This book is a new addition to the Wanted series. It is not a stand-alone book and you must read at least Wanted for the end of the book to make any sense! If you don’t you may feel like the story is a bit “unfinished.”
I wrote this book to give the Wanted series fans a sneak peek into the world of the Wanted guys before they fell in love. It’s simply a fun addition to the series and one I hope you enjoy!
If you choose not to read Wanted first, please know that there will be spoilers in this book from book one of the series . . . just giving you a heads-up!
Happy reading, and welcome to Gunner, Jeff, and Josh’s world before Ellie, Ari, and Heather.
Chapter One – Gunner
“Do you see his eyes?”
“Do you see his body? I don’t think he realizes how hot he actually is.”
Glancing up, I took in the two moms standing there on the sidelines of their sons’ Little League baseball practice. The one waved her fingers at me, and I forced a smile back and said, “Ma’am, y’all do realize I can hear everything you’re saying. If I can hear, the boys can hear it.”
Their faces turned as red as their kids’ T-shirts. Both turned and walked over to the bleachers and sat.
With a sigh, I focused back on the kids. Practice was almost over, and I’d be meeting Jeff and Josh right after.
Thank fuck. I was ready for this day to end.
“Mathews! Round them up!” Coach Adams called out.
I clapped my hands and called for the team to huddle up. “Come on, y’all . . . huddle up time.”
We got in a huddle, and Coach Adams leaned in. “Wednesday is game day. What are we going to do?”
They all yelled, “Have fun! Play hard!”
“Yes! In that order,” Coach said.
Coach leaned in more. “What are we going to do when the parents start yelling from the stands?”
I had to force myself not to laugh. Coach Adams couldn’t stand it when the parents screamed and yelled for him to do things a certain way. It was Little League baseball, and he wanted the boys to enjoy the game first off and winning the game secondly.
“Listen to Coach only!” they all yelled out together.
“Coach Mathews, will you be there?”
Damn. My heart melted as little Robbie looked up at me. “Of course I’ll be there.”
They all cheered. As much as I would have loved to volunteer for Pop Warner coaching, it didn’t work with my own football schedule at the University of Texas, so I did Little League baseball. I enjoyed volunteer work, and our own football coach insisted we do it, so it wasn’t that big a deal for me to work it into my schedule.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw a small group of moms standing there watching. I was pretty positive they were staring at my ass. When one of them walked up and slapped my ass last week, I nearly choked on my own damn tongue.
The one mom waved again.
Focusing back on the team, I listened to Coach telling the boys they did a great job today and to go home and eat a good healthy meal.
“All hands in!” he shouted as we piled our hands on each other.
“Go, Vipers!” was shouted out as we lifted our hands and clapped. The boys all scurried off as Coach and I started to get things picked up.
“You ever get tired of them women falling all over you, Mathews?”
I took a chance to peek back out toward the moms.
“All the time, sir. Some don’t even care that their husbands are standing next to them when they do it.”
He laughed, pulled me to a stop, and looked at me. “I’m pretty positive that if you wanted to, you’d be having a different girl every day. Hell, twice a day . . . but don’t be that guy.”
I nodded my head. “I’m not, Coach.”
“Good. Because someday there is going to be a woman who makes you stop in your tracks and has your breath trying to find its way out, and all those women you slept with will disappear in the blink of an eye. Part-time pleasure ain’t worth a long-time love.”
I laughed. “Part-time pleasure?”
“Sure. You get to have them in your bed for a little bit, but how do you feel when they’re gone?”
“The same as before they were in my bed.”
“Exactly. Don’t let your dick run your life, and for fuck’s sake, wrap it all the time. You’ve got a promising future ahead of you, Gunner. Don’t mess it up by getting some one-night stand pregnant.”
I chuckled again. “Yes, sir. I won’t.”
“What can I get ya to drink, handsome?”
“Hey, Patty, I’ll have the Harp Lager.”
“Your boys meeting you? Should I wait on your dinner order?”
I nodded. “Yes, please.” She winked and headed back toward the bar.
Patty was a pretty woman, with bright red hair that she always wore up in a bun on the top of her head. If I had to guess, she was in her midthirties. Happily married to her husband, John, for six years. She made that clear the first time Josh hit on her.
“What’s up, Mathews?” Josh said, slapping me on the back.
I sighed. “Not much. You?”
Josh signaled for Patty. She would already know he wanted a Guinness.
“Long damn day. I thought that after football season, things would slow down.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “You out late last night or something?”
“I wish! I can’t even blame this one on a hookup. Shit’s just insane right now.”
“Tell me about it,” I mumbled.
“What’s up, gentlemen?”
Josh and I both watched as Jeff sat down and let out a long sigh.