Praise for Joanne Rock
“Any book by Joanne Rock is guaranteed to be a winner!”
—CataRomance on She Thinks Her Ex Is Sexy…
“Joanne Rock writes them hot and scorching.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“Hot sex, a spooky mystery, an isolated island cut off by a storm, ghosts, danger, and romance—not to mention the perfect ending.”
—Romantic Times BOOK reviews on Getting Lucky
“Grabs you by the throat and leaves you breathless.”
—Romance Junkies on Up Close and Personal
“For frolicking, sexy fun, Joanne Rock always delivers!”
—New York Times bestselling author Julie Leto
“Sensual stories, sexy heroes and sassy heroines—fabulous Joanne Rock delivers keeper-shelf reads!”
—RITA® Award-winning author Catherine Mann
Blaze™
Dear Reader,
It’s difficult to pinpoint when I first became enamored with sports heroes. From high school football games to college basketball, I always enjoyed whooping it up for the home team. It’s a joy that only grew after marrying a pitcher on my college’s baseball team—a pitcher who went on to be a sports editor for a variety of newspapers around the country. During those years I had the pleasure of learning about sports from the inside out—the human dramas underlying the plays on the field.
And while my husband was always more interested in the forces that shaped an athlete for greatness, I’ll admit I occasionally speculated on a player’s love life. What can I say? We were each called to our professions for a reason! I hope you will enjoy the inside peek into four players’ romantic journeys during pivotal moments in their careers, in Sliding into Home.
It’s always a pleasure to hear from readers. You can reach me at joanne@joannerock.com.
Happy reading!
Joanne Rock
Sliding Into Home
JOANNE ROCK
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Three-time RITA® Award nominee Joanne Rock turned a passion for writing into a career after imaginary characters kept her awake at night, demanding she tell their stories. The author of more than thirty romances in a variety of subgenres, she has been an avid fan of romance since stumbling upon a Silhouette “First Love” novel as a preteen. After moving around the country for her husband’s career, she now calls the gorgeous Adirondack Mountains home—at least until life’s next adventure. Learn more about Joanne and her work by visiting her at joannerock.com or myspace.com/joanne_rock.
Books by Joanne Rock
HARLEQUIN BLAZE
139—DATE WITH A DIVA
171—SILK CONFESSIONS*
182—HIS WICKED WAYS*
240—UP ALL NIGHT
256—HIDDEN OBSESSION
305—DON’T LOOK BACK**
311—JUST ONE LOOK**
363—A BLAZING LITTLE CHRISTMAS “His for the Holidays”
381—GETTING LUCKY
395—UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
450—SHE THINKS HER EX IS SEXY…
457—ALWAYS READY
HARLEQUIN HISTORICAL
749—THE BETROTHAL “Highland Handfast”
758—MY LADY’S FAVOR
769—THE LAIRD’S LADY
812—THE KNIGHT’S COURTSHIP
890—A KNIGHT MOST WICKED
To my three sons, whose athletic prowess is
always fun to watch.
And to Dean, the template for each of them.
Thank you for your great genes and for
teaching me all about swinging for the fences.
Prologue
“BRODY DAVIS IS AT IT AGAIN, folks.” Big Apple Sports Radio disc jockey Brian Marshall launched into his morning topic without prelude as he sat down at a microphone for the drive time show. “Having little tolerance for punks who disrespect the hallowed game of baseball, the Boston Aces’ catcher body slammed one of the National League’s top players, Chicago Flames’ Javier Velasquez in last night’s action.”
Brian’s color commentator was still buttering his bagel and hadn’t taken the chair beside him yet, but Brian never needed a lot of help beefing up the sports news. With antics like this to talk about, baseball’s stars made his job easy. He settled deeper into his rolling chair behind the blinking red studio light that told the rest of the world he was “on the air.”
And on his game. Brian lived for this stuff.
“Velasquez, who hit his league-leading 32nd homer earlier in the game,” he continued, warming to the subject, “appeared to boast about his titanic blast while digging in for his second at bat. Davis then called for a high heater, which Boston pitcher Dane Kroc delivered under the chin of Velasquez, who dropped his bat and started toward the mound. Only, Davis would have none of it—he ripped off his mask, grabbed Velasquez, and drove him into the turf, an action sure to draw some sort of suspension.”
Ozzie, his color man, was at the ready by now, his bagel dripping butter on the Styrofoam plate as he wheeled his chair closer to his mike.
“The kid definitely needs some grooming from the older players.” Ozzie downplayed the story just as Brian had been getting good and revved up. Why did he always have to be Mr. Smooth and Mellow, especially with good dirt like this? “It’s the third time this season Davis will get some unwanted time off—once the commissioner’s office reviews the tapes—and both he and Velasquez are sure to be fined heavily.”
Last night’s incident was just one of many this year involving some of the game’s most recognized names. And despite the countless replays ESPN was sure to show of Davis’s knuckles digging into Velasquez’s rib cage, this was not a case where any publicity was good publicity.
But this was the stuff listeners tuned in for.
“So what do you think, Oz? Is baseball in more trouble than usual? We’ve seen a lot of tabloid-ready escapades from some of the sport’s premier players.”
Ozzie pressed a button for a track of the seventh inning stretch sound effect to fill some space while he finished chewing, then chimed in.
“At the end of the day, they can drive a ninety-five-mile-per-hour fastball five hundred feet. Or flash some of the finest leather in the league. That’s what brings the fans out and in my opinion, that’s what will drive the big money contracts at the end of the season.”
Geez. Could this guy be any more of a buzz kill?
“We’ll see about that, Oz. But since some of today’s top defensive players are dominating the headlines, I think we need to talk about ‘Gold Gloves’ or ‘Bold Thugs.’ These guys are sure-handed and smooth, rarely dropping the ball on the field, but routinely doing so off it. Listeners, we want to hear what you think.”
Oz cracked a grin and shook his head. “So who’s on the thug list?”
While the switchboard started lighting up in response to the topic, Brian reeled off a few of the guys they were highlighting to keep the comments focused.
“First up is Brody Davis, one of the brawlers in last night’s melee. He was the hope of his franchise last year when the team called him up from the minors. But the moves that dazzled fans in Triple A won’t cut it in the majors if Davis can’t put a lid on his temper. This is one slugger who might find himself without a contract next spring, even if he manages to capture the fielding recognition his stats deserve.”