Game For Love: Love Games (Kindle Worlds) Read Online Free PDF Page A

time.
    “Cole, Marlee is a vegetarian,” Anna said quietly. “Maybe we could walk down the block and find someplace else?”
    “No, that’s okay. I’m sure I can get a salad here, it’s no problem,” Marlee said.  
    Declan figured Marlee assumed he would be downing the largest, rarest steak at the restaurant. Possibly with his bare hands.
    “They have a great house salad here. That’s how I know about this place. Declan is a vegetarian too,” Cole explained.
    Marlee swung her head at Declan, stunned.
    Declan immediately deciphered Marlee’s look. “What’s the matter, being a vegetarian doesn’t fit in the pigeonhole you’ve put me in?” Declan knew he was being overly snide, but he’d been stung by Marlee’s obvious dismissal of him.  
    “You’re right, I did assume you were a carnivore, but then so is ninety percent of the U.S. population.” Marlee was gracious in her apology, if just a little smug. She had rambled the statistic out with so much authority that no one would question it.
    He would question it. Question her.
    “Actually, ninety-seven percent are carnivore. The remaining three percent are a combination of vegetarians and vegans. Shall we go in?”
      He took her elbow and guided her through the door, not giving her a chance to respond to his rebuttal. He cast a sideways glance at her and was happy to see she seemed flustered. Declan couldn’t be sure if that was from his unexpected vegetarian status, his knowledge on the subject, or from him simply touching her.  
    Damn, but touching her sure made him flustered. Even her frickin’ elbow felt sexy.  
    He could feel the strong pull of arousal beginning in his abdomen. If he kept his hands on her, it would be just a matter of time before he was sporting a full-fledged hard-on. Declan couldn’t remember, but he silently prayed that the restaurant had long tablecloths. He needed a shield, because he had no intention of keeping his hands off Marlee.
    He was perceptive to the fact that touching her aroused not only him, but Marlee as well. It was as if he could keep her from thinking too much by using direct contact. It might keep her off-kilter long enough for him to combat this icy-cool façade she’d put in place. He, more than anyone, knew that the best defense was a good offense.
    “Dude, what’s the deal?” Cole asked as he pulled Declan aside while they passed through the coat check area. “What was going on back there?”
    Declan looked at his good friend. He’d played with a lot of guys over the years, and had partied with a bunch of them. None more so than Cole Taylor back in the day. He was glad he and Cole had always stayed in touch even after they both went to different teams.
    He shook his head as he answered. “I don’t really know. I just know that I—we—felt something at my house. And then she totally shut me down in the car.”
    Cole stood toe to toe with him. Cole was a linebacker and had a good four inches and fifty pounds of muscle on Declan. “If she shuts you down, you stay down. She’s a friend of my Anna’s and you can’t pull any of your shit with her.”
    Declan looked at his friend. He hadn’t spent any time with Cole since he’d met and married (on the same night!) Anna. “Dude, marriage has changed you.”
    Cole shook his head. “Not marriage, man. Love. Love changed me.”
    It had. Declan could see that now. “That’s great, man. Really great.”
    Cole smiled, but still stayed in Declan’s face. “Yeah, it is. And if Anna’s friend gets pissed, then my sweet Anna gets pissed. And if that happens, then I get pissed. And I know you’ve seen me get pissed…and it ain’t pretty.”
    “Amen to that,” Declan said. He put a hand on his friend’s bulging bicep. “It won’t get that far, I promise. If she’s really not into me, I’ll back off. But”—he ran his hand through his hair, then looked at Cole—“I’ve got to try. It was too damn good when I held her hand to not