Isolation Play (Dev and Lee) Read Online Free PDF

want all the attention. People would ask questions about how you were drafted, you know?” I feel him shift away from me. I know what he’s thinking. “You made it on your own. But people will talk.”
    His ears come up. His nose brushes my cheek. “Okay.” He takes his phone out, thumbs a number, and puts it to his ear. “Hi, Fish.”
    I can hear Fisher’s voice, faintly. Dev asks if he’s still up for dinner, and I tune them out as they decide on a place, letting my eyes drift to the window. I can see more stars now, appearing in the sky one by one, as the sunset fades to a wash of orange and deep red. My paw creeps toward my purse and nudges aside the phone, reaching for the bottle of feminine scent.
    ?
    “ Did you get any calls?” he asks on the way to the restaurant. It’s a short drive away for him, a longer one for Fisher. Fisher’s wife Gena is going to join us.
    “ Salim,” I tell him. “And my folks.” No sense worrying him about my job just yet. “And I met this reporter.”
    I tell him about Hal, his desperation for an exposé, and my thoughts that having a reporter on our side might be useful. I don’t mention that he knows Corcoran. I don’t want Dev to worry about being traded. “You don’t have to call a press conference.” Dev watches the road. “You don’t have to come out at all, I guess.”
    I watch his muzzle, but he doesn’t look resentful or angry. “Morty called, too. I’m gonna come out at work.”
    “ Because of me?”
    He looks at me so long I have to point him back to the road. “Not entirely,” I say. “But it’s past time.”
    His ears dip. “Sorry. I didn’t think it’d affect you, too.”
    “ It’s okay, tiger,” I say. “I pushed you enough, you can push back.”
    He grins, and his ears come up. “I like when we push back and forth.”
    The rest of the ride is innuendo-laced, to the point that I have to smooth out my dress again when we arrive at the restaurant. It’s upscale Sonoran cuisine, expensive without being touristy, meaning you’re actually paying for the food and not the décor. Dev says Fisher likes it because it’s off the beaten path for the team, and the staff isn’t likely to recognize Dev. Of course, there’s a big gap between “isn’t likely to” and “doesn’t,” as we learn when the weasel who guides us to a table in the back corner leans over and says, “You’re Devlin Miski, right?”
    Dev hesitates, looks at me, and then says, “Yeah,” roughly.
    The weasel smiles and gives him a thumbs-up. “How about a couple cocktails, on the house?”
    “ Oh.” We look at each other with surprise. “Sure,” Dev says. “I’ll have, um, the house specialty.”
    “ We do a lovely Top Shelf margarita.” Dev nods in assent, and the weasel turns to me. “And for your friend?”
    “ The white sangria,” I say, having had a chance to look at the cocktail menu. It’s an appropriately fruity drink.
    He smiles and bows, leaving us alone. “Not too bad,” Dev says, waggling his eyebrows at me.
    “ If you could just play all your games in restaurants, you’d be set.” I switch back to my husky feminine voice, because we’re in public. Also because I like the effect it has on him.
    His grin widens, his eyelids lower slightly. “Mm,” he says. “But you wouldn’t be. Unless you really like dressing up. Which I think you just might.”
    I straighten my dress over the bra. “At least I’ve learned not to exaggerate my rack any more. I can get away with less padding and still look good.”
    “ Won’t hear me complaining,” he says. “Oh, speaking of tits, there’s Gena. Fisher must be parking.”
    I stare at him, one eyebrow raised, ears back. He flicks his ears back. “Sorry,” he says. “I am rooming with Charm.”
    “ Not ’til you go out on the road again,” I murmur. “What else did you pick up from him?”
    “ Only terrible music.” He waves to Gena as she approaches.
    “ That I believe.” I give Gena