with sweat, gave me a knowing smile. She knew I had returned all of the disputed shots, but she wasn't going to complain about a free game and more free points. I called for a time out and left the court demanding to see the tournament director. I ended up in a near screaming match with the referee. The director finally assigned two line judges to our match. Going forward, the judges overturned several of the referee’s calls, and I went on to win the game, and then the match, moving me into the final bracket.
It was shortly after 2:00, and I was mentally and physically exhausted. I forced myself to eat a banana and drink a Gatorade. I put on my pink warm-up jacket, found a sofa in an empty corner of the lobby, and crashed on one end of it. Samantha was on standby to be sure I was awake by 3:15 so I could change clothes and warm up for my finals match at 4:00.
It felt as if I had only been on the sofa for a few minutes when I felt a tickle on my nose. I was ready to bite someone’s head off, but I opened my eyes to familiar hazel-green eyes.
“Mick!” I exclaimed with delight.
Mick Raines was my love interest at the moment, although we had never made love. We were close to the moment once. After a late-night trip to the emergency room for several stitches to my hea d from a racquet blow, Mick helped me back at my apartment . It was nearly dawn when he carried me to the bedroom , gently settled me onto the bed, and undressed me . After covering me with the sheet, he kissed me softly on my forehead.
I was sure he would undre ss and slip in beside me, but fatigue , coupled with a slight concussion , was more than I could handle, and I quickly fell into a deep sleep. I awoke twenty-four hours later to a note from Mick telling me he would call me later, and to Darby, my best guyfriend and neighbor from across the hall, sitting on my living room sofa watching Food Network on my television.
Mick was also an absolutely drop-dead , gorgeous hunk of man . He was 5' 10” with thick dark hair showing a hint of a curl, and he had the most beautiful hazel-green eyes I'd ever seen. A handball player, he was rock solid and had a fantastic build. He shared ownership of Raines Construction with his uncle, and Husky was one of their e mployees. Mick had promised if any of us won at tournament, he’d take us all out to dinner to celebrate before heading for home.
Now he was standing in front of me in sexy, tight jeans, a button-down shirt with wide stripes of gray, blue, pink, and white, and a midnight blue cardigan. The sleeves were pushed up to three-quarter length with just a bit of the colorful shirt peeping out of the cardigan sleeves. It was a super hot look. I stood up and was quickly gathered into his strong arms in a big hug followed by a quick kiss.
“I'm so glad you could make it,” I gushed with happiness. “When you weren't here by noon, I thought you wouldn't be coming.”
“I almost didn't make it,” he said in his masculine yet warm voice. “The starter went out on the BMW, and I had to scramble for a rental car , which is not an easy task on a Sunday.” He gave me another qui ck kis s , sat down on the sofa , and motioned for me to sit beside him. I scooted in close and put my head on his shoulder . He smelled wonderful. I loved his cologne with its woodsy, earthy scent and ever so light citrus notes. I wanted to bury my face in his neck and take deep breaths. I swear the guy was walking aromatherapy for me.
“I hear you caused quite a scene ea rlier,” he said with humor in his voice.
I pulled up quick and said with agitation, “Oh my gosh! You should have seen this guy doing his best to ta ke points away from me. I was pretty mad, and very loud, but it all worked out in the end.”
He nodded his head. “I talked with Husky, and he told me about your dustup with the referee. He looked into i t right away and found out the guy was from the same club as your opponent. He shouldn't have bee n allowed to
It was shortly after 2:00, and I was mentally and physically exhausted. I forced myself to eat a banana and drink a Gatorade. I put on my pink warm-up jacket, found a sofa in an empty corner of the lobby, and crashed on one end of it. Samantha was on standby to be sure I was awake by 3:15 so I could change clothes and warm up for my finals match at 4:00.
It felt as if I had only been on the sofa for a few minutes when I felt a tickle on my nose. I was ready to bite someone’s head off, but I opened my eyes to familiar hazel-green eyes.
“Mick!” I exclaimed with delight.
Mick Raines was my love interest at the moment, although we had never made love. We were close to the moment once. After a late-night trip to the emergency room for several stitches to my hea d from a racquet blow, Mick helped me back at my apartment . It was nearly dawn when he carried me to the bedroom , gently settled me onto the bed, and undressed me . After covering me with the sheet, he kissed me softly on my forehead.
I was sure he would undre ss and slip in beside me, but fatigue , coupled with a slight concussion , was more than I could handle, and I quickly fell into a deep sleep. I awoke twenty-four hours later to a note from Mick telling me he would call me later, and to Darby, my best guyfriend and neighbor from across the hall, sitting on my living room sofa watching Food Network on my television.
Mick was also an absolutely drop-dead , gorgeous hunk of man . He was 5' 10” with thick dark hair showing a hint of a curl, and he had the most beautiful hazel-green eyes I'd ever seen. A handball player, he was rock solid and had a fantastic build. He shared ownership of Raines Construction with his uncle, and Husky was one of their e mployees. Mick had promised if any of us won at tournament, he’d take us all out to dinner to celebrate before heading for home.
Now he was standing in front of me in sexy, tight jeans, a button-down shirt with wide stripes of gray, blue, pink, and white, and a midnight blue cardigan. The sleeves were pushed up to three-quarter length with just a bit of the colorful shirt peeping out of the cardigan sleeves. It was a super hot look. I stood up and was quickly gathered into his strong arms in a big hug followed by a quick kiss.
“I'm so glad you could make it,” I gushed with happiness. “When you weren't here by noon, I thought you wouldn't be coming.”
“I almost didn't make it,” he said in his masculine yet warm voice. “The starter went out on the BMW, and I had to scramble for a rental car , which is not an easy task on a Sunday.” He gave me another qui ck kis s , sat down on the sofa , and motioned for me to sit beside him. I scooted in close and put my head on his shoulder . He smelled wonderful. I loved his cologne with its woodsy, earthy scent and ever so light citrus notes. I wanted to bury my face in his neck and take deep breaths. I swear the guy was walking aromatherapy for me.
“I hear you caused quite a scene ea rlier,” he said with humor in his voice.
I pulled up quick and said with agitation, “Oh my gosh! You should have seen this guy doing his best to ta ke points away from me. I was pretty mad, and very loud, but it all worked out in the end.”
He nodded his head. “I talked with Husky, and he told me about your dustup with the referee. He looked into i t right away and found out the guy was from the same club as your opponent. He shouldn't have bee n allowed to
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