Most Valuable Playboy

“Steel Buns.”

She shakes her head. “Nope. I’m keeping the butt nicknames for myself. You’re the Gunslinger.” She runs a hand down my right arm. “Yes, the Gunslinger made all this happen.”

And, honestly, that’s one of the things I’m most proud of. That I’ve been able to give back. And I’ve done it with Violet. That’s always been one of our shared passions, finding worthy causes that help kids. That’s why I chose this spot instead of the beach, a mountain hike, a picnic, or a basketball arena. That’s why there is no Jumbotron, no cameras, no flash mob. I researched ideas. I googled clever strategies. I approached this moment like I was prepping for a game, studying all the options, deciding which plays to use.

In the end, though, I want today to feel authentic to who we are as a couple.

I turn to the woman I adore. “Hey, Violet, I wanted to ask you something.”

She tilts her head, waiting, her lips quirking up in a soft smile.

I move quickly. Always have. I drop to one knee and flip open the box I’ve had in my pocket. Her eyes widen. “You’re my best friend, my lover, and my favorite person in the universe. You are more precious to me than anything else. And I know our love will outlast everything. Will you marry me?”

She clasps her hand to her mouth as she whispers the loveliest word I’ve ever heard—yes.

Tears stream down her cheeks as she kneels with me, still nodding, now sobbing, and holding out her hand. I slide the ring on her finger, and it’s perfect. Honestly, it’s one of the biggest rings ever made. You can’t be the quarterback’s wife and walk around with a tiny diamond.

“I love you, Cooper. So much you have no idea.”

“Oh, I do have an idea. A very good idea. I think it’s pretty damn close to how much I love you.”

She brushes a kiss on my lips. “Some days I still can’t believe it’s real.”

“And I’ll spend a lifetime showing you how real my love is.”

She threads her hands through my hair, and we kiss, kneeling on the floor of the roller rink.

When she breaks the kiss, she lifts her hand and gazes at her ring. The way I see it, even if I don’t have a ring, there’s no reason she shouldn’t.

Besides, there’s always next year.



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THE END

Coming next for the Renegades is Jones’ story in MOST LIKELY TO SCORE, releasing in January 2018. In October, a brand new standalone rom-com will release in HARD WOOD. A sneak peek of both books follow. Looking ahead to early 2018, I’ll release WANDERLUST (hello, hot British hero) and COME AS YOU ARE! First, MOST LIKELY TO SCORE…





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PROLOGUE



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I can reel off some pretty impressive stats, and I have for the last few years as a star receiver for a winning NFL team, but my favorite is this—ten and three-quarter inches.

Pretty big, huh?

You don’t get into the double digits too often.

That’s nearly as long as a football.

And that makes me a one-of-a-kind guy.

C’mon.

I’m talking about my hands.

And yes, another part is close to a foot long, too.

But they don’t call me The Hands for nothing. These hands have won championships. These hands have pulled off circus catches in the biggest games. These hands are a beautiful target for game-winning passes.

I know exactly what to do with these hands.

Especially when it comes to enjoying the soft, sweet flesh of a woman. A touch here, a stroke there, and I can have her melting beneath me. They’re a multipurpose asset, and these hands and other parts have come out to score quite often after hours. There’s no better way to enjoy a career as a pro-baller, as far as I’m concerned.

Except when it comes time to clean up my act.

Remake myself into a good, upstanding citizen, and kick that party boy to the curb. Fine, I can do that. I can absolutely do that.

And hell, do I ever need to after some of the shit I’ve had to deal with in the last few years.

But a little help would be nice, and there’s only one person to turn to. One luscious, delicious, fantastic person. None other than the woman I’ve been lusting after for years.

Damn shame we’re going to be spending so much time in close quarters in the next few weeks, especially when she says everything needs to remain hands-off.

Until the time it doesn’t . . .



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MOST LIKELY TO SCORE will release in January…



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ABOUT THE BOOK



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It should have been a simple play…



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She needed a football player to step up and be the star for a charity calendar. I needed a sharp and savvy publicist to manage a brand-new sponsorship deal. I scratched her back. She scratched mine. And oh hell, did Jillian ever drag her nails down my back on one hell of a hot night. Okay fine, it was several hot nights on the road.



* * *



Now we’re back in town and it’s time to set the play clock back to when we were simply player and publicist.



* * *



After all, she doesn’t date players. And given the way the last few years have gone, I can’t risk this deal. But that sort of delay of game doesn’t work so well once you’ve seen someone naked. So when she asks me to help her at an upcoming event— hands-off, of course — I’ve got a feeling it might be the hardest night of my life. Pun intended.



* * *



What’s a guy to do when he’s always been most likely to score, but the woman he’s falling for is just out of bounds? Find a way to convince her to be hands-on and all-in, body and heart, no matter the risk.



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Coming next is HARD WOOD, a brand new rom-com told from the guy’s POV! Releasing October 23 everywhere! A sneak peek follows.



* * *





* * *



Women often say a good man is hard to find. And a hard man is even better. That’s why I’m quite a catch— good, hard, loaded, and wait for it…I’m ready to settle down too. But the woman I want to pitch my tent with lives clear across the country. Neither of us wants to get lost in those woods. All I have to do is resist her for the week she's in town. I try. I swear I try. But yeah, that doesn't work out. And after one fantastic night with Mia, I’m ready to give her years of nights under the stars. What's a few thousand miles when love's involved? But there’s a hitch in my plans — she just hired my adventure tour company. If there’s one thing I’m committed to, it’s running a squeaky clean business. Number one on my list of iron-clad rules? Don’t screw your customers. I can follow my own guidelines for a quick group tour down the hills and over the trails—even if it’s hard in the woods. I’m about to give myself a badge of honor when the storm of the century hits, sending everyone else running for cover. They're safe, but Mia and me? We're trapped. Together. Alone in the woods. You don’t screw the client, especially when you’re already in love with her . . . But what’s a guy to do when she’s so hard to resist? Time to take a trip in a new direction.



* * *



Prologue



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