Too
Hot to Handle
The Boys of Summer # 2
By:
Katie Rose
Releasing
January 27th,
2015
Loveswept
Katie
Rose’s Boys of Summer series returns for a delicious
double-header—with the story of total opposites who are drawn to
each other like moths to a flame.
Nikki
Case is no fan of baseball. Her ex gambled away a fortune on the
sport, and now her PR firm has tasked her with cleaning up the
league’s most notorious bad boys. The New Jersey Sonics are known
for wild womanizing and booze-fueled brawls, so Nikki expects the
worst. Her first stop in the battle to win hearts and minds is star
hitter Jake Baldwin—a legendary ladies man so smokin’ he
threatens to melt her tough-girl armor.
Although
his teammates prank her without mercy, Jake admires the way Nikki
gives as good as she gets. She may be the queen of frost, but there’s
kindling beneath those sultry curves—and he’s just the man to
ignite it. But when a PR nightmare lands the Sonics in headlines
across the country, Nikki is ready to walk. Only then does Jake
realize how important she is to the Sonics’ success—and that
winning the love of a good woman is no game.
EXCERPT 5
“We are going to start with your appearance. Beginning tomorrow, I want to see everyone’s hair cut, nails trimmed, and all of you wearing clean uniforms.” She looked pointedly at Chase’s grass-stained trousers. “No more beards or mustaches. No ink. Like the Yankees, we’re here to project a picture of ourselves as the All-American team. And if you have tattoos and don’t want to have them removed, you’re going to have to wear long-sleeved shirts.”
“What?” It was out of Chase’s mouth immediately. He and Ryan exchanged another disbelieving glance. “For Christ’s sake, we’re playing ball here. Not serving cocktails at the Ritz-Carlton.”
A handful of players laughed, but Ryan wisely kept his thoughts to himself. Pete cracked his gum, and then met Chase’s stare with a firm one of his own.
“You’re dismissed for today.”
When Chase’s mouth dropped, Pete looked at the rest of the players. “Anyone else?”
The silence was deafening. The players were positively stunned to see their star pitcher tossed out of the game like a misbehaving kindergartner. Chase stormed off the field while the head coach signaled to Jimmy Reilly. As the backup pitcher jogged onto the mound, Pete glanced at the men.
“Where’s Jake?” The head coach looked to the catcher.
“Not here yet.” Cody kept his tone respectful.
“Tell him he’s benched when he shows up. That is something else that’s going to change. No more missing practice, no more lateness, no more lackadaisical play. All of you, each and every one of you, better be prepared to give it your all or find another game.” Pete turned on his heel and walked out of the blazing sunlight into the shaded dugout.
Jake sauntered into the dugout an hour later, arriving fashionably late. He didn’t bother to even try to conceal his fatigue as he joined his teammates on the bench, stretching out his legs to watch the warm-up.
“Tough night?” Brian McCauley asked, rubbing the dirt off his hands onto his pants.
“Yep.” Jake tried to speak mid-yawn. “Met a hot girl in Tampa. Had more stamina than I would’ve given her credit for.” His eyes twinkled at the memory.
“Must be nice to get any girl you want anytime you want,” Brian said enviously, twisting the wedding ring that suddenly seemed to dig into his finger.
“I wouldn’t say I could get any girl,” Jake drawled, obviously pleased with himself. “Just the ones I go after.”
Award-winning
historical author Katie Rose makes her contemporary debut with the
Boys of Summer novels, Bring on the Heat and Too Hot to Handle, which
combine Katie’s true loves: baseball and romance! When not watching
baseball, Katie is at her lake house in New Jersey, hard at work on
her next book.
Rafflecopter Giveaway ($25.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Seller, Loveswept Mug and Romance at Random Nail Polish)
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