Game On

“I don’t think this is going to be a strictly business relationship …”

Before Serena could respond, Adam closed the distance between them, pulled her to him and closed his mouth on hers. Hot, determined, possessive, his lips moved over hers. He gave her a moment to accept or reject his caress and she used that moment to angle her body closer, to open her lips in mute invitation.

He took her mouth then, licking into her, giving her a taste of his power and hunger. Which, naturally, incited her own power and hunger. And, oh, she was hungry. He reminded her of how long it had been since she’d lost herself in a man.

A tiny sound came out of her throat, half moan, half purr. He took that as encouragement and pulled her even closer, running his hands over her curves. She felt his arousal as he held her tight against his body, felt her own excitement building within her.

A car with all the windows open, music blasting, roared into the parking lot, and he quickly pulled away, shielding her with his body.

“Aha,” he said.

She gazed up at him, stunned at the strength of her own response. “I don’t date my clients,” she reminded them both.

“I don’t recall asking you for a date,” he said, all sexy and pleased with himself.

“You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?”

“Oh, I hope so …”

Game On

Nancy Warren

www.millsandboon.co.uk

USA TODAY bestselling author NANCY WARREN lives in the Pacific Northwest, where her hobbies include skiing, hiking and snowshoeing. She’s an author of more than thirty novels and novellas for Mills & Boon and has won numerous awards. Visit her website, at www.nancywarren.net.

Game On is dedicated to the three real-life sandbox buddies: John, Andrew and Bill. You guys rock.

Contents

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

Excerpt

1

“HEY, DYLAN, GRAB the fire hose,” Max Varo joked as the homemade chocolate cake laden with thirty-five burning candles made its way into the Shawnigan family rec room. The cake wobbled slightly in June Shawnigan’s hands as she broke into a soprano rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.” The fifty or so people singing along were assorted friends and family of Adam Shawnigan, June’s baby, thirty-five today.

She suspected his surprise party hadn’t been a surprise for more than a nanosecond—he was a detective, after all—but he was putting on a good face for the celebration.

It was a rugged, handsome face, too, if she did say so herself. She wasn’t the only one who noticed. As she looked around, June could see the expressions on some of the younger women’s faces. Adam was, as more than one young woman had informed her, a major hottie. So why was her thirty-five-year-old major-hottie son still single?

When he’d finished blowing out the candles, and she’d passed slices of cake and forks, she called for quiet and motioned to her husband, Dennis, to dim the lights and push Play.

“No. For the love of God, no,” moaned Adam as the big-screen TV came to life. Oh, she’d surprised him now, she thought with satisfaction as the home movie she’d taken on her first camcorder thirty years ago filled the screen.

Three little boys sat at the picnic table in June’s backyard, all chubby faces and mustard-stained mouths, chomping through hot dogs and potato chips. She must have guessed they’d stay still for at least another minute or two, so she’d grabbed her new camcorder, pushed Record. Of course, at five years old, the three were used to being followed around by eager parents with cameras and barely batted an eye.

She said, “Adam, how old are you today?”

“I’m five,” he said, looking at the camera as though a not-very-bright woman were behind it.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” she asked.

“I’m going to be a police officer,” he said, dipping his hot dog into a pool of ketchup and stuffing it into his mouth. Even then he’d had big blue eyes that were so like his father’s. Then, his mouth full, he mumbled, “Like my dad.”

“Aw,” said a chorus of voices in the living room.

“How about you, Dylan?” she asked the freckle-faced kid next to her son, as if his answer weren’t perched on his head.

He put his hand on the red plastic firefighter’s helmet he’d barely taken off in a year and said, “A fireman.” Dylan was the tallest of the three boys and the most daring. It had come as no surprise to June when he’d been cited for bravery four years ago for rushing into a burning building as it collapsed to save a young woman’s life.

“Amazing,” a voice from the crowd piped up. “Who gets their career right at five?”

“What about you, Max?” she asked the smallest of the three boys. Max Varo at five was very much like Max Varo at thirty-five. He had dark South American good looks and a neatly buttoned shirt that showed no signs of dropped food—unlike the shirts of the other two. He ate tidily and always remembered to say please and thank you. “I am going to be an astronaut.”

“Or a billionaire,” Dylan called out. There was general laughter in the crowded rec room but she couldn’t help looking at Max now. He grinned at the crack, but June wondered how many people realized how bitterly he’d resented the childhood ear infection that had done enough damage to his hearing that becoming an astronaut—or even a commercial pilot—was never going to be possible.

But on-screen it was 1983 and everything was still possible. Because the boys were adorable—and she was of a matchmaking disposition—June then asked, “And who are you going to marry, Adam?”

Laughter and someone shouting, “Yeah, Adam, who are you going to marry?” almost drowned out the little boy’s voice. On-screen he grinned at her and said, “Princess Diana.”

“She’s already married, stupid,” Dylan informed him. Then, unasked, he said, “I’m going to marry Xena, warrior princess.”

“How about you, Max?”

The serious little boy said, “I’m not getting married until I’m grown up.”

She stopped the show there and as the party grew more raucous, she went over to her husband, who wrapped his arms around her. “A dead princess, a comic-book character and a boy who’s waiting to grow up. No wonder they’re all still single.”

“Give them time, sweetie,” Dennis said, kissing the top of her head.

“They’re thirty-five—how much time do they need? I want to take movies of my grandchildren out on that picnic table before I’m too old and weak to hold a camera.”

As though in answer, the three men, still best friends, all tough, loyal, gorgeous and as dear to her as though they were all her children, started one of their complicated bets, the rules of which were known only to themselves. But she wasn’t so clueless she didn’t see where this was going.

“Oh, no. Dennis, are they making a bet to see who can stay single the longest?”

Her heart began to sink as her husband solemnly nodded, and the three men clinked beer bottles. “To the last bachelor standing.”

* * *

“I CAN’T DO IT,” the man at the podium said into the microphone. As his admission of failure bounced through the air, he pushed the mic away with a grunt of frustration and stomped down two steps to throw himself into the seat beside Serena Long. Fortunately, she was the only person in the audience.

She’d decided to have her first session with Marcus Lemming in the auditorium of his gaming empire’s brand-new headquarters here in Hunter, Washington.

“Okay,” she said calmly. “You can’t do it. You can’t give a speech to your potential shareholders. What does that mean?”

Marcus wiped clammy sweat off his forehead with a trembling hand. Instead of answering her, the twenty-six-year-old CEO said, “I’m worth 100 million dollars. I’m a computer frickin’ genius. And when I stand up there, I feel like I’ll throw up.”

“I know. That’s why you hired me.” She loved being a performance coach and she was damn good at it. “I want you to breathe into your fear.”

He stared at her.

“Go on, breathe. Feel the energy, the raw power of that fear. Now, we’re going to take that energy and turn it into positive excitement. You have a great site, a winning formula. No one can sell it like you can.”

“Yeah. Online. I could write a killer email. Why can’t the suits be happy with that?”

She laughed even though she suspected he was only half joking. Fear of public speaking was higher than fear of death on the stress scale to certain people. And she loved them for it. They were making her rich. “I guarantee that if you do the exercises and the work I assign you, in a month you will give that speech. I’m not saying you’ll love every minute of it, but you’ll speak in public and you will do fine.”

“You guarantee it?”

“Yep.”

“You’re that good?”

She grinned at him. “Yep.”

“I can’t even give a speech to one person. How am I going to talk to hundreds, with a media feed broadcasting out to millions?”

“We start small. Okay. Maybe you’re not ready for the mic and the auditorium yet. I’ll get you some water. And then you’ll sit here right beside me and read your speech.”

“My speechwriter said it’s lame to read a speech.”

“Like I said, we start small.”

By the time she left Marcus, he’d been able to read his speech to her without vomiting, crying or fainting. It was a start.

Serena was one of the best at what she did, coaching better performance out of employees, helping superstars fight their demons or overcome their handicaps, whether they struggled with public speaking, learning how to manage people or goal setting. She was part business tycoon, part psychologist and, as a client once suggested, part witch. She wasn’t sure about the last part, but she did have instincts that surprised even her sometimes when she worked what appeared to be magic.

When Max Varo’s name showed up on her call display as she was clicking open the door locks of her car, she answered her cell phone at once.

“Max,” she said, letting the pleasure she felt out in her tone. “How are you?”

“Never better.” He wasn’t one to waste time, not his or hers, so he got right to the point. “I need a favor.”

They’d met in Boston, when both took their MBAs, she with her human resources background, he with astrophysics and a few other degrees under his belt. She considered Max her first success in performance coaching. She hadn’t even realized that was what she wanted to do until she helped him turn his life around and realized she could do the same thing for others.

They’d been friends ever since and he’d sent her some of her best clients. If he needed a favor, they both knew he was going to get it.

“What’s up?”

“You know I play amateur hockey?”

“Sure.”

“Well, our center forward is choking under pressure. He’s a great player all year but when we get to the championships, he just freezes up.”

“Performance anxiety,” she diagnosed.

“I know. But we can’t replace him. He’s the best we’ve got, plus one of my closest friends. I need you to work with him, get him over this choking thing.”

“I’m not a sports coach.”

“Serena, you could get Bill Gates into the NBA if he wanted it.”

“Okay. You have a point. But it’s not really my field.”

“Look at it this way. You won’t get paid, so nobody’s going to judge you.”

She was as busy as she’d ever been, had recently turned down paying work in her chosen field, business, and now she was contemplating working pro bono for a sports guy? If it were anyone but Max...

“I don’t know the first thing about hockey,” she warned.

“You don’t need to know about hockey. His problem isn’t related to stick-handling skills. He’s choking under pressure. Nobody helps a man struggling to find success like you.”

“He’d better be super motivated.”

“Adam Shawnigan is dying to work with you,” he assured her. “I can’t wait to tell him the good news after our game tonight.”

* * *

ADAM LOVED HOCKEY. After a day of precinct coffee, discovering evidence he’d worked months to gather in a murder trial had been deemed inadmissible and getting yelled at by a woman who insisted her taxpayer dollars gave her the right to report her dog as a missing person, it felt good to step out onto the ice.

Out here the sound of a skate blade carving cold, clean tracks helped clear the crap out of his mind. With a stick in his hands and a puck to focus on, he had control over his destiny, even if only for a couple of hours.

Max and Dylan played alongside him, as they had since their parents had signed them up for hockey when they were in first grade. They’d all kept up the game and now played in the same emergency-services league. Most of the players were cops and firefighters, with a few ambulance guys thrown in. Max barely qualified since he was a reserve firefighter, but he paid for the uniforms, so the Hunter Hurricanes weren’t inclined to complain.

Normally they practiced once a week at 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. and played a weekly game, but with play-offs looming, they’d upped their practice schedule and it showed. Well into the third period against the Bend Bandits, they were ahead 3–2. Adam was center forward. With Dylan and Max as wingmen, he felt they were a dream trio. They’d come close to bagging the Badges on Ice championship not once but twice. This time, he told himself. This year that cup was theirs. All he had to do was focus.

Max, the right wing, had the puck and stayed back while Adam and Dylan crossed paths and headed for the offensive zone in a classic forward crisscross they’d practiced hundreds of times. Max then shot a crisp pass to Dylan. They were gaining speed. Adam felt his adrenaline pump. Focus and timing were everything. Max maneuvered himself into the high slot. Dylan, under attack, passed to Adam, who flicked the puck to Max. But the goalie was right on him. Instead of taking the shot, Max tipped the puck to Dylan, who then sent the thing flying past the stumbling goalie and scored.

Magic. They were magic on ice. This year that championship was theirs, and nothing was getting in the way.

After the backslaps and congratulations, the shaking hands when the game was over, the teams headed for the change room. Max said, “Adam, hold up a second.” Dylan hung back, too.

He listened in growing irritation as Max told him about the great “favor” he’d arranged.

“There is no damn way I am letting some bossy do-gooder inside my head,” Adam snapped, sending puffs of white breath into the freezing air inside the rink.

“She’s a performance coach. The woman’s amazing.”

“I don’t need a performance coach. How many goals did I score this season?” He turned to glare at his two best friends.

“How about in play-offs last year?” Dylan asked.

The familiar churn began in his gut as it did whenever he thought about play-offs. “I had a stomach bug or something last year. That’s why I was off my game.”

“And the year before?”

His scowl deepened. “Maybe a case messed up my concentration. I forget.”

“Dude, my grandma could have made the shot you missed last year. The net was open and you missed it! You choked,” Dylan said. “It happens. But we want to win the championship this year. We all want it real bad.”

“So do I!” What did they think? He was the team captain, center. Of course he wanted to win. All he needed to do was focus more. Somehow he’d lost his edge in the last two championship games. He wouldn’t let it happen again.

“Then at least meet with Serena Long,” Max said. “She’s eager to work with you.”

He scowled. Glared at both of them. “She’d better be hot.”

2

SERENA SNUGGLED INTO her black wool jacket, wishing she’d thought to throw a parka into her car when she’d headed out into the early-morning darkness. Except that she didn’t own a parka.

Or skis.

Or snowshoes.

Or a sled.

Or skates.

She didn’t do winter if she could help it. And she certainly didn’t get up at 4:45 in the morning in order to turn up at a freezing-cold rink by 5:30 a.m. to watch a bunch of grown men practice sliding around on the ice chasing a disk. And beating up on each other when they didn’t get it.

The heels on her black boots clacked as she made her way to rink 6. Amazingly, all the rinks in the sportsplex seemed to be full. Sleepy parents with takeout coffees watched kids of all sizes slide around. It was amazing, an entire life that went on while she slept.

When she entered the practice rink Max had directed her to, there weren’t any parents pressed up against the plexiglass looking sleep deprived. In fact, there were only players on the ice and players on the bench. The small seating area was empty.

She wasn’t a hockey fan by any means, but she’d played field hockey in school and figured the basic rules ought to be similar. Max had told her he played right wing, and yep, there he was, one of the smaller players on the ice. The big guy in the middle would be Adam Shawnigan.

She watched him. They seemed to be working on some kind of passing drill. She could feel the concentration of the guys on the ice. With no crowd the sounds were magnified—the scratch of skates, the smack of stick to puck, the groaned obscenities when some guy missed the puck completely.

* * *

WHEN THE TEAM came off the ice, she stayed where she was, interested in studying the dynamics between the players. It was clear immediately that Adam was the leader. Most everyone took the time to comment or joke as they passed him. He had a good word, a laugh or a pat on the back for all the guys. Max and he and a third man she assumed was Dylan, the left wing, remained standing after the rest of the team had ambled away.

She rose and walked down the steps to join the group of three, all of whom turned to watch her approach.

But she was aware of only one of them. The tallest one in the middle.

Max had told her plenty about Adam Shawnigan. His hockey record, his work experience—highlighting some of the more dramatic cases he’d solved—even their childhood exploits.

What Max had neglected to tell her was that Adam Shawnigan was like something out of mythology. Thor, maybe, she thought, recalling the movie her nieces had dragged her to. Gorgeous, tough, larger-than-life. Even sweaty and unshaven, still breathing heavily from the last play, the man exuded sex appeal. When his eyes rested on her, she felt as though he could see all her secrets. It was both intriguing and a little uncomfortable. She preferred to keep her secrets until she felt like sharing them.

His eyes were an intense blue, not the twinkling happy kind but a hard blue that spoke of experiences and memories she was glad she didn’t share. Even if she hadn’t known he was a cop, she’d have guessed either law enforcement or military. Those eyes were watchful, checking her out while giving nothing away. His face was tough and rugged and needed a shave. He had a groove in his chin deep enough to rest a pencil in.

All of which made his mouth the most incredible surprise. Full lips that looked soft and sensitive. He held them in a rigid line, but it didn’t help. Those lips were poutier than a supermodel’s. And if she didn’t stop staring at them, she was going to make a fool of herself.

She shifted her gaze to Max—sweet, comfortable Max—who immediately made introductions. “Adam Shawnigan, meet Serena Long. Serena’s agreed to give you a few coaching sessions.”

Adam opened his mouth, and she could see the words forming, something like I don’t need no stinkin’ performance coach, but then he glanced at Max and she could see they’d been down this road already. He paused, thumped one glove against the other and said, “Yeah. So I heard.”

And this was the guy who was dying to work with her?

She glared at her old friend, got a slight shrug in return.

“When do you want to begin?” Max asked.

“Maybe in a couple of weeks,” Adam said. “Closer—”

She interrupted immediately. He might be king of the rink, but he wasn’t going to rule her. “I got up at 4:45 a.m. and drove all the way out here. I suggest we start now,” she said. She was already giving up her time. She didn’t intend to be dictated to by her charity case.

The charity case spluttered, “I’ve got work. I have to be in the office—”

“I’d really like thirty minutes of your time.” She turned and began gathering her stuff.

Behind her she heard Max speak in a low voice, but not so low she couldn’t hear—which, knowing Max, would be deliberate. “If you screw this up, we’ll be changing the lines for the big game.”

“Says who?”

“The whole team. We talked about it.”

“Dylan?”

She imagined those big lips hanging open in shock.

Dylan said, “It’s about the team. We all want to win this year. At least give her a try.”

There was a pause so pregnant it must have contained triplets.

“Fine,” Adam snapped. “Thirty minutes.”

Dylan banged him on the upper arm as he left. “Looks like you got your wish, buddy.”

Adam grunted.

* * *

“OKAY,” ADAM SAID to Serena Long, feeling sweaty and unkempt in the presence of this woman who exuded control. She reminded him uncannily of a woman he’d once arrested. A renowned dominatrix who went by the name of Madame D. It didn’t help that she was wearing all black—including boots. No doubt it was stylin’, but he had the uncomfortable notion that what was in her briefcase—also black—might be a selection of leather-and-stud instruments.

“Okay?”

“Thirty minutes. I’m all yours.”

“I was thinking—”

“Starbucks around the corner,” he said. “Give me ten minutes to change.”

She regarded him coolly, then nodded.

He headed for the change room, grabbed a fast shower, dragged a razor over his face and was back out, feeling a lot more in control, in fifteen minutes.

Serena Long was where he’d left her, more or less. She had a tablet computer on her lap, her cell phone wired to her head. When she saw him, she said into the mouthpiece, “I have a meeting with a client now. I have to go.” Keeping her eyes on Adam’s, she added, “I don’t want to keep him waiting.”

Ouch.

She put her gadgets away and rose. He followed her out the door. Even the way she walked reminded him of Madame D. That long, easy gait, the subtle sway of her hips. There’d been nothing outlandish about Madame D in her street clothes, either. She’d simply appeared to be a very sexy, beautiful woman. It wasn’t until you got behind the facade that you got spanked.

He had no intention of letting that happen with this woman. Once a man let himself get vulnerable with her type, the next thing he knew she was using his cojones as dashboard ornaments.

He insisted on buying the coffees, which gave him a chance to check out the coffee shop as he did every public place. It was an instinct honed by years of policing. Nothing remotely suspicious seemed to be going on. Most of the clientele consisted of business types grabbing a java on the way to the office. A couple of joggers ahead of him ordered green tea. A few singles sat at tables with computers or newspapers in front of them.

When they were sitting down at a table that was too small for him, as most café tables and chairs were, she said, “So are we going to keep fighting for control?”

Only years of training stopped him from choking on his coffee. How had she read his mind like this? Her cool gaze assessed him. He felt a pull of attraction so strong he could barely focus.

He swallowed the hot, bitter brew slowly. Instead of answering her directly, he said, “I don’t think I need a performance coach.”

“I’ve known Max for a decade. He’s probably the smartest person I’ve ever met. And he’s known you since you all played together in the sandbox. He seems to think you do.”

“Max’s trouble is he’s always the smartest guy in the room. Makes him arrogant.”

She let the words hang for a second, then said, “And your friend Dylan?”

His discomfort with this conversation grew by the second. He fidgeted in the too-small chair, ordered himself to relax. She must read body language as well as or better than he did. He put his elbows on the table. Leaned in. She leaned back slightly in response. Good. Her long hair caught the light and he realized it wasn’t simply black, as he’d thought, but a shifting mix of brown and black. “I didn’t play at the top of my game in the play-offs last year. It happens. Check out the NHL sometime. Best team going into the play-offs loses in the first round. Most expensive player on the team falls on his ass. Like I said, it happens.”

“Your friends seem to think that you didn’t simply have a bad couple of days in both of the last two play-off seasons. They think you choked.”

He was getting more irritated by the second. He wondered how he’d managed to stay friends with such a pair of meddlers for the past three decades. “You should know that if you start putting ideas in a player’s head about choking and performance anxiety, you’re sowing the seeds for trouble.”

“That’s an interesting phrase you use. Performance anxiety. Do you think you suffer from it?”

“No. You’re putting words in my mouth. I—”

“They were your words, Adam.”

“Look, it’s an amateur tournament. We raise money for charity. It’s not the Stanley Cup.”

“Then why are you getting so worked up about this? Maybe I can help you. Maybe I can’t. The best thing that can happen is that I help you improve your playing ability during the play-off rounds. The worst thing that can happen is that nothing changes. Either way, my services are free and all you’re giving up is some time.”

“What about you? What’s in this for you?”

Her fingernails were longer than strictly necessary. He had a momentary vision of her dragging them down his back in the height of passion. He had to blink the crazy mental image away.

“Max is a good friend who’s done a lot to help me build my business. If he asks a favor, I’ll do it. No questions asked.”

It was stupid to feel a pang of jealousy. Max was a great guy and very successful with women. If he and the dominatrix performance coach had a past, it was nothing to do with him. Still, some devil prompted him to ask, “And Max? Would he do anything for you?”

Her gaze stayed level on his. “I like to think so.”

He took another sip of coffee. “I don’t know.”

“It’s up to you. If you’re not willing to work with me, to do any exercises I give you, then we’re both wasting our time.”

“And if I do? If I promise to do your exercises and whatever else you ask of me? Can you guarantee my team will win Badges on Ice?”

When she laughed, her whole face lightened. She had even white teeth, a little wrinkle at the top of her nose that crinkled when she smiled. “If I had that kind of power, I think we’d be sitting here bartering for your soul. At least.” She set her cup down. “Here’s what I can guarantee. If you work with me, you’ll know that your performance is the best it can be on that day. That you’re not getting in your own way.”

There was an uncomfortable ring of truth to those words. Getting in your own way. Did he do that?

“Give an example of one of these exercises.”

“I’ll give you one right now. And I want it completed next time we meet.” She pulled a well-worn leather planner out of her bag. Interesting that for all her gadgets she still relied on paper. “I think we should get right on this. How’s tomorrow at lunch for you? You can pick the place.”

“Yeah. I can do that. What’s the exercise?”

“I want you to go through the plays you messed up on last year’s play-off game. In visual detail, and reimagine them as successful plays.”

“I’ve played dozens of hockey games since last year. I can barely remember the championship game.”

She drilled him with her eyes. “You remember every second of those games. And you’ve tortured yourself over and over again reliving your mistakes.”

“I—”

“Don’t. We both know the truth.”

She was right, damn it, and the uncomfortable silence only confirmed her words. He’d spent sleepless nights going over every second of play, every moment when he should have been on top of his game, and instead he’d felt a big weight on his chest and a strange feeling of panic. He didn’t want to go back there and experience that panic again, not even in the privacy of his home. He wanted to get out there and prove he had the guts and skill to lead his team as he did all year long. To be a winner.

“I’ll try,” he said.

She shook her head. “Let’s work on a different verb. Not try.”

“Okay. I’ll do it!”

“Good.” She put her planner away and glanced at the slim gold watch on her wrist that was so expensive he bet a lover gave it to her. His mind sped to Max, who could afford to buy every watch, watchmaker and watch factory in Switzerland if he so desired. “Well, our thirty minutes are up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He rose as well, mostly because his mother would smack him on the back of the head if she caught him slouching while a woman was leaving.

She held out her hand and as he clasped it, he thought that her long fingers and those red-tipped nails would look just right wrapped around the handle of a whip. Uncomfortable heat coursed through him.

As she released her grip, she said, “By the way, what was your wish? The one Dylan said you got?”