He was categorically good to the core. That’s why she loved him, even though she knew he’d probably never love her back, never want the home and family she longed for. That’s why she had to help him find his way back to his dream.
A lump rose in her throat as her gaze slid over him once more. Lines of fatigue were etched around those unusual blue-green eyes--the shade of a clear sea--and his perpetually smiling mouth seemed weary of the forced grin. Rather than keep the high and tight military hair style, Adam had let his messy bronze curls grow out over the past few months so that he more resembled the boy she’d known.
He’d always been particularly vain when it came to his hair--and with good reason. It was truly his crowning glory. He’d once told her that getting a military cut almost made him think twice about joining the Army. She doubted that, but she’d shed a few tears for those gorgeous curls all the same. Ridiculous, she thought now, to have cried over his hair when he’d sacrificed something so much more permanent.
“So...was there a reason you dropped by? Into my bedroom?” he asked, his lips sliding into a significant smile. A hum of electricity thrummed between them and she momentarily lost her breath. Funny, Winnie thought. She almost imagined that he could feel it too. The way his gaze lingered along her throat...
Nah, she told herself. Wishful thinking. Just like the night he’d left last year when she could have sworn that she’d felt a change in the way his arms tightened around her. It was just a product of her ridiculous one-sided attraction. Besides, this was her opportunity.
Winnie blinked and tried to focus. “Actually, I was going to see if you could help me out. But don’t worry about it.” She waved a dismissive hand. “I can see that you’re not up for it.” She stood. “Maybe Mark Holbrook can--“
Adam grabbed her hand, jerked her back down onto the bed with a speed that startled her. His eyebrows formed a hard line. “Shouldn’t you ask me first before you get a replacement?”
His fingers twined unexpectedly through hers and the sensation was so bittersweet she struggled to focus. His hand was big and warm, calloused and curiously soft. It utterly engulfed hers and the sensation left her feeling protected. Safe.
She frowned, determined to play her role correctly as his thumb distractingly rubbed the inside of her wrist. “But you just said you’d rather be alone. I don’t want to interfere--“
He sighed wearily. “What do you need, Winnie?”
You, she thought, her breasts tingling. Just you. Now. Here.
She swallowed the insane urge to laugh. “I’m coaching a girl’s softball team--eleven and twelve year-olds. Unfortunately, my assistant coach pulled a muscle in her back during batting practice. There are three games left in the season and I could really use another pair of hands.”
Because he was frighteningly intelligent--a brilliant strategist, from what she’d heard--he merely stared at her. “And there isn’t a parent available?”
Winnie conjured a tragic sigh. “Clearly you’ve never navigated the political environment of girl’s softball. If I ask a parent, then I’m going to be accused of playing favorites. It’s just easier to get outside help.” She shrugged, feigning unconcern, and started to stand again. “Seriously, it’s not a big deal. I can ask someone else. Mark has been quite keen
to--“
He pulled her down again, this time with a little more force, which sent her tumbling back onto him. Winnie landed against his chest, her lips a mere inch from the intriguing hollow of his collarbone. She was suddenly hit with the almost uncontrollable urge to lick that indentation, to taste his smooth, hot skin. Desire bolted through her, making her breath come too fast, her belly quiver. She gasped and her gaze slowly traveled along his neck, past the sharp angle of his masculine jaw. God, how she longed--literally ached--to trace his face with her fingers, to feel the rasp of stubble abrade her hands.
Her gaze finally bumped into his and the answering heat and confusion she saw there momentarily knocked the breath out of her. He blinked, dispelling the illusion, leaving her disoriented. Feeling a blush race to her hairline, she righted herself and, hands trembling, straightened her shirt.
“Mark Holbrook doesn’t know one end of the bat from the other,” he said, his voice irritated, but not altogether steady. “Surely you can do better than that.”
Funny, Winnie thought. He almost looked...jealous. Another trick of her lust-ridden mind. He wouldn’t be jealous on her account. He was only annoyed at the implied competition. She’d counted on that. It was the cornerstone of her goad-him-into-better-health plan.
Besides, Adam had always hated Mark Holbrook. Mark had an over-inflated opinion of his own intelligence, wit and skill. In truth, Mark was a self-important jackass, but Winnie wasn’t above using Adam’s intense dislike of Mark to her own advantage.
She arched a brow and glared at him. “I’ve been trying to get someone better,” she said pointedly, her lips twisting into a smile. “But I’m not having much luck.”
But from the speculative look in his eye, Winnie suspected her luck was about to change. She resisted the swell of hope that expanded in her chest, but couldn’t quite fully tamp it down.
She released a small expectant breath. “So, what do you say, Coach? Will you help me?”
ABOUT RHONDA RUSSELL
A New York Times best-selling author, two-time RITA nominee, Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee, and National Readers' Choice Award Winner Rhonda Russell writes hot romantic comedy for Harlequin Books and Firefly Press, her indie press. With more than forty-five published books to her credit and many more coming down the pike, she's thrilled with her career and enjoys dreaming up her characters and manipulating the worlds they live in.
Rhonda previously wrote as Rhonda Nelson, but getting married necessitated a name change. She and her husband (aka The Sweetest Badass in the World) and their menagerie of pets happily make their home on a 166-acre farm in the middle of nowhere in a small town in Northern Alabama near the banks of the Tennessee River. If you’d like to see videos of baby ducks, spoiled turkeys who like to ride in the car, guineas who think they’re turkeys, then be sure to check her out Facebook Page Author Rhonda Russell.
More from Rhonda Russell
Men Out of Uniform Series
The Player, #1
Major Perfect, #2
The Maverick, #3
The Loner, #4
The Hell-Raiser, #5
Letters From Home, #6
The Soldier, #7
The Rebel, #8
4-Book Romance Omnibus
Love You More
Bless Her Heart Series
The Future Widows' Club, #1
Disenchanted: A Witchy Business Novella
Table of Contents
The Player
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
EPILOGUE
MAJOR PERFECT - Sneak Peek!
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
ABOUT RHONDA RUSSELL
Major Perfect
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
EPILOGUE
THE MAVERICK - Sneak Peek!
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
ABOUT RHONDA RUSSELL
The Maverick
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
EPILOGUE
THE LONER - Sneak Peek!
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
ABOUT RHONDA RUSSELL
The Loner
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
EPILOGUE
THE HELL-RAISER - Sneak Peek!
CHAPTER 1
ABOUT RHONDA RUSSELL
The Hell-Raiser
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
EPILOGUE
LETTERS FROM HOME - Sneak Peek!
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
ABOUT RHONDA RUSSELL
Letters From Home
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
EPILOGUE
THE SOLDIER - SNEAK PEEK!
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
ABOUT RHONDA RUSSELL
Men Out of Uniform: 6 Book Omnibus Page 97