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.
Sign up for recreational adult programs now!
Class: How to Drive Him Crazy
Instructional program for women unexpectedly facing the
totally dishy guy from their past. Everyone welcome!
NHL coach Mark Diego's plan to spend his off-season
volunteering in his hometown goes awry when he learns that
not only is he coaching teenage girls, but that the program
is coordinated by energetic (and five feet two inches of
trouble) coordinator Rainey Saunders, his childhood friend—
and the woman he could never stand to see dating any other
guy….
When their tempers flare, Mark and Rainey discover their
fireworks don't just burn angry—they burn very, very hot!
But that'll just sweeten the victory. Because Mark always
plays to win. And with Rainey, he's planning on playing
very
dirty, too…
Excerpt
"All wet?" she asked.
His eyes heated, and something deep inside her quivered.
Damn, he still had the power. He smiled, and she narrowed
her eyes, daring him to go there, but his momma hadn't
raised a fool. "Different," he finally said. "You look
different."
Yes, she imagined she looked quite different than the
wide variety of gorgeous women she'd seen hanging off his
arm in all the magazines and blogs.
"It's good to see you," he said.
She wanted to believe that was true, but realized with
some horror that she'd actually leaned into him, drawn in
by that stupid magnetic charisma. But she was nothing if
not a pro at hiding embarrassment, and spreading her arms,
she gave him a hug, as if that'd been her intention all
along. Squeezing his big, warm, hard body close, she made
sure to spread the suds and water from her shirt to his as
much as possible. "It's good to see you as well," she said,
her mouth against his ear, her lips brushing the lobe.
He went still at the contact, then instead of trying to
pull free, merely folded her into his arms, trapping her
against him. And damn if her body didn't burst to life, as
if all this time it'd been just waiting for him to come
back.
"Yeah, you're different," he murmured, doing as she had,
pressing his mouth to her ear, giving her a shiver. "The
little kitten grew up and got claws."
When she choked out a laugh, he closed his teeth over
her earlobe.
She gasped, but then he soothed the ache with a quick
touch of his tongue, yanking another shocked gasp from
her. "You said you were looking for Rick," she managed,
shoving free. "He's in his office." And then, with as much
dignity as she could manage, she walked off, sneakers
squeaking, water dripping off her nose, and, she suspected,
her shorts revealing a horrible, water-soaked induced
wedgie.
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