This Is My Brain On Deadline…

So I’m on deadline, barreling toward the finish line on MELTING THE ICE, Book 7 in the Play by Play series. And since I’m on deadline, I tend to forget to do things. Like blogging. I just wanted to let you know I’m still alive here, but working. So I’ll be semi-invisible for a while.

And hey, THROWN BY A CURVE releases in less than two weeks! So how about a little teaser?

“You have to forgive my friends,” Garrett said as they headed up to the room. “Actually, don’t forgive them. They’re pricks.”

She laughed. “They’re fun.”

“Yeah, they are. And you’ve been great about it. I appreciate it.”

“It was no problem. I’ve enjoyed it.” She slid her key card in the slot to her room. “I’ll just grab the heating pad and some lotion, and I’ll be right in.”

“Okay.”

She changed into more comfortable clothes, piled up her stuff, then knocked on his adjoining door. He opened it, already in his sweats and naked from the waist up, which again caused that jolt of awareness she tried not to be so—aware of, but the female part of her was finding it harder and harder to disengage.

“You all get along so well. Was it always like that?” she asked as they waited for the heating pad to do its job.

Garrett laughed as he settled in against the headboard and pillows. “No. Not always. Young guys with hard heads and a lot of testosterone. You can imagine what rooming with those knuckleheads was like the first year. It took us awhile to find our footing.”

“I can imagine. But you’re such good friends now, so you obviously found a way.”

“Yeah, eventually. It was pretty much sink or swim when you have to live together. So we had to learn to . . . live together.”

“Oh, I don’t know. You were all away from home with no one to depend on but each other. It probably didn’t take long for the four of you to bond.”

He looked at her. “You have a pretty keen insight for someone who wasn’t there.”

She shrugged. “I went to college, too, you know. I had the same experience. College life is like being dumped on an alien planet. You feel so alone, and the first thing you do is grab onto whatever lifelines you can. For me, it was my roommate. We stuck together through those first lonely months and became good friends. We’re still friends today. I imagine it’s the same for you and your guys. The fact you all played sports gave you even more of a common reference and glued you closer together.”

He nodded. “I guess you’re right about that. I never would have made it through that first year without the guys.”

Alicia took the heating pad off and stretched Garrett. “I know. It’s amazing how much those relationships change us.”

She dug into his shoulder, watching his face for any expression of pain. She caught the wince, so she dug harder in that spot to loosen up the scar tissue.

“You do that on purpose,” he said.

“What?”

“As soon as you know an area hurts, you hit it harder to cause me more pain.”

“Would I do that?”

“Hell, yes, you’d do that. I think you must get off on causing pain.”

She laughed. “Then I’m in the right profession, aren’t I?”

“Is sadism one of the job requirements?”

“Oh, definitely. I love knowing that I’m hurting you. It gets me off.”

He gave her a look. “Really?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, not really. Unfortunately, pain sometimes means progress. When I find a spot that I know is tight and I focus on that area, it means I’m working on breaking up scar tissue to loosen up your arm.”

“And here I thought you were getting some kind of sexual gratification out of all this torment.”

“Now that would be a nice perk of the job, wouldn’t it?” She gave him a wink and focused her attention on his workout.

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