KISSING GAMES
“Oh my god, Stefanie London has done it again... I loved this book. Head over heels.””
BOOK #2 IN THE Kissing creek DUET
The effervescent, quirky romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling author Stefanie London…
Injured pro baseball player Ryan Bower has plenty of reasons for not sleeping. But thanks to a steamy romance novel that’s ignited the imaginations—and libidos—of pretty much everyone in Kissing Creek, Ryan’s kept awake by the sound of his parents. Having sex. Unforgivably gross. And Ryan is almost certain that the town’s adorably quirky and troublemaking librarian is responsible.
Sloane Rickman adores everything about her little town—with the exception of its very tall and infuriatingly sexy Golden Boy. Ryan Bower may be a ball-playing hottie, but where exactly does he get off telling her what books to recommend to her oddball little book club? Good thing he’s only in town for the fall.
Now Sloane and Ryan are stuck planning the main float for the town’s parade. But somewhere between arguments over paint colors and papier mâché flowers, their fights keep turning into red-hot kisses. And between Ryan's demanding ball career and Sloane's life in Kissing Creek, they face the biggest game of their lives…if they’re ready to play for keeps.
CAN THIS BE READ AS A STANDALONE?
Yes! Each book in this series features a different couple, so they can be read in any order.
Is this book available in languages other than english?
Not at this stage.
IS THIS BOOK AVAILABLE IN AUDIO?
Yes! You can find it at audiobooks.com
“*Sigh*. *Melt*. So good! This book made me sad. It made me happy. But most of all it just made me feel.””
Excerpt from Kissing Games
This five-foot-nothing, dinosaur-wearing, ponytail-flipping librarian was giving him shit about his sex life? Uh, no, that was not going to happen.
“If you think missionary is boring, then you haven’t had the right man on top of you,” Ryan said, returning fire—as quietly as he could. But even in a lowered tone, his voice seemed to boom around the library. “As for racing to the finish line, I don’t mind a quickie every now and then. It’s good for the warm-up round.”
Sloane tipped her face up to him, pale eyes peering at him from behind the lenses of a pair of oversized tortoiseshell glasses. “I bet that’s what all quick-finishers say.”
She was feisty, he’d give her that. And not at all what he’d expected. Ryan had definitely fallen into the trap of stereotyping. That was one hundred percent on him and he wasn’t afraid to take responsibility for his errors.
“Got a lot of experience with quick finishers?” He met her gaze head-on and her jaw tightened, as if she was clenching her back teeth. “I bet I could change your mind.”
Yeah, you talk a big game, Bower, but when exactly was the last time you brought someone home?
Irrelevant. His argument stood and he wasn’t about to bring his two-year-long self-imposed drought into the conversation.
“That’s a bold statement for someone who has a problem with a book.” Sloane folded her arms across her chest and looked up at him with a self-assured smirk. “I would think a man so confident in his sexual prowess wouldn’t have an issue with some steamy fiction.”
“I don’t have a problem with the book itself,” he said. “Just who you’re getting to read it.”
He watched as the puzzle pieces clicked into place.
“I’m going to put my best Nancy Drew skills to work,” she said, tapping a fingertip to her cheek. “There’s a Gaye Bower in the book club—a sweet-as-pie woman in her fifties who talks about her three sons, two of whom live out of town. Both athletes, if I remember correctly, which seems to fit.”
“Seems to fit, how?”
“Tall, muscular, larger-than-life-ego.” She waved a hand in his direction. “Throws a muffin like a champ. I’m going to say…baseball.”
“That would be correct.”
“And you didn’t deny the larger-than-life ego, interesting.”
Why would he? As a professional athlete, if you didn’t expect to win then you were running a race with a ball and chain around your foot. Ryan went into every game with the same mentality—I will win. Did that happen every single game? Hell no, but it wasn’t an excuse to think otherwise. Mental toughness was as important as the speed of his fastball. It was as important as the diligence he put into reading the scatter reports. It was as important as his consistency in the gym.
“Confidence intimidates some people. Call it what you want.” He shrugged.
“Right. Now let me guess,” she said. “You’re one of Gaye Bower’s boys and you’ve come home to visit family only to find your mom reading a spicy romance novel in the family living room. Or maybe she was even reading it—gasp—at the coffee shop. How scandalous.”
He ground his back teeth together. “Wrong, Dino Woman.”
“I take that name as a compliment.”
“You would.”
“So let me guess, if it’s not the reading that’s bothering you, then…” She gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes crinkling with stifled laughter. “You’re complaining for another reason.”
Before he could respond, Ryan heard the front doors swish open a few feet behind him. Tension crackled in the air as he remained focused on the woman in front of him. He hadn’t even been planning to mention it! He’d only come in to borrow some books, since he knew he would grow tired of binging shows on Netflix while he rested up, and he’d accidentally left his e-reader back in Toronto. If it wasn’t for the damn llama incident, he wouldn’t have said anything to her at all.
“Sloane?” A woman’s voice behind him made Ryan turn around. “Ryan Bower, my goodness! I heard you were back in Kissing Creek.”
“Ms. Irving, it’s good to see you.” He turned on the charm as easily as turning on his shower, smiling in the older woman’s direction. “It’s been a while.”
“We’ve been following your progress with the Maples.” She came over and squeezed him in a hug, her jewelry jangling with the motion. “You won’t take me away from my beloved Red Sox, but we’re rooting for you in our house.”
Sloane raised a brow as she watched on, her expression curious.
“I was so sorry to hear about your injury.” She shook her head. “A nasty, unfortunate incident.”
Like he needed the reminder.
“Pat, it’s good timing you came back,” Sloane said to the older woman, a wicked smile brewing on her lips. “Ryan has some feedback about our latest book club pick.”
What was she up to? Mischief seemed to dance around her like fireflies. Her eyes sparkled from behind her glasses. She was enjoying this.
“Oh yes?” Ms. Irving asked.
“Apparently, Gaye is enjoying it so much, it sounds like he’s heard all about it,” she said, barely containing a laugh.
Damn her.
