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.
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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 friendβ
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 angryβthey 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…
"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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