rayne

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Or so I thought.
Turns out my instincts were dead wrong.
Years ago I was faced with the choice between two women. Both were perfect in opposite ways. One was carefree and against commitment. The other was a woman you’d bring home to mom.
I was young, naïve and stupid. I’m sure you can guess who I chose.
Now, I’m older, wiser and know what the hell I want.
So, when the same two women pop back into my life it’s my chance for a do-over. But they flipped the script. Just like me, they want different things now. Leaving me with one choice—convince the woman I want that she wants me too.
Que fait une fille quand elle découvre que son fiancé est un salaud infidèle ?
En ce qui me concerne, j'ai choisi le même rituel que la plupart des femmes dans mon cas. J'ai noyé mon chagrin dans des caisses de vin blanc, je me suis apitoyée sur mon sort en mangeant des litres de glace et j'ai allumé un feu de camp pour brûler tous les vestiges de son existence. Six mois plus tard, le seul résultat obtenu était la forme de mes fesses imprimée de façon permanente sur le canapé.
Mes amies m'ont proposé de m'inscrire à « Rencontres Aventureuses ». Elles m'ont affirmé que c'était une nouvelle opportunité excitante. J'ai pensé qu'elles étaient folles, mais comme je ne suis pas du genre à reculer devant un défi, j'ai signé pour un abonnement de quatre semaines.
C'est là que je l'ai vu. Lucas Cummings. Il n'est pas le genre de mec riche et banal avec qui je finis généralement. Celui pour qui transpirer signifie attendre sur la plage qu'on lui serve une margarita. Non. C'est un dur à cuire, le genre de mec contre qui les pères mettent leur fille en garde. Vous voyez le genre. Un type arrogant à la démarche assurée, avec une mâchoire ciselée et le « V ».
Vendu, me suis-je dit, jusqu'à ce que je découvre qu'il était bien plus qu'un boxeur.
Crochet du gauche. Droit dans le cœur.
I have a reputation for being tight-lipped. You learn quick when you become a professional hockey player to be guarded with the media, so I’ve worked hard to cover up the mistakes of my youth.
But when I’m traded to the Florida Fury, where my ex–best friend is the starting right wing, I’m forced to confront my past. Ford and I have a lot of history, especially when it comes to his little sister, Imogen.
My heart still lurches in my chest when I see her.
My hands want to reach out and touch her.
My mouth wants to keep apologizing.
She’s the only woman who ever made me want more. But she’s also the one who fell victim to my most regrettable decision.
I’m not a believer in fate, but I must be back in her world for a reason. I’ve fought for everything I’ve gotten and I’m not backing down from what I know will be the best thing in my life.
Fake.
Being the heir to Jacobs Enterprises, I’ve been around fake people my entire life. I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t change for anyone. Which is the only reason I’m a professional hockey player who lives on the beach and does as he pleases without answering to anyone—except my father.
And now, my daughter.
Being a single dad wasn’t in the plan but after a one-night stand who took off after the baby was born, this is my reality.
My dad’s been harping on me to quit hockey and join the company for years and now that I’m a father, he’s only intensified his efforts. Until he makes me a deal I can’t refuse.
Insert Lena Boyd, the Jacobs’ family PR rep. She’s beautiful and intelligent and not at all the woman for me—ask anyone.
My dad needs us to act happily engaged and sell the idea that we’re in love. If we’re successful I won’t have to join the family legacy—ever. Of course, I agree.
That’s when things get complicated. I thought I had her all figured out until I found out there was more underneath her judgmental sneers and eye rolls. It feels like everything is coming together for the future I really want—with Lena—until my past ruins everything.
My mom always said you don’t get a second shot at making a first impression. I’ve remembered that my entire career. Especially since I’m one of the few black men who play professional hockey.
I’m calculated and respectful in the way I speak to my coaches, the owners, and the media. I’ve never taken a risk… until her.
I could blame it on the fact that for once I pushed away the pressure of my career for the ocean waves, the sand, and good times with my new teammates. But those are excuses because the minute I saw her at the airport, something lit up inside me and the best week of my life was spent with her in my bed.
After our week in paradise, we said goodbye, exchanged phone numbers and both assumed that unless one of us was flying through the other’s city on the opposite side of the country, our vacation fling was over.
Then one night after practice I see her. She’s here. In my city. Telling me she moved here for a job. If that’s not fate tell me what is.
I’ve never wanted a second shot more than I do this time, but she’s determined to leave what we were on the island we left behind.
One word that comes to mind when someone talks about me. I like to think of it as protection, watching out for the ones I love. But now I’m spending more time in the penalty box than on the ice and the team owner isn’t happy.
Finding myself across the room from the hot therapist I kissed on New Year’s Eve only makes me push my problems down further. I want couch time with her but not the kind she’s used to.
I decide to lie to her just to finish off my therapy so I can do what I really want—date her—even if she says she doesn’t date hockey players. Just when my therapy sessions are up and I’ve made some headway with Paisley, it’s my parents who throw another wrench in my plans.
If I abide by my parent’s wishes to marry the one they’ve chosen, I’ll lose Paisley forever. But if I go against my parents, I’m failing my deceased best friend all over again.
Lucky.
The one adjective used to describe my entire hockey career. I prefer to call it hard work, at least I did until my game went to complete crap. I haven’t scored in eight games and the team owner is talking about trading me.
I’ve never believed in superstitions. Never needed one. I suppose I was “lucky” in that way. But now the best way to refer to me is desperate. I’d wear the same socks for an entire year just to be the high-scoring center I used to be.
Imagine my surprise when after spending New Year’s Eve with a woman, I score a hat trick in the next game—that’s three goals in one game for you non-hockey lovers. Now, I have to track her down and bribe her to do it again before every game. Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m not talking about it.
I find her and when I get to know her better, I end up spending more time thinking about her than my game, but she’s made it clear she wants no part of me. She’s going to learn that I didn’t become a professional hockey player without having to fight for what I want.
The last thing any professional hockey player wants is to be the old man in the game. The guy who doesn’t know when it’s time to retire. Still, I can’t bear the thought of leaving the game.
This past year I’ve reflected on all my regrets, and I told myself that once I retire it’ll be the time to find the right woman. But this is where it gets tricky.
I think I’ve found her—although she’ll deny our connection to anyone who asks. We’ve been sleeping together casually and since I’m still playing hockey, I’ve let her get what she wants—me—whenever she wants.
After being told my career as a player is over, the owner of Florida Fury grants me a shot to stay in the game. A coaching position I didn’t know I wanted until it was offered. The catch? He’s also passing the family business down to his daughter.
Who’s his daughter?
The woman who’s been in and out of my bed for the past year. Which means the woman I intend to make mine is now my new boss.
THIS BOX SET INCLUDES…
Clean Slate (Charity Case #0.5)
Moving two thousand miles away wasn’t my plan, but when family needs you, you come. Before I can head back to my hometown of Chicago though, I have two men to say good-bye to. Neither one of them will be happy to hear the news. One is losing his assistant and the other his seven-year-old daughter.
Manic Monday (Charity Case #1)
The perfect man for me is a charming, sexy, hot as hell lawyer who knows how to negotiate his way into my panties. The problem? Not only is he a lawyer… he was the best man at my wedding.
Afternoon Delight (Charity Case #2)
The perfect man for me is the one who broke my heart. Everyone deserves a second chance to right a wrong. The problem? He’s not just an ex-boyfriend… he’s my ex-husband.
Happy Hour (Charity Case #3)
The perfect man for me is the one I hate the most. The problem? He’s the one man I hate more than my ex-husband… his divorce attorney.
PLUS a Thanksgiving short story that includes the entire Charity Case crew!
Don’t get me wrong, we were a happy couple—before she walked out on me a year ago. We were the high school sweethearts everyone thought were destined to be together forever. We thought so too, which is why we married shortly after graduation.
We had a good marriage. Until she left me without any real explanation.
Now, she’s back—and this is the real kicker—she has amnesia and thinks I’m still her husband. Technically I am, although the divorce papers are sitting at the lawyer’s office.
She’s desperate to remember her life in Sunrise Bay but I only want to find out why she left me. Once we conjure that memory up, it’s sayonara because there’s no second chances here. But as you probably already figured out, things didn’t go quite as I planned.
Xavier and Clara kissing in a tree…
When your best friend growing up is a girl, that’s the song your classmates taunt you with over and over again. But it was never like that… until now.
It’s always been Clara and me. She’s the only one who truly knows me. After I was drafted into the NFL and ended up the starting quarterback for the San Francisco Kingsmen, I begged her to come with me. But she had her own life and responsibilities back in our small Alaskan town, so I didn’t fault her for staying.
We remained the best of friends despite the distance. I’d hang with her in Alaska during the off season, and she’d visit me in California while I was playing. Then, one night the lines blurred for the briefest of moments and set in motion a series of events that changed everything.
I’m not proud of the decisions I made after that fateful night, and I plan on making amends, because I need Clara back in my life. But not as my best friend—as my everything.
The Kingsmen’s star quarterback.
Legendary throwing arm.
Six-pack abs.
Kissable lips.
Oh, but don’t forget, he’s also a lying, heartless egomaniac who broke my heart in college.
It took me years to build myself back up after his deceit, and now I have the dream opportunity to prove myself working as a sports therapist for a professional team.
The hurdle? Or mountain to be more accurate…
The job is with the San Francisco Kingsmen.
Back when I was a naïve college girl, I felt lucky that he even noticed me. Now eight years later, he’d be lucky if I gave him the time of day.
Which I won’t. Not ever.
Some people don’t deserve a second chance and Lee Burrows is one of them.
Now if someone could only tell him that because he’s hell-bent on scoring the winning touchdown and won’t accept that it’s game over for us.
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