Jaci Burton
PRAISE FOR
TAKING A SHOT
“[Jaci Burton] delivers the passionate, inventive, sexually explicit love scenes that fans expect…However,
Taking a Shot
isn’t just about hot sex. Burton offers plenty of emotion and conflict in a memorable relationship-driven story.”
—
USA Today
“Ms. Burton has a way of writing intense scenes that are both sensual and raw…Plenty of romance, sexy men, hot steamy loving, and humor.”
—
Smexy Books Romance Reviews
“For this third Play-by-Play entry, there’s no shortage of volatile, steamy sex, but the story development is the key to this thoughtful tale. While the heroine figures her life out, the reader will enjoy the smokin’-hot sex that draws the protagonists together—over and over again.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“Jenna and Ty’s story far surpassed my expectations. This one is hot enough to melt the ice off the hockey rink on which its hero plays.”
—
Romance Novel News
“A very spicy read. Jenna and Ty had great chemistry.”
—
Book Binge
CHANGING THE GAME
“This book is wonderful from beginning to end, even for those who are not baseball fans.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“
Changing the Game
is an extraordinary novel—a definite home run!”
—
Joyfully Reviewed
“A strong plot, complex characters, sexy athletes, and nonstop passion make this book a must-read.”
—Fresh Fiction
THE PERFECT PLAY
“The characters are incredible. They are human and complex and real and perfect.”
—
Night Owl Reviews
“Holy smokes! I am pretty sure I saw steam rising from every page.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“This book delivers.”
—
Dear Author
“A beautiful romance that is smooth as silk…One hell of a good time, a romance to remember…leaves us begging for more.”
—
Joyfully Reviewed
“Hot, hot, hot!…Romance at its best! Highly recommended! Very steamy.”
—
Coffee Table Reviews
“The romance sparkles as the sex sizzles.”
—
RT Book Reviews
FURTHER PRAISE FOR THE WORK OF
JACI BURTON
“Realistic dialogue, spicy bedroom scenes, and a spitfire heroine make this one to pick up and savor.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Jaci Burton delivers.”
—Cherry Adair,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Lively and funny…intense and loving.”
—
The Road to Romance
“An invitation to every woman’s wildest fantasies.”
—
Romance Junkies
“As always, Jaci Burton delivers a hot read.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“Burton is a master at sexual tension!”
—RT Book Reviews
Titles by Jaci Burton
RIDING WILD
RIDING TEMPTATION
RIDING ON INSTINCT
RIDING THE NIGHT
WILD, WICKED, & WANTON
BOUND, BRANDED, & BRAZEN
THE PERFECT PLAY
CHANGING THE GAME
TAKING A SHOT
PLAYING TO WIN
Anthologies
UNLACED
(with Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti)
EXCLUSIVE
(with Eden Bradley and Lisa Renee Jones)
LACED WITH DESIRE
(with Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti)
NAUTI AND WILD
(with Lora Leigh)
PLAYING
to
WIN
JACI BURTON
HEAT | NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
•
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
•
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
•
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
•
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India
•
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
•
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2012 by Jaci Burton.
Excerpt from
Thrown by a Curve
copyright © 2012 by Jaci Burton.
Cover photograph by Claudio Marinesco.
Cover art direction and design by Rita Frangie.
Text design by Kristin del Rosario.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
HEAT and the HEAT design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Heat trade paperback edition / September 2012
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Burton, Jaci.
Playing to win / Jaci Burton.—Heat trade paperback ed.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-1-101-58149-0
1. Man-woman relationships—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3602.U776P56 2012
813’.6—dc23
2012011830
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
To Charlie.
When it’s fun and when it’s not so fun,
I know I can always reach for you and you’ll be there.
Love you.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Maya Banks, for the lengthy phone calls that always inspire me, make me laugh, and renew me. And to Shannon Stacey, for always being there, for always being my friend.
Table of Contents
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Thrown by a Curve
ONE
