ass on.”
Her face dropped with disappointment.
“You liked that threadbare piece of junk?” I asked, surprised.
“It was comfortable.”
“We’ll buy a new one that’ll give you better back support,” I said, arching my brows suggestively.
I still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to move to Indy. I’d asked out of sheer desperation when we hadn’t seen each other in eight days because of our schedules. She’d only had to think about it for a few seconds before deciding to hand off most of the work at Firestorm to her people in New York. She’d still have to go to New York for meetings at her real estate business, and she’d need to make the occasional trip from Indy to Fenway. But she’d assured me a million times that all of this was no problem and that I was more important than anything else. I could have cried. The last person who’d said that to me was my mom.
We’d be together most nights I wasn’t on the road. We’d share a closet. I’d have a reason to pull two coffee mugs out of the kitchen cabinet for our morning coffee.
I’d never even considered living with a woman before Sidney. But she wasn’t like most women. She’d changed my life for the better in a matter of months.
The topless photo of her had made its rounds on the Internet. She’d put a video message about it on YouTube, all business in a suit sitting behind her desk. Her heartfelt, direct message about refusing to be blackmailed, and the objectification of women, had gotten national media attention and support from women’s groups. She’d turned the situation into a win by donating $500,000—the amount the blackmailer had sought—to a domestic violence organization.
Her tenacity was one of Sid’s many characteristics that made me love her. Life would bring unexpected challenges, and sometimes I’d be the one holding her up. Other times, I knew she was more than capable of holding me up. Mostly, I hoped we’d hold each other up through the good and the bad.
She let out a squeal of excitement as the puck dropped and I wrapped my arms around her waist again, pulling her back against my chest. There’d be no dull moments with this woman by my side.
“You ready for this, boss?” I asked, looking out over my former team with pride.
“Always, Captain. Always.”
BRENDA ROTHERT LIVES IN CENTRAL Illinois with her husband and three sons. She was a daily print journalist for nine years, during which time she enjoyed writing a wide range of stories.
These days Brenda writes New Adult Romance in the Contemporary and Dystopian genres. She loves to hear from readers.
Visit Brenda Rothert at www.brendarothert.com.
Thanks for reading Killian! If you enjoyed Killian and Sydney’s story, I’d greatly appreciate a review on the site you purchased it from.
In case you aren’t aware, the On the Line series is a spinoff from my Fire on Ice series. On the Line is a concurrent series, so all three stories—Killian, Bennett and Liam—are happening at the same time.
Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release e-mail list at Newsletter or like my Facebook page at Facebook.
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IT’S SO HARD TO RECOGNIZE and thank everyone who helps with my work without forgetting someone. A lot of people have helped me get here. On this specific book, I had a fairly tight circle around me.
Denise Milano Sprung was instrumental in the development of this book. Her ideas and encouragement never fail to energize me to start writing a book, and that was especially true with Killian. I’m so grateful and proud to call you my friend, Denise.
Editor Valerie Gray went way above and beyond the call of duty on this book. I can’t overstate how much better this story is because of her.
Author friends are the best, and a handful of mine kept me from stress crying over deadlines on this book. Stephanie Reid, Chelle Bliss, Katrina Kirkpatrick and Karla Sorenson—mad love and thanks.
Michelle Tan and Janett Gomez are two dear friends who beta read sections of my books at the drop of a hat, providing invaluable feedback. And Rosarita Reader of iScream Books is also a dear, treasured friend who I can’t thank enough.
Pam Million, my wonderful assistant and friend, is my daily source of support and laughter. She’s probably more familiar with my procrastinate-ish ways than anyone, but she puts up with me and then some.
To all the book bloggers out there who read, promote and share your love of books, thank you. I’d be absolutely nowhere without you guys.
The members of my FB reader group, Rothert’s Readers, always keep me motivated and smiling. Thanks to every one of you for your support. It means so much to me.
The biggest thanks always go to my husband and our three boys. Meeting my deadlines for this book required two weekends holed up in a hotel room, and my husband was supportive as always. May our family always be a safe place to fall and then get back up and reach for the sky again.