In It to Win It
Authors: Morgan Kearns
| In It to Win It | |
| Morgan Kearns | |
| CreateSpace (2011) | |
| Rating: | **** |
Sportscaster ‘Plain Jane’ Alexander was a late bloomer. Back in the day, she blended into the background, content to watch from the sidelines while Grayson Pierce soaked up the spotlight. Content until he broke her heart. Bitter, hurt and angry Jane did the college thing, came out of her shell, and never looked back. Grayson loves baseball. It was his pastime in high school, his passion in college, and now … his career. However baseball isn’t the only thing in Grayson’s heart. The problem is that Grayson has the reputation as a bad-boy. He likes fast cars and loose women and expensive liquor. All things that make him deplorable in Jane’s eyes, throw in his hot and cold attitude and she is ready to scream. When the promise of an exclusive interview brings a very reluctant Jane to Grayson’s home, she realizes that not everything is as it appears. “Author Morgan Kearns does it again … IN IT TO WIN IT will fast become a ‘keeper book’ for any romance reader.” –Kari Thomas, author of Spell-Kissed
Former journalist Morgan Kearns is living the dream! One of her very favorite things is to meet new characters as they step out of her imagination, introduce themselves and keep her up all night telling their stories. Morgan lives in Northern Arizona with her wonderfully supportive husband and her four great kids—and her bulldog, Gus. Morgan loves to hear from her readers. She can be reached at www.MorganKearns.com.
Praises for MORGAN KEARNS:
“
Her writing is absolutely engrossing.” ~Kari Thomas,
Paranormal Romance Author
“
Morgan is a great story teller.” ~skyla11377 book reviews
Praises for FADE TO BLACK:
“…
a rollercoaster ride full of sensations.” ~Coffee Time Romance
“…
an amazingly powerful love story, one I will not soon forget.” ~Book Crazy
“…
a ‘couldn’t put the book down’ read.” ~To Read or Not to Read
Praises for IN IT TO WIN IT:
“…
a great and intriguing love story.” ~Kari Thomas
Paranormal Romance Author
“…
a sweet romance about love, pain and forgiveness.” ~Good Choice Reading
In It To Win It
is a work of fiction. The characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any similarities to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Published in the United States through:
Goodnight Publishing
www.GoodnightPublishing.com
Copyright © 2011 Morgan Kearns
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written consent of the author, except for brief quotations used in critical articles or reviews.
Cover art by Tricia Schmitt aka Pickyme
www.wix.com/pickyme/port
www.morgankearns.com
ISBN:
1-4609-2711-7
EAN13:
9781460927113
Visit www.MorganKearns.com to order additional copies.
His baseball cap was pulled down so low that his eyes barely showed from under the brim. His jeans should have been illegal, they were so tight, every muscle was visible as it flexed. And the Under Armour t-shirt fit him like a glove.
She swallowed. She would not drool.
Pathetic.
He tugged her to him and the towel pooled around her feet. He grinned, his dark eyes sparkling, and with large, muscular hands, he eased her against him, holding her close against his rock hard body. He smelled good; clean and male and … mouth-watering.
The corners of his mouth lifted and tiny lines appeared around his eyes. As if he needed any more help being sexy.
Being so close to Grayson brought back every insecurity she’d ever felt. And she’d never been so aroused.
To Grayson: When you first came and asked for your story to be told, I said I was too busy. I’m so glad you were persistent. Jane is a lucky girl!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A huge thanks to everyone who loved
Fade to Black
and asked when the next book would be in your hands. This is for you!
To Kathryn, Kim and Wanda, thank you!
To Tricia, thank you for a fantastic cover, girlfriend! I love it!
To Kari, I value your opinion. Thank you for being willing to offer it.
To Marva, thanks for telling me the truth, even if it’s hard to hear! The novel is better because of it.
To Terri, I appreciate your friendship and your willingness to read anything I write—and your completely honest opinion of it!
To Trish, I couldn’t ask for a better sister. Thanks for your two-cents, it’s worth so much more!
To my four children, thanks for letting Mommy write and for telling everyone you know that your mom writes books. I love you!
Finally, thank you to my husband. You are my cheerleader, my lover, my best friend. I appreciate all you do to let me live my dream! My heart belongs to you, forever and always.
In It
To
Win It
Morgan Kearns
1
G
RAYSON PIERCE WAS LARGER THAN LIFE—and annoying as hell.
The man had been a thorn in Jane’s side for nearly twenty years—if she counted elementary school, she guessed it was even longer than that—and he’d never been a bigger pain in her ass than in this very moment.
“
Can you do that, Jane?” Dale asked from behind his desk.
Dale was the News Director for KHB—and her boss. His blue eyes were no nonsense and as he ran a hand over his thinning blond hair, Jane knew that his question wasn’t up for debate.
Sweat coated her palms and she bit her lip. Jane wanted to say no. She wanted to say that there was no way she was going on the road to follow Pierce’s team around the freakin’ country while they played their way to the World Series. It was bad enough she had to report on how successful he was, but now, she was going to have to follow the jackass just to shove a microphone in his face so he could tell her how awesome he was.
She wasn’t bitter though.
“
Sure thing, Dale,” she said through clenched teeth. “When do I leave?”
“
You and Nate will head out tomorrow afternoon. First stop, Vegas.”
“
Okay, I’ll go pack.” She turned on her heel but was stopped when Dale cleared his throat. She paused in the doorway of his office and her already sucky situation got worse.
“
Get an exclusive if you can. Anything nobody else has. There’s a raise in it for ya.”
“
PIERCE IS HOT TONIGHT,” THE COMMEN-tator said from overhead. “Swing and a miss.”
Jane could clearly see Grayson from her vantage point just inside the tunnel that led to the locker room. He backed out of the batter’s box and tapped the bat against his cleats. A quick roll of his head on thick shoulders and he stepped back into the box, hefting the bat into position. The tip circled for a moment before stilling. The navy batter’s helmet with the large white
R
in the center was pulled down to his brows and his eyes were focused on the wind-up.
One more out—or one more run—and the team would be heading her way. Nate, her photographer and good friend, had the camera perched on his shoulder, waiting for the explosion of commotion that was only minutes away. He was all calm, cool and collected. Jane, however, had butterflies in her stomach.
Closing her eyes and sucking in a deep breath, she reminded herself that Grayson Pierce and his opinions no longer mattered. That hell called high school had been fifteen years ago. But she’d be damned if those scars didn’t take eons to heal.
“…
and a home run by Pierce brings in three! Rockets win by two.”
Cheers and applause erupted, nearly shaking the walls of the stadium.
“Pierce. Pierce. Pierce!”
The enthusiasm was enough to make Jane want to vomit. She swallowed hard and rolled her eyes.
In seconds large men flooded the space around her, making it suddenly seem like the walls were closing in around her. The smell of dirt, sweat and testosterone pushed her deeper into the tunnel until she was finally swept into the locker room. Nate was a big guy, easily as tall as any of the athletes with shoulders just as wide, and he captured b-roll to send back to the station.
Grayson, surrounded by his cheering teammates, entered and her heart nearly stopped. It had been years since she’d been so close to him and the effect he had on her was the same. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked. This was not the appropriate time to get emotional.
Come to think of it;
never
was the appropriate time to get emotional over Grayson Pierce. He didn’t deserve her tears.
The one she recognized as Xavier stopped in front of her. His brows rose. “Hey, sweet thing. You lookin’ for an interview?”
Instead of slapping him—which is what she really wanted to do—she stuck the mic in his face. “Great game.”
“
Thanks. Standing at the plate with men on the corners puts a lot of pressure on a guy, ya know?”
She bit down hard, grinding her molars to keep from rolling her eyes. “I can imagine,” she said through gritted teeth, urging him to continue.
He did. “But doing it with a full count is enough to make you sweat.” He chuckled and lifted his hat to wipe his forehead with the back of his hand. “It’s a good thing I don’t buckle under pressure. I thrive on it.”
“
You’ve had a decent rookie season—”
“
Decent?” He laughed, looked over his shoulder and hollered, “Yo, Pierce, this chick says I’ve had a
decent
season.”
In that moment Jane wanted to drop to the floor and dig herself a hole to hide in. The situation only got worse as Grayson lifted his chin and laughed. The sound was low and deep and—damn her straight to hell—sensual. He waded through the crowd straight toward them. Jane gulped and ignored the fact that he’d taken off his jersey. His navy uniform pants were so low on his hips she wondered if his cheeks would show if he turned around. His abs were damp with sweat and Jane felt the sudden urge to trace them with her tongue.
Which was absurd … because she hated him.
Grayson’s eyes met hers and he lifted a brow.
Damn!
Surely, he didn’t know what she was thinking.
“
Thanks for the interview,” she mumbled, trying to get away without having to talk with Grayson.
Surely there was another ballplayer that wouldn’t thrive on trying to humiliate her. No doubt when Grayson showed up that’s what would happen. And she didn’t need those kinds of problems.
The news industry was highly competitive and challenging, but being a female sportscaster made it all the more grueling. Most athletes were respectful. A high percentage flirted relentlessly. She’d been given more than one hotel room key—all of which were placed where they belonged … in the trash.
Molly, her best friend since her college days at USC—Go Trojans!—insisted she wallpaper her bedroom with them. Or better yet, just hand ‘em over to her.
She’d
be happy to
use
a pompous, egotistical man.
