First Down: A Nerdy Virgin Meets a Badboy Football Player Romance Read online

  First Down

  Rae Lynn Blaise

  Bigger on the Inside LLC

  Contents

  1. Tara

  2. Zach

  3. Tara

  4. Zach

  5. Tara

  6. Zach

  7. Tara

  8. Zach

  9. Tara

  10. Zach

  11. Tara

  12. Zach

  Bonus Selection

  Matteo

  1. Jess

  2. Jess

  3. Jess

  Also by Rae Lynn Blaise

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2016 by Rae Lynn Blaise

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Tara is the kind of bookish girl who has followed her wildest dreams: she owns a bookstore and celebrates her favorite holiday of the year, Harry Potter’s birthday, in grand style.

  Zach’s idea of dreams fulfillment is a little different…he’s a professional football player.

  When the two meet at the bookstore’s annual escapade, the real magic appears. There’s just one little thing...Tara’s a virgin and Zach’s definitely an all-around player.

  Can a nerd girl and a jock win this game?

  WARNING: includes steamy good times, lots of wizard jokes, some serious football action and (obviously!) an HEA.

  1

  Tara

  I smile with a satisfied pride looking around my bookstore, sparkling with lights and candles, and brimming with Harry Potter decorations and wafting with the scents of butterbeer and fresh baked cookies. It looks like Hogwarts threw up in here and I adore every inch of it. I give myself a mental pat on the back as I take it all in.

  Twinkly lights glitter in the windows, candles flicker and cast magical shadows around the store—well away from the books of course. Games are set up in different sections of the store, the house-point hourglasses filling quickly as everyone competes for the House Cup. We bought a fake trophy cup and filled it with Harry Potter swag and a few books. Slytherin is winning for now. Unfortunately.

  We made treacle tarts and chocolate frogs and cookies and butterbeer and all sorts of delicious treats. Winged keys float from the ceiling and I keep having to swerve and duck to avoid being conked in the head by them. Next year we're definitely hanging them higher up. The shop brims with customers enjoying our annual celebration of Harry's birthday.

  We've gotten more and more elaborate over the years, and more and more popular. It's my favorite day of the entire year, even better than Halloween and New Year's put together. Maybe next year I can actually put on a proper Hogwarts feast. Fill the store with floating candles and bury a table with the best kinds of British food. Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, potatoes and gravy, peas and carrots.

  I grab a snitch from a bowl on one of the shelves made from Ferrero Rocher chocolates and paper wings, unwrapping it and plopping the whole thing into my mouth. The chocolate melts pleasantly against my tongue and I shove another one into the pocket of my robe for later. The smells of assorted baked goods is keeping me constantly hungry and craving all the sweets.

  I wander through the store greeting customers in my signature McGonagall bun, my spectacles riding low on my nose, refilling pumpkin juice for the kids and butterbeer for the grownups. I dress up as her every year because as Ravenclaw as I am, I adore McGonagall. And Dame Maggie Smith.

  My cashier, Julie, rings up the long line of people buying books and Harry Potter swag. A stuffed Hedwig in a wrought iron cage watches Julie from the ceiling. She catches me looking her way and winks. I'll need to send over someone to assist soon.

  Looks like I'll break even and maybe even make a profit this year. Customers mill around, adding things to their baskets, laughing, eating cake, sipping drinks, playing games. Most people are in full costume—lots of Hermiones and Nevilles and Snapes and Weasley twins. Weirdly, there are few Harrys. For the main character of one of the most beloved book series of all time, poor Harry is not a fan favorite. Everyone not in full costume is at least representing their House with a T-shirt.

  There are a lot of Slytherins.

  I grin down at a toddler girl Dobby, squeeing internally at the adorableness and brushing off the pang to my chest at the reminder of Dobby's fate. Of all the deaths, his was the worst. I will never forgive Rowling for that.

  Ever.

  The bell chimes on the door, signaling new arrivals. I grab a tray of treats and walk over to greet the sweet-looking tween dressed as Luna Lovegood smiling shyly next to her dad, or brother, or someone who isn't in costume and therefore doesn't warrant a glance or the slightest hint of my attention. Why on earth would someone come to a Harry Potter party without at least a shirt or a scarf or something?

  At least the girl went all out—from her radish earrings and funky glasses to the Quibbler clutched in one of her hands.

  I hand the girl a cookie shaped like a Sorting Hat. "Would you like to play a game? We have one going that needs more players."

  She nods, so I lead her over to the rousing game of trivia happening in the non-fiction section.

  After making sure the girl is welcomed into the game, I finally turn with an internal sigh to the guy who brought her, to offer him a glass of butterbeer while he waits. My eyes travel up, up, up, over way too many muscles to meet a startling blue pair smiling down at me from the face of a chiseled god. Sweet merciful mermen. He's as huge as Hagrid and even hotter than Oliver Wood.

  He dimples at me and Expelliarmus, I'm thoroughly disarmed.

  "Hello." His voice is deep and rumbly, and thankfully not British. If he had an accent I might actually swoon at his feet. Which would be incredibly embarrassing, not to mention inappropriate.

  I adjust my spectacles. "Hi."

  "I'm Zach." He holds out a massive hand.

  I slip my significantly smaller one into his. "I'm Tara."

  "You work here?" he asks as he leans against the end of a bookshelf, somehow graceful in his movements despite his huge size.

  I finger the snitch in my pocket, suddenly strangely nervous. "I own the place." I turn to the snack table set up behind the game table and swipe a glass of butterbeer for him.

  His brows shoot high on his forehead. "Wow. That's amazing. You look young for a business owner." I hope he does really mean young and not that I look too female to be a business owner.

  Why is it always such a surprise? "Thanks. I take it you aren't a huge fan?" Please don't say you liked the movies.

  He dimples up again and it's hot enough to almost make me miss his reply. And not care about his reply. "The books were amazing. This was last minute, so I didn't have time to find a costume." He points to Luna. "She's my little sister and I brought her out so my parents could have a little break."

  So cute! And sweet. Shit, this guy is trouble I don't have time for. "Who would you have dressed up as?" I ask, trying to find someplace to put my limbs. I try crossing my arms under my breasts, but that isn't comfortable. I settle for slipping them back into the pockets of my robe. My fingers itch to sink into his deep dimples. But that, too, would be incredibly inappropriate and embarrassing.

  His face screws up in thought for a moment before he answers. "Probably Viktor Krum. I always liked him."

  I wrinkle my nose. "Really? He was a bit of a...uh..." I trail off, not wanting to be rude.


  He flashes bright white teeth in a massive smile. "Idiot?"

  I giggle and shrug sheepishly. "Well, yes. I never understood Hermione always going for rather...dim guys."

  "Maybe she liked being the smartest one in the relationship."

  My brows rise. "I hadn't thought of that." A cheer comes from the table beside us and Luna gives Snape a high five. I hope someone is keeping up with the house points because I have certainly been slacking.

  Luna looks over at her brother and he gives her a wink and a thumbs up. A smile lights up her face and she turns back to the game.

  He turns back to me and the corner of his lips quirk. "You seem like an intelligent woman. Are you smarter than your boyfriend?"

  Hah. Smooth. "I'm usually smarter than my boyfriends, but I don't have one right now." I haven't had the time or met anyone who interested me in a long time.

  "Do you like being the smart one?" His gaze is intense. I've never had a guy focus on me so completely before. Especially someone I've just met.

  "I do. But I don't enjoy them being completely stupid either."

  Zach shakes his head sadly, smothering his amusement. "Poor Ron and Viktor. They just want love and here you are, wanting to rip it away from them. You aren't one of those who want Harry and Hermione together, are you?"

  I jerk back and scowl. "Oh, no. I will ship Harry and Ginny until the end. They were perfect for one another. She understood him and stood by him always." And that first kiss of theirs had made my teenage heart flutter.

  He shifts his position against the shelf. "I don't understand why everyone cares so much who Hermione ended up with. Why does she need a guy? Why couldn't she have used her huge brain and focused on her career and changing the world and that be enough?"

  I'm literally unable to speak for a long moment after his speech. It's like he reached into my mind and plucked my own thoughts from my head. I've ranted about the same thing a dozen times. I have to keep a tight hold on myself so I don't leap into his arms and make a complete ass of myself. Something a base part of me keeps being tempted into doing.

  His brows furrow as he frowns at me in concern. "You okay?"

  I shake myself out of my daydreams of ripping his clothes off him right here in the store. "What? Oh. Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry. I was checking the time. The Chamber of Secrets will be over soon and I need to get the next DVD in. And I should probably check on the other games and make sure we still have food. And that we're still filling the house cups." I force myself to shut up. I've started rambling again.

  After I take a deep breath, I continue, not wanting him to think I'm giving him the brush off. "But anyway, I agree completely with what you said about Hermione. Fandom loves to pair people up and they can get rabid. Not that I'm innocent of doing the same. Some pairings are just too perfect and screw anyone who disagrees."

  "So who's your OTP?"

  I raise a brow in surprise, not expecting him to know the fandom term for someone’s one true pairing.

  Zach laughs and points at Luna. "I have a twelve-year-old sister."

  I join in his humor. "Luna and Neville. They were so adorable and Luna is my favorite, and Neville got super freaking hot."

  He casts a soft smile over at his sister. "Luna's my favorite too."

  I smile at the adorable girl. All blonde wispy hair and the same blue eyes as her brother. "She makes a perfect Luna."

  "Yes, she does." A sad and wistful expression passes through his eyes, but it's gone in a flash.

  I bite my lip, not wanting to leave, but I'm the hostess and I do have to make sure everything is running smoothly. "I really should go check on things."

  He looks down at me. "She looks happy here, I'll go with you. I'd like to check the rest of the place out."

  I smile, pleased, and lead the way. He follows me over to Romance to check on the Pin the Scar on the Forehead game. A female Dumbledore has a Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her eyes and she pins the scar onto the spine of the book instead of the poster of Harry hanging on the wall. I wince at the hole certainly now in that book. Maybe I should make her buy it. The rest of the group roars with laughter.

  Zach hovers close to my back. So close the heat from his body sears me. If I turned around, I'd be in his arms. I clear my throat and step forward to put a little more distance between us.

  This game seems to being going well, so I make my way over to Fiction, getting there just in time as the credits start rolling. I exchange the DVDs, smiling at the cheers as the familiar whistling song fills the store.

  Zach smiles down at me. "Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite one."

  "Really?" I ask, surprised.

  He nods. "Yeah. What's yours?"

  I sigh. "The Order of the Phoenix." I brace myself for the usual reaction.

  His mouth gapes a little and I have the sudden urge to slide my finger in his mouth. Who am I tonight? Maybe I imbibed too liberally in the butterbeer. It's delicious and I don't make it nearly often enough.

  He studies me like I'm a painting he can't decipher the meaning of. "I've never met anyone who likes that one best."

  I sigh again, more audibly this time. "I know, I know. Everyone is always shocked or disgusted when I tell them."

  "Can I ask why?" he asks.

  Shrugging, I say, "It's hard to explain. I guess the emotions in that one are just so visceral and heartbreaking, it touched me more than the others. He's so isolated and alone and angry. Her writing in that one was just...stunning." My hands clasp in front of my chest. Just talking about it makes me want to curl up with it tonight and read it again for the hundredth time.

  He smiles down at me again, something I can't read swirling in the depths of his blue eyes.

  "What?" I frown up at him. Do I have chocolate on my face? Has my bun come undone? Are my spectacles crooked?

  His blue eyes darken and he visibly shakes himself. "Nothing. You're just cute when you talk about books with such passion."

  "Part of the job description. Sorry." I catch my bottom lip between my teeth. I've got to remember to stop myself from going on tangents when I meet new people.

  He takes a step closer, completely invading my space. "Don't apologize. I just said I like it."

  He's so close our chests brush against each other with each breath we take. The tension between us is strong, so strong it makes me light-headed. I break away from the spell his eyes trap me in, trying to remember what we're talking about. Right. Our favorite Harry books. "Why is Prisoner your favorite? Since you like Krum so much I assumed you'd like Goblet of Fire best."

  That same sad, wistful expression passes across his face again. "That's a strong second place, but I love Harry finally discovering a father figure. Losing a dad or mom is a horrible thing to go through and it was awesome seeing him get a second chance at family."

  Damn. Really, really good answer. He keeps getting hotter and hotter. "Until Rowling ruined all our dreams for that." Another death I can never forgive her for.

  He glares at me in pretend accusation. "Yeah. In your favorite book."

  I wince and laugh as I lead him to the back of the store where we have a game of Quidditch bean bag toss set up. Hufflepuff is kicking Ravenclaw's ass, which is disappointing. As a fellow Ravenclaw, I hoped we'd make a better showing, but so far we're losing the House Cup. Shameful. The snacks are low, so I go and grab a platter of chocolate frogs and a pitcher of pumpkin juice, setting it on a side table.

  The players thank me and descend on the table like a herd of starving hippogriffs.

  "Your fellow nerds aren't so great at Quidditch."

  My head jerks up so I can stare at him with wide eyes. "How'd you know I'm a Ravenclaw?"

  He scoffs. "Oh, come on. You own a bookstore and are brilliant. Of course you're a Ravenclaw."

  Laughing, I say, "Fair enough. I'm Ravenclaw enough to recognize a Gryffindor."

  He nods proudly. "Yup. As long as we don't end up like Harry and Cho, I'd say we're a good match." The teasing in hi
s voice is belied by the serious glint in his eyes. A glint that sends heat straight down to pool in my belly.

  If he doesn't stop I will actually swoon. British accent or not, he couldn't possibly be more adorable. I've never met a man who knows his Potter as well as I do. Especially such a gorgeous man.

  I should really check on the bathroom and make sure the "Chamber of Secrets has been opened" message on the mirror written in red lipstick hasn't gotten smudged, but I'm having too much fun talking to Zach, and it's not like I can bring him into the bathroom with me. Can I? No. Of course not. No. I cannot.

  He follows me while I check up on the other games and food and the front desk, asking questions about owning a bookstore, what my favorite book is. He's incredibly well read for someone who spends so much time on his muscles. I thought men like this were as mythical as centaurs. His questions are deep and probing, and he seems genuinely interested in my responses. He acts like he's never met anyone like me before, which is crazy because I'm pretty normal and boring.

  I even live above the business I own. My best friends are fictional characters and the most exciting social thing I do is book club. Maybe he finds me interesting because he's never met anyone with less of a life than me.

  But as he laughs heartily at something I say, my doubts and worries disappear.

  I'm fairly certain I'm in love. Or at least extreme attraction and lust. A beautiful man who knows his Harry Potter? Yes, please.

  He glances down at his watch and hefts a regretful sigh. "I have to get my sister home."

  I bite my lip and shift from foot to foot, staring at the tips of my witchy boots. "You could always come back later. All of us who work here and our friends like to break out the firewhisky once the public party wraps up and everyone goes home."

  "I'd love to. That sounds like fun."

  His words raise my head and I look at him with a grin to match his. He turns to go, but stops and spins back to face me, reaching out to take one of my hands. He tugs me behind a shelf and into his hard body. I gasp and trip over the skirts of my robe, but he keeps me steady.