Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance Read online

  Table of Contents

  Hang Em’ Up

  Introduction

  Bonus Books From Meadow Rayne Publishing

  Bearcity Billionaire

  The Alpha Lion

  Chased

  Roar

  Omega Bound

  Orphan Omega

  Born To Serve

  Double Dragon Mates

  Rhythm of Three

  Double Protection

  Between Two Shifters

  Two Shades of Vampire

  No Mates For These Lycan Lovers

  Seduced By Her Curves

  That Boy Is Mine

  Colorado Bound

  Served

  Naughty

  Hooked

  Driven

  Bonus Contemporary Romance Stories

  The Billionaire’s Dark Escape

  My Hitman’s Secret Baby

  The Billionaire’s Exclusive

  The Billionaire’s Release

  Dirty Bad Boy Eye Candy

  Copyright

  Hang Em’ Up

  Secret Baby Sports Romance

  Bella Rayne

  www.meadowrayne.com

  Introduction

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for choosing to download my book. I know you have so many great books to choose from and I am grateful for your support. I truly hope you love this romance. I always have a great time writing them for you.

  Once you finish your story I hope you will take a few minutes to leave an honest review for me. Reviews help authors like myself continue living our dream.

  For updates on new releases, exclusive content and more visit www.meadowrayne.com. My sister and I run that site together and feature other authors along with our books.

  Bella

  Chapter 1

  I was back from college and ready to kick it up. Three years of burying myself in books left me yearning for relaxed times and fun with my friends back home. I hadn’t seen Liv, my best friend, in years because we’d left at the same time to study abroad in different countries.

  We were going to have a hell of a time this summer. Just me and her and all the gossip we'd accumulated over the four years we hadn’t seen each other.

  The Saunders’ house looked just the way I remembered it: A large stucco house with more bedrooms than family members because they always had guests, and a backyard with a pool. They held cookouts and get-togethers, and everyone in the neighborhood knew them.

  “Jess!” Liv squealed when she opened the door and yanked me into the house. “It’s been way too long.” Her hair was cut short in an Asymmetric bob, and it suited her. Very chic. Black hair, pale skin and big dark eyes, she was my opposite in every way.

  I laughed and hugged her. “I’m not the one that ran away to Europe. I love your hair.”

  She smiled and patted her hair. “You know I can’t do culinary school here, not with the way I wanted to cook.”

  Liv wanted to be a chef all her life, and France had always been her dream. Her parents saved up and sent her there, a dream come true.

  “Where is everyone?” The house was unusually quiet.

  “Logan is in town. They’re here for the summer, and he’s playing his game later. Mom and dad are out shopping; they’ll meet us there.”

  “We’re going to see Logan play?”

  Liv smiled and nodded. I hadn’t seen Logan for almost seven years. He was three years older than we were, and he’d known from a very young age that he wanted to a professional hockey player. Field Hockey, not ice hockey. It was a sport I didn’t understand, but he was practically my brother. I could go support him.

  “We’ll go later, though. First, we can swim and have lunch and catch up on everything we’ve missed out on for so long.”

  I was on board with that. I wanted to know everything about Europe, especially what the boys were like.

  We got changed into our bikinis in her bedroom and walked out.

  “How do you spend your life in a kitchen and lose weight?” I asked, eyeing her body. She was beautiful. There was no way I would ever look that good in a bathing suit, no matter how tan I was. A tan made you look slimmer, but there was only so much it could do. My hips and bust were wide, and my waist wasn’t flat the way I would have liked for my hour-glass figure. Instead, I had a bit of a belly and tried not to look at my thighs in the mirror when I was dressed in so little.

  Liv laughed. “Don’t be silly. I stuff my face all the time, I’m sure I picked up a couple of pounds. I have to run all the time just to make sure I’m not obese.”

  I pulled a face at her. “If you’re anywhere near obese, I’m a lost cause. Honestly. You look great.”

  She dove into the pool and resurfaced a moment later. I used the steps and sat halfway in the water, leaning my elbows on the edge.

  “So, any love interests?” I asked. “I hear the French boys are charmers.”

  Liv floated on her back. “God, they really are, but they’re pigs, too. One-night stands are a trend. They’re really not dating material.”

  “So nothing great, then?”

  She smiled devilishly. “Well, nothing relationship-wise, but like I said the one-night stands…”

  She swam towards me and sat next to me on the step.

  “That’s so unlike you!” I looked at her, a woman I hardly knew now that we’d been apart for so long. “At least, it’s not how you used to be.”

  She shrugged. “When in Rome…”

  I went deeper into the water and gasped. It was cold despite how hot the sun was.

  “How about you? Any rich lawyers catch your eye?”

  I laughed. I’d studied law and I loved it, but lawyers weren’t the kind of guys I wanted to date. Imagine the arguments. And they buried themselves in their work. I object.

  “I don’t think I’m going to end up with a lawyer. I can make my own money, and I’d love to be with someone that isn’t an asshole who thinks his mere existence changes the world. They all act like they are God’s gift to mankind.”

  “You should just have some fun, fool around before you settle down.”

  If I had a body like Liv, I might have tried something like that, but guys didn’t exactly jump your bones when you were slightly overweight the way I was. They didn’t even look in my direction. People often told me the only thing wrong with me was the fact that I had a low self-esteem. Maybe that was true, but it was hard to feel sexy when men always saw me as a friend, not as a love interest. There’s only so many times you can appreciate a man liking you for your mind, not your body. I wouldn’t complain if I was an object of pleasure once or twice, just to feel like I could do that to a man.

  Of course, I would never end up in a relationship with someone who saw me as sex on a stick the way Liv complained men her, but it would be nice to know that I had options.

  “You know what we’ll do?” Liv said. “We’ll dress you up a little when we go out later. Logan has a whole team full of seriously hot guys, and I’m sure he’ll introduce you to them. Nothing wrong with getting someone back home. It’s so much better than the long distance thing.”

  I smiled. I was suddenly excited. That sounded like a great idea. I wasn’t Logan’s sister, which meant that the guys could go for me. I knew what Logan was like, and he would cock block any guy who went after his sister. She wouldn’t be a threat.

  We ate sandwiches for lunch, and Liv told me about her apartment, her classes, what life was like on the other side of the ocean. The French sounded exotic, fun. Liv had turned from an All-American girl to an international jet setter. She was sure of herself, settled in who she was, and she knew
exactly where she was headed.

  I’d studied a good degree, had goals and ambitions, too, but I wasn’t as sure about who I was and where I was headed. As we talked, I realized I envied her.

  The story of my life.

  We got ready for the game. I put on jeans and a red top that showed a bit of cleavage. I didn’t like flaunting my body as a way to get attention, but Liv insisted it looked good and I needed to step out of my comfort zone if I wanted anything to be different, right?

  She helped me do my makeup, too. Eyeshadow that made my blue eyes stand out, and a flat iron to get that little kink out of my blond hair. Brunettes could get away with kinks. Light hair showed everything.

  When I looked in the mirror after it was all done, I actually felt like I looked good. Not like Liv, of course, who wore an orange and red flowered summer dress and wedges and looked like she stepped for the covers of a magazine, but still. I felt like I looked better than I would have if Liv hadn’t pushed me to make the effort.

  And it was good. Why shouldn’t I make a little effort to get a little male attention? I deserved it. I’d earned a hell of a lot more than a few glances with how hard I’d been working.

  The Astro hockey fields were on the other end of town. I drove us there in the new car I’d gotten as a graduation present. It was a black SUV with leather seats and enough buttons to look like a space ship.

  “This is nice,” Liv said when she slid into the passenger seat. “Driving in style. I like it.”

  When we arrived, Liv’s parents were waiting for us. They’d aged in the time we were gone, but it was great seeing them.

  “You look fantastic!” Martha said, giving me a hug.

  “Good to see you again, Jess,” Sergio said and hugged me, too. “Our family is finally complete again.”

  When they said stuff like that, I felt at home. Our family was quiet and uptight, a stickler for rules, the kind of family I could never just relax with. The Saunders were my family away from home, and I loved them as much as anyone would love their real family.

  “Come on! They’re about to start.”

  We walked into the stadium, and the atmosphere was electric. It was a real treat to see an international team play on home turf. The men ran out onto the field, and Liv nudged me.

  “There, third from the front.”

  Logan had the same black hair and pale skin as his sister, but where she was delicately built, he was a machine. He was all muscle and arrogance, and he occupied his place with pride. He had changed a lot since I last saw him, and I had to admit that he was a hell of a looker.

  “Don’t you think they’re hot?” Liv asked. They were all hot, but my eyes were on Logan. I couldn’t believe how much he had changed and how mesmerizing his performance was on the turf. It was spectacular to watch him. “We’ll probably get invited to go out with them later. Logan will want to hang out, and you’ll get to work your magic.”

  I nodded. Hanging with Logan and his team sounded fantastic.

  They won the game with Logan scoring two of the three goals. Liv grabbed my hand and dragged me through the stands and down to the locker rooms.

  “We can’t go in there! It’s the men’s!” I protested, but then Liv pushed open the door and we were surrounded by sweaty bodies and testosterone.

  “If it isn’t Olivia Saunders,” someone called out, and Logan turned around. His face softened when he saw his sister.

  “I missed you, lil sis.”

  He messed up her hair, and she punched him in the ribs. He turned his eyes to me, icy blue and hypnotizing.

  “And Jess?” He looked me up and down. “Wow, you’ve grown up.”

  A blush crept onto my face, and my ears burned.

  “It’s nice to see you,” I said, feeling like an idiot. I was shy and stuttering where Liv was comfortable around all these men. I paled in comparison. This was why they all went for her and never for me.

  “You’re not supposed to be in here,” Logan said, turning back to Liv.

  “Are we going to hang out later?” she pouted.

  He smiled. “Of course. We’re going to the Brazen Ox in a while. Join us.”

  Liv looked at me pointedly. All the guys were going, of course, and we were invited now.

  “We’d love to,” she said before we left the change room. In the tunnel that led to the field, Liv looped her arm through mine.

  “That was easy.”

  I chuckled. The truth was, for Liv, it always would be.

  Chapter 2

  Jessica had changed since I’d last seen her. Gone was the girl that used to tag along everywhere like another child in our home. She’d been replaced by an elegant woman, feminine, and in a lot of ways, more confident.

  They were already at the pub when I arrived with four of my teammates. We could all have gone, but some of them had opted for a house party instead. I wasn’t in the mood for that kind of drunk fun. Besides, Jess and Liv were here, so that’s where I wanted to be.

  We pulled two tables together to make a bigger one and sat down. I watched Liv and Jess on the other side of the table.

  They’d both changed. Liv had grown up too, but in a way, I’d expected it. She was a flirt, the center of attention. The guys all hung on every word she said, and I was sure they would all want a piece of her action before the end of the night.

  Not that they would get any. I wasn’t planning on letting any guy sleep with my sister as long as I was in down. Killjoy? A bit, but I was her older brother.

  Jess sat back, and I watched her. She seemed to be used to being passed over. They were all focused on Liv, none of them paying any attention to Jess. Maybe I didn’t feel the same way because Liv was my sister, but I didn’t understand why so many guys seemed to feel that Jess was nothing to look at.

  From where I was sitting, she was beautiful. She wore a blue shirt that made her eyes stand out. Her blond hair hung in curls over her shoulders and she looked maintained, put-together. She didn’t look like she was looking for attention, not the way Liv was dressed. Liv dressed in a way that left very little to the imagination. She always had. She had a body that every guy salivated over.

  Jess was modest. I liked it. I didn’t like it when a girl threw herself at men because it made me wonder who else had been there.

  I wasn’t trying to be rude about Liv. It was just the way us guys thought.

  I moved my chair closer to Jess and tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Are you drinking anything?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t like getting drunk alone.”

  I looked around the table. She wasn’t alone by a long shot. There were seven of us total. She closed her eyes for a moment like she felt like her words were silly.

  “I mean, I don’t like sitting in the corner being drunk and pathetic.”

  Again, she looked like she regretted it.

  “How about we get drunk together, then? I’ll sit in the corner with you, and if anyone calls us pathetic, we can go at them together.”

  She smiled, and it was beautiful. She had green in her eyes that was apparent when I was close enough. When she smiled, her face lit up.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  I smiled. “That’s my girl.” Except she wasn’t mine and she wasn’t a girl; she was a woman. She blushed. Her cheeks went rosy red and she looked down into her lap. How long had it been since a girl I’d flirted with blushed? The girls I ran into were seasoned players, to put it one way. They’d been there, done that, heard it all. It wasn’t easy to make them feel like they were special, which made me feel like anything between us was just another game.

  Jess was different. She made me feel real. I hadn’t felt like a person and not just a mildly-public figure for a long time.

  I got up and walked to the bar. Jerry followed me. He leaned on the bar with an elbow, casual. He was already a little tipsy. Being as fit as we were made us damn cheap dates.

  “Your sister is hot.”

  I nodded. “She’s
also unavailable.”

  “Says who?”

  I looked at him. He shrugged and held up a hand in defense. “Fine. Her friend is kind of cute, too.”

  “She’s also unavailable.”

  “Why are you cock blocking?”

  I shrugged. I wasn’t actually sure why I’d said that. Jess deserved attention, just not from an asshole like Jerry who wanted a piece of ass for the night. She didn’t deserve anyone who would love her for one night and leave her to wonder why she wasn’t good enough for the aftermath. I knew what it did to some girls when men just walked out.

  Maybe the fact that I cared so much made me an idiot. I had feelings and shit.

  I didn’t really care.

  I got a beer and one of those pink cocktails the girls liked to drink and offered it to Jess. She took it from me and sipped it.

  “Thanks.”

  I nodded and took a swig of my beer.

  “So, tell me about yourself. It’s been so long, and I didn’t even know that much about you to start with.”

  She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell, really. I studied law. I’m doing my bar exam soon, and then I’ll start practicing.”

  “I practice all the time.”

  It was a stupid line. She laughed—to humor me, I was sure.

  “I’m glad you ended up where you wanted to be,” she said. I nodded. Pro hockey was exactly where I wanted to be. I’d always wanted it. The next step in my life of fame and luxury was to find a woman to spend it with.

  “It gets lonely, sometimes, though.”

  She tipped her head to the side, frowning, and it was adorable. I looked at my beer. I had to be careful not to drink too much. I couldn’t afford to like her too much. She was Liv’s friend; I couldn’t be with her. She wouldn’t want to be with me, anyway.

  “You’re surrounded by people all the time.”

  I shrugged. “Fans and cameras and girls who are in it for the money. I don’t think any of them were ever interested in me as a person. And my team…”

  We both looked at the guys that had come with me. They were trying to down their beers in a competition. One of them choked and spat beer all over the table. Liv squealed.