Never have you met a man more adverse to commitment than Mark Diego. Unfortunately for Rainey she has held rather steadfastly to a crush on this man from the time she was sixteen and foolish. Foolish mixed with puppy love is a dangerous combination and acting on them is the stuff nightmares are made of. Rainey has lived with this image of making a fool of herself in an attempt to attract Mark so many years ago. But now Mark has returned for a short visit to town and once again Rainey is forced to not only see Mark but spend a rather large amount of time with him as he coaches a bunch of teenage girls at her recreation center. As coach of a professional hockey team Mark is using the recent devastation of his hometown as a means to teach two of his players a lesson in using good judgment. They have been sentenced to several weeks of hard work helping members of the community rebuild their lives and homes. Hopefully they will come away with some reality checks as well. Strangely enough that also applies to Mark. He views himself as a man whose career hampers any kind of commitment that requires settling down and so he has carefully remained detached from any women whose paths have crossed his as he and his team crisscross the county.

The air practically sizzles each time Mark and Rainey are together which makes Rainey increasingly uncomfortable with her inability to say no and mean it. She loves the time they are together beginning to realize how protected Mark makes her feel. That is usually her role -- the protector -- but she has to admit there is something to say about having someone care enough about your well being. She knows Mark cares on some level but eventually she comes to understand that even that isn't enough to satisfy her for the long term. With Mark there is no long term -- he has been very upfront about that and Rainey is doing her best to enjoy their time together. No denying the fact that together they produce enough combustion to heat up the sheets but eventually there has to be more or even that will be fruitless. Knowing she has to be careful to protect her heart Rainey has to carefully distance herself. But the more barriers she erects the more Mark pushes aside in his need to be with this woman who somehow breached his plans. Men you can't live with them and you can't live without them.

Jill Shalvis knows how to develop relationships that seem to defy logic and carefully push them to a satisfying conclusion. Nothing like watching a good woman bring a man to his knees -- figuratively and literally. TIME OUT is truly an enjoyable read.