Love and Other Games Read Free Page B

someone else.”
    Ty laughed. She was a feisty one – maybe she played women’s hockey. “Look, I’m just trying to make conversation. Do you want to dance?”
    She stood up, her hands on her hips and her eyes shooting fireballs at his head. “No. I don’t want to dance. I don’t want to sleep with you. I don’t want to do any of your frivolous nonsense. We’ve already been there, so thank you and goodbye.” She walked away without looking back.
    Ouch. He wasn’t very good at taking rejection, but she was pretty clear. He would have left it at that if she hadn’t come back – but she did.
    Her purse lay on the floor between the settee and the loveseat. She stood over him and leaned down to grab her bag. But when she placed her hand on his shoulder to steady herself, they both froze. A current shot through him like a lightning bolt, and he knew she felt something too because her eyes darkened and she stared at him instead of her purse. A few beats passed when Ty reached up and placed his palm on top of hers, rubbing in circles with his thumb.
    “I’m not the bad guy you think I am, you know.”
    She bit her lip and finally reached her purse, standing up straight and looking directly into his eyes. “I know your type and you’re nothing but trouble.”
    If she only knew.
    She turned on her heel and glided away, her cute bottom mocking him as he watched her disappear in the crowd.
    ***
    Nadia couldn’t take her eyes off him. In a room full of hundreds of athletes, no matter where she looked, he was in her peripheral vision. He laughed with his friends in the corner of the room. She knew his laugh now – dark, sensuous, flirtatious. He danced on the makeshift floor – with several women – placing his hand on their sides. She couldn’t help but feel jealous. The same hand had rubbed her knee not even an hour ago.
    He was a pure player.
    She touched the base of her neck, cleared her throat and looked at the man in front of her, instead. Sven had been her friend for almost ten years now. They had been in university together, on the college ski team, and now they both worked at the Olympics. She knew he had an enormous crush on her last year, and the look on his face told her that maybe he still did.
    Sven’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on with you and that snowboarder?”
    Nadia curled her lips. “Nothing. I barely know him.”
    “Then why do you keep staring at him and him at you? Seems like you two know each other well enough.”
    “He’s not staring at me.” She glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, there he was ordering a Coke at the refreshment center. He winked at her and she turned back to Sven. “We just met a few hours ago.”
    Sven rubbed her shoulder. “Be careful, Nadia.”
    Nadia shrugged her shoulder from his hold. Sven had always tried to make more from their friendship, but she had been clear with him from day one – she didn’t want a relationship. Period. “You should know me better than that, Sven. I’m here for the professional experience, not to find love.”
    “Tell him that.” Sven walked away, giving her the chance to really think about Ty without his distraction.
    Ty was sexy as hell and even worse, he was the wrong kind of guy for her. Getting caught up in exuberant pranks or dancing with a handful of women was not something she wanted in a man anyway. She was happy with her life. Simple. Uncomplicated. Effortless. She liked her serious side, and she needed to remain that way in order to receive the recommendation needed for her dream job. So, no more thinking about Mr. Snowboard hottie.
    Before she could take her eyes off him, her roommate, Lara, sidled up next to her. “Who’re you looking at? Ty Madsen?”
    “Oh, you scared me, Lara.” She reached for the Olympics News flier on the bar in front of her and pretended to look through the pages. “Who’s Ty Madsen?”
    Lara nodded in his direction. “The hottest new snowboarder from the US. You know they