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| Me, Anne & Deb at RTC 2015 |
I met Anne Lange (my tiara sister) at RTC 2015. We were both helping Deb Cook with her Knights vs Dragons event.
Anne was handing out tickets that attendees earned and I was in charge of handing out truffles. Yes, Deb Cook gave me a large bag of chocolate and then trusted me to hand them out! LOL Since her event was the first of the day I kept referring to the truffles as the "Breakfast of Champions".
Anne has been awesome enough to agree to visit on my blog for a couple days. Today we're featuring her book The Final Quarter. Be sure to come back tomorrow when she gives us a peek into Wicked Indulgence! :)
Title:
The Final Quarter
Series
Title: A New League, Book 2
Author:
Anne Lange
Genre: Contemporary
Romance
Heat
Level: Burning
- Sexy, creative and hot, almost anything goes - not for shy readers
Length:
40,635
Buy Links
Blurb
A quarterback facing the end of his career must come
to peace with his past, and accept his present, before he can move on with his
future.
Mitch Ryland accomplished what his father said he
never would—he made something of himself.
When his wife suggests she’d like to start a family,
Mitch is thrown for a loop. He’s never told her about his life before he ended
up with his foster parents or his plans never to become a father. So when he’s
taken out of the game, his failings from the past come back to haunt him, and
Mitch blames his injury on his loss of focus. He’s unprepared for his career as
a professional quarterback to be over. Nor is he ready to tell his wife about
why football is so important to him. He’d rather put emotional and physical
distance between them and focus on getting back in the game.
Serena Ryland has dreamed of becoming a mother. But
when she mentions the idea to her husband, he freezes her out and she has no
idea why. She’s worried that if they don’t start talking soon, she’ll lose him
forever. When he refuses to come home to mend from an injury, she takes matters
into her own hands, determined to spend more time with him, hoping to reignite
the romance in their relationship. But she’s unprepared for the things she
learns on this trip. Her husband has been carrying a few secrets that just
might change the outlook of their future.
Reader Advisory: This book
contains oral sex in a public environment and light bondage.
Publisher's note: This book
is part of a series but can be read as a standalone title.
Short
Excerpt
Mitch sighed and shifted in his chair. The knee he could handle. Bruised
and sore, he’d limp for a few days, but it was his shoulder he worried about
most. This was the third time he’d dislocated it. The first official time the
team doctor knew about. His fingers itched to massage the joint, but he didn’t
dare. No way in hell would he show any sign of weakness. The one thing his
father and grandfather had drilled into him from a young age. A lesson he’d
learned well.
“It’s more than just a simple sprain or a bad bruise, Mitch, and you
know it. This is potentially career ending, especially if you don’t do as I’ve
instructed. You need to rest it. Whatever you’ve been doing to keep this from
us isn’t helping. Today’s proof of that. And it’s not going to get better until
you do something about it. And you can’t do something about it until you’re not
on the field every day.”
Noah took a deep breath, his expression full of compassion. “Apply ice
to reduce the swelling three times a day for fifteen to twenty minutes. That
shoulder needs to be kept stable. We need the swelling to go down so we can
take a good look at it. I want you to wear an arm sling for the next three
weeks.
“I’ve scheduled an appointment for you three days from now then we’ll
have a better idea what we’re dealing with. You’ll probably need to go through
some therapy regardless of whether you end up heading down the surgery path or
not. With some rest, maybe some therapy, and a light training regiment, we’ll
see if there’s been any change.”
Panic swept through Mitch. He clenched his hands into fists on his
thighs. “And if it doesn’t get better?”
“We’ll discuss that when the time comes.”
Mitch, well aware of the consequences, filled in the blanks. Surgery. Rehab.
Months off the field. If he ended this season on the injury reserve list for
next season, he’d miss training camp and wouldn’t be allowed to practice or
play until the doctor cleared him. And if he did practice and aggravated the
injury, or possibly made it worse, he’d be out for the rest of that season. Or
longer.
On top of that, he’d have to deal with his standings. Out of play meant
his rating would be affected and his stats would tank—and not only his. The
team would take a hit as well. He’d disappoint the fans. He’d disappoint his
friends and family.
He might never be the same afterward.
He’d end up a nobody. Just like he’d been told.
His football career may already be at the top of the spiral, just
waiting for that push to send him off the edge and into the vortex. He’d always
compared his life to a house of cards. Painstaking to build, easy to destroy.
The king sits perched at the top, but then one slip, one tiny tug or poke on
one of those cards and the whole thing would come tumbling down.
A tremor now rocked the house beneath his feet.
Longer
Excerpt
A shiver of anticipation vibrated through her. I can do this.
Rising once more, she picked up her drink and held the glass out to him.
“Can you hold this for a moment, please?”
“Sure.” His deep rumble set her on fire. That was his sex voice. Each
time she heard it, awareness skittered along her nerve endings. Her senses
sharpened. And it had been a while since he’d used it, so the fact that he did
now thrilled her and urged her on.
Serena placed the papers on her chair, then turned and dipped back into
her briefcase. A low growl came from behind her this time. With an added
wiggle, she retrieved a linen tablecloth from her bag and twirled around. His
gaze shifted to her hands. “I don’t want to get the papers wet,” she explained.
“Excuse me, please.”
She nudged his arms out of the way, careful not to jostle him too much
so he wouldn’t spill their drinks, while she draped the white tablecloth over
the round table. It puddled on the floor. “Perfect.” She flashed him another
smile, set her papers atop the table again, and reached for her water, though
she set it down without taking a drink. Her stomach was a pile of nerves.
“All set to get down to business.”
“And are you going to tell me what the business is?”
Her husband clearly remained leery. She couldn’t fault him for that.
This was so out of character for her. He was typically the aggressor in their
relationship. She’d always preferred to let others take the lead, even as a
child. Maybe because her mother simply rolled right over everyone in her way, a
trait of her legal position. Serena had simply found it easier to stay out of
her path.
But whatever was going on with her husband was affecting their marriage,
and that she wouldn’t stand by and watch while it withered away. She loved him
too much to let him go that easily.
Which meant she needed to step up her game if her husband wasn’t
prepared to. But maybe it was more than that. Maybe this was about her
suggestion a few weeks ago. Didn’t he want a family? She needed to convince him
she loved him more than anything, perhaps even more than fulfilling one of her
own dreams.
“It’s like I said, Mr. Ryland, we need to discuss a few things.”
“What’s with this Mr. Ryland shit? What game are you playing, Serena?”
“I know you’ve always enjoyed game nights,” she said instead.
He shifted in his seat and looked down at his drink. His clenched the
glass in his hand.
“The rush of the game, the physical and mental challenge, the excitement
of a win. The devastation of a loss.” She felt bad that they’d lost tonight and
almost regretted her words. “I bet the endorphins are flying through your
system, even right now.” She cocked her head. “Is it like sex?”
He coughed, very nearly spitting out the mouthful of tea he’d just
taken. “Excuse me?”
She put on what she hoped to be an innocent face and mentally prepared
herself to forge forward. “Well, I think the high of the game must be like
foreplay, then the party afterwards, like an orgasm. So game nights are like
having sex.” At least she hoped, because she needed all the help should could
get tonight. And she felt utterly foolish saying this crap. But how else was
she supposed to lead up to her plan for the evening?
“Ah…”
Serena almost let loose with another giggle, watching Mitch trying to
figure out where the hell she was going with this ridiculous conversation “You
know,” she purred, “I’m well aware that you couldn’t actually play tonight.”
She toyed with the papers. Spun her glass around a little.
“No.”
And her poor baby was pissed and hurting about that. Well, he needed to
learn that she had his back. That when shit like this happened, he needed to
talk to her. Knowing her husband, he was probably worrying himself sick that he
was letting his coach down, his team down, the fans down. And he probably
thought he was letting her down too.
The fact that he wouldn’t meet her gaze confirmed it. So she’d just have
to help him forget for a while and remember the benefits that went with having
somebody who cared for him. Somebody who loved him and was willing to fly
across multiple states, plan some pretty special and erotic nights for him to
take his mind off his troubles. If he wasn’t going to come home to her, then
she would damn well to come to him.
“I have a something that might take your mind off your current
situation.” Serena pulled her gaze from the man across from her and scanned the
bar. Nobody paid them a bit of attention. She slipped off the stool, dropped to
her knees and scurried under the table, letting the cloth provide the cover she
needed.
“Serena.” Mitch’s harsh whisper reached her ears, but she chose to
ignore him, instead she tucked her hands beneath his pants and ran her hands up
his legs.
He jumped. “What the fuck?”
Author
Bio
Shoes are her addiction,
but books are her passion. Anne Lange grew up with a love for reading. If
you take a close look, she’s got either a book, her Kindle or her Kobo nearby
at all times. You know, just in case there’s time to sneak in a chapter or ten.
Anne reads many genres of romance, but prefers to write sexy stories, often
with a dash of humor, and usually with a side of those sinful pleasures your
mom never told you about. And always with a happily ever after.
While embarking on this wild journey of becoming a romance author, Anne
juggles a full time job and a family. Though not always successfully. Who needs
a clean house every day? And what’s wrong with cereal for dinner? She
lives in Ontario, Canada with her wonderfully supportive husband, three awesome
kids who are growing up way too fast, and the family pets, Rocky the bearded
dragon and Lily the chocolate lab.
Author’s
Social Links
Email:
Anne_Lange66@yahoo.ca
Now, as I got to the end of that I started envisioning Lennie from Of Mice and Men...which makes me sad so my brain quickly shifted to the Bugs Bunny rendition. LOL
