Meet Jase Spencer.
He’s just your everyday kinda guy, a hard-
partying, hard-living professional hockey player. Nothin’ special.
Good-looking and ripped, the man has moves, on and off the ice. But,
he’s also jaded and alone, and tired of living out of suitcases.
For as long as he can remember, hockey has ruled his life. He’s chased
pucks across more than a dozen countries, and had his pick of women in
any town he visits.
Then he met HER. And now, he’s about to turn his life upside down
because of HER. Because he can’t get the one night of passion he shared
with a smokin’ hot biker babe out of his head. Unfortunately, DeeDee
wasn’t interested in anything long term, and she’s gone before he’s
ready.
Life becomes complicated and difficult when Jase is traded to another
team, and as he tries to settle in his new hometown, everything seems to
conspire against him, determined to go wrong.
Dancing around their mutual attraction, one day he and DeeDee find
themselves face-to-face and body-to-body, but will they be able to set
aside their past pain and focus on the future they could make together?
Can he make her reconsider her relationship fears and trust him?
Jase is on a mission to show her what they have together is worth
fighting for, to convince her to take a chance on him. His attempts will
bring him squarely into the path of a motorcycle club, earning him the
attention of Mason, president of the Rebel Wayfarers MC.
Jase says, “Bring it on.”
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. – Wayne Gretzky
From chapter 10, Broken things
“DeeDee, wait,” he called as he ran
to catch up with her, settling into a fast walk beside her as they moved
across the lot towards fan parking in the front. “Wait,” he said again,
reaching out a hand to touch her arm. She stopped so suddenly he
stumbled and had to turn around, having passed her with his long,
hurried strides.
“Hey,” he said softly. Looking into
her face, he saw the glint of tears on her lashes and his heart
clenched. Blinking furiously, she swallowed and lifted her chin, meeting
his gaze straight on.
“Hi, Jase,” she said cheerfully, as if she hadn’t just been about to cry.
He took a long look, drinking his
fill of her. He hadn’t seen her in six weeks. Six long weeks, and Jase
saw she had lost back the little bit of weight she gained when they were
together. He thought she looked too skinny again, beginning to lose the
soft curves he loved. Arms crossed over her chest, she had her fingers
tightly wrapped around her biceps, the tension in her hands giving lie
to the smile on her face. He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek and she
stepped back, out of reach, her reaction twisting his heart in his chest
again. What? She can’t even stand my hands on her now?
“You came to the game?” He didn’t
know what else to say, what to ask. He knew what he wanted: he wanted
her to come home with him, let him wrap her up…let him love her. His
mouth was full of those words, his tongue frozen with fear. God, just having her this close was good, and he didn’t want to do anything to send her running again.
“Yeah, the radio station gave me
some tickets for advertising the club.” Smiling politely, she took
another step back and to the side, trying to shift around him but he
moved with her.
“Oh, promo tickets. Nice. Were they decent seats?” Doesn’t she know I’d get her tickets to every game if she wanted? He
should do that anyway, have them at the ticket office for every home
game. That way he would know by looking if she was in the arena.
“Yeah, on the glass behind home net. You played a lot.” The first hint of a real smile crossed her face. “You look good.”
“The team seems to suit me,” he agreed. “You look good too, baby.” Crap, he thought when he saw her flinch as if slapped when the endearment slipped out. Don’t do that again, man.
“It’s good to see you, Jase,” she
said, stepping back again. Clearly preparing to leave, she shifted
further around him and he turned to track her movements.
“DeeDee,” he was frantic now to keep her talking, keep her here…keep her. Casting around for a topic, he latched onto the most recent thing he knew had happened in her life. “How’s Ruby?” There, look at that; her real smile is back. He relaxed minutely. I picked a good topic.
“She’s good. Seems recovered from
everything. Things could have gone a different way, so we’re all glad
she’s better.” Her gaze dipped then rose again, “Slate loves her.”
“Yeah, he does, eh?” He smiled, thinking about how crazy Slate was for Ruby. “It’s still a good thing between them, eh?”
She laughed, and his breath caught
in his throat at the sound, bright, clear, and mirthful, so…her. “Well,
Ruby’s happy, and that’s all I care about. I love seeing her smile
again. You don’t know what she was like before the accident, but this is
as close to that as she’s been for years.” She looked wistful, and Jase
was thrown off balance that he hadn’t been with her to see all of this
as it happened. He would love to be there every day. His heart twisted
again and he frowned, thinking, I do still love her. I love her.
“So, how’s work?” Yeah, you’re officially floundering for conversation starters now. Next would be the weather. He groaned silently.
“Work is about the same.” She
flashed him a grin. “Mercy asks about you sometimes. Said you were the
shyest guy she had ever seen in a strip club. I have a new girl
auditioning in a couple of weeks; she’s coming up from Florida. It’s
nice. Really nice, because, for a change, everything is running
smoothly, which kinda makes me want to find some wood to knock on so I
don’t jinx myself.”
“Mercy’s a jackass,” he grumbled,
grinning. Leaning over, he offered his head. “Here’s my thick head; you
can knock on that. It’s as good as wooden.” He held the pose, looking
down to watch her legs and feet, and he saw them angle as she leaned
forward a second before her hand settled on his head. Her fingers
delicately threaded through his hair to the back of his neck, tracing
the skin there softly. Then he lost the heat of her hand as she made a
fist and gently rapped her knuckles on top of his head.
Straightening slowly, he caught a
look of pain on her face before she smoothed it away, plastering that
damn fake smile back on. “There you go,” he said softly. “Crisis
averted. You are officially un-jinxed.” Her smile faded, and an
uncertain look took its place, making her look open and vulnerable. She
opened her mouth to say something, when the loud clicking of heels came
from across the lot behind him. Her eyes darted over his shoulder, and
with a slam he could almost hear, the shutters drew across her features
again.
“I have to go. It was good to see you, Jase.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
REVIEW:
Jase and Dee Dee's story was not complicated but Jase had to work hard for Dee Dee. Jase loved Dee the first time he saw her and found out about her situation. It was the worst thing that could have happened to her and her club was there for her.
Dee Dee wasn't an official member of the club but her husband was. When things took a turn for the worst, the club stepped in and took Dee Dee as their own. They protected her and took care of her to the fullest. Dee Dee was lost without the MC. They were all she knew and she loved them.
When Dee Dee and Jase finally get together, she pulls away and doesn't give herself completely. Dee Dee stills feels obligated to her husband. She's afraid of the age difference and so many other things. With the help of the club she is able to open herself up freely to Jase.
This story was beautiful. The characters had to work for each other and meet in the middle. Understanding, love and commitment would be the top words for me to describe this story!!!
Raised
in the south, MariaLisa learned about the magic of books at an early
age. Every summer, she would spend hours in the local library, devouring
books of every genre. Self-described as a book-a-holic, she says “I’ve
always loved to read, but then I discovered writing, and found I adored
that, too. For reading … if nothing else is available, I’ve been known
to read the back of the cereal box.” She still reads voraciously, and
always has a few books going in paperback, hardback, on devices, on
napkins!
Oatmeal is her comfort food. She hates gardening but loves flowers; not cut arrangements, but in the wild, outside. She has a deep and abiding respect for our military. Her dad was career Air Force, and flew during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Korean Conflict and Vietnam War. Parades make her cry. Walking Dead is about the only TV she watches anymore, don’t bother her on Walking Dead night, when she’s been known to shout, “Go Team Darryl!” Yes, she’s still sad about Firefly.
She’s a hockey fan, like … a serious hockey fan. She’s loyal to the Edmonton Oilers, but asks that we don’t judge her about that. She also likes the Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators. The local ECHL team, the Fort Wayne Komets, are a fav of hers, and she has season tickets. She’ll also generally try to hit the road games within a hundred-mile radius.
She’s a wanna-be hiker, working on a “bucket list” of hikes like Knobstone (completed in four days mid-April 2014 – whoooo!), sectioning parts of the AT (51 miles in Georgia in early-May 2014), and now and then looking west towards PCT.
She embraces her inner geek; MariaLisa has been working in the tech field for a couple decades. A sometime PC gamer, she still plays EverQuest after all these years. She says, “What can I say, I’m loyal (see above, I’m an Oilers fan LOL). Yes, I’ve heard of WoW, and have a coupla toons there, too.”
On music, she says, “I love music of nearly any kind—jazz, country, rock, alt rock, metal, classical, bluegrass, rap, gangstergrass, hip hop—you name the type, I probably listen to it. I can often be seen dancing through the house in the early mornings. But what I really, REALLY love is live music. My favorite way to experience live music is seeing bands in small, dive bars [read: small, intimate venues]. If said bar [venue] has a good selection of premium tequila, then that’s a definite plus!”
Oatmeal is her comfort food. She hates gardening but loves flowers; not cut arrangements, but in the wild, outside. She has a deep and abiding respect for our military. Her dad was career Air Force, and flew during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Korean Conflict and Vietnam War. Parades make her cry. Walking Dead is about the only TV she watches anymore, don’t bother her on Walking Dead night, when she’s been known to shout, “Go Team Darryl!” Yes, she’s still sad about Firefly.
She’s a hockey fan, like … a serious hockey fan. She’s loyal to the Edmonton Oilers, but asks that we don’t judge her about that. She also likes the Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators. The local ECHL team, the Fort Wayne Komets, are a fav of hers, and she has season tickets. She’ll also generally try to hit the road games within a hundred-mile radius.
She’s a wanna-be hiker, working on a “bucket list” of hikes like Knobstone (completed in four days mid-April 2014 – whoooo!), sectioning parts of the AT (51 miles in Georgia in early-May 2014), and now and then looking west towards PCT.
She embraces her inner geek; MariaLisa has been working in the tech field for a couple decades. A sometime PC gamer, she still plays EverQuest after all these years. She says, “What can I say, I’m loyal (see above, I’m an Oilers fan LOL). Yes, I’ve heard of WoW, and have a coupla toons there, too.”
On music, she says, “I love music of nearly any kind—jazz, country, rock, alt rock, metal, classical, bluegrass, rap, gangstergrass, hip hop—you name the type, I probably listen to it. I can often be seen dancing through the house in the early mornings. But what I really, REALLY love is live music. My favorite way to experience live music is seeing bands in small, dive bars [read: small, intimate venues]. If said bar [venue] has a good selection of premium tequila, then that’s a definite plus!”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.