Page 3 of Make the Play

I don’t know why I do it, because her brother is here and my friends are here, but I can’t stop myself when I place my hand on the small of her back as we make our way to where the food is laid out.

She shivers at my touch, and my cock twitches. Fuck me. This girl—no, this woman, is lethal, and I can’t have her. For the first time in months, someone has my attention, not because they’re trying, and I can’t do a damn thing about it.

When we reach the patio, I have to force myself to drop my hand, pretending that the feel of her bare skin beneath my fingertips didn’t affect me.

“Corie Reynolds, you better get your ass over here and give me a hug,” Reid calls out to her.

“Little sister, Montgomery,” Landry calls back.

“What?” he asks innocently. “I just want to welcome her home.”

“You hugged her when you got here,” Landry says, glaring at our tight end.

“Hugging is my love language,” Reid fires back. He’s barely containing his laughter.

“Nope. No. Just fucking no. Not my little sister.” Landry points the tongs he’s using on the grill at Reid. “No.” He looks over at Corie and frowns. “She just got rid of one asshole. She doesn’t need another one.” He winces as he says it. “You know what I mean,” he adds. He didn’t mean to refer to us as assholes, but he’s overly protective of Corie. That’s what big brothers do.

“What about the sister’s best friend?” Sloane asks. “You know, asking for the friend.” She points to her chest, and we all crack up laughing.

“Not the sister, and not the friend,” Landry announces.

“Aw, man, come on, Landry, why you gotta do me that way?” Sloane whines.

Landry exhales loudly before looking at me. “Help me out here, Knox. No little sisters, right? You understand where I’m coming from. You have Everly and Emma.”

Well, fuck. Guilt washes over me because he’s expecting me to back him up, when all I want to do is pull Corie into my arms and see for myself if her lips are as soft as they appear. Knowing that she’s not attached is not helping me much either.

“My little sister is getting married,” I reply.

“But not to a teammate or friend,” he counters.

“Not to a teammate or friend,” I agree.

“I’m a grown woman. I don’t need you to tell me who I can and cannot date.” Corie glares at her brother.

“I just want you happy, Core,” Landry says, changing his tone to something softer he reserves just for her. “I know what that asshole Conner did to you. You deserve better.”

“I get to decide who and what that is,” she tells him. “And when I found out what Conner was doing, that he was cheating, I walked away. I ended it. I’m a big girl, Landry.”

“What she said,” Sloane speaks up, and Corie sputters with laughter.

Landry pulls his sister into a hug and kisses the top of her head before turning back to man the grill.

It takes everything I have in me not to watch her as she makes her plate and finds a place to sit at the table next to her best friend. I fill mine, as well, and then sit on the step, as I need some distance.

This… desire I have for her, this longing I suddenly feel, has to be because she’s off-limits, right? I just need to put some distance between us today, and then I’ll forget all about the beautiful Corie Reynolds.

ChapterTwo

Corie

“Your man’s looking fine tonight,” Sloane says, far too loudly for my liking.

“Hush,” I scold. “He’s not mine.” I’ve sworn off men since my relationship disaster and breakup with my ex, Conner. Besides, my brother has made it known that his friends and teammates are off-limits. That has messy written all over it, and I don’t like messy. He tried to warn me away from Conner, and I thought he was just being overprotective. I should have listened and not given that man the time of day.

“Funny, you didn’t ask me who I was referring to. There are lots of gorgeous men in your brother’s backyard tonight.”

I glare at my best friend, but that makes her grin. “It’s just Landry and four others.” The party has died down now that the sun is setting. Sloane and I are the only two ladies here. Landry doesn’t invite the random women he hooks up with to his house, and the guys are not allowed to bring a date unless it’s serious. Landry claims it’s some unwritten rule that houses are sacred or something like that. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I don’t have to watch some jersey chaser fawn all over him.

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