Summary:
An emotional, sexy, forbidden romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely writing MM romance as L. Blakely!
I’m a rookie, in every sense of the word. But even though I have a wicked crush on the sexy shortstop on my baseball team, I won’t give in to my fantasies about him.
I’m here in the majors for the first time to play ball. Not to experience my first time with a man.
Trouble is, Declan Steele is sexy, flirty and now he’s my new workout partner. We’re spending mornings together in the gym, getting to know each other. Our connection is powerful – maybe because we each have our fair share of secrets and scars. Ones we'll both fight to protect.
I've got far too much trouble in my past to want to bring any into my present, no matter how much I long to sneak into his room at night and ask him a question.
But soon I can’t keep all this desire under wraps.
I take chances for a living, so I take the biggest chance one night at spring training when I send him the world’s sexiest selfie.
Right along with a question – would you be my first?
But falling for my teammate wasn't part of the plan.
Scoring with Him is book one in the utterly addictive Men of Summer series. This romance between two professional athletes spans five epic years and continues in Winning With Him.
Summary:
An emotional, forbidden MM sports romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely writing MM romance as L. Blakely!
Resisting the shortstop has never been my strong suit.
I failed at it during my first spring training. It sure as hell looks like I'm about to fail at it again.The sport I love playing with my very soul hangs in the balance. But everything my heart craves lies with the guy I've got to resist.
A guy who's asking me to make the toughest choice ever.
But how do I become the man I want to be...with him or without him?
Trouble is, I can't seem to get Declan out of my head, even if I stand to lose everything I've worked for my entire life...
Winning with Him is book two in the utterly addictive Men of Summer series, and should be read following Scoring With Him. This romance between two professional athletes spans five epic years.
An emotional MM romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely writing MM romance as L. Blakely...
Once upon a time all I needed was baseball, friends and extracurricular activities. Then everything changed when Declan Steele stormed into my life and upended all my priorities with his heart, his love, his passion.
So my next five-year plan will include this new ground rule—Love big.
Only, that’s easier said than done when my man and I come face to face with hard truths and new troubles about what it means to be all in.
That’s when I learn that finding love isn’t the hardest part.
Keeping it is.
All In with Him is the final novel in the Men of Summer series, and should be read following Winning With Him.
Scoring with Him #1
Prologue
Five Years Ago
At the Start of Rookie Year
Grant
If I were the kind of guy who made five-year plans, mine would include winning a World Series, playing in an All-Star game, and having my pick when it comes to endorsement deals.
Just putting that out there, universe. I’ll check back in when I’m twenty-seven and see what comes true. K, thanks.
And to do that, I need a killer first season.
I have to go into spring training and play hard every day.
Baseball is my one and only dream. This sport saw me through the toughest years. Hard times are in the rearview mirror at long last, and good riddance to those days I’d like to forget.
Hell, if I play my cards right, the opportunities for my career are endless.
That’s not cocky.
That’s just true.
Fine, maybe it’s a little bit cocky, but facts are facts, and these are mine. I’m twenty-two. I earned a degree in history from a good college, I racked up one bonkers season in minor league baseball, and thanks to going in the first round of the draft, I’m making bank as I get ready to head to Arizona for spring training. My goal there? Lock up the starting catcher slot. Lock it up so damn tight that the coach can’t picture anyone else but me behind the plate for the team.
Pretty sure I don’t have time for extracurricular activities. And that’s okay. I don’t need to be a hookup maestro. Besides, I bet the quest to be a player after hours is a recipe for disaster on the diamond.
So yeah, I suppose that’s my five-year plan. Don’t look back. Move the hell forward. Leave it all on the field.
Which means—don’t be distracted by men.
That shouldn’t be a problem for me.
I’ve learned to live, breathe, and eat the sport, and romance has taken a back seat. There will be time for men later in my twenties.
Not at my first spring training.
Not during my rookie year.
And definitely not with a man on my team anytime soon.
No matter how charming, sexy, smart, or easygoing a certain guy is. No matter how hot the attraction burns between us. And no matter how close I want to get to him.
And this turns out to be the biggest problem in my brand-new career. Not hitting a wicked fastball. Not scrambling for a wild pitch.
Nope, the problem is my shortstop.
Declan Steele.
From his easy confidence, to his deadpan wit, to the way he guides me through the complicated world of pro ball, I’m hooked on the man from the second I meet him.
Add in his movie star face and a carved body that makes me want to throw him against the wall and kiss the breath out of him—or hell, let him shove me against the door. I don’t care—and I’m not sure I stand a chance at my five-year plan.
Let alone a one-month plan.
Already I’m behind in the count, and if I’m not careful, I’m going to strike out on my first chance to make it in the pros.
But with Declan, I’m not sure I can be careful.
Or if I want to. Because he just might be everything I didn’t know I needed.
Winning with Him #2
Prologue
Grant
So, this is happiness. This is falling in love. I get it now. I understand why I waited.
For him.
For the possibility that sex could become so much more than a hot tangle under the sheets.
Yes, that’s what I wanted. More than a quick lay.
Someone who makes my heart thunder.
Declan Steele.
Even though I won’t see him for ages, I feel like my luck is changing when I leave him that morning before he takes off for Florida.
Leave him with a kiss and a promise that we’ll see each other again in November.
As I walk out of the hotel in Phoenix, I can picture a sandy beach in Miami, the ocean lapping the shore. I can feel the tropical sun warming my skin, the book in my hands. Declan will stride over to my lounge chair and . . . Screw the hero in the story, I’ll set that paperback down in an instant and kiss the hell out of the guy I love in real life.
We have a plan—a plan, a date, and a real chance.
For the first time in days, I feel like everything will go my way.
The Lyft drops me off at the team hotel in the dark of the night, before the sun dares peek over the horizon.
With a disgustingly happy smile, I go in via a side entrance. The halls are blissfully empty. The stairwell is quiet as I walk up the steps, slow and silent as a cat.
No one wanders along the sixth floor. No one opens a door. I slip back into my room unseen.
Safe.
My king-size bed calls to me, and I answer it, stripping out of my clothes, flopping onto the mattress, and sinking into the pillows.
I’m briefly tempted to send Declan a goodbye text before he gets on the plane to Florida. To tell him last night was epic and I can’t wait to do it again and again in November.
My fingers itch to send a sweet nothing. Hell, I’d love to get one from him.
But my better judgement wins out.
I could exercise some restraint. Get my baseball mojo back. Adjust the levers to crank up sports and dial down romance.
I’ve been dining on Declan Steele morning, noon, and night for the last week, and a short breather won’t hurt.
Maybe I’ll text him tonight.
Yeah, tonight feels better.
I set down my phone and close my eyes, replaying our dirty deeds as I drift off.
Yes, everything is going my way today. I just know it.
Three hours later, I’m on the field for the morning workout, kicking ass. Feeling as if anything is possible. The rest of the day unfolds like that—beautiful blue skies, a muscle-burning workout with Sullivan and Miguel, then a game at night.
At the plate, I key in on Declan’s words of advice. One of the last things he said to me when I left his room this morning. “In the last couple games, your weight was too far back on your knees. Shift forward maybe a millimeter. Like you usually do.”
With that adjustment, I make it to first on a line drive up the middle.
The next three batters go down, so that’s as far as I get, but I’ll take my single, thank you very much. First time in days I don’t go hitless.
When I’m suiting up to get behind the plate, I make a mental note to text Declan tonight and tell him it worked.
Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll say next time I talk to him.
For now, I feel like maybe, just maybe, I can get back in the game.
All In with Him #3
Prologue
Grant
My five-year plan didn’t just happen. It holy fuck happened.
When I was twenty-two, I had big dreams and nothing but hope to back them up.
Now, at twenty-seven, I’ve won a World Series, started in three All-Star games, and enjoyed my pick when it comes to endorsement deals.
My career hasn’t left the upswing.
I’m still playing the game I love for a living, so it’s hard to want for anything else. I know far too well what it’s like when life isn’t good, and I appreciate the hell out of every moment on and off the field.
Since my last five-year plan worked better than expected, maybe it’s time I laid down a new set of goals. After all, my world has changed so damn much since I made the first one.
Changed for the better.
The next plan will include these existing ground rules—live well and play hard. But I’m adding a third.
Love big.
I’m determined to let those principles guide me through the next phase of my life. I intend to savor each day, leave it all on the field, and give my everything to the man I love madly.
That’s what I didn’t include in my original plan—finding the big love of my life.
I have him now, and that means I have more than I ever dreamed of when I was growing up, when elusive things like happiness, safety, and comfort felt far out of reach.
They’re here now, big time.
But then, that old enemy, doubt, swings by.
Pokes me on the shoulder.
Whispers darkly in my ear.
Asks me if my life is too good to be true. If it’s going too well.
Maybe doubt knows something I don’t. Since one fine evening, when I’m out with my man at a club, I learn that finding love isn’t necessarily the hardest part.
Keeping it is.
A rookie and a veteran on the same baseball team – their romance is completely forbidden. Experience the passionate, angsty, sexy sports romance that spans first times, heart-stopping emotions, and five epic years!
L. Blakely is the pen name of #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely when she writes MM romance. Find all of Lauren's solo MM romances more easily now by searching under the L. Blakely name. Covers will say "Lauren Blakely writing as L. Blakely!" Same great stories, easier search!
Scoring with Him #1
Winning with Him #2
All In with Him #3
Box Set
Series
No comments:
Post a Comment