Playing Along: A Small Town Second Chance Romance, page 1
Playing Along
A Small Town Second Chance Romance
Cassie-Ann L. Miller
Contents
Stories by Cassie-Ann L. Miller
About ‘Playing Along’
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Epilogue
So, what to read now…?
Dirty Cameos & Easter Eggs
Playing Along (A Small Town Second Chance Romance)
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Copyright © 2021 Cassie-Ann L. Miller
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All rights reserved.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents appearing therein are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be interpreted as real. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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The author acknowledges the trademarked status of the various products referenced in this work.
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Amazon’s Kindle Store is the only authorized distributor of this ebook. If you have downloaded or purchased it from any other distributor, please note that you have received an illegal copy. This not only violates the author’s copyright, deprives the author of royalties due and puts the book at risk of being removed from Kindle distribution, but it also exposes you to computer viruses, theft of your personal information by book pirates and potential legal prosecution.
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04112021
Created with Vellum
For my Little Man — You are literally so cute. One day, I’ll explain the dinosaurs.
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For Liz — ‘Cause you’re the best.
Stories by Cassie-Ann L. Miller
The Playboys of Sin Valley
Playing House
Playing Pretend
Playing Along
Playing Rough
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The Bad Boys in Love Series
Mister Billions
Mister Baller
Mister Baby Daddy
Mister Bossy
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The Blue Collar Bachelors Series
Lover Boy
Play Boy
Bad Boy
Hot Boy
Rich Boy
Dream Boy
Blue Collar Bachelors Box Set
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The Dirty Suburbs Series
Dirty Neighbor
Dirty Player
Dirty Stranger
Dirty Favor
Dirty Lover
Dirty Farmer
Dirty Silver
Dirty Forever
Dirty Christmas
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The Esquire Girls Series
Amber Nights (Amber – Books 1, 2, 3 & 4)
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Madison’s Story
For Madison, Always (Madison – Books 1, 2, 3 & 4)
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Ruthie’s Story
Ruthie’s Desire (Ruthie – Books 1, 2, 3 & 4)
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Hailey’s story
Moments with Hailey (Hailey - Books 1, 2, 3 & 4)
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Esquire HEAT Series
A Very Eager Intern
A Very Frustrated Attorney
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Standalone Novels
Holiday Hookup with the Rockstar
Happy New You
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Psst…Join Dirty Folks, my Facebook reader group, to always be in the loop about what I’m working on next!
About ‘Playing Along’
When I came back to Sin Valley, the mission was simple—avoid the ex-girlfriend who broke my heart. At all costs.
Too bad I just (accidentally) moved in next door to her. And her battery-operated boyfriend(s). Plural.
Crap!
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No matter how hard I try to steer clear of Desiree Grant, fate keeps tossing us together.
And, so far? It’s not going too well for me.
When our eyes lock across the crowded bar, I get all tongue-tied and make a damn fool of myself.
Next, we end up trapped in an elevator alone and my protector instincts switch on at the speed of light.
Then, a pink, glittery, vibrating package with her name on it shows up in my mailbox and—poof!— there goes my master plan to resist her.
Okay. Change of plans.
Now, I've got a new mission in mind—reminding my gorgeous ex-girlfriend that her battery-operated playthings could never compare to me.
Y'see, the truth is, I never stopped thinking about her. Never stopped wanting her. Never stopped loving her.
But things are different now.
She's a single mother with a demanding career and a little boy she's raising on her own.
I'm a former military man, struggling to find my place in the civilian world.
The life I'm trying to build is a threat to the life she's fighting to protect.
But I’d go to war for a second chance with the girl who was always supposed to be mine. This time, I'm determined to give her the happy-ever-after she deserves.
Now, the only question is, how do I get her to play along?
Pfft...And I thought this would be simple.
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Playing Along is a steamy, laugh-out-loud, single mom and grumpy protector-next-door, small town second chance romance. (Wow—that was a mouthful!) It is set in Sin Valley, Iowa and is book 3 in the Playboys of Sin Valley Series. It is a standalone.
Prologue
Wyatt
The night the past comes stumbling into the present…
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This is why I can never let my guard down.
I didn’t even see her coming. I swear. I was just minding my business, trying to make my way across this crowded as hell nightclub. And the next thing you know, some clumsy girl in too-high heels was plowing toward me, tripping over my scuffed leather boot and flying toward the sticky tiled floor of the nightclub.
Luckily, my arms snapped out right in time and saved the sloppy-drunk chick from crash-landing into a floor-to-ceiling glass wall.
Military-trained reflexes, ladies and gentlemen. Once you’ve got those, they never quite turn off.
The inebriated stranger crab-claws the front of my shirt. She breathes a mouthful of tequila fumes straight up my nostrils when she utters a wistful, “Thank you…”
“No problem.” I set the rumpled hot mess of a woman back steady on her feet.
She stares dreamily into my eyes. Good lord. She’s looking at me like I’m her personal Prince Charming and this is the beginning of our very own Hallmark-ever-after.
Fuck that.
I need to get the hell out of here. These flashing lights are giving me a wicked case of vertigo. And the music pounding through the room sounds like a bunch of uncoordinated toddlers banging on pots and pans inside my throbbing skull. This headache is killer.
With a quick salute, I duck around the klutzy stranger and keep it moving. I just need to check up on Sera one last time and then I’m out of here.
My youngest sister has had a rough day. It was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of her life, but instead she got her heart torn out when her turd-faced excuse for a groom decided he couldn’t be bothered to show up to their wedding.
What a fucking disaster.
It took a whole lot of negotiating and finagling with my superiors to arrange an impromptu trip back here to Sin Valley, especially so close to my service discharge. But my twenty-seven hours of connecting flights was worth it because it allowed me to be here for Sera during this train wreck. In fact, the entire wedding party is here at Club Mermaid, trying to cheer up the jilted bride.
My eyes scan the club in search of Sera’s group of friends. I spot the girls gathered around a high-top table, clearly up to no good. There are empty shot glasses scattered all around them and Minka, the hellion, is tossing back tequila and dancing on the
Meanwhile, my buddy, Liam, is off at a distance, typing away on his cellphone. Declan stands next to him, chugging from a beer bottle and scowling in Minka’s direction. I chuckle. The guy’s life would be a whole lot easier if he’d just admit once and for all to being in love with that crazy woman.
But all my thoughts get sidetracked when my attention falls on her. Sitting there at the table with the wild girls is Desiree, still classy but sexy in her little black dress, yawning like she’s barely staying awake.
And regardless of the resentment I harbor toward the woman, I’m man enough to admit that she’s sexier than ever now. Desiree was smokin’ hot in high school. But now? Damn, she’s all woman, all curves, all goddess.
I get caught up staring at her for a long while—observing her graceful posture, her delicate features, her subtle facial expressions. Her eyes shift from her table and sweep in my direction, almost like she can feel someone ogling her. Luckily, I manage to look away a half-second before our eyes meet.
Shit. Where the hell is my self-control tonight? I turn and melt into the crowd.
Eventually, I find Sera sitting with my best friend, Jace, in a quiet corner. My buddy is doing his best to keep my sister distracted from her shitty circumstances. She’s disturbingly calm, all things considered, with hollow eyes and a vacant expression.
Sneaking out now while my sister is a heartbroken mess is probably a dick move, but I’ve reached my limit for participating in civilian life tonight. I’m exhausted and the whole nightclub thing is really not my scene.
That’s the thing about Sin Valley—from the outskirts, it looks like any other midwestern small town. Old-fashioned mom and pops stores, family-oriented neighborhoods in the hills, gingerbread cottages with little vegetable gardens, nestled in the middle of Red River, Iowa. But once you get to the Strip? That’s where all hell breaks loose. Casinos, strip clubs, hotel resorts. It’s basically a mini Las Vegas all thanks to my friend, Liam Kline, the billionaire real estate tycoon who has taken it upon himself to develop this district into a playground for debauchery.
No offence to Liam, but all this chaos is not for me.
“I hate to leave right now, but I could only be away from base for a few hours. I’ve got to get back,” I tell Sera. “Jace is going to drive you back to his place.” My attention turns to my friend. “I’m entrusting my little sister into your care.”
He and I discussed this earlier, and he promised to look out for her while I’m away. I know that my buddy will ensure that my sister has food in her stomach and a roof over her head in my absence. She’ll be in good hands.
But stubborn as she is, Sera tries to put up a fight, asserting her independence. We go back and forth arguing for a bit—which is the last thing I need with my headache. Eventually, she concedes which is a huge weight off my shoulders.
I give her a quick hug and she makes sure to pout her face off an let me know how displeased she is with her new living arrangements.
Tough luck, sis.
I don’t want to be worrying about her 24/7 when I’m back on base.
I bump fists with Jace before turning for the door. As I’m walking out the exit, the need to glance back one last time burns through my chest.
Don’t turn around, dude. Don’t fucking turn around. Still, I find myself helpless against the urge.
It’s meant to be just a casual glimpse toward the rest of the wedding party where they’re hanging out on the other side of the club. But the second my eyes land on Desiree…fuck, the second my eyes land on Desiree, my heart stumbles over its own feet.
I really should quit staring but somehow I just can’t. This wouldn’t be so hard if she weren’t so damn beautiful. Even with the faint circles under her eyes, even as yet another yawn comes barrelling past her pretty lips, she’s still the most beautiful woman in the building.
In an instant, her head snaps in my direction. This time, our eyes meet. And the voltage of her stare nearly knocks me on my ass. The intensity in her electric blue eyes holds me hostage and—for one moment—all I can think about is how good things used to be between us.
Again, I look away.
What the hell is wrong with me? It’s been twelve years. You’d think that I’d be past this shit by now.
I pivot on my heel just in time to have another half-dressed drunk chick stumble into me. I grab her by the upper arm before she hits the ground. She wobbles around a bit before she rights herself. What’s wrong with these women? Is it something in the drinks in this place?
“Calling it an early night, soldier?” she asks with a drunk-dazed smile as she brushes her fingertips along my military dog tags.
“Sure am,” I say and stroll past her.
“In the mood for some company?” she calls from behind me.
“Sorry, darling. I’m going to have to pass.”
“Well, that’s no fun.” She struggles to keep up with my long strides.
I shrug without making eye contact. “When my mornings come at oh-four-thirty, I’ve got to get my ass back to base at a decent time of night or else I’ll end up hating myself for the next week.”
“Well, have a good night, then.” I don’t glance back but I can hear the pout in her voice.
I march toward the elevator bank, ignoring the flirty looks and abundance of cleavage that are thrown in my direction. Christ knows I’m more than overdue for a little action, but taking a random woman to bed is the last thing on my mind tonight.
From the outside, my decision to leave the club alone probably comes across as disciplined and responsible. But to be honest, that’s not the whole story. The truth is, seeing my ex-girlfriend tonight completely threw me off balance and the fact that I couldn’t take my eyes off Desiree is something that’s not easy to accept.
And it’s not like she spent her night pining over me. In fact, she barely spared me a look. In the skimpy black number she’s wearing, my old high school flame has been drawing male attention all night.
Shit. It made me jealous.
I hate to give anyone that much power over me. But who am I kidding? When it comes to Desiree, she has always held all the power.
Deep down, I know she’s the reason I’ve stayed gone all these years. I could have ended my active service after just four years, but when I’d learned Desiree had forgotten about me and married some local prick so soon after dumping my ass, staying in the military was suddenly the only thing that made sense. Now, I hear she’s divorced and raising a kid on her own. I hate that. She deserves better.
