SEDUCED by THE GAME Cancer Charity Anthology

First for the official stuff, then I'll give you the blurb for BLIND PASS (The Dartmouth Cobras 0.5) and a tasty little snippet! I've mentioned this anthology before, but now we've got more to share!

A group of bestselling authors, myself included, has recently come together in a collection of original hockey romance stories called Seduced by The Game 2014. All of the proceeds from both the print and ebook sales of this anthology will be donated to various National Hockey League Foundations through “Hockey Fights Cancer” (more information can be found here http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=25343) This will be the first in an annual release of anthologies dedicated to raising funds for the initiative.
This cause is very dear to all of us, not only because of our love for the sport, but because we truly believe in what the NHL* is doing to help fund the efforts to find a cure. This will be an independently published project and time has been donated to assist in marketing, cover design, formatting and editing. There will be eight novella length stories included in the anthology.

Publication is projected for mid to late April, 2014.

So far we have one team on board, but more details from them will come later. What I'm most excited about right now is the wonderful authors involved and all the hard work everyone's put in for this amazing cause. For the same price as any other ebook, you, the reader, will get an great collection of stories from your favorite authors, and for the next YEAR every cent of royalties from the anthology will be donated to the cause. After the year is up, the authors get their books back to publish separately if they choose and the next 'Seduced by The Game' will take it's place.

I'm so honored to be part of this and I'm overwhelmed by the wonderful response we've gotten already. The readers are the only reason we're all able to share our work with the world and this is our way of giving back in a big way. With the power of our words. And our love of The Game.

My contribution, BLIND PASS (The Dartmouth Cobras 0.5) will be a prequel to Game Misconduct. Those who've read the series will recognize a few names. This story is very special to me and I can't think of a better place for it to be told than in this anthology.

Blurb:

Tim Rowe, the assistant coach of the Dartmouth Cobras, is drawn to the lovely flight attendant after the care she shows one of his rookie players. A glimpse of her submissive urges has him thinking she’s far better suited to his brother, but after a single night with her at his side, he’s determined to find a way to keep her there.

Madeline’s heart wants only Tim, but can her need to surrender control be ignored? Or is there more to her than even she knows. Tim proves he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy, but how far can they really go before the things they both crave destroy everything they’re trying to build.

Excerpt:

Tim, who’d been sitting at the edge of one of the last seats before the bathroom stall speaking to his brother, glanced over and stood quickly when he spotted her. His head hit the bottom of the luggage compartment. Hard.

“Fu—damn it! Ow!” Tim laughed at himself and rubbed his head as he moved closer to her. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again until we got back on the plane. Not that I didn’t want to, I—”

Dean snorted without looking up from the clipboard in his hands.

Usually, uncertainty in a man turned Madeline off. For some reason, it made Tim more approachable. She stopped worrying about how coming here looked and smiled at him. “Ian asked me if I could get his pillow back to him after the game tonight. We both agreed it would be easier if I met with you to return it.”

“The pillow . . .” He blinked. Nodded quickly. “Of course. We’re staying at the Marriott. I could meet you in the lobby—of course, White could meet you there himself.”

“Yes, he probably could.” Madeline decided to just go for it. She wanted to spend some time with Tim, away from his brother and the team. That he hadn’t taken over and asked her out didn’t change that. This would probably go nowhere, but she needed to see that for herself. So she went for blunt honesty. “I think he’s playing matchmaker, which is adorable. I couldn’t disappoint him.”

The skin around Tim’s eyes crinkled as he gave her a broad smile. “You do know he’s almost twenty-two, not twelve? And a big boy like that isn’t ‘adorable’.”

“Ha! I’ll have you know men don’t fully grow up until they hit their thirties. Most of your team is made up of children.”

“True.” Tim cocked his head slightly. “So you’re going out with me to make the boy happy?”

“I don’t know, Tim.” She grinned at him, having more fun just talking to Tim than she’d had on actual dates. “You haven’t asked me.”

Casually resting his hip on the arm of a seat, arms folded over his chest, Tim shrugged. “I said we could meet in the lobby.”

Something slapped a seat in the back of the bus. Dean made an irritated sound as Tim looked over at him. “You, brother, are an idiot. If you don’t ask for coffee, I will.”

Dean’s sharp tone made Madeline shiver. She could imagine him using that tone with her if he wasn’t pleased. Could see herself doing everything in her power to make sure he rarely had a reason to.

She’d been in the lifestyle for a few years, going to clubs in different cities, always sceneing with men more like Dean than Tim. There was no way she’d refuse if Dean asked her for coffee . . . or pretty much anything. He pushed all the right buttons by simply being in the same space as her.

Tim seemed to notice. He gave her a stiff smile. “He doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean. He will take you.”

No mistaking his meaning. She frowned, irritated that Tim wasn’t making more of an effort. Even more irritated at herself for wanting him to. She took a deep breath. “I didn’t come here to see him. But I do think I’m wasting both our time. I’ll meet you in the lobby after the game. Good luck.”

Before she could turn her back on him, he put his hand on her arm. She went still. He spoke softly. “Wait.”

For several beats, she stood there, shaking with a strange mix of humiliation, frustration, and . . . anticipation. His grip on her arm was firm, not enough to hurt, but enough to keep her from walking away. She sensed something in him that she’d been missing before, a power that wasn’t quite as bold as his brother’s, but no less intense.

“I think I misunderstood—it doesn’t matter. Would you like to have coffee with me? Or we could go out for a beer.” He loosened his hold on her arm, but didn’t move it. “I’ll pick you up wherever you’re staying.” His lips twitched at the edges. “We’ll have to stop by the hotel to bring White his pillow though.”

“Naturally.” She wasn’t sure why it made her so happy that he’d finally stepped up, but it did. She turned to face him. “And I wouldn’t mind a beer actually. My treat if your boys win.”

“Hell no! I’ve made enough of a mess of this.” He lifted his hand, brushing his fingertips across her cheek, his gaze as soft and warm as his touch. “Let me show you I can be a gentleman.”

Dean covered a laugh with a cough.

Madeline ignored him. Which was so much easier now with Tim so close. All the Doms she’d been with were sure of themselves, took control of her easily, fulfilled her needs—and nothing more. She had a feeling Tim could give her more, which was frightening and thrilling all at once. She hadn’t gone on a date in a very long time unless one was to count a few meeting with a potential Top. Having a beer with a man who clearly wasn’t trying to get in her pants as quickly as possible, who wasn’t interested in her submission, would be a nice change.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever met a ‘gentleman’.” Oh, that sounded lame. She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Forget I said that. Going out for beer would be nice.”

“Nice?” Tim slid his hand into her hair, moving forward until she was trapped between a seat and his body. He brushed his lips over hers. “Nice sounds boring.”

She swallowed hard, waiting for him to kiss her. Knowing if he did she was a goner. “It does.”

“I promise not to bore you, Madeline.”

“Good.”

“I hope you enjoy the game.” He released her hair and took her hand. Bent down to press a kiss to the back of it. Smiled up at her when she stared at him. “The way you were looking at me, you were about to make me into a liar. You should go before I stop caring that this bus is about to get very crowded.”
____________

Hope you enjoyed! And more news coming soon!


*While all proceeds on the anthology will be donated to various charities through Hockey Fights Cancer, the authors claim no connection to the NHL or the NHLPA. All stories contained within the anthology 'Seduced by The Game' are the property of the authors. The Cover and the logo for 'Seduced by The Game' is the property of the artists. Credit will be given to those who've contributed in promotion or marketing with permission of involved parties.