Only Between Us by Ellie K Wilde (EXCERPT)

Hello, readers! I have a treat for you today especially if you, like me, could use a little more romance in your lives. I’m so pleased to be able to offer you an excerpt from Ellie K Wilde’s latest novel Only Between Us, a highly-anticipated, steamy and whip-smart romance set in the world of Oakwood Bay!

When a selfie of former pro footballer Brooks Attwood and fan-favorite ex-WAG Siena Pippen goes viral, the tabloids mistakenly crown them football’s newest “It” couple. After the nightmare of being with her ex tho, Siena has no interest in returning to that world. Her struggling family business, on the other hand, sure could use the publicity.

Brooks, meanwhile, is trying to get back on the Rebels, the only team he’s ever wanted, after finally recovering from an injury that nearly ended his career. His professional reputation has taken a huge hit tho, after photos from his last break-up bender were leaked. But when the NFL starts believing that he and Siena are together, with the implication that she’s essentially housebroken him, teams start clamoring for his attention.

And so Siena and Brooks agree to put aside their differences and cook up a mutually beneficial scheme. They’ll pretend to be madly in love for as long as the media circus around them helps Siena’s business and Brooks’ impending comeback with his dream NFL team. Trouble is, the longer they pretend, the less fake their fauxmance begins to feel, and the more difficult it becomes to fight their growing feelings for each other…

Read on for a saucy excerpt from Siena and Brooks’ meet cute!

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I hand Shy my phone and shake out my shoulders and the heavy weight of grief off my chest. Gussy up my hair for the picture, straighten the straps of my overalls.

Ignore the sudden commotion on the field behind me.

“Hey—hey—watch your head, lady—”

Shy’s eyes go wide, tracing a trajectory in the sky behind me. She drops my phone and shields Rosie with her body just as something painfully solid smashes into me, knocks the wind out of me. Sends me careening forward. Flailing my arms to break my fall, keep from smashing my face on the field beneath me.

I land on the ground with a shocked yelp. Face down, overalled ass up. And the wrecking ball that just did its best to obliterate me lands behind me.

Or rather, he landed draped over me, in a melee of muscled arms wrapped around my waist to catch me. Break my fall as though the damage hadn’t already been done. A thud of thick, solid thighs hits the backs of mine, and the juncture of bent-over hips slaps into my ass in a way I’d very much appreciate if I hadn’t just nearly swallowed a mouthful of grass.

All things considered—and by all things, I mean the stinging pain in my elbows and knees—this isn’t so bad.

Mr. Wrecking Ball may need to brush up on his knight in shining armor skills, but he smells like a delicious mix of heady pine and clean man-sweat. His body certainly feels like the impressive product of the aforementioned man-sweat, all hard and strong behind me.

Really, this isn’t so bad at all.

His arms clench around me, lifting me with perfect ease to allow me to plant my hands underneath me. He dips his head, peering over my shoulder—trying to make eye contact I’m frankly unready to return given the way he’s still cuddling me doggy-style on this well-attended football field.

“You all right?”

I clear my throat. “I definitely didn’t expect to get trampled close to death today, but there are much worse ways to die.”

Flash.

Our heads snap up.

Shy peers over my phone with as close to a shit-eating grin as I’ve ever seen on her. “Now, this is one hell of a picture.”

Mr. Wrecking Ball peels himself off me and scrambles to his feet. Sitting back on my heels, I’m struck by the length of this man’s shadow. He’s a giant.

“I am so sorry.” He steps around me as I brush the grass off my overalls.

What do you know? Mr. Wrecking Ball happens to be the grace, agility, and glutes I watched catch that football a minute ago.

Up close, I see he’s much more than a backside and athleticism. He’s high, sharp cheekbones and a perfect jawline. A full mouth. Wavy dark hair, a little floppy on top, and an intriguing scar slashing across his left cheekbone. Full tattoo sleeves along both arms. He’s deep, earnest brown eyes that belong around your mother’s dinner table at Thanksgiving, as he regales the family with wholesome stories of cat rescues and road-side cleanups.

Then the corner of his mouth stretches in a smile and . . . no. I was wrong. This isn’t a nice boy you simply bring home to Mom. This is a man who charms the pants off your parents, opens the car door for you after dinner, and drives you to a dark corner of a nearby parking lot to fuck you lights-out in the back seat, because he couldn’t wait ’til you got home.

Also, he looks incredibly familiar.

“I hope you’re okay.” He holds out a hand to help me up with an impressively fretful furrow to his brow. Once I’m on my feet he reaches for me again, eyeing my grass-stained front. As though he means to brush me down but then thinks better of touching a strange woman in the breast area.

What a shame.

“Totally fine.” I wipe off my overalls. “Can’t say the same for my knees tomorrow, but who hasn’t woken up a little banged up after a doggy-style tryst on the ground?”

The man chuckles almost uncertainly. Like he wants to laugh but can’t decide whether it’s particularly gentlemanly to laugh at a joke like that. His gaze drifts to Shy, as though seeking her permission.

Where the hell have I seen him before? The face, that build . . . I’m positive that I know him.

He seems to relax when Shy offers her own laugh and hands me my phone. “Here, I assume the photo shoot’s over.”

“Daddy.” Rosie throws out her arms toward the man.

“Not Daddy.” Shy kisses the top of Rosie’s head and shoots Mr. Wrecking Ball an apologetic look.

“She’s very sweet.” He waves at Rosie. Then he zeroes in on my phone, and there’s definitely no trace left of that amusement. “Hey . . . I know this is probably a weird thing to ask, but is there any chance you can delete that picture?”

I swipe at my phone, bringing up the photo in question. There I am on all fours, pink in the face, hair disheveled, with this beautiful man plastered on top of me. And we look good together.

I turn the screen around, letting him have a look. “Are you sure you don’t want me to send you a copy instead? This is definitely plaster above your bed material.”

He peers at the screen one long moment, and I certainly don’t miss the twitch at his jaw as he stares at us all tangled up. Nor the way his eyes find me beyond my phone, taking me in like it’s the first time he’s seeing me properly.

He clears his throat, gaze cutting to Shy before settling back on me. “It’s not really a good time for me to be seen having a public . . . What was it? ‘Doggy-style tryst on the ground’?”

“Oh, now I’m intrigued. You’re saying there’s usually a good time for it?”

His lips twitch. “You’d be doing me a favor. If you deleted the picture.”

My thumb moves over my screen. “There. All gone.”

“Thanks.” He pushes the hair off his forehead a little uncertainly and holds my gaze, doing his very best to hypnotize me with the deep brown of his eyes and that hint of a smile. It might have worked, had I not been too busy trying to place him.

Shy hikes Rosie up her hip. “Cee, maybe we should ”

She indicates the opening under the stands we’d snuck out from. Because we’re not supposed to be here, and we’re definitely not supposed to be drawing attention to ourselves.

“Right. Well, it was nice to meet you. Sort of.” I hook an arm around Shy and start leading us back to the exit, but the man catches up quickly.

“What brings you out here, anyway? The school only gives special permission if you’re working with one of their trainers.” Shy and I double our steps. Mr. Wrecking Ball tucks his hands into the pockets of his black athletic shorts. He’s keeping pace with us, and without looking I can tell he keeps shooting sidelong glances my way. “By the awkward silence, I’ll assume this isn’t exactly sanctioned?”

“Of course it is.” I don’t slow down in the slightest. “We’re upstanding citizens, me and Shy. Rosie especially. And I resent the accusation.”

“She’s an alum,” Shy adds. “Helping out the Huskies with . . . you know. Their social media. Hence the photo shoot you ruined.”

“Exactly.” I suck in my cheeks to keep from laughing, patting Shy’s arm as we move around a set of orange pylons on the field. “We’ll get ’em next time, when the mean man isn’t here to run me over.”

“The Huskies’ social media, huh?”

The edge in his voice tells me he didn’t buy that for a second. Also, that he’s willing to make us pay for it.

Mr. Wrecking Ball cuts us off, coming to a stop in front of us, forcing us still. He shoots a quick grin at Shy. Or rather, at the overload of cuteness in her arms.

He isn’t wearing UOB-issued clothing, so maybe he doesn’t work here. His friend is, though. The guy with the light brown hair and curious frown making his way over to us now.

Shit.

I’m going to get a two-year-old imprisoned. Her mother will kill me.

Mr. Wrecking Ball settles an amused gaze on me. “I’ll tell you what. You need a good shot of the field for the Huskies? I know where to get you one.”

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From Only Between Us by Ellie K Wilde. Copyright © 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission.

Only Between Us by Ellie K Wilde was published today July 8 2025 by Atria Books and is available from all good booksellers, including