Playing for Love Read online

  Playing for Love

  Playing Series #2

  Olivia Sherwood

  Contents

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  About the Author

  Prologue - Playing for Keeps

  Playing for Love

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  Copyright © 2022 by Ashlie Knapp

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: June 2022

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  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

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  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

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  ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-525-6

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  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  To Megan Snyder, the first to always post great reviews for me as well as share my updates on all social media.

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  To Sheena Quinn, who writes AMAZING reviews. Thanks for making me your new favorite author.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  Cassie felt the all-too-familiar ache in her shoulders telling her she had been sitting in the same spot, staring at the textbook in front of her, for far too long. Shutting the book with a slam, she rubbed her blurry eyes, untwisted the pencil from her hair, and tossed it on her desk. With a groan, she arched her back and heard it crack in response to her stretch.

  “You know that if you crack your back too much, one day it will freeze that way,” Cassie’s best friend, Callie, walked around the corner and scratched Cassie on the head. “Don’t you ever take a break?”

  “It’s your face that will freeze when you make an ugly face, dummy. But to answer your question - not if I ever want to graduate from the University of Oklahoma,” Cassie moaned. “And you do that much longer I’ll be falling asleep instead of studying.”

  “You really don’t remember, do you?”

  “Remember what?”

  “Hell-O!” Callie said, pointing to the massive ring on her left ring finger, the diamond catching the light seeping through Cassie’s open blinds. Callie, her best friend, roommate, recent graduate from Gaylord School of Journalism at OU, and former professional basketball team cheerleader had just gotten engaged to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s MVP, Kyle Kelly. Kyle suffered a knee injury during the last game of the NBA championship series, which ruined his career. Even though his basketball career was over, Kyle always said that he never lost because he won the girl. Gag Cassie with a spoon.

  “I’m going to…help you size your ring?” Cassie asked with a snarky grin.

  Callie threw a pillow at her head. “No, you goof! You promised you would go dress shopping with me and Aria today. And let me tell you, missy,” Callie continued, knocking Cassie in the head with the pillow she threw at her a second ago, “You are going! The books and the learning and the wealth of knowledge will still be here when you get back.”

  “Says the girl who has already graduated,” Cassie muttered under her breath. “And it’s Aria and me, Ms. Broadcaster in the making. Get your grammar together.”

  Callie’s face fell. “It’s okay if you can’t go, Cass. I know how hard you work. I just, you know, I don’t have well, a mom. My dad isn’t the best at picking out wedding dresses, Kyle’s mom and sisters are in North Carolina and you and Aria are my girl family. So it’s okay. Just study and –”

  “Okay, okay! Enough with the guilt trip already! I’ll go!” Cassie shook her hair loose and gave her best friend a glare. “Happy now?”

  “Extremely! Don’t forget we have to pick out your and Aria’s dress, too,” Callie said, giving Cassie’s shoulders a hard shake. “I’m so excited! At this time in two weeks, I’ll be married!”

  Cassie rolled her eyes and grinned. Even though they were ridiculously cheesy, it was obvious how in love her roommate was with the NBA star.

  Callie paused when the duo heard the front door open. “Where’s the wedding whore who is leaving us for a gorgeous, sexy, fantastically athletic and wealthy NBA player to live the dream of being a rich housewife all the days of her life?” Aria, also a cheerleader for the Thunder and who happened to be the girls’ other best friend, ran in the room and took a flying leap on Cassie’s bed.

  “Aria, I’ve told you that I’m not going to be the next Real Housewives of Oklahoma County reality TV series!” Callie protested, throwing a pillow at Aria. “I’m going to get a broadcasting job and utilize my degree.”

  “You’ve been doing way too much throwing of my pillows, Cal. And you and your big boobs,” Cassie said to Aria, “And all their perky bouncing are going to break my bed if you don’t stop taking diving leaps on it from the bedroom door!” Cassie threw pillows at her friends.

  “What flew up her ass?” Aria asked, completely ignoring Cassie’s admonishment as she bounced to her feet on the bed and proceeded to pirouette in circles on top of the mattress. “She should be in a good mood – we’re going dress shopping!” Aria jumped off Cassie’s bed to the floor and held a nailed it gymnastics pose. “And we get to spend lover boy’s money on a big, expensive one!”

  Callie groaned. “I told you, Aria. Kyle isn’t buying my dress! That’s something my dad wants to do for me. I’m going to let him, so we can’t spend a fortune!”

  “I forget Maxi pad is a poor high school teacher,” Aria said, flipping her long auburn locks over her shoulder and finger-combing the haphazard strands. Aria was the only one Cassie knew of that could get away with giving Callie’s dad a nickname that was shared with a feminine hygiene product. But, like most people, Aria had Max Thompson wrapped around her finger. Her bigger-than-life personality was too endearing not to love. “But isn’t Kyle paying for everything else?”

  Callie sighed and rolled her shoulders. “Yes, he insisted, even though I told him no.”

  “Did you lose a bet?” Aria asked impishly. Callie and Kyle had actually gotten together when Callie lost a bet during a game of horse, a basketball shooting game. Callie’s rule had been to never date a professional basketball player. Now she was marrying one.

  “No, I didn’t lose a bet! He just wants to be nice, that’s all.”

  “You know what that means, don’t you?” Aria asked.


  “Do I even want to know?”

  “More of your daddy’s money that can go toward the dress!”

  Cassie and Callie looked at each other and shook their heads. Aria’s dad owned A Shot of Whiskey, a hip, cool bar in downtown Oklahoma City. Aria worked there and made ridiculous amounts of money in tips alone. Add that to her Thunder salary and the fact she was an only child to one of Oklahoma City’s richest restauranteurs, Aria had no concept of a fixed budget.

  “What? I’m thinking at least a grand.”

  “A thousand dollars?! For a dress!? I don’t even like to wear dresses!” Callie shrieked. “Forget it. I’m eloping. This is crazy.”

  “You were excited not two minutes ago, you doofus! Besides, you don’t want to upset the K-clan,” Cassie said. Kyle had four sisters and everyone’s name in his family started with the letter K, hence the moniker. “That simply wouldn’t do. Besides, I bet your dad has dreamed of walking you down the aisle. Don’t take that away from him.”

  Aria grinned wickedly at Callie. “Cass is right. Don’t take that away from him. Just take a little bit of his money.”

  Callie rolled her eyes. “Fine! I’ll look at fancy dresses. But if you get crazy and the pricing gets outrageous, I’m out. And you will have successfully ruined a day of fun dress shopping.”

  Aria laughed. “Deal. So, Cass, what does that mean for you? Are you going to sit here studying all day or are you actually going to let your big brain rest and go shopping with your two best friends? I know size matters and all that –“

  “Aria!”

  “What? I meant the size of your big brain. Get your mind out of the gutter, smartie pants.” Aria grinned wickedly. “Like I was saying, big brains matter for studying, but fabulous dresses matter for gorgeous weddings. Your books will wait for you.”

  Cassie looked at her two best friends, arms linked together, standing in the doorway of her bedroom. “Okay, okay. I’ll go. But one of you is helping me study when we get back.”

  “Whatever you say, Brainiac. Like you need our help anyway,” Aria said, linking her open arm through Cassie’s. “Now let’s forget about becoming the next supreme court justice and concentrate on more important things. Like dress shopping.”

  “I quit my pre-law major a long time ago, Aria. Now I’m going to be a teacher. You know this. I swear, sometimes I don’t think you hear a word I say.”

  Aria shuddered. “Why anyone would want to be around little kids all day is beyond me. At least as an attorney, you’d get to wear sexy clothes and get paid big bucks to argue with people. No money and getting puked on? No, thanks.”

  “I doubt I’ll be puked on, Ar.”

  Aria rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Less talking, more shopping. You’re making my brain hurt.”

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  Jamal heard the annoying chirp of his phone alerting him he needed to get up. With a groan, he stretched as far as he could before rolling over…right into a pair of beautiful hazel eyes framed by long eyelashes and beautiful mocha-colored curls.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” the beauty said, her eyes crinkling with a smile that showcased her crater-sized dimples.

  “It would be a good morning if someone didn’t have horrible morning breath! What did you eat last night? It smells like something died in your mouth.” Jamal held a pillow over his face and fanned in the direction of the girl in his bed.

  Beauty’s eyes widened and her eyebrows drew together as she frowned.

  “What? I’m just trying to keep it real,” Jamal added. “Now get your lazy butt out of bed and go brush those suckers!”

  “Daaaaadd! You are such a punk!” Jamal’s eight year old daughter, Jaydence, pulled the pillow out from under her head and whacked him in the face. “My breath does not stink and I already brushed them this morning while your lazy butt was in bed!”

  Jamal grinned and pulled his daughter in for a hug. Other than basketball, JJ was the only thing that mattered to him.

  “Daaaaadd, you’re squishin’ me! You say I stink but your armpits smell like something crawled up a dog’s butt and died!” Jamal let out a laugh. The only person he would let talk to him like that was his wide-eyed, spunky daughter.

  “I love you kid.”

  “I love you more.”

  Planting a kiss to her forehead, Jamal hoisted himself off his bed and with a grimace, walked to the bathroom for a much-needed hot, steaming shower.

  “Hey, dad?”

  Jamal turned and looked at his daughter, laying in his bed with her kitten pj’s buttoned the wrong way. She was so damn cute and the center of his universe. How he created something so amazing was beyond him, but he wasn’t going to mess it up.

  “What is it, short stuff?”

  “I told you I’m not short, dad! Besides, even if I was,” she said, freezing him with a glare, “It don’t matter if I’m short anyway cuz I’m gonna be the next Lauren Chamberlin and softball players don’t hafta be tall. So there.”

  “You’re breaking my heart, JJ. Why can’t you want to be the next Peyton Little? I even got you season tickets to all the OU women’s basketball games. Come on, girl! Work with me!” Jamal pretended to stick a knife in his chest and twist. His daughter stood up in his bed, one hand on her hip and the other stuffed into a softball glove.

  “Really baby? That glove can detach from your hand, can’t it?”

  “Dad, stop avoiding the question. How bad does your knee hurt today? On a scale of one to ten?”

  Jamal shrugged. “Eh. Just a one.”

  “Liar. But I’ll let it slide this one time. If you throw me a hundred grounders when you get out of the shower.”

  “I guess I’d rather you play softball than be a-” Jamal paused dramatically, “Cheerleader?!”

  “That was low, dad. Cheerleader, really? Please don’t insult my athletic ability.”

  “That’s my girl! But you better not let Callie hear you say that! She might take away your flower girl status.” Giving his daughter’s curls a tussle, he tried not to grimace as he turned to go take a shower.

  “I’ll make ya a pop tart, daddy-o! You gotta keep your energy up for throwing me all those balls!”

  “As long as you make me a chocolate one, kiddo, you have a deal.”

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  CHAPTER TWO

  “I look utterly ridiculous in this dress, Aria! There is no way I am going to wear this in a church! My nana would bust out of her grave and haunt me until the day I die!” Callie went on a rant after staring at herself in the three-way mirror for a few seconds in stunned silence. The trio was in the fourth bridal shop of the day and had found zilch in the way of wedding dresses. Cassie and Aria had finally started taking turns randomly pulling dresses off the rack and shoving them at Callie through the dressing room curtains. This dress was obviously Aria’s pick.

  “What? I don’t see anything wrong with it.” Aria was lounging on one of the shop’s settees outside of the dressing room, one leg hanging over one arm as she lounged in the other one. A Charms sucker stick was sticking out of her mouth and her hair was pulled into a haphazard bun. She still managed to look gorgeous. “It’s sexy.”

  “I don’t want to be sexy on my wedding day!” Callie shrieked. “My dad can’t see me in this…this…monstrosity! I can’t even walk! I’d have to shuffle like a penguin down the aisle!”

  “Now, Cal, it’s not that bad,” Cassie said, trying to diplomatically make peace between her two friends. Aria and Callie’s styles couldn’t differ more from each other. While Callie preferred sweats and baggy t-shirts, Aria leaned more toward the…uh…risqué side of the spectrum.

  Aria had the body of a professional basketball cheerleader and didn’t mind wearing clothing that showcased it. Hell, Cassie thought, Aria was so used to wearing practically nothing at all when she danced for the team and bartended at her dad’s bar that her skin-tight leggings and tight t-shirt that highlighted her ample cleavage and leg
s that went on for miles probably was a lot of clothing for her. Still, Cassie knew she had to diffuse the situation before it turned nasty. Callie was already stressed as it was after four failed shop attempts.

  Cassie looked at the dress Callie was staring at in shock in the mirror. Long, strapless, and skin-tight, the dress dipped low in the front, highlighting Callie’s tall stature and creamy skin. Rhinestones outlined the top of the bodice, slanting down diagonally from the right to the left hip. The tight material ended at Callie’s mid-thigh and then fanned out into a round tulle drape to the floor. It really was gorgeous. Unfortunately, it was flashy Aria gorgeous, not simple Callie gorgeous at all.

  Before Callie could argue with her, Cassie continued in a quick breath. “It would actually be something Aria would look amazing in in her wedding, but Aria,” Cassie said, turning to her other friend, “this is Callie’s wedding and you know that’s not something she would wear.”

  Aria rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll try to find something plain and boring.” With a sigh, Aria drew herself off the couch, stretching and arching her back like a cat waking from a nap and walked off to the racks of dresses to find something else.