First we were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more…
What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after getting naked for her.
No one is more surprised than me. The prickly photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn’t my usual type. She’s defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn. But when I’m with her, all the regrets and darkness goes away. She makes life fun.
I want to know Chess, be close to her. Which is a bad idea.
Chess is looking for a relationship. I’ve never given a woman more than one night. But when fate leaves Chess without a home, I step up and offer her mine. We’re roommates now. Friends without benefits. But it’s getting harder to keep our hands off each other. And the longer we live together the more I realize she’s becoming my everything.
Trick is… Now that I’ve made her believe I’m a bad bet, how do I convince her to give this player a true shot at forever?
Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review
Are we really on number 4 in the Game On series? I don't know why that shocks me but it does. The Hot Shot is firmly placed in the adult world with Finn "Manny" Mannus, the star quarterback of the New Orleans team facing off against one of his toughest opponents, Chess Copper, a no-nonsense photographer who seems immune to his charms. Being set in NOLA gives the story a little more spice but the real heat comes from this duo and their sweet, semi-slow burn affair that I couldn't get enough of.
I've read all four Game On books so far and I have to say that I feel a special connection to this one. In her previous books, I was a voyeur watching events as they happened to the characters. For some reason as I was reading The Hot Shot I felt as if I was Chess looking straight at Finn, interacting with him and pretty much internally drooling over him. I enjoyed their growing friendship which gave me a good sense of who they were as individuals. Their deepening bond is honestly the best thing about how their unlikely friendship and by the time they do take their relationship to that intimate stage it's well...amazing! What did it for me is that Finn is not the typical arrogant athlete. He exudes confidence but in an un-douchebag way, plus there's just something wholesome about him that made him stand out to me. I think it just has to do with maturity - his party-boy phase is behind him and he's looking to make a solid connection with someone who gets him. Chess does that for him and it's lovely to see a woman so self-assured also be honest with him. They click naturally and in Finn's world that's a premium. He doesn't have to be concerned with any hidden motives because she's not some sycophant. I can't tell you enough how I completely enjoyed their dynamic. What comes as a surprise is that I half-expected some ridiculous dramatic problem to pull these two apart but that never came. Instead, their challenges can make or break any couple. I held my breath for how that would turn out. Angst has its place but sometimes it's nice to see that the characters have some sense about them, you know? Being upfront despite their hesitations - I wanted to hug them so badly.
Back in January I'd re-read The Hook Up which is a feat because as much as I'd like to I don't have a lot of time for re-reads. But that one was burning a hole in my brain. Oh boy do I love Drew "Battle" Baylor but since reading The Hot Shot, he has some serious competition in Finn. Kristen Callihan has given me all the things I love in a sports romance: the chemistry and the fast quips. It's more grown up and like I said, that slow burn makes it all worth it in the end!
~ Bel
* * * Excerpt * * *
FINN
She sits quietly as I eat, and shakes her head when I offer her a
sandwich section. Because I’m hungry, and because I don’t like the idea of her
having to wait for me to eat, I wolf down my food. The brownie follows with a
few, quick bites.
Wiping my hands on a napkin, I set the plate and empty can on a side
table, and then let out a contented sigh. “Thanks. I needed that.”
Her smile is small and quick. “I should have fed you as soon as you
got here.”
“I’m good now.”
Chess braces her hands on the seat and leans forward to watch her
feet as we slowly rock the swing. Silence descends, thick and awkward, and for
the first time in her presence, I’m at a loss for words.
I don’t know this girl. Not really, and yet I’ve inserted myself
into her life with a determination I usually reserve for winning games. Except
I have no endgame here. I told her I want to be friends. But how does that work
for us?
Our friends and lives couldn’t be any more different. Parties for me
are self-congratulatory events, filled with people whose one focus seems to be
bolstering my ego, followed by me searching for a quick hookup. And my friends
are all part of football in some way. We talk football or sports. It’s a narrow
focus life, but it’s my comfort zone. That chafes too, knowing I live a life
that seems wild and free to outsiders but is actually small and structured on
the inside.
The silence has stretched too long. I should go. But I don’t move.
If I go, I know it will be the end of whatever this is. Embarrassment will have
me avoiding seeking her out again. Likely, she’ll do the same. And that will be
that.
The knowledge sits like a stone on my chest.
“I’m sorry about my friends,” Chess says. “They can be uncomfortably
brazen.”
“So can mine.” I shrug. “Your friends are…fun.”
Her lips pull tight. “They can be. But they were definitely giving
me—and by extension—you shit tonight.” She bites her bottom lip. “I don’t think
they know what to make of you.”
“So I wasn’t imagining things.”
“’Fraid not.”
The novel sensation of being a fish tossed into the wrong pond
grows. I’ve taken away Chess’s fun by coming here, and I’m sorry for it.
“I shouldn’t have asked you to come here,” Chess says in a low
voice.
She’s only echoing my thoughts but the stone sitting on my chest
pushes harder against my ribs.
Chess makes a small sound, as if she’s trying to laugh but can’t.
“Parties suck when you arrive halfway through and don’t know anyone.”
“I know you,” I point out quietly.
She turns and the porch light illuminates her face. Green eyes met
mine and hold, as a slow, true smile curls over her cherry lips. Something
inside of me shifts and slides. I want to kiss Chester Copper. Haul her onto my
lap and make out with her like we’re teenagers hiding out at our parents’
party. But that’s not what she invited me here for.
“I wanted to see you,” she confesses in that husky morning voice
that goes straight to my cock. She turns away and stares out into the darkness.
“It’s weird, you know? But hanging out with you was so unexpected it kind of
felt like I imagined the whole thing.”
I know exactly what she means. My hand settles next to hers, close
enough that our pinkies touch. That small point of contact sparks along my
skin, makes me want to move closer. I hold steady because I don’t trust myself
not to act. “I wanted to see you too,” I tell her. “It’s been a long fucking
day.”
I hadn’t planned to admit that, but it feels good to tell her.
Chess eases back against the seat and then curls her fingers over
mine with a light squeeze. The unexpected touch holds all my attention. It’s
nothing more than a simple offer of comfort, and here I am twitching in my seat
as if she’d cupped my dick instead. I’m in so much trouble here because this woman
is getting to me in ways I don’t know how to navigate. But I don’t pull away.
Not one fucking chance of that.
Chess speaks, pulling me attention back to our conversation. “So
tell me about it.”
I can’t remember the last time anyone asked me to tell them about my
day. Likely, no one ever has.
So I do. And with every word that leaves my mouth, a little bit more
of my stress eases. No, I don’t yet truly know Chess. And yes, our lives are
different. But there’s no way I’m ending this. Because when it’s just her and
me, everything else falls away. I’m not going to let myself forget that again.
* * * About the Author * * *
Kristen Callihan is an author because there is
nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of
two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from
Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks
by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of
Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal , best book of
Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012
by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.
