T. A. Chase

Wednesday Work in Progress…

Sorry about posting late today. Just couldn’t get motivated this morning. 🙂 But I’m up and I realized I don’t think I shared a snippet of Chasing the King of the Mountain with you. I’m going to remedy that right now. (and if I already shared…here’s an extra peek…lol) This is the second book in the International Men of Sports series…and it’ll be out for general release on July 5th, barring any changes in the schedule. I’ll let you know when you can pre-order and get it pre-release as well.

Chasing the King of the Mountain copyright c. 2013 T.A. Chase & Devon Rhodes

Excerpt:

After his shower, Pascal flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling for a moment. Every muscle in his body hurt, especially his calf where he’d got cut the deepest during the Tour last year. He was exhausted, yet he needed to keep training because he had a goal to ride in the next one, and at his age, even competing would be a big deal.

Sighing, he pushed back up onto his feet, then padded over to his closet. He dressed before heading out to his kitchen. His place wasn’t very big, and that was the way he liked it. He lived in the Dordogne countryside in a century old farmhouse. Renovating and modernising the inside had cost a pretty penny, but it was worth it. He didn’t change any of the outside, liking the way it appeared.

There was only one bedroom, which was fine because he rarely had visitors and it had been a long time since he’d had a serious enough relationship that any man would come to live with him.

In the kitchen, he readied his after-workout snack before grabbing his phone. He carried everything out onto the small verandah he’d built off the kitchen. It was a sunny day, and he was going to allow the warmth to soak into his old bones. Once he was settled, he picked up his phone to scroll through his contacts to Laurent’s name.

Pascal rarely watched TV or listened to the radio, and when he was training, he never did. But at the market today, someone had mentioned that Laurent had got engaged to his long-time boyfriend, causing Pascal to realise he hadn’t talked to his friend in a few days.

He’d known Laurent had been heading to Germany to cover the G8 summit, and he hadn’t wanted to bother Laurent when he had something that important to do. Plus Pascal had some soul searching to do, and some major decisions to make.

He wasn’t sure what Laurent would be doing at that moment, but at least he could leave him a message congratulating him. Pascal tapped on Laurent’s name, then waited for the man to answer.

“Bonjour, mon ami,” Laurent answered.

“Bonjour, Laurent. Am I calling at a bad time?” Pascal leant back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. He stared down at the scars criss-crossing his shins.

“No. I’m in a holding pattern until I can get an interview with the American president. So, actually this is the perfect time.” Laurent sounded slightly annoyed.

Pascal grinned, knowing how much Laurent hated waiting around. “Congratulations on your engagement, Laurent. I think you and Jan are perfect for each other.” Not exactly true, but the right thing to say. “Have you chosen a date?”

Laurent snorted. “He just asked me right before I left for Germany. He wasn’t supposed to have announced anything until I got back, but like always, he can’t resist the spotlight.”

He did know how Laurent’s partner longed to be in the middle of a whirlwind of cameras and reporters. Pascal had seen the man in several tabloids throughout the years they’d been dating, yet Laurent rarely appeared with him. There were times when Pascal didn’t understand why Laurent stayed with Jan, but at times he saw the love that was there between them, though Pascal had an unhappy feeling there was more on Laurent’s side than Jan’s side.

It wasn’t his place to say anything, so he kept his mouth shut and supported Laurent when he needed it.

“Yes, he does. Still I hope you would’ve told me when you had a chance to call,” Pascal commented, flexing his feet to stretch his calves.

“Yes, I was planning on it, but I just haven’t had the time until just now, and I was about to dial your number when my phone rang. Great minds think alike, huh?” Laurent sounded like he was smiling.

“Well, I have a great mind to go along with my amazing body, but I’m not sure if you do. I think you’re just all fluff and no substance,” he teased.

“Ass.” Laurent changed the subject. “Have you been out riding?”

Pascal sighed. “Yes, and I’ll be riding in a race in Belgium and the big one in Italy. I’ve been training and it’s harder to recover from the workouts, but I’m still pulling the time I want, and I’ve been thinking…”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Laurent cleared his throat. “What have you been thinking about, Pascal?”

“A lot of things. I’m going to be forty-two this year, and to think about riding the Tour at that age is crazy…”

“Are you thinking of coming back for one more Tour?”

Pascal heard the shock in his friend’s voice, but there was also a hint of excitement in there as well.

“Yes. I let my team manager know that I’ll be back for the Tour. I have to join the team in two weeks for my first race of the season.” Pascal rested his elbows in the table, then propped his chin on his hand. “This is probably going to be the hardest season for me since I started competing.”

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