Balancing Act is the follow up to Heavy Lifting, and the second title in the Jocks and Geeks series. It releases August 3 and is inspired by the fact that I'm very much a geek at heart. I think I always was, so it does my heart good to see these boys getting their happy ever after.
Personal trainer and silver fox Collin Fitzpatrick gave part of his leg for his country, and now his ex is selling his home, so he needs a place to live quickly. He hears from mutual friends that Trent has a room he can use and needs Collin’s help. Neither Trent nor Collin is looking for a relationship, but attraction ignites for Trent, and it’s returned, to Trent’s surprise.
The last thing Collin expects is for his protective instincts to blossom into something much more. Trent’s care and genuineness combine to heal the heart his ex left shattered. As the task of keeping Trent safe becomes more paramount, so does the realization that failing could cost both of them everything.
TRENT MARKUS glanced over his shoulder for the tenth time in
the last few minutes. His heart pounded in his ears as he walked faster, trying
to get to his friend’s apartment. Footsteps behind him made Trent jump and
sweat break out on the back of his neck, and it took all his willpower not to
break into a run. Not that it would do any good, because in these shoes, he
wasn’t going anywhere. He loved them, but they were a little too small. It
wasn’t enough to stop him—it just meant that if he wanted all his toes, he
needed to walk. Though right about now, he might give up a toe or two to save
his stupid neck.
He turned again and slowed down. It was only a man and a
woman walking down the sidewalk. They were even holding hands and stuff. As he
reached Marti’s apartment, he headed up the walk and reached the door just as
his phone chimed. He pulled it out, then nearly dropped it between his fingers.
I’m still waiting. I already paid, and I expect what you
promised me. You know what will happen if you don’t deliver.
The message was followed by a gif of an exploding bomb.
Trent rang the bell and put his phone back in his pocket. He
had no idea what he was going to do, but he knew there was no way he could
deliver what Soren wanted. Why in the hell had he gotten involved with a guy
like that? He should have known the guy was bad by the money he offered, and
now Soren was going to pull Trent and his hopes for the future of his business
right down the toilet before it really had a chance to start.
He rang the bell again, glancing from side to side, shifting
his weight and hating that he was standing under the light. It made him feel
exposed and even more vulnerable. The hair on the back of his neck stood on
end, as though someone were watching him. It was probably only his imagination,
which had been running wild a lot lately with Milwaukee’s version of the son of
the Godfather after him. Okay, maybe that was exaggerating, but only a little.
Soren Severson wasn’t Italian, but that didn’t seem to be an impediment to his
nastiness.
He rang once more, and this time the door buzzed. Trent
pulled it open, hurried inside, and waited for it to click locked behind him
before walking down the hall to the rear first-floor apartment of what had once
been a block of stunning Victorian-era apartments. He knocked on the door, and
Marti opened it. Trent raced in and stood, tense as hell, in the foyer. “I’m
sorry for calling and everything, but I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, sit down,” Marti said. “You’re as jumpy as a cat.
What’s going on?” He went to the tiny kitchen and returned with a couple beers,
then motioned to the sofa. Marti sat and opened a beer, handing Trent the other
one, and put his feet up on the old, scarred coffee table.
“You know I’m trying to get this business off the ground.
Downsizing sucks, and I tried to get another job, but no one is hiring right
now. So I thought that lots of people have websites, but they can’t keep them
updated and the software current. I thought I’d start a web development and
maintenance service. People would pay a flat rate per month, and I would
support their website. I’ve already got about ten clients. I figured I could
also do web design, photography work… all of that. I put up my own website and
advertised on Facebook and stuff.” Trent took a sip of beer and set the bottle
on the table. He thought he was going to throw it right back up.
