Play Hard (Make the Play #2) by Amber Garza Read Free Book Online

disaster, aren’t I?
    “Hey, you won’t hear any complaints from me about that.” He smiles.
    I smile back. Then I whirl around, prepared to hurry down the street. But Cal’s arm shoots out, his fingers clamping around my wrist.
    “There’s no way I’m letting you walk home alone,” he practically growls. “Don’t bother fighting me on this.”
    His words warm my insides. Actually, this entire night has thawed away at the coldness that’s surrounded my heart since arriving here. I’m used to guys being controlling. Dusty was forceful with me too. But never to protect me. Never because it was in my best interest. This is different than anything I’ve experienced before, and it scares me how much I like it. And really, walking home probably isn’t the greatest idea. Not with Dusty running around town. Silently I pray he won’t go anywhere near my uncle’s house.
    Cal yanks me toward a blue Honda Civic. Like a perfect gentlemen, he opens the passenger door for me and gently guides me inside. His gaze darts to the sidewalk and down the street, and I know he’s keeping an eye out for Dusty. Man, this guy is going to steal my heart if I’m not careful.
    After closing the passenger door, he hurries to his side and hops in. The inside of the car smells like him, and it makes my heart race. When he turns on the engine, hip hop music blasts from the speakers. I flinch. Reaching out, he lowers the volume.
    “Sorry about that,” he mumbles.
    I bite my lip as he pulls away from the curb. Baseball equipment fills the backseat, and it rattles around as he drives.
    As we near a stop sign, I point with my index finger. “Oh, you take a right up here.”
    “I know how to get there,” he says simply, flicking on his blinker.
    “You know where I live?” I tease. “Should I be concerned?”
    He shrugs, keeping his gaze trained ahead. “It’s a small town. People talk. We all know you live at Pastor Alex’s house.” His neck cranes in my direction. “You don’t have to be concerned about me, Taylor.”
    The pointed look he gives me makes me shudder.
    He turns his head, returning his attention back to the road. “So you wanna tell me who that guy was? You must have been pretty scared if kissing me seemed like a better option than facing him.”  I’m shocked at his words, until he adds, “When we spoke this afternoon I didn’t get the impression that you were my biggest fan.”
    My face heats up. My tongue feels like its swollen to enormous proportions, and I have no idea what to say. So I answer his first question. “His name is Dusty, and he’s my ex-boyfriend.”
    He nods subtly. “I’m guessing things didn’t end well.”
    I snort. “You can say that.” Nervously, I fiddle with the bottom of my sweater, working the fabric between my fingers. Our bodies bounce as the car drives over gravel and rocks. “He’s sorta the reason I’m in Prairie Creek.” I pull in a breath. “He’s not supposed to know where I am. If my parents find out that he was here, I’ll probably be shipped off to somewhere else.”

CAL
     
    It’s weird.
    I don’t even know Taylor, and what little I do know should send me running. In our first conversation she was rude and ice-cold. Then she demands a kiss as a way of hiding from her scary ex-boyfriend. But for some reason I’m drawn to her.
    And I don’t want her to leave town.
    “I’ll take care of it,” I say firmly.
    “What?” Her head whips in my direction.
    “I’ll make sure he doesn’t find you,” I clarify.
    “Why?”
    I’m not sure how to explain what I feel for her. I’m not sure how to articulate why I want her to stay. Hell, I’m not even sure I understand it myself. “I’ve lived in Prairie Creek my whole life,” I finally say. “We don’t get much excitement around here.”
    “You’re saying that girls don’t normally assault you in the middle of Old Town?”
    “Trust me, that wasn’t assault. That was the most exciting thing that’s