we have invited some of our members to share with us excerpts or
articles about making those Sparks Fly. Happy
Reading.♥
In the Rainbow
League series, Mason and Patrick fumble toward happiness in THROWN A CURVE (book 2) but they first meet in THE
WINDUP (book 1). Here the sparks fly
when they first meet:
Mason turned back toward the bar and signaled Tom that he wanted another. As Tom slid a pint glass in front of Mason, the guy flounced over and leaned on the bar.
“Well, hello,” he said to Mason. “Nice hit
you got in the seventh. Mason, right?”
“Uh-huh.” Mason was dumbstruck. This much
sexual energy was probably bad for his health.
“I’m Patrick,” said the guy. “You’re the
one who used to be a Yankee, right?”
“Yes.” Wow, it was hard to make words
suddenly.
Patrick bobbed up and down, still dancing
to the music from the jukebox. “You’re not, like, some retired straight guy who
joined the league just for the love of the game or whatever, right? ’Cause I
know Will lets people like that join. A sports league for gay athletes can’t
possibly be exclusionary, right?” Patrick rolled his eyes.
“Nope. I’m gay. I got a lot of ink when I
came out. Do you not remember?”
Patrick shrugged. “Like I pay attention to
the news. If it wasn’t in People,
I don’t know it happened.”
“I was on the cover of People.”
“Oh.” Patrick squinted. “I suppose I do
remember there being a little tizzy a few years ago. Some major leaguer who
came out of the closet after he retired, yeah?”
Mason pointed at himself.
“Well, look at you, darling. You’re
practically a celebrity!” Patrick playfully poked at Mason’s arm. “No wonder
your team beat ours today.”
Mason debated making a move. This guy
talked a lot, but he was so fucking hot that it kind of didn’t matter. Besides,
Mason didn’t want a romantic dinner or a long date, just a quick fuck somewhere
nearby.
Patrick ordered a fruity cocktail,
something that came in a martini glass and was garnished with a maraschino
cherry. He took a careful sip. “You sitting here alone, big guy?” he asked.
“Yeah, just… taking in the scenery.” He
gave Patrick what he hoped was a meaningful look.
Patrick laughed. “I shall take that as a
compliment.”
Mason gave Patrick a closer look. He seemed
to be wearing eyeliner, and his sneakers had hot pink laces in them.
“No offense, but how does a guy like you
end up playing baseball?” Mason asked.
A frown flashed across Patrick’s face, but
he recovered quickly. “Well, before I became all this”—he gestured toward
himself—“I was a little boy in the suburbs. I played Little League ball until I
was fourteen or so. That was when I figured out that I wanted to play with the
boys in different ways. I moved to the city and was looking to meet people, and
this friend of my mother’s mentioned this league, and I told some coworkers who
thought it sounded like a lark, like, how hi-lar-ious would it be if Patrick
the Sparkle Pixie did something so butch as play baseball. I was all,
‘Challenge accepted.’ Then I grew to really love playing again. Guess I showed
them.” Patrick winked.
“Your coworkers? What do you do?”
Patrick ran a hand through the messy
rooster-comb hair on top of his head. “I’m a hairdresser, darling. And
you?”
“I write feature stories for a sports
website.”
“How literary of you.” Patrick grinned.
“Look at this, we’re getting to know each other. And here I thought all your
leering at me was just to get me into bed.”
“Who says it wasn’t?”♥
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: RWA/NYC Vice President Kate McMurray is an
award-winning author of gay romance and an unabashed romance fan. When she’s
not writing, she works as a nonfiction editor, dabbles in various crafts, and
is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with baseball. She has served as President of
Rainbow Romance Writers, the LGBT romance chapter of Romance Writers of
America. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Visit her at www.katemcmurray.com.
or visit www.rwanyc.com.
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