Playing By Her Rules (Sydney Smoke Rugby Series) Read Online Free

she was in control. That she wasn’t here to trade pleasantries or reminisce about the old days. For God’s sake, didn’t he know what he’d done had irrevocably coloured her memories of that time?
    “I wonder if you know how very much I don’t care about your opinion.”
    A couple of the guys sniggered from behind, but she ignored them. It was time to cut to the chase. She put on her best journalist voice—brisk and no-nonsense. “I take it you know about the feature series?”
    “Yeah.” His jaw tightened. “I heard.”
    He was annoyed. Good. If he multiplied it by a thousand, he’d be in the ballpark of what she felt. “It’s a six-parter. The man behind the myth.” She glanced over his shoulder at their rapt audience before returning her attention to him. “We have a lot to cover. We should figure out a time to sit down and talk.”
    He regarded her for a moment or two, those full, firm lips—as spectacular as she remembered—curving into a slow smile. “Oh, come on, Tilly, I’m sure you remember how mythic we were in the sack?”
    Matilda’s eyes bulged a little at his audacity, her cheeks burning as the guys behind him all grinned and high-fived. Slowly, deliberately, she slid her hand into the bag hanging off her shoulder and pulled out her trusty recording device. In the age of mobile technology, it was a little dated, but Matilda always felt like a real journalist with it in her hand.
    She flicked and held down the record button with her thumb and brought it up close to her mouth. “If memory serves,” she said, projecting her voice for everyone to hear, “Tanner Stone’s dick doesn’t quite live up to its namesake and pales in comparison to his ginormous ego. His fumbling attempts to manage both never quite succeeded. Let’s all be glad he has more game on the field.” She released her thumb. “Is that how you want the article to go down, Slick? ”
    The guys behind Tanner erupted in catcalls and backslapping.
    “Whoa! Burn, baby,” the guy called Linc said.
    “I love her, cap,” came from someone else. “I think you should marry her. Hell, I will if you won’t.”
    “We’ve got a space on the cheer squad,” was another suggestion.
    A big Maori-looking dude shook his head. “Nah. Girl that fierce should be the team mascot.”
    Much to Matilda’s surprise, Tanner threw back his head and laughed, too. It was low and delicious, ruffling all the good places. She could see every individual whisker on his neck, and the urge to bury her face right where his pulse beat slow and thick at the base of his throat was almost overwhelming.
    His laughter died as he looked at her, but there was still that easy smile lighting up his stupid, handsome face. “I knew you were in there somewhere, Tilly.”
    Matilda frowned. She preferred him being annoyed with her. She needed him to be annoyed with her. Because this Tanner—flirty, charming Tanner—was not what she needed.
    “Don’t call me that,” she snapped.
    He held his hands up in mock surrender. “Sorry, Matilda .” Except he didn’t look very sorry at all. “So…how do you want me?”
    Matilda ignored the blatant double entendre. “I thought we could meet for six sessions over six weeks and cover a different topic, which will form the basis for that week’s feature story. The first article is due to appear in next Friday’s edition. Does that fit with your schedule?”
    He lifted the shoulder that wasn’t planted against the locker. “As long as I get to choose the locations for the interviews, sure.”
    “Oh.” Matilda frowned, already sensing a deviation to her plans. She didn’t like deviations. “I thought we’d meet at the newspaper? They have interview rooms there specifically for this purpose.”
    They were cold and clinical, and not full of half-naked men. There was a lot less testosterone. People wore clothes.
    It was perfect.
    He shook his head slowly. “Nope. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it. I agree to