Free Tempting the Player by J. Lynn Page A

he expected was to see her again.
    God. Damn.
    She looked just like he remembered but better. Rich auburn hair pulled back in a low bun, but he knew it was long and full of soft waves that would tumble around her heart-shaped face. Her normally porcelain complexion was flushed now and full, pouty lips parted.
    Chase cleared his throat. “Uh, you two know each other?”
    He couldn’t stop staring at Bridget.
    Her light green eyes were wide as she stared back, no doubt remembering just how well the two of them knew each other. Not as well as Chad had wanted but pretty damn close. Since she was sitting down, he couldn’t get an eyeful of those lush curves. He wanted to peel off that fucking cardigan because it was way too concealing.
    Bridget swallowed, and her gaze swung toward his brother and Maddie. “Um, we met briefly,” she said.
    Met briefly?
    Maddie’s mouth dropped open. “How come you never mentioned you met Chad?”
    Yeah. How come? He was very, very curious and a bit offended. Why wouldn’t she mention that she knew him? Then again, considering where they met, most people didn’t bring up that club in common conversation.
    Sitting down beside her, he leaned back and folded his arms. And waited.
    Bridget glanced at him nervously. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
    He was pretty confident that he was a big deal.
    “And I actually kind of forgot about it.” She laughed, toying with the paper her straw had come wrapped in.
    She forgot about it that quickly? Bull. Shit. His ego more than a little bruised, he was about two seconds from explaining just how well they knew each other but stopped. She didn’t want anyone to know what happened and he could respect that, but she was definitely going to have to reevaluate her “not a big deal” statement later.
    Going along with this, Chad smiled and decided two could play at this game. “It was a while ago—at a game or something? You asked for my autograph, I think.”
    Bridget’s delicate brows slammed down. “No. It wasn’t at a game, and I didn’t ask for your autograph.”
    “You sure?” He glanced at his brother, who was watching them with raised brows. “Hell, I remember the face, but you’re going to have to refresh my memory about the rest.”
    “No reason to. Like I said, it was just a brief meeting.” She squirmed a little, and it drew his attention downward. The curve of her hip and thigh made his cock swell. “I’m sure there are a lot of faces you don’t remember,” she added.
    He tilted his head to the side, not missing the sly jab. “I imagine the same could be said about you.”
    Her head jerked toward him, eyes a more vibrant shade of bottle green. She was angry. Good. He wasn’t feeling too cuddly, either.
    Across the table, Maddie watched with rabid fascination. “Okay, so where did you two meet if it wasn’t at a game?”
    “Good question,” Chad murmured, eagerly awaiting Bridget’s response.
    She squirmed even more, so much so that her thigh brushed his.
    “You’re fidgeting,” he pointed out. “And we’re waiting.”
    “I’m not fidgeting.”
    He clamped a hand down on her thigh, just above the knee, and she nearly jumped out of the booth. “You’re fidgeting.”
    Her gaze dropped to his hand, and her flush deepened. He felt her shiver, and a near feral urge seized hold of him. Instinct demanded that he keep his hand right where it was or inch it down a few centimeters and then slide it up that skirt. Speaking of the skirt, it reminded him of a candy cane. He wanted to lick those stripes, but he doubted his brother and Maddie would be interested in that kind of show.
    Smiling at her, he slowly lifted his hand, one finger at a time.
    His brother and Maddie exchanged long looks. Lucky for Bridget, the waitress arrived to take their orders. Everyone ordered burgers and the waitress lingered longer than necessary, which normally wouldn’t have bothered Chad, but his attention was elsewhere, currently on the little