Player's Challenge Read Free Page B

employee clothing allowance, “Then they believe we’re handling their affairs in the same manner.”
    Due to the warmer weather, Gemma had gone light on the makeup, opting for a natural look which complimented her favorite go-to-outfit, a textured pink bell-shaped skirt with a matching summer cardigan. And every hair of her asymmetrical bob hung in a smooth line to her shoulders.
    She turned to the side, and checked out her profile. I should’ve worn pants . The short skirt showed off her toned legs, but the billowy shape over emphasized her backside which was already quite generous.
    Damn you, Gladys Clarke, for gifting me with all this jelly!
    Sure guys liked big bums, but not every girl wanted a butt one could set a tea cup on.
    “Are you going to stand there all day admiring yourself?”
    Startled, Gemma whirled around. Standing in the doorway of his apartment, dressed in a white V-neck tee and olive green cargo pants, Devin Spencer was a hundred times more gorgeous in person.
    Gemma inwardly groaned. She tried to keep it from happening, had steeled herself from it on the drive over, but her body instantly responded to him. How could almost a decade of built up animosity, melt away in a split second?
    Maybe it was his tall, athletic body made rock hard by hours spent on the field. Or it could be the incredible head of hair. Short on the sides, and long on top. Possibly, it was his full bottom lip. She used to enjoy sucking on it for hours. Perchance the bad boy ink? But more than likely, Gemma mused, it was his mesmerizing green eyes, tinged with golden flecks. They’d always made her feel like she was the only girl in the world.
    Despite the passing of time, nothing had changed. Being in the same room was like dumping twenty gallons of coffee in her veins. Heart pounding in her chest, pupils more than likely dilated, she shuffled over.
    “Gemma Clarke.” His eyes wrinkled at the corners as he smiled down at her. “Long time no see.”

Chapter Two

    He remembered!
    “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
    Speaking of eyes, she centered hers on his chest, so as not to be drawn in by that panty-dropping gaze of his.
    “Nice seeing you again, Devin,” she said, sticking out her hand, her tone and body language staunchly professional.
    For several seconds, Gemma thought he was going to leave her hanging. But his hesitation had only been a ploy. When she looked up, his hand engulfed hers and a sizzling jolt shot up her arm, connected with all her nerve endings, especially the hundred or so centered in her groin. To ease the growing ache between her thighs, Gemma crossed her legs at the ankle. Outwardly, it appeared like she was being coy.
    “How have you been?” Proud her voice remained devoid of emotion, Gemma mentally pumped her fist as she slipped her hand from his.
    “I’ve been a bad boy.” He even had the temerity to sport a sheepish expression as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants.
    “So what’s new?”
    His rakish grin didn’t falter. “What are you going to do about it?”
    “I’m going to whip you into shape,” she quipped with surprising ease. Like riding a bike, she hadn’t lost the ability to stay toe to toe with him. Before all the money, fame and women, he’d been her closest friend.
    “Against my better judgment, do come in.”
    Feeling a little more in her element, Gemma allowed herself to relax as she followed him down a long hallway lined with black and white action photos of him on the pitch.
    “Quite a collection you have,” she said, eyeing a particular photo of him, airborne and arms outstretched, reaching for a ball.
    He cut his eyes at her, the edges of his smile deepening with dimples. Gemma’s belly tumbled. Everything about him oozed sex appeal.
    “Narcissistic?”
    “A tad,” she teased. Without thinking, she reached out and tweaked his arm like she used to when they were kids. The warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips made Gemma’s body