Eligible Receiver (Men of Fall #3)- S.R. Grey Page 0,13

give me something more substantial, something more you.”

“Besides that I’m stubborn,” I tease.

“Yes,” he counters quietly, “besides that.”

“Okay.” I sigh. “I guess if we’re truly going to be friends, we need to know each other on a deeper level.”

“We do. So spill.”

“All right. Well, I like sticking up for my friends. And I like being there for people.”

“Those are both great qualities,” Lars says softly.

“Like with Jodi,” I go on. “She’s been my best friend since junior high school. I had her back then, and I still have her back. That’s just the way I am—loyal. Jodi’s like a sister to me, which is nice since I grew up with a bunch of brothers.”

Lars’s brows shoot up. “No way. I have a lot of brothers too. How many in your family?”

“Five,” I reply. “We’re spread out all over nowadays, but we try to get together for family dinners whenever we can.”

“Ah, that sounds nice.” He nods. “So you’re the only girl?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting. I have four brothers. No sisters at all.”

“Wow, all boys,” I remark. “That must’ve been fun growing up.”

“Yeah, it was.” He chuckles. “My poor mom, though. We were a handful. Speaking of which, I bet it was an adventure being the only girl in a family with five boys.”

Our pizza and soft drinks arrive, and we each grab a slice.

While I wait for mine to cool, I reply, “It was a little crazy with all brothers. The good thing, though, is that they taught me to take care of myself.”

Lars pretends to be scared. “Uh-oh, should I be worried?”

Pointing over at him with the pizza slice I just lifted from my plate, I say, “Like I told you earlier, just behave yourself and you’ll be fine.”

“Noted,” he replies, smiling.

We dive into our food then, and I think about how I need to behave too. I have to try and not send Lars mixed signals.

But how am I supposed to do that when I freaking want him so much?

I tell myself I’m just a sucker for a man in a dark suit.

Ah, but we know that’s not true.

He looks good in jeans too.

I think about what would happen if I just said “fuck it” and took him to my bed tonight.

What would it be like to feel him slowly peeling off my dress, kissing his way down my body, licking, tasting, touching—

I let out a little gasp.

“Becca?” Lars is peering over at me curiously, one brow raised.

No wonder.

Besides my misplaced gasp, I’m holding a partially eaten slice of pizza halfway to my mouth, staring off into space, thinking lusty thoughts about my friend.

The word “friend” flashes in big neon letters in my head as I pull myself together.

“Sorry,” I say, while waving around my free hand. “I just spaced for a minute. That’s another thing you should know about me. I do that sometimes.”

Not a lie, so that’s good.

Lars smirks at me while I take a big bite of pizza.

“What?” I mumble around the mouthful.

“Nothing,” he says, shaking his head.

Uh oh, I think he knows exactly what was on my mind, or some version of it.

Crap.

This man is far too perceptive. I’m going to have to do a much better job of masking my feelings.

Starting… right… now.

Go!

She’s Not Fooling Me

If there’s one thing I know besides football, it’s women.

That’s why Becca is not fooling me one little bit.

Even though she’s trying to act all cool and nonchalant, her giveaway gasp and her sitting here lost in thought clues me in.

Yeah, I know she’s imagining all the things I could do to her if she were to lose that slinky dress.

I’d help her with that too, slipping my hands up under the fabric, lifting it up.

Fuck, now my thoughts are of a sexual nature.

I quickly fix that, though.

Becca wants me friend-zoned, so friend-zoned I shall remain.

See, I can play this game.

Let’s see who breaks first.

Becca schools her features to neutral, and things go back to normal. We eat pizza and talk. She asks me a lot about football, including how I like playing for the Comets.

Leaning back and wiping my mouth with a cloth napkin, I say, “It’s okay. The guys are great, but our team’s not the best in its current state. I hope we can turn things around next season. Not only did we have a losing record this year, but we had a lot of drama with our quarterback.”

Becca nods knowingly. “I’m sure you guys will turn things around. A few strategic player changes and the Comets will