Game On (Fair Catch Series, Book Six) Read online

  Game On

  Fair Catch Series, Book Six

  Christine Kersey

  Contents

  Note to Readers

  Books by Christine Kersey

  Book Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Epilogue

  Crushing On You Chapter One

  Books by Christine Kersey

  About the Author

  Note to Readers

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  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Game On (Fair Catch Series, Book Six)

  Copyright © 2018 by Christine Kersey

  Cover by Novak Illustration

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  eBook Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  Discover other exciting titles by Christine Kersey available through her official author website: ChristineKersey.com or through most online retailers.

  Created with Vellum

  Books by Christine Kersey

  Fair Catch Romance

  Illegal Procedure

  False Start

  Blindsided

  Pass Interference

  Pass Protection

  Game On

  Park City Firefighter Romance

  Rescue My Heart

  Hearts On Fire

  Emerald Falls Romance Series

  Crushing On You: Travis and Gabriella (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book One)

  Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two)

  Chance Encounter: Gage and Melanie (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Three)

  Searching for Love

  Falling for You (Searching for Love, Book One)

  Finding Reese (Searching for Love, Book Two)

  Surrender My Heart (Searching for Love, Book Three)

  Bring Me Home (Searching for Love, Book Four)

  Lily’s Story

  He Loves Me Not (Lily’s Story, Book 1)

  Don’t Look Back (Lily’s Story, Book 2)

  Love At Last (Lily’s Story, Book 3)

  Life Imperfect (Lily’s Story, Book 4)

  Parallel Trilogy

  Gone (Parallel Series, Book 1)

  Imprisoned (Parallel Series, Book 2)

  Hunted (Parallel Series, Book 3)

  After (Parallel Series, Book 4)

  The Other Morgan (Parallel Series, Book 5)

  Over You Series

  Over You

  Second Chances (sequel to Over You)

  Witness Series

  Witness (Witness, Book 1)

  Retribution (Witness, Book 2)

  Standalone Books

  Suspicions

  No Way Out

  Box Sets

  Parallel Trilogy

  Lily’s Story

  Searching for Love bundle

  Book Description

  An NFL player, his fake girlfriend, and a family camping trip to Yellowstone. What could go wrong?

  Tired of his family giving him a hard time about his lackluster love life, NFL running back Tyler Brandrick tells them he has a girlfriend. When they ask him if she’ll be coming with them on their annual Yellowstone camping trip, he says yes. Too bad she doesn’t exist.

  Brielle Hanson is in desperate need of a job. Recently let go, she doesn’t have enough money to make rent, so when the dog she’s walking gets away from her and races to the handsome stranger in the park, she strikes up a conversation. Good thing he makes an offer she can’t refuse.

  Includes the first chapter of Crushing On You (Emerald Falls Romance, Book One)

  Chapter One

  “Slow down,” Brielle said to the cream-colored Golden Retriever at the end of the leash she gripped with both hands.

  Luna ignored her, pulling hard as she sniffed everything in her path.

  They were at the park near the small apartment Brielle shared with her best friend Cara, and as Brielle blew a wayward strand of hair off of her forehead, she wondered if taking Cara’s beloved dog on a walk while Cara was at work had been such a good idea after all.

  It’s not that she didn’t love dogs—she did. Luna in particular. It was just that she knew she should be spending every spare minute looking for a job. It was bad enough that the company where she’d been a receptionist had gone under without warning two weeks before, but if she didn’t come up with money for her share of the rent—which was due that very day—she would be forced to move out. Cara couldn’t afford the rent on her own, and Brielle didn’t want to be dead weight. Her savings weren’t exactly robust, and though she’d gone on two interviews, no job offers had come her way.

  Even when she was employed she lived paycheck to paycheck. Now the little money in her bank account was rapidly running out. To stretch it she’d decided to end the one luxury she’d been indulging in—getting her nails done every two weeks. The sad state of her nails could attest to that. And she’d stopped going out to eat as well. There wasn’t much else she could cut. Yes, she could sell her car, but it wasn’t worth much, and she needed a reliable form of transportation to get around Sacramento.

  Sighing with a mix of despair and frustration, she plodded on, wondering why she’d decided to take Luna on a walk in the afternoon. The heat of the August day was stifling. But she knew why. She needed a break from the desperation she was feeling. Better yet, she needed a vacation—from her worries. Shaking her head, she shoved down the sad laughter that wanted to erupt. A vacation was the last thing she could afford.

  With every step she took, the desperation she’d felt earlier notched higher and higher. If she didn’t get a phone call with a job offer in the next thirty minutes, she would have to tell Cara to find a new roommate. Not a great way to start the weekend. But hey, maybe Cara would have time to help her pack.

  Sighing in despair, Brielle did her best to control Luna as they marched along the pathway while at the same time thinking about what would happen if she had to move out. She would have to move in with her
mom, that’s what. Something she wanted to avoid at all costs. Not only had she lived on her own for five years—since she was nineteen—but she knew her mom was barely making ends meet herself. Besides, she loved her independence and was loathe to give it up. Not to mention that her mom lived in Colorado. California was Brielle’s home now. In love with the sunny days and warm weather, she had zero desire to live in the snow ever again.

  “Heel, Luna,” she called to the dog, who completely ignored her. Silently acknowledging that Luna was still a puppy, even if she was nearly fifty pounds, Brielle murmured, “You really need to learn some obedience.” She would point that out to Cara, even though she knew Cara would say Luna was perfect just as she was.

  Another dog on a leash approached them, and Luna tugged harder, yanking the leash right out of Brielle’s hands.

  Groaning out loud, Brielle took off at a run. If Luna got away, Cara would kill her.

  Leaning against the picnic table, his legs stretched out in front of him, Tyler wondered how he’d gotten himself into this predicament. Well, he knew, he just couldn’t believe the way his mouth had run ahead of his brain. Sprinted, actually.

  Rolling his eyes, he replayed the conversation he’d had with his parents two nights before.

  He’d gone to their house for dinner, excited to discuss their annual camping trip to Yellowstone National Park. Though most of Tyler’s time was taken up playing for the Sacramento Vipers as a running back, he still loved to camp. And his absolute favorite place to camp was Yellowstone. He’d gone there with his family every year since he was fifteen—eleven years now. And despite his busy schedule, he’d never missed a trip.

  When he’d arrived at his parents’ house two nights before, everyone had been there—his parents, his younger brother Rob, and his younger sister Mia. All there to plan their trip, although it hadn’t taken them long to start harassing him about his love life—or lack thereof.

  Why this seemed to be a favorite pastime of theirs, he had no idea. Yet it was. And why they expected him to have a steady girlfriend, he couldn’t quite understand. Maybe it had something to do with his mother dying to have a grandchild, and since he was the oldest, somehow that responsibility had fallen on him. And he was sure his younger siblings were happy to help take the heat off of themselves.

  That night he’d had enough, which is why he’d blurted that they could stop bugging him because he had a girlfriend.

  “You do?” his mother had asked, her eyes alight with pleasure. “When can we meet her?”

  “Soon,” he’d said.

  “Is she coming to Yellowstone?” his sister had thrown in, obviously just as excited to meet her as their mother was.

  “Of course.” Tyler had heard the words coming out of his mouth, but it was like someone else was speaking, someone he wanted to slap upside the head so he’d stop talking.

  “Does she like to camp?” his mother had asked, her hands clasped together and her eyes bright.

  “Uh, she’s never been before, but she said she’s up for the adventure.” Who was this person talking? It was as if Tyler’s mouth had been possessed by an idiot who liked digging deep holes for him to fall into. Or maybe an idiot who was letting his own wishful thinking get the better of him.

  “We’re so excited to meet her,” his mom had said. “She sounds like a lot of fun.”

  Yeah. She sounded like a lot of fun to him too. Except for the small detail that she was a figment of his imagination.

  Shaking his head in disgust, he watched the people as they enjoyed the beautiful summer morning at the park. What would his family say when he showed up in Yellowstone the next day all alone? The thought of admitting to his family that he’d lied, that he had no girlfriend, left him feeling mortified. Then again, he could go and tell his family that his “girlfriend” couldn’t make it. But he had a feeling his family would see right through him.

  Maybe he should beg off from going at all, claim he had a workout with the Vipers that he couldn’t get out of. But Yellowstone…

  Sighing in frustration and focused on his dilemma, Tyler barely saw the flash of cream-colored fur before it practically leapt onto his lap, its tongue lolling out in a huge doggy smile. A leash trailed from its collar, but no one was holding onto the leash.

  “Hello there,” he said, gently pushing the dog off of his legs. “Who do you belong to?”

  “Luna! Luna, come!”

  Tyler looked up to see an angel approaching. An angel who was out of breath and whose silver-blonde hair was sticking to her sweat-dampened forehead. He watched her approach, appreciating the way her shorts and tank top displayed her athletic build. As she got closer, an embarrassed smile on her lips, he couldn’t miss the startling green of her eyes.

  Chapter Two

  Brielle was so embarrassed. Luna had nearly launched herself into this stranger’s lap. She would definitely have a chat with Cara about enrolling Luna in dog obedience school.

  As she got closer and saw how hot the man was—short black hair, chiseled jaw, neatly trimmed beard—her embarrassment increased. Why she should be more embarrassed because she found him astonishingly attractive, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she desperately wished Luna would stop begging the man for attention and come to her side.

  “This your dog?” the man asked, and then he stood.

  Taking in his tall frame, broad shoulders, and rounded biceps, Brielle slowed, then stopped about six feet away. Wow. The closer she got, the hotter he became.

  “No,” she said, then she closed her eyes and shook her head. “I mean, yes. Luna’s with me.”

  The man smiled, revealing straight white teeth. “So…” He rubbed the back of his neck as he raised his eyebrows. “She’s your dog?”

  “My roommate’s dog.” Who cared whose dog she was? She was Brielle’s responsibility. Isn’t that what mattered? Feeling like an idiot, Brielle tore her gaze from the man’s incredibly handsome face and looked at Luna. “Luna, come.”

  Luna was much too interested in the man—vigorously sniffing the leg of his pants—to notice Brielle.

  The man chuckled. “I don’t think Luna heard you.”

  “Yeah.”

  The man picked up Luna’s leash, then looked Luna in the eyes. “Sit.”

  Luna neatly sat on the ground, then looked at the man for approval.

  “Good girl,” he said, then he quirked a smile at Brielle. “I don’t have any dog treats.”

  “Oh. Right.” That was her cue. She dug a small handful of tiny treats out of her pocket, then feigning expertise, she strode over to Luna and gave her one. “Good girl, Luna.” Wanting to show the man that she could actually handle Luna—which was patently false, as she’d already proven—she tapped the ground and said, “Down.”

  Luna’s gaze was locked on the man, and when he pointed to the ground, she fell to her stomach, then she looked at Brielle. Finally.

  “Good girl,” Brielle said with less enthusiasm, then she gave her a treat before straightening.

  “How old is she?”

  Brielle had to stop and think for a moment. “Six months.”

  “Aw. Still a puppy.”

  “Do you have a dog?” He sure seemed to know a thing or two about them.

  He smiled, which emphasized his good looks. “Not right now, but I’ve had dogs in the past.”

  “You seem to have a way with them.” She smiled. “At least, you seem to have a way with Luna.”

  At the sound of her name, she leapt to her feet, and with tail wagging, she looked up at the man.

  He chuckled. “She sure is friendly.”

  With no hope of her obeying, Brielle said, “Luna, down.” She even used her most commanding voice. Again, Luna ignored her.

  The man sat on the bench, then looked at Luna. “Sit.”

  Luna immediately sat.

  The man held out his hand and Brielle handed him a treat. He gave one to Luna, then said, “Down.” She fell to her stomach.

&nb
sp; “Okay,” Brielle said, handing him the leash. “I give up.”

  The man laughed. “I don’t know why she’s listening to me.”

  “I do.” She clamped her lips shut as she completed her reply in her head. Because you’re so darn hot. Slowly blinking to break the spell he seemed to cast over her, she murmured, “Never mind.”

  “No,” he said, a look of curiosity on his face. “Tell me.”

  There was no way she was about to tell him what she really thought. Slowly, she sat on the bench. “Uh, because she responds better to a lower voice?”

  “Could be.” Then he smiled. “I’m Tyler, by the way.”

  He looked like a Tyler. Then she wondered what someone named Tyler was supposed to look like. Feeling silly for even thinking such a thing, she said, “Brielle.”

  “So, Brielle…”

  She liked the way her name sounded coming from his lips. Maybe that was how Luna felt. Nearly laughing at the ridiculous thought, she said, “Yes?”

  “What do you do when you’re not walking Luna?”