Jaci Burton - Melting the Ice

He cocked a brow. “You hate cheeseburgers. And eggs, as I recall.”

“I do. They also have chicken. But you like burgers, and that’s the sacrifice a girlfriend makes when her guy has just had a great game.”

“Sounds good to me.”

A couple hours later they were seated together in a cozy, understated burger joint. Drew was wolfing down a cheeseburger while Carolina had a chicken sandwich.

“So this is what it’s going to be like, huh?” he asked.

“What what’s going to be like?”

“A relationship. You making sacrifices.”

She laughed. “Hey, I didn’t say I was going to eat a cheeseburger or anything. But yes. We’ll both make sacrifices.”

He reached out and grasped her hand. “And we’ll both probably make mistakes.”

“Likely.”

“But I’ll never hurt you. And you know, you can say whatever’s on your mind, even if you think it’s uncomfortable.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Last night. When I made a comment about being there every day to wash your hair. You looked uncomfortable.”

“Oh. That. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, or jump the gun on what was a very new thing for both of us. We’d just said we loved each other. I didn’t want to invite you to move in or anything.”

He wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “I get that. You want us to get to know each other better.”

She laughed. “Okay, this does seem stupid, doesn’t it? We’ve known each other for what seems like forever. It’s not like we need to . . . date or anything.”

“But maybe you want to take things slow.”

She paused, like she was thinking, then looked up at him. “I miss you when you’re not with me. I think about you all the time. I want to sleep with you next to me at night, wake up with you snuggled up against me in the morning.”

“That sounds good to me, too.”

“We both have such busy careers and it’ll be hard enough to see each other as it is. If you moved in with me . . . not that you have to or anything. I mean, if you want your own space, I’d totally understand.”

He pushed back his chair and stood, then came over and hauled her up and kissed her until she was out of breath.

“I want you in my life. When I told you I loved you, I didn’t mean, ‘Hey, baby, let’s go out a few times a month.’ It meant commitment to me.”

Carolina blinked as Drew wrapped his arms around her. “That’s what it means to me, too.”

“Then I’ll move in with you. And we’ll cohabitate. My toothbrush next to yours. And you’ll learn to take some downtime, so when I’m in the off-season, I can take you to my place in Oklahoma.”

“What is this downtime thing you speak of?”

He laughed. “It’s that thing where you aren’t working seven days a week.”

“Oh, that.” She leaned into him. “Yes. It’ll be hard for me because I’m such a workaholic. But I do love you, and lately, being with you is the most important thing to me.”

“I like hearing that. I don’t want you to feel any pressure, Lina. We’ll figure it all out together and we’ll make it work. Because we love each other.”

Drew had always turned her world upside down. From the time she was a teenager and hopelessly infatuated with him, to the one night of passion that had made her a woman, to him walking back into her life several months ago, he was her one and only constant passion. He had melted the ice around her cold, cold heart, and she wanted to share the warmth with him forever.

“Yes, we do love each other. So let’s make a home together, and figure out this living together thing.”

He gave her that lopsided grin that never failed to make her heart turn over. “I like the way you think, Miss Preston.”

I hope you enjoyed Melting the Ice . The next book in the Play-by-Play series is Straddling the Line , Trevor and Haven’s story, coming out in July 2014.

We’ve all lost people we love in our lives, people we relied on, those we thought would be with us longer. For Haven Briscoe, losing her father has left a deep hole in her heart. Her father was her rock, the man she went to for guidance and advice. Now, her career seems empty, and she isn’t sure her job as a sports reporter has the thrill and excitement it once held.

But when she’s assigned to do an exposé on her college-crush-turned-pro-athlete, Trevor Shay, it brings them close again. Trevor knows Haven is grieving over her father, and he’s determined to do whatever it takes to help her while still competing in professional baseball and football.

Trevor and Haven’s story is deeply emotional, but also fun, exciting, and sexy. Please keep reading for a sneak peak at the first chapter.

In addition, I’m also including the first chapter of Hope Ignites , book two of the Hope Novels, my contemporary romance series, releasing in April 2014. This series focuses on the people who inhabit a small town in Oklahoma.

Logan McCormack is a busy rancher and doesn’t have time for frivolous pursuits. He agrees to let a movie crew film on his land because the money is too good to pass up. However, when he meets Desiree Jenkins, the actress starring in the movie, he doesn’t know what to make of the fiery, outspoken young woman. Nearly ten years younger than him, Logan thinks Des is off-limits. But Des is attracted to Logan and isn’t afraid to state her intentions. She’s in love with the wide-open spaces of the ranch, so different from where she lives in Los Angeles. She’s also taken with Logan’s quiet strength and work ethic, and the two of them embark on a very unusual romance.

But is theirs a forever type of romance, or a movie-set fling?

I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Hope Ignites , and fall in love with the town of Hope and all its characters, just as I have.

Happy reading!

Jaci