WMIS 03 Play With Me

PLAY
WITH ME

Book
Three in the With Me In Seattle Series

Kristen
Proby

Copyright
© 2013 by Kristen Proby

All
Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in
any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do
not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of
the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the
author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events
portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living
or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

The
following story contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual situations.
It is intended for adult readers.

Cover
image used under license from istockphoto.com.

Cover
design by Renae Porter.

Dedication:

This
book is dedicated to my brother, Mike Holien. There has never been a prouder
big sister! You make me laugh, and you’re totally okay with me being the
favorite. I love you, baby brudder.

Prologue

Ms.
McBride,

Thank
you for your inquiry regarding Will Montgomery and the rest of the team
appearing at your hospital. Our organization receives thousands of similar
requests each year, and unfortunately, Mr. Montgomery is unable to fulfill
every request. He is not available at this time.

Regards,

Susan
Jones

Public
Relations, Seattle Football Organization

Nice.

This
makes the fifth rejection from the elusive Will Montgomery in the past two
years. My kids will be disappointed again.

I
clear the email from my phone screen and throw it in my handbag, climb out of
my car and head into Red Mill Burgers, my favorite place to indulge in a big,
juicy burger and fries.

I
stand in the back of the line and contemplate the latest in a long line of
rejection letters from the professional football team. I am a nurse at Seattle
Children’s Hospital, and my teenagers would love nothing more than to meet
their sports heroes. I thought celebrities got off on photo ops like this. All
I’m asking for is a couple of hours; they don’t have to spend the night for
Pete’s sake.

I
glance to my right, and sitting right in the middle of the tiny restaurant is
none other than my college buddy, Jules, and her brother, Will Motherfucking
Montgomery.

Sonofabitch!

I
love Jules. She and Natalie and I were good friends in college, so I will
absolutely go say hi. I just wish I didn’t have to speak to her arrogant ass of
a brother in the process.

I
place my order and saunter over to my friend.

“Jules?”
I ask, my hand on her shoulder.

“Meg!”
She immediately jumps up and pulls me into a warm hug. “Oh my gosh, I haven’t
seen you in years! How are you?”

I
glance nervously at Will. “I’m doing very well, thanks. It’s great to see you.”
She looks great, as always, but her eyes look a little sad. I wonder what’s
going on…

“Will,
this is Megan McBride, a friend of mine from college. Meg, this is my brother,
Will.”

Will
stands, his tall frame towering over me, and offers me his hand. Crap, I have
to touch him? Digging deep, I find the manners instilled in me and shake his
hand politely. “I know who you are.”

He
just nods and takes his seat again.

“What
have you been up to?” she asks me.

“I’m
a charge nurse at Seattle Children’s Hospital in the cancer unit.” I grin at
her, keenly aware of Will’s eyes on me, running up and down my body, over my
loose-fitting white blouse, belted over black leggings and my red cowboy boots.
He makes me nervous.

“That’s
awesome! Good for you, girl. Are you still singing?” she asks with a smile.

“Uh,
no.” I shake my head and gaze down at the table. “Not since college.”

“You
sing?” Will asks, his eyebrows raised.

“She
has a fantastic voice,” Jules replies proudly. She always was so sweet and
supportive.

“Thanks,
but you know how it is,” I respond with a shrug. “Life takes over and things
get busy.”
And best friends leave you behind to start a band of their own.

Will
and Jules exchange a look, and suddenly she hits me with, “Are you married?”

I
let out a loud laugh. Not hardly. “Hell, no.”

“Can
I get your number?” Will asks bluntly. Arrogant ass. I’ll bet women fall all
over him everywhere he goes.

I
narrow my eyes, unable to hide my contempt for this man. “Hell, no.”

Will’s
jaw drops and he smirks, then shakes his head. “Excuse me?”

“I
don’t think I stuttered,” I respond, then lay my hand on Jules’ shoulder and
force a smile for my friend. “It was great to see you. Take care, girl.”

“You
too, Meg.”

As
I turn and walk away I hear Will murmur, “What the hell was that all about?”

Jerk.

I
collect my brown-bagged burger and fries and head back out of the restaurant to
go home and enjoy my only night off this week. I pray I don’t get called into
work.

Chapter
One

“To
Nate and Jules,” Luke Williams raises his champagne flute in the air and keeps
one arm around his beautiful wife, Natalie. Everyone follows suit, toasting the
happy couple. “May your love continue to grow. We wish you nothing but all the
happiness in the world.”

“To
Nate and Jules!” The guests echo and sip their drinks in celebration. Nate
McKenna, tall and dark and not just a little intense, folds his stunning blonde
fiancé into his arms and kisses her senseless in front of all of us, amid
whistles and applause and Will Montgomery, Jules’ brother, yelling out, “Get a
room!”

I
sip my sweet pink champagne and glance around the extravagant Olympic room of
the Edgewater Hotel. For the hundredth time, I ask myself what I’m doing here.
I was shocked to receive the invitation to Jules Montgomery’s engagement party.
Jules and Natalie and I all hung out quite a bit in college, and it was great
to reconnect with them a few months ago, but I certainly wasn’t expecting an
invitation to come mingle with their family and close friends.

I’m
in a room with Luke Williams for fuck sake. The movie star.

The
room is decorated in Tiffany blue and white with simple white flower bouquets
on the tables, white table linens and Tiffany blue napkins and touches here and
there. It’s incredibly classy.

It’s
completely Jules.

It’s
a late summer evening, and not quite dark out yet, so we have an amazing view
of the Puget Sound, the sky just beginning to change to pink and orange,
reflecting on the water. The glass doors are open so guests can come in and out
at their leisure, enjoy the veranda and the late summer view, or come inside
and dance.

“Meg,
I’m so happy you could come.” Natalie taps my shoulder and pulls me into a big
hug. “I’ve missed you, girl.”

“Me
too,” I respond, holding her close and then pulling back to admire the lovely
woman before me. “You look fantastic. Marriage and motherhood agree with you,
my friend.”

And
it’s true. Natalie’s green eyes shine with happiness and contentment, her dark
chestnut hair is pulled back away from her face in waves, and she is wearing a
fantastic black sleeveless gown.

“Thank
you. I love that dress. Your style hasn’t changed a bit,” she responds with a
grin. I look down at my pale silver strapless dress with handkerchief hemline
and strappy silver sandals.

“Not
much of anything has changed,” I respond with a shrug.

“Except
your hair, as usual,” Natalie laughs, pointing at my auburn hair streaked with
chunky blonde highlights, and I chuckle with her.

“My
hair always changes, and this is pretty tame for me. The kids enjoy it, and
well, you know… once a rocker chick, always a rocker chick.”

“You
know,” Natalie grins smugly. “I still have those photos we did of you with your
guitar, and nothing else.”

“Oh
God,” I giggle at the memory of playing around in Natalie’s small college
studio all those years ago. “You might want to burn those.”

“No,
I’m just thinking we should shoot them over again. You didn’t have that back
then,” she points to my inner arm and I follow her gaze to the tattoo on my
inner upper arm.

“Maybe
someday.”

“So…”
she begins but is interrupted by her husband. “Oh, Meg, this is my husband,
Luke. Luke, I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine and Jules, Megan
McBride.”

“Hello,
Megan, nice to meet you.” He offers me his right hand and I feel my cheeks
flush slightly before I respond, placing my hand in his to shake. But instead,
he raises it to his lips and kisses my knuckles.

“Um,
it’s nice to meet you too, Luke.”

He
flashes me his movie-star grin, the one that used to grace every magazine cover
in the country, and then excuses himself when Caleb, another of Jules’
brothers, calls to him.

“Um,
Nat?”

“Yeah,”
she replies with a satisfied sigh.

“You’re
married to Luke Williams.”

She
chuckles and nods her head. “I am.”

“How
the fuck did that happen?”

“Long
story. I’ll fill you in over wine one night.”

“It’s
a date.”

“There
you are!” Jules exclaims and wraps one of each of her arms around us into a
group hug. “Meg, I’m so glad you made it!”

“I
wouldn’t miss it. Although, I was surprised to get the invite.”

“You’re
my friend. I wanted you here.” Jules grins and searches the room until her eyes
find her man’s.

“He’s
very handsome, Jules. And completely gone over you.” I murmur and follow her
gaze.

“Yeah,
he is. It’s mutual.”

“I’m
happy for you.” I sip more sweet champagne.

“Thanks.”
Her smile is wide and happy, and it’s true, I am so happy that she found her
guy. They are great together.

“When
do we eat?” Will asks from a table not far from us. I’ve been doing my best to
ignore Will Montgomery, aka Football Quarterback, aka arrogant ass all night.
I’ve managed to stay out of his way and avoid another introduction, but I’ve
felt his eyes on me all night, which I don’t get. I’m surely not his type, and
it’s no secret that I’m not interested.

“The
buffet is ready to go, Miss Montgomery.” A pretty, curvy blonde walks up to
Jules with a wide smile. “Dinner is ready when you are.”

“Perfect,
thank you, Alecia. Be sure you and your assistant eat too.”