Free Game For Love: Game for You (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Jami Davenport Page B

his size.
    Sarah cleared her throat, startling him. “I’m sorry you were cut. I’ll miss watching you play.”
    “You’ve watched me play?” He frowned up at her. She’d never once mentioned being a football fan. How had he not known that one simple fact about her after three years?
    She nodded, her eyes lighting up for a moment. “I love football and the Outlaws are my team.”
    “I never knew.” Guilt sliced through him. He should’ve asked her, offered her tickets once in a while, but he’d been too busy playing the part of Superjock—best tight end in the league, some said the best tight end ever, too busy for the real people in his life. Lack of time wasn’t an issue now.
    “Now you do.” She met his gaze and started to look away , then she visibly straightened, and stared right back at him, displaying an inner strength he’d never seen before, and he secretly applauded her for it. In fact, he glanced away first. Staring into her deep brown eyes with their hint of sadness and pain did strange things to him, things he’d not allowed himself to feel when football had been his only mistress.
    “Join me for lunch, Sarah.” His words shocked him and obviously shocked her. He reached out and gently tugged on her hand. This time when he touched her, she didn’t flinch. He didn’t want her to leave. Something about her appealed to him, perhaps it was a hidden, mutual pain, and their struggle to rise above it. Perhaps it was something more primal. He definitely noticed her female assets.
    Sarah st ared down at the big hand engulfing hers, and he quickly released it. “Sorry,” he mumbled. He seemed to be saying that a lot lately.
    “I can’t. It’s not righ t.” She made a move to leave again, but he held her in place with one stern look.
    “Please, I’d love some company.” He forced himself not to plead with her, already only a few words away from down-grading his alpha status to a miserable, pussy-assed beta.
    Sarah hesitated, sucking her plump lower lip between her teeth. He stared at that lip and got hard. Instantly. Losing his career must be throwing him way off, as he’d never responded to her like that before, never noticed her body, never stared into her eyes, and definitely never groveled for her to dine with him.
    Perhaps today might be a good day to start.
    “Please,” he begged, half-desperate for her quiet, gentle companionship.
    She didn’t say a word , but escaped into the house.
    He sighed. Alone again.
    A few minutes later, she appeared with lunch of her own and sat in the chair opposite his without a word. He offered her a friendly smile. She smiled back, then ducked her head shyly, concentrating on her soup. Obviously, remnants of the old Sarah still existed, but her efforts to be brave struck a chord deep inside him. He was proud of her. 
    Branson finished first and leaned back in his chair, feeling better than he’d felt in a while just because of her calm presence. He watched her finish a meal equivalent to his and wondered where she packed all that food on her little body. She smiled tentatively at him. God, when she smiled like that, she had to be the most adorable little lady in San Francisco.
    He sat back in his chair and stretched, leveling a gentle gaze in her direction. “So tell me, Sarah, what do you do when you leave here? Do you have a family?” Small talk, that’s all it was, yet he really wanted to know the more about her.
    Her smile dipped , and she regarded him with suspicion. “I—I live next door to my mother and help care for my sister’s younger kids while Mom works nights cleaning businesses.”
    “Oh, I see. Why doesn’t your sister take care of them?” Seemed like a safe question, but her frozen expression said it was anything but.
    “My mom has full custody.”
    Ah, okay. Branson tiptoed out of that mine field, seeking safer ground. “How many siblings do you have?”
    “I’m the oldest. I have two sisters.”
    “And one of them