A brand new MMA-flavoured romance is coming on 22 January 2018 from Cindi Madsen—the first book in a brand new series—and I have a little sneak peek from you.
Excerpt
The next day, as I was strolling by the entrance of the locker room, I noticed the mostly empty shelf where the clean towels went. I still thought we should cut out the damn towels, but several of the guys stopped by my desk this week to tell me they loved how much better the towels felt since I’d shown up. Amazing what a lid-full of Downy could do.
Their appreciation helped take away some of my resentment over the job, even though I still dragged my feet over having to gather up the dirty towels.
“Hello? Anyone in here?” It’d been a crazy day, with a lot of people in and out. Not to mention I’d completely engrossed myself in work to avoid seeing or thinking about a certain guy. We hadn’t talked since the beach, and I dreaded the next time our paths crossed as much as I anticipated it. Clearly I had issues.
Two steps from the laundry hamper and Shane stepped out from the showers, wearing only a towel. His dark hair was damp and beads of water dotted his skin. Several of the droplets ran down the grooves of his pecs and abs and that V that lead right down to—
“What are you doing?” I asked when I noticed his purposeful stride and the fact that it was aimed right at me.
“Paying you back for that stunt on the beach. All that torturous rubbing of sunscreen on your skin. And then there was the way you walked out of the water, all dripping wet. Kind of like I am now.”
I lifted my chin, attempting to hide the fact that my heart rate had tripled in the last ten seconds. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just putting on sunscreen.” Maybe I wasn’t totally innocent with the sunscreen, but there wasn’t another way to walk out of the ocean besides dripping wet.
“And I’m just talking to you after my steamy shower.” He toyed with the top of the towel, and I volleyed between hoping it’d come undone and hoping it wouldn’t. His eyes locked on to mine. “Where I thought about you.”
Every ounce of oxygen whooshed out of my lungs.
“How’s your focus, bruiser?” he asked, his deep voice an intoxicating combination of tantalizing and taunting. “Do you remember what you came in here for?”
It took a couple of seconds and a failed attempt to swallow as my brain searched for the answer. “Towels. I’m washing the towels.”
“Did you need mine?” He reached for it, and I went to shake my head but ended up biting my lip instead. “Try to deny it all you want. I can see your rapid pulse beating right here at the base of your neck.” His fingers brushed the spot and it quickened even more. “I can hear that hitch in your breath, and your pupils are dilated.”
No shit. I was this close to having a heart attack, and if it meant a little while longer of staring at him, I might risk it.
Wait. Those aren’t the thoughts I’m supposed to be having.
“This…” I took a step back but met the hard resistance of the wall. “You… I…” Since words weren’t cooperating, I abandoned trying.
He braced one hand against the wall, right next to my head, and every glistening muscle in his arm stood out. I wanted to pull him close and taste his clean skin, and I wanted those arms around me. “Now,” he said, his voice sending goose bumps over my skin. “I’d definitely kiss you now.” He leaned close enough for me to feel the steamy warmth wafting off his body. My chest bumped his as my breathing kicked into high gear. “And I wouldn’t stop with your mouth.”
With that, he pushed off the wall and disappeared around the line of lockers.
As soon as I regained control of my shaky limbs, I rushed out of the room, leaving the towels—as well as part of my sanity—behind.
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