It’s out! The latest hockey romance from BestSelling Reads author
Raine Thomas
“Where are we going?” Luke asked as he realized Vivian had marched him into a parking garage.
“I’m taking you home.”
He frowned and stopped walking. “I can’t just leave. I’m the one hosting the party. The team is waiting for me to get back.”
“They’re grown men. I suspect they’ll be happy to spend your money without you there ordering more rounds of shots.”
The words hit so close to the truth that it pissed him right off. He didn’t even register the added pressure she applied to his arm to get him moving again. He just matched his pace to hers, determined to redeem himself from the judgment in her tone.
“I wasn’t the one ordering the shots,” he argued. Even as he said the words, he realized they did nothing to help his case. “That wasn’t what this was about, anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter what it was about,” she snapped as they entered a stairwell and started climbing. “What matters is that you’ve just created a social media storm that I’m going to have to spend my evening quelling.”
“Or maybe The Ice Queen just needs to learn how to chill out.”
He felt her stiffen beside him and instantly regretted the words. She didn’t respond, opening the door on the second level and directing him out of the stairwell. Once they were back in the garage, she released his arm and looked up at him.
“I can’t afford to chill out, Mr. Landry,” she said. “Someone on the team has to be the responsible one.”
The words stung. Despite the fact that he had brought them on himself, his temper fired again. He followed her when she resumed walking.
“Look, I realize this night didn’t go the way I’d planned, but I had the best intentions.”
“That’s what they all say,” she muttered as they stopped beside a sleek, silver BMW Z4 convertible. She depressed a button on a small remote and the car’s lights flashed. “Get into the passenger seat.”
He ignored the order and followed her between the BMW and Ford F-150 beside it, giving her nowhere to go. Her eyes widened the slightest bit when he stopped less than a foot from her, but she didn’t retreat.
“I don’t appreciate you judging me,” he said in a low voice that still echoed in the quiet garage. “I’m trying my damndest to follow your dictates and earn the team’s respect.”
Her chin lifted. “Then perhaps you could find a way to do so that doesn’t involve public indecency.”
It was the chin lift that did him in. His hand went right to that chin and held it in place, keeping her face tipped towards his.
“If you ask me, Vivian, you could benefit from a little indecency yourself.”
Her lips parted just as he leaned down and captured her mouth with his. Whatever she’d been about to say transitioned into a soft moan that did more to arouse him than any of Regan’s efforts that evening.
She tasted divine.
He ignored the faint warnings of his still-sober inner voice and deepened the kiss. Their tongues met harmoniously. Magnetically.
Gloriously.
He wasn’t sure what he’d expected when he kissed her, but it wasn’t this. Before this moment, Vivian Price had been cold.
Stiff.
Forbidding.
Now she was warm…sweet…intoxicating.
When he finally found the willpower to part from her so they could catch their breath, their gazes met and held for a long beat. Then she blinked and seemed to realize she was clutching the front of his shirt. She abruptly released him and took a step back.
“Get into the passenger seat, Luke,” she repeated.
The tautly issued words splashed over him like a bucket of cold water. This time, he obeyed.
And realized he’d have much more to deal with the next day than just a bad hangover.
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A Heart So Cold
He’s a seasoned NHL veteran, a committed lifelong bachelor, and the newly named captain of the Atlanta Siege.
Luke Landry might not have expected to inherit The Siege’s captaincy, but now that he has, he’s vowed to give it his all. Of course, that was before he knew he’d have to work so closely with the team’s Director of Public Relations, a woman as formidable as they come.
Luke’s teammates see this as an opportunity too good to pass up. They’re sure that with a little … persuasion, the hard-nosed director will finally loosen up, and he’s just the guy for the job.
Looks like if he wants to earn their respect along with his new title, he’s going to have to take one for the team.
She’s known as The Queen of PR, The Ice Queen, and—her personal favorite—The Ball Breaker. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Vivian Price has made an excellent living out of keeping the players of the Atlanta Siege in line, and she’s not about to let the team’s rugged new captain change that. She might need his support to keep the players marching to her tune, but she’s not about to go easy on him, no matter how much charm he tosses her way.
Rules are meant to be followed, and her number one rule? No dating players.
It starts as a battle of wills between two ambitious co-workers. How it all ends will depend on who gives in to their undeniable attraction first.
Game on.
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Raine Thomas
is a multiple award-winning author of bestselling romance. Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, Raine has signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen. She’s a proud indie author who is living the dream.
Raine is a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning…two areas that intersect far more than one would think. Her years working with children and young adults with emotional and behavioral challenges inspired her to create protagonists who overcome their own conflicts. When she isn’t writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.
Raine loves to hear from readers! You can connect with her on her:
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