The Wild Card

THE WILD CARD A SMALL TOWN FAKE DATING SPORTS ROMANCE CASSIE-ANN L. MILLER CONTENTS Stories by Cassie-Ann L. Miller Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Epilogue So, what to read now…? Dirty Cameos & Easter Eggs Playlist The Wild Card (A Small Town Fake Dating Sports Romance) Copyright © 2023 Cassie-Ann L. Miller All rights reserved. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents appearing therein are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be interpreted as real. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status of the various products referenced in this work. Amazon’s Kindle Store is the only authorized distributor of this ebook. If you have downloaded or purchased it from any other distributor, please note that you have received an illegal copy. This not only violates the author’s copyright, deprives the author of royalties due and puts the book at risk of being removed from Kindle distribution, but it also exposes you to computer viruses, theft of your personal information by book pirates and potential legal prosecution. Photo credit: Eric David Battershell Model: Dominic 26022023 Created with Vellum STORIES BY CASSIE-ANN L. MILLER The Wild Westbrooks The Wild Side The Wild One The Wild Card The Wild Fire (Coming May 2023) The Playboys of Sin Valley Playing House Playing Pretend Playing Along Playing Rough Playing Loose Bad Boys in Love Series Mister Billions Mister Baller Mister Baby Daddy Mister Bossy The Blue Collar Bachelors Series Lover Boy Play Boy Bad Boy Hot Boy Rich Boy Dream Boy The Dirty Suburbs Series Dirty Neighbor Dirty Player Dirty Stranger Dirty Favor Dirty Lover Dirty Farmer Dirty Silver Dirty Forever Dirty Christmas The Esquire Girls Series Amber Nights (Amber – Books 1, 2, 3 & 4) Madison’s Story For Madison, Always (Madison – Books 1, 2, 3 & 4) Ruthie’s Story Ruthie’s Desire (Ruthie – Books 1, 2, 3 & 4) Hailey’s story Moments with Hailey (Hailey - Books 1, 2, 3 & 4) Esquire HEAT Series A Very Eager Intern A Very Frustrated Attorney Standalone Novels Matteo Beast Happy New You 1 NADIA Well-groomed? Check. Career-oriented? Check. Confident? Check. Confidence is a must on my list. Mmm…as far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing like a man who oozes bold conviction. I prop my chin on my fist and tune out the low music and quiet chatter of the Snow Moon Brewery. Smiling, I listen to my date tell me another funny story. Ooh…Sense of humor? Double-check. Laurent is in residential real estate development around town. He’s ambitious, polite, and oh-so-handsome. Plus, he’s a little older, which definitely reflects in his maturity level. He invited me to one of the fancier hipster breweries on the outskirts of town and knew exactly what beer to order, without obnoxiously mansplaining his brewery knowledge like some guys enjoy doing. We’re near the end of our lunch date, and I can feel my excitement mounting. For the first time in a long ass time, I’d have to say I found a guy who has potential. I shift in my seat, feeling almost giddy. I’ve been on a lot of first dates. A lot. I won’t even try to count how many—that shit’s embarrassing—but as far as first dates go, this one is checking all the boxes. The important boxes, at least. He’s not perfect, of course. Nobody is. But the flaws I’ve uncovered so far seem…work-with-able. For example, he’s a teensy bit over-cologned. Okay, fine. A lot over-cologned. In fact, I can taste his cologne at the back of my throat with every bite I take of my mushroom and spinach lasagna. I lift my glass to my lips and take a little swig to drown out the pungent taste. See? It’s nothing a tiny, little sip of alcohol can’t fix. Also, he has this mumble-reading thing that he does. I swear, he muttered the entire menu under his breath to himself before he could finally decide on the beef samosas. He did the same mumbling thing each time a text message came in on his phone. But that’s a good thing. That means there will be no secrets between us, right? And I’m being honest, the physical chemistry between us isn’t exactly scorching up the tablecloth, but I’m not willing to write him off over something so inconsequential. Look—I’m focused on the positives right now. The nagging, over-analytical voice in my head that’s trying to find fault with this damn near perfect man will not win today. Laurent meets so many of my criteria. And the last time I appraised my lacklustre dating life, it was clear that prioritizing physical chemistry over a man’s more substantive qualities has consistently left me nursing a bruised ego and a shattered heart. So physical chemistry is secondary. I’ve been burned too many times by my feelings. I’m doing things differently now. We’ve got to make sense on paper first. My head gets the first say. Then, if Logical Nadia approves, I’ll let my heart get involved. I take my final bite of lasagna. When the waiter comes by, my date doesn’t hesitate to pay, handing over his credit card before the server even sets down the check. I feel a sudden sense of urgency surge to life in my tummy—my window