Free Playing it Cool (Sydney Smoke Rugby) by Amy Andrews Page A

be a decent size package at the juncture of his thighs. Every line and angle of his body reflected a man relaxed and content, like a big jungle cat, stretched out all loose-limbed, his stomach full.
    Except his eyes. There was nothing content about those. They were much more alert. Much more…carnal. Up until now, the only thing that had charged the atmosphere had been a keen sense of competition. But it had been companionable.
    Matey. Blokey, even.
    But those eyes made her wary. And just a little bit horny.
    “Sure,” he said, still casual. “Want to make it interesting?”
    “Ah, you want to battle me , huh? Feeling confident again?”
    He grinned. “I think I have my mojo back.”
    As if he’d ever lost it. “All right then,” she said, leaning forward, elbows on her knees as she set up a battle between the two of them.
    “Can I suggest a variation?”
    Harper looked over her shoulder at him. “A variation?”
    He nodded, his eyes glittering now. “Strip Battlefront is kinda fun.”
    Her breath stuttered to a halt somewhere between her lungs and her mouth. “Strip Battlefront?”
    “Sure.” He grinned. “The guys and I play it all the time.”
    She relaxed slightly at his teasing tone. The thought of a bunch of buck naked rugby players striping off their clothes in front of a video game was amusing as hell. “Oh really? That’s funny,” she mused. “None of my guy friends have ever suggested it.”
    “I’m sure they wanted to.”
    Harper snorted. “I doubt it.” She often got together with a bunch of other gamer friends and pulled all-nighters.
    “Are they gay?”
    “Only a couple of them.”
    His gaze dropped briefly to where the V of her T-shirt skimmed her cleavage before returning to her face. “So, just stupid then?”
    Harper smiled at the compliment. Dexter Blake was good for her ego. “I prefer gentlemen.”
    It was his turn to snort, and Harper wasn’t left in any doubt that Dex thought her friends were fools. “What about your girlfriends?” he pressed. “You must have played something like that at girlie sleepovers?”
    “Sure.” She smiled sweetly. “Just before our naked pillow fights.” Harper rolled her eyes. “In your dreams, rugby.”
    “You have no idea.” Dex grinned. “So…what do you say? You up for it?”
    Harper wished she could say she wasn’t. Wished that she could say he’d shocked her and slap him across the face for suggesting something so outrageously risqué. But given what she’d done on this very couch twenty-four hours ago, it was probably a bit late to play the puritan.
    And, God help her, there was something so illicitly wicked about the thought.
    Was she up for it?
    Anticipation fluttered fingers over muscle fibres deep in her pelvis as her pulse tap-danced at her wrists and temple. It seemed, as far as Dex was concerned, she was up for anything. Maybe it was because she knew they weren’t in any kind of a relationship that she felt like she didn’t have to follow any of the relationship rules.
    “You’re very daring aren’t you?”
    He shook his head. “Only on the rugby field. And around you, it seems.”
    Harper tried not to let that go to her head. She failed. “How do you play it?”
    His slow smile spread heat through her belly and thighs. “Simple. Every time you lose a man, you lose a piece of clothing.”
    Harper did a mental inventory of what they were wearing. She had a grand total of four items of clothing—they’d both discarded their shoes a long time ago. Unless Dex had a fetish for women’s underwear, he only had three. Two if he was commando.
    Lordy. Her heart palpitated wildly at the thought.
    Given how quickly men died in the virtual world they could both be naked pretty damn quick. She’d have to be careful. None of her players could be expendable. She’d have to play it really safe.
    Which was ironic given how she was doing the exact opposite in the real world.
    Where the hell this would end up, Harper had no