ROMANCE: SPORTS ROMANCE: Bad Boys of Sports: A Complete Collection (Alpha Male, Football, Hockey Secret Baby Romance) (Contemporary Sports Romance) Read Free Page A

casual air. “Yeah, it’s hard to beat you when it comes to mindless chatter, sis.” Caroline threw a pillow at me for my cheeky comment.
    But my mind was elsewhere. Emma was in town, and that pang of regret whenever I thought of her surged with passion. I could finally ask her about how she’d just ended things without a real explanation. If I found her, I could make her realize what she was missing, something that would make her regret whatever music nerd boyfriend she’d snagged.
    “It was really nice to see her, though. I miss having her in my life. I want the old Emma back.”
    “She’s living here?” I tried to keep my voice even.
    Caroline went to refill her glass with more wine. She tossed her hair behind her shoulders, a sure Hadley sign that her mind was somewhere else, on her wedding, most likely.
    “Maybe,” she answered, but it was dazed.
    The sound of our father’s booming laughter approached. I grinned, pushing the thought of Emma down. Family, first. Emma, later.
    It was a small town. I was bound to come across her.
     
     

Chapter Five
     
     
     
     
     
    Emma
     
    This shirt definitely shrunk in the wash.
    I restrained a glare at the teenage boy who was ogling my chest. When Chloe grows up to be a teenager, I hoped she’ll have better dating prospects. It wasn’t even like the shirt was low-cut. Every barista wore a black V-neck as part of our uniform.
    Mercifully, the boy moved along.
    “Your patience is astounding,” my manager, Jennifer, said with a sly grin. Her eyes traveled past my shoulder. “I should’ve known that hiring a pretty face would distract customers. There’s another one.”
    Another one? I turned to see where she was looking.
    The mug in my hand nearly dropped, but Jennifer was quick with her reflexes.
    “Blaze,” I breathed. “He can’t see me.”
    She cleared her throat. “Um, you do realize that’s one of the hottest football players ever staring right at you, don’t you? Not to mention a hometown celebrity for the fact that he grew up around here.”
    “No, he can’t see me,” I hissed at her.
    She furrowed her brow at me but glanced at the clock. “You sure you don’t want to take your break right now? I’ll cover for you.”
    But, it was too late. Blaze Hadley entered The Bean Factory on the corner of Fourth Street and marched right up to the counter.
    “Hey there.”
    As if it was only yesterday that he’d seen me last. His voice was as rich and delicious as I remembered. My cheeks felt warm as his dark eyes focused on me.
    “Can you talk?”
    He wasn’t about to leave. The patrons in the coffee shop were beginning to recognize his face. A whisper of his name erupted across the sea of people. Eyes darted out from behind books. And I was almost positive that there was a chocolate syrup stain on my shirt. This. Could. Not. Be. Happening.”
    It was my manager who spoke for me. She coughed. “You’ve only got a few hours left in your shift. Why don’t you leave early?”
    I knew she was only doing that because Blaze Hadley wanted to talk to me. If it had been any other guy, she would’ve told them off without a hint of regret.
    But she and I both knew he wasn’t just any other guy.
    “Do you want to grab a drink?”
    That was the first thing he asked me when I finally emerged from the back. I’d tried to get out as much of the blotch on my shirt as possible. With my apron neatly folded underneath my arm, I nearly shrank away from him as his towering frame greeted me.
    “How did you even find me?” I asked and glanced at the coffee shop.
    He shrugged his broad shoulders. I watched his muscles underneath his fitted t-shirt. He was outrageously handsome to begin with, and now, he’d come back with an even sharper jawline.
    “I asked around,” he said.
    “Oh.”
    “Did you want to go for that drink?”
    “I can’t,” I muttered. “I should get home.”
    He frowned, and my heart leaped at his handsome face twisting. Was he asking about