The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan Series: Game On #2
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance
Published by Self Published Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Also in this series: Forward Pass, The Game Plan
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Find on: Goodreads
Gray doesnβt make friends with women. He has sex with them. Until Ivy.
The last thing star tight-end Gray Grayson wants to do is drive his agentβs daughterβs bubblegum pink car. But he needs the wheels and sheβs studying abroad. Something he explains when she sends him an irate text to let him know exactly how much pain sheβll put him in if he crashes her beloved ride. Before he knows it, Ivy Mackenzie has become his best texting bud. But then Ivy comes home and everything goes haywire. Because the only thing Gray can think of is being with Ivy.
Ivy doesnβt have sex with friends. Especially not with a certain football player. No matter how hot he makes herβ¦
Gray drives Ivy crazy. Heβs irreverent, sex on a stick, and completely off limits. Because, Ivy has one golden rule: never get involved with one of her fatherβs clients. A rule thatβs proving harder to keep now that Gray is doing his best to seduce her. Her best friend is fast becoming the most irresistible guy sheβs ever met.
Which means Gray is going to have to use all his skills to get himself out of the friend zone and into Ivyβs heart. Game on
The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan was a funny tale about what happens when an unexpected meeting turns two virtual strangers into best friends and eventually, lovers. It is the second in the Game On series, featuring college football player Gray Grayson and the daughter of his potential agent, Ivy MacKenzie. Gray and Ivy began a texting relationship because he was borrowing her car while she is in another country, leading to an unlikely friendship when Ivy gets back into town.
No one writes banter quite like Kristen Callihan, and this was no exception. The text exchange at the beginning was hilarious, and this just continues when they meet in person. Gray is the consummate college guy who spends most of his time partying but is a surprisingly generous man with a heart of gold. Ivy is just trying to figure out what she wants to do with herself after spending time in London following her own graduation. She is loyal to a fault, but her willingness to make other people happy can sometimes lead to her forgoing her own desires. The same characters we met in the first one are in The Friend Zone, with a couple of hints about what is coming next in this series. Great book, and highly recommended!
The backs of his fingers skim up my arm, raising goose bumps on my skin. βNice top.β Β
Even though itβs thirty degrees out, I chose a black silk tank that hugs my waist but gathers loosely over my breasts. A tie around my neck holds the top secure. That I am braless is not lost on him. He stares at my stiff nipples as his fingers drift to the bow at the back of my neck and give it a little flick. βTake it off.β
βW-what?β
βLet me see those sweet tits youβve been teasing me with since you walked in the bar.β
βIββ My breath catches. βNo. Iβm not taking my clothes off for a stranger.β
He doesnβt look away. βBut you want to, donβt you? You want me to look at you.β He bends his head until his lips are at my ear. βYouβre dying to expose yourself, to let me see those pretty pink nipples.β
My skin draws tight. I struggle not to sway into him.
He leans back, his attention on my top again. βUntie the bow.β
βSomeone might come in.β Despite our play, my fear of getting caught is real, though not completely unwelcome.
βThey wonβt. I took care of it.β
I believe that. Gray would cover all the bases. In his own way, heβs as much of a planner as I am. But I canβt think of him as Gray now, not when heβs doing this for me.
His fingers are back, skimming over my inner arm, teasing the edges of my top. βJust a little peek.β
My breasts ache so badly, theyβre hot, heavy, the silk covering them an irritant. With shaking hands, I reach up. The fabric tugs against my neck then comes free. It slithers over my skin like a caress.
He sucks in an audible breath as my breasts are exposed. I see myself through his eyes, sitting half-naked in this dim back room, my nipples puckered, my breasts quivering with each shallow breath I take. The vulnerability of it feels naughty, forbidden, and I nearly whimper.
A noise of pure satisfaction leaves him. Not bothering to lift his gaze from my breasts, he reaches out, runs the tips of his fingers over my nipple. Iβm so sensitized now the touch sends a bolt of pure, searing lust straight through me. I flinch, clench my teeth to keep still.
He hums, strokes me back and forth as if he owns me. βSo pretty.β He grazes me again.
βYou like that, sweetheart?β
Eyes closed, I bite my lower lip and nod.
I feel him move. The wet flat of his tongue drags over my nipple. My eyes fly open on a strangled cry. He grins up at me, his mouth hovering at my breast. It isnβt his usual cheeky grin but something more wicked. βMmm. Delicious.β
He takes a step closer, and I swallow convulsively. Grayβs voice lowers. βI wonder where else you taste good. You want to show me, sweets?β
Iβm practically panting now. My hair swings as I give my head a hard shake. He leans in, trailing the blunt tip of his finger up the curve of my breast. I nearly yelp when he gives the stiff peak a quick, crude pinch.
His smile is pure male smugness. βLift up your skirt and show me where youβre wet.β
