Jen's Space: Deleted scene from CAUGHT BY YOU

When Donna MacIntyre met Mike Solo, they were both side characters in ALL OF ME. At the moment CAUGHT BY YOU begins, they've already known each other the whole season. Which means that the scene in which they meet never got completely written. It wasn't so much "deleted" as "never existed." I fixed that, and here it is for your reading enjoyment! If you've read either book, you might recognize a couple moments. As you'll see, the sparks start flying right away for these two. :-)

Donna MacIntyre wasn’t nearly as buzzed as she was pretending to be. People at the Kilby Roadhouse expected her to play the wild and funny party girl, especially on her birthday. If it helped get her best friend Sadie out of her cubicle of sadness, she’d turn cartwheels across the floor while juggling maraschino cherries with her teeth. Whatever it took.

Bumping into a couple of insanely attractive men with physiques that screamed “athlete” was just a bonus. Even better, the sight of the blue-eyed one had made Sadie nearly drop the two White Russians she’d fetched for them. Verrrry interesting, considering Sadie hadn’t even glanced at a guy since the horrible Hamilton Wade breakup.

“What’s your name, cowboy?” From her perch on one of the tables, Donna flirtatiously touched his leg with her booted foot – it was a test, and it got just the reaction she wanted out of Sadie. If that wasn’t jealousy in her friend’s gorgeous dark eyes, she’d eat her faux-alligator boot.

“Caleb Hart.”

“I’ve heard of you. You’re on the Catfish. I’m Donna and this is Sadie.” No time for subtlety. Sadie’s happiness was too important. “You should really ask her to dance, because even though she’s acting kind of strange right now, she’s super cool. Like, the bestest of the bestest.”

Caleb shot an amused glance at Sadie, who made a little face to indicate Donna’s buzzed state.

Well, guess what, she wasn’t drunk at all. She had a master plan here, and so far it was working. “Besides, she doesn’t go out much anymore.” Donna leaned forward, nearly toppling off the table. “She had a bad experience.”

Okay, maybe she was a tiny bit buzzed.

“Donna.”

“It’s my birthday and I can say what I want. Besides, I can see the sparks flyin’ here.” She waved her hand back and forth between Caleb and Sadie. They both looked kind of stunned by that statement, so when Caleb’s curly-haired friend returned with two Lone Stars, she jumped on the distraction. “And I think your friend’s a hottie, Caleb Hart. I’ve decided to put my money on those cute little dimples.”

“Now that’s an interesting bet,” said Caleb. “We’ll leave you to it. Let’s go, Sadie.” He grabbed Sadie’s free hand and tugged her toward the dance floor. Donna wanted to pump her fist in triumph. A sexy ballplayer was just what Sadie needed.

Caleb’s friend looked down at the two beers he held in one big hand, then up at her. He pasted an exaggerated scowl on his face. “Cute little dimples?”

“Adorable. You know what those dimples say to me?”

“Don’t call me cute?”

Quick comeback. She gave him a closer look, noting the mischief in his green eyes and the power in his body. This man was smokin’ hot. “They say you’re as pure as a baby lamb, so you’d better hand that beer this way.” She gave him a cheeky grin.

“Is that right? Well, you’re not the only one who can interpret body language. You know what your smile says to me?”

“I’m just dying to know.”

“It says you prefer drinks with cream.” Flashing a smile, he brushed a drop of liquid off her upper lip. Her mouth dropped open in shock at how quickly he’d gotten the best of her. That never happened. Also, that light touch had done crazy things to her equilibrium. She had to get it back. Flirt, Donna, flirt.

“Maybe I’m flexible and open-minded when it comes to drinks. And other things.”

His eyes darkened to a deep emerald. “Me and my dimples are going to pretend we didn’t hear that. We’re too pure, remember?” He put one bottle on the table and tilted the other to his mouth, which brought her attention to his broad chest and powerful shoulders.

She swallowed hard, taking a sip from her White Russian to hide her strong attraction to him. “I’m trying to remember. But the rest of you makes it hard. Are you a ballplayer too?” He certainly had the body for it. Not just because of his muscles, but the confidence with which he carried himself.

“I am. Mike Solo, catcher.” He extended his hand, and they shook.

“Donna MacIntyre. Flirt.”

He laughed at that, his eyes dancing. “You don’t fool me. There’s a lot more to you than 'flirt.'”

“How would you know? Something else you read in my smile?”

“No. I saw the way you got Caleb and Sadie to go off together. A real flirt wouldn’t do that. You’d want the star pitcher of the Catfish all to yourself.”

She shrugged. “So I’m a good friend. Anyway, maybe I wanted you instead of him.”

He cocked his head, considering. “Maybe. Except you didn’t even notice me at first.”

“So … you noticed whether or not I noticed you?”

“A-ha.” He gestured at her with his beer bottle. “Very coherent. You’re not nearly as tipsy as you want people to believe.”

“That can be fixed.” Alarmed by his perceptiveness, she drained the rest of her White Russian. “Ta-da. By the way, I totally noticed you. I just didn’t think you were interested.”

Something sparked in those green eyes of his. “What made you think that?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Just something I picked up on. You’re here with your friends, you’re having fun, drinking, hanging out, but you’re not looking for anything. You didn’t set off my play-dar.”

“Play-dar?”

“My play-dar helps me spot a player from two hundred yards.”

His burst of laughter lit up his face. “You should patent that. You’d make bank.”

“I’m right, aren’t I?” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be right or wrong. If anyone would tempt her, it would be catcher Mike Solo.

“As a matter of fact, you are, at least for now. It’s the baseball season,” he said as if it explained everything.

She shook her head, not understanding.

“I take a Vow of Celibacy at the beginning of every season. I stick to it until the last out of the last game.”

“A Vow of Celibacy? You mean, like a monk?”

“Yep.” He took another swig from his beer. “I pour all my energy into baseball. No distractions. No drama. It’s great for my concentration. According to my calculations, it adds an extra fifty points to my batting average.”

“Wow.” She eyed him, fascinated. This was the most intriguing conversation she’d ever had at the Roadhouse. “So you haven’t had sex since … when, Opening Day?”

“Spring Training, actually.”

“So if I invited you back to my place and told you every naughty thing I’d like you to do to me, you’d say …”

His eyes darkened and his Adam’s apple moved up and down the strong column of his throat. “I’d say you’re trying to kill me.”

Damn. Now he was even more tempting than he had been before he’d revealed his Vow.

“You know, as a public service, you should be less attractive,” she told him. “Get a mullet. Or wear those shiny, baggy sweats. And a wife-beater. It’s only fair, if you’re going to be off-limits.”

“Sorry, you lost me at attractive. After that all I heard was blah-blah-blah.”

They both burst out laughing. Somehow it felt as if she’d known him much longer than the approximately ten minutes since they’d met. “So you’re a hottie who won’t put out, and I’m a flirt who just wants my friend to have fun. We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”

He clicked his beer bottle against her empty glass. “To us.”

“To us,” she echoed, then slid off the table she’d been perched on. He caught her arm to help her, setting every nerve ending on that side of her body aflame.

He put his hand in the small of her back and guided her through the crowd toward the bar. Hmm, she wondered, her mind filled with images of Mike’s laughing green eyes and hard body. Just how long did the baseball season last?

CAUGHT BY YOU, AKA the rest of Mike and Donna's story, will be out on December 29! Click here to preorder.