Tackling Life: A Sports Romance (Tackling Romance Series Book 2)

by Kathleen Kelly

  “He’s studying sports medicine, isn’t he?”

  “Yes.” Minerva smiles. “I told him he had to have a backup plan. Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and you have to adapt.”

  I laugh. “Did you just use a baseball term for a football player?”

  Minerva chuckles. “Yes, I did.”

  The whistle sounds, and all conversation stops. I’m grateful I get to eat my hotdog and watch Gray on the field. Minerva is a good mom. From the little Gray has told me, his dad died when he was five, and his mom never remarried or even dated. She made it her mission to provide for her son and make sure he went to college. Getting a scholarship took the financial burden off her, but she still takes care of him. Her dedication is to be admired.

  Gray loves his mom. It’s evident in the way he talks and treats her. It’s just been the two of them for a long time now.

  I’m waiting with Minerva for Gray to come out of the locker room. We won, so the atmosphere is electric. A bunch of people are waiting outside, mostly family and friends, but there’s also a quite a large female group. Their hair and makeup are a little overdone for a football game, and one of them is looking at me with open hostility. I shift nervously, and Minerva catches me trying to smooth my hair.

  “Oh, don’t fuss. That one is Lisa. She and Gray dated for a minute. She’s looking for a payday.” Minerva puts an arm around me. “You look beautiful. Unlike some, you don’t need to plaster on the makeup, your beauty shines from within.”

  Her words make me feel instantly better, although part of me wishes my hair was smoother. Gray walks out, and Lisa throws her arms around him. He smiles down at her as she kisses his cheek. Gray glances at me, his smile falters at whatever he can see on my face. The way I’m feeling, I bet it’s a shade of green from jealousy, and then he tries to disentangle himself from her.

  Without thinking, I march up to them and push in between the two of them. Then, I put my arms around Gray’s neck and kiss him on the lips.

  “Congratulations, baby!” I kiss him again. “Come on, your mom is waiting.” With my hand firmly grasping his, I drag him toward Minerva.

  Minerva is laughing. I let Gray go so he can hug his mother.

  “You did good, son.” Minerva is beaming up at him. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

  Gray smiles down at her. “I’m starving.”

  “You always are.” Minerva winks up at him.

  Gray holds out a hand to each of us, and we leave the stadium. When we get to his car, he opens the doors for us to climb in. I get in the back so Minerva can sit comfortably in the front. Gray is outside the car talking to a couple of his teammates.

  Minerva twists in her seat. “You okay, honey?”

  My face heats in embarrassment. “Lisa annoyed me.”

  Minerva nods. “There’s a lot of Lisa’s out there, honey. Don’t let them get to you. Gray looks at you like you set the moon in the night sky. He never looked at Lisa that way, and he never invited Lisa to sit with me in the bleachers. You’re the first.”

  “Really?” Minerva nods. “I got angry.”

  Minerva chuckles. “Oh, honey, I saw that. And maybe it was a good thing. Lisa might leave him alone now. I swear that girl has no class.”

  Minerva twists back around in her seat as Gray slides in.

  “Where do my two favorite ladies want to go?”

  “Gray, you normally eat pizza after a game,” states Minerva.

  “I know, Mom, just thought you and Dee might like something else?”

  “Pizza works for me,” I say, and Minerva nods.

  “Pizza it is!” replies Gray with a hand raised in the air like he’s won a victory.

  We’re sitting outside my apartment in Gray’s car. We dropped Minerva off at her apartment. It’s just the two of us, but the silence feels stifling. Glancing at him, I find he’s staring at me.

  “Do you want to come in?” I ask.

  Gray shakes his head. I smile at him and reach for the door handle.

  “Dee?”

  I twist in the seat. “Yeah?”

  Gray turns and stares out the windshield, then he shakes his head. “Maybe, I’ll come in for a minute.”

  Confused, I open my door. “Okay.”

  I get out, and Gray is already jogging toward my apartment building so he can open the door for me. I unlock the door, and he waves me in.

  “You know I can open the door,” I tease.

  “I know.”

  His silence and seriousness have me on edge. I keep walking toward my apartment, open the door, and head for the kitchen.

  “You want a coffee?”

  “No.”

  “Cold drink?”

  “No.”

  I stop what I’m doing and stare at him. “What do you want, Gray?”

  He takes my hand and leads me to the couch, where he sits down and pulls me with him. “Can we talk about tonight?”

  “Sure? What about it?”

  Gray keeps my hand firmly in his grasp while his other hand rests on my knee, then he looks me in the eyes. “Lisa doesn’t mean anything.”

  His words seem to strike at something deep within me, and I try to pull away from him, anger and embarrassment rising inside of me. Gray’s hands go to my shoulders, forcing me to look at him.

  “After every game, there’s always a bunch of them hanging around. At first, I was flattered. I went from Mr. Nobody to the guy they wanted to know.” He shakes his head. “But they don’t know me. Girls like Lisa see a way out of their situation. I’ve got to admit, it took me a minute to catch on to her plan, but my mom was wise to it all along.”

  I narrow my gaze, and my lips turn down. “You seemed to like the attention.”

  Gray shakes his head. “You’re worth a million Lisa’s or whatever their names are. Babe, you know me. You know my mom. I want you.”

  His words melt my heart, and I close the gap between us, my lips crashing into his. Gray growls and lifts me, so I’m straddling him on the couch. The kiss goes from passionate to a wild frenzy in a heartbeat. Suddenly, I have too many clothes on, and my body feels like it’s on fire. Gray puts his hands under my ass and stands, and my legs instantly wrap around him. He keeps walking, and the next thing I know, we’re in my bedroom, and he’s laying me down on the bed. I kick off my shoes, then Gray’s hands go under my sweater and lift it. His fingers grope at my bra, pulling it down on one side, then his lips leave mine to lock onto my hardened nipple—an electric feeling pulses through me.

  “Gray!” I gasp as I hold his head in place.

  His hand pulls down my bra on the other side, and he moves to the other nipple. The warmth of his mouth on me causes another moan to escape. Gray’s hand moves down my body, trailing fire along my side. He keeps going down my leg and then to my inner thigh. Finally, his hand applies pressure to my pussy through my jeans, and it’s nearly too much.

  Reaching down, I pull my sweater up and over my head and remove my bra. Gray lays kisses down my stomach, his hands go to my belt, and he undoes it. Next, he tugs at the button and zipper. His hands pull my jeans down, and when he gets to my knees, he stops. I cry out in frustration, and he smiles. Gray bends and buries his face between my legs, lapping at me through the thin lacy material of my panties.

  “Gray!”

  I hold his head in place as his tongue works me into a frenzy. Unashamedly, I grind into his face, holding him steady as my body shatters into a million pieces. The orgasm hits me so hard, it takes my breath away.

  Gray keeps going until he elicits every last aftershock out of me, then slowly, he pulls my panties and jeans off me.

  “Beautiful,” he whispers, staring down at my naked body.

  Deliberately, he removes all of his clothing. Even in the dim light of my bedroom, I can see his well-defined body, sculpted from endless hours at the gym. My eyes trace his six-pack, which goes down into a ‘V.’ He’s the beautiful one. Gray is perfect, his cock is twelve inches of rock-hard good
ness that glistens in the light.

  Sitting, I take the tip into my mouth. Gray groans, his hands entangling themselves in my hair as he gently rocks into my eager mouth. I swirl my tongue across the tip, and he hisses in appreciation.

  Gray pulls out of my mouth and pushes me back onto the bed. I watch as he opens his wallet and puts a condom on his enlarged cock. He covers my body with his, his cock teasing me at my entrance.

  I slip one leg and then the other around him, giving him unfettered access to my body. His cocks slides in between my folds, but he doesn’t enter me. Gray rolls us, so I’m on top, and as I straighten up, he slides me onto him. I gasp at the intrusion inside me. His hands move to my hips as he moves me, arching up inside me as he does. The position hits my G-spot, and I cry out. “Oh, my God!”

  “Not quite, honey, but let’s see if we can get you to heaven.”

  I roll my hips, and he arches up again, evoking the same response.

  “Don’t stop,” I whimper.

  Gray keeps thrusting inside me as I grind onto him faster and faster. My body feels like it’s melting and my feet are burning. The orgasm sweeps through me. Unlike ones I’ve had before, it keeps building like a tidal wave.

  “Gray!” The voice doesn’t sound like me—it’s a cross between a scream and an animalist growl.

  The orgasm feels like it’s never going to end, and my body is molten lava. Gray flips us and pumps into me harder. His thumb goes to my nub, applying pressure, and I swear the tidal wave turns into a tsunami as wave after wave of pleasure rocks through me.

  A growl escapes Gray as he finds his release, and still, I’m riding his cock as my body shudders for the last time, milking him of his seed and taking all of him.

  “My feet were on fire,” I whisper.

  Gray chuckles. “That’s a first.”

  “You can say that again.”

  Gray lowers himself onto me and kisses me lightly. “Like a sword in a scabbard, you fit me perfectly.”

  I giggle. “A sword in a scabbard?”

  Gray rises and nods. “Yep.”

  My hands go to his handsome face, cupping it. “You couldn’t come up with a better analogy?”

  Gray kisses my nose. “Nope.”

  Smiling, I nod. “Okay, baby. A sword it is.”

  Gray smiles and slowly pulls out of me. “I’ll be back.”

  The loss of his cock and body is instant. I don’t like it. Gray pads into my bathroom, and I’m glad one of us had the presence of mind to use a condom. Slowly, I stand on shaking legs, waiting for him to do what he needs to do. When he comes out, I go in and tidy myself up. Gray is lying in my bed with the covers over himself. As I enter the room, he pulls down one side, and I climb in next to him.

  “Is it okay if I stay?”

  So like Gray, always making sure I’m okay.

  “I’d be mad if you didn’t.”

  I tuck myself into his side, placing one leg over his.

  “This feels good.”

  “Yeah, it does,” I agree.

  My hand travels down his stomach over his abs and back up. Before sleep takes me, my last thought is how lucky I am that Gray and I fit like a sword in a scabbard, and I smile at his silly comparison.

  DIANDRA

  Gray is the most amazing man. Tonight we’re going to a party organized by his best friend, Colton Anders. Colt is also on the football team. He looks like the All-American, and women fall at his feet. Not only is he good-looking, but Colt has a silver tongue with the ladies. When we first met, Gray told me he told him to back off. Not that Colt would’ve tried anything—it’s obvious he adores Gray and his mom and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize their friendship.

  A knock at my door has me hurrying to open it, even though I’m only in a towel. I glance at the clock, and Gray is forty minutes early.

  Throwing open the door, I’m shocked to see Anton standing there.

  “Hello, Diandra.”

  I slam the door shut and lock it. My cell phone is in the kitchen, and I run to it and dial Gray.

  “Hey, baby,” he says cheerfully. “Miss me?”

  “Gray,” I cry. “How far away are you?”

  Anton pounds on my door.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s someone here, and I need him to leave. It’s a long story.” The pounding on my door intensifies, and I let out a squeal.

  “I’m on my way but ring the police.” Gray ends the call, and I dial 9-1-1.

  “This is 9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

  “A man trying to get into my apartment. I have a restraining order against him in Texas. Does that apply here?”

  “We have a police vehicle en route. What’s your name?”

  “Diandra Evergrow. His name is Anton Burr. He stalked me in Texas.”

  “Is he in your apartment?”

  “No, ma’am.” I hear sirens outside my window. “I think the police are here.”

  “Don’t leave your apartment. Stay on the line.”

  Quickly, I move into my bedroom and put on a robe. There’s a knock at my door, and I freeze in motion until I hear, “Boston, police, Ms. Evergrow.”

  This time I look through the peephole before I open the door. Out in the hallway are two policemen and no sign of Anton. I unlock the door and let them in.

  “He was here only a moment ago.” Looking out into the hallway, no one else is around. Quickly, I close the door and follow the police into my living room.

  One police officer does a quick sweep of my apartment. “Ma’am, you told the 9-1-1 operator that you have a restraining order against this individual?”

  “Yes, his name is Anton Burr. It was filed in Texas.”

  “It’s enforceable here in Boston.”

  Relieved, I nod furiously. “I moved here to get away from him.”

  There’s a knock on my door, followed by, “Dee! Are you okay?”

  A police officer moves toward the door.

  “It’s my boyfriend, Grayson Moore.”

  “Grayson Moore of the Eagles?”

  Smiling, I nod. He opens the door, and Gray steps back.

  “Officer, my girlfriend, Diandra Evergrow, lives here. Is she okay?”

  The officer moves out of the way and says, “Yes, she’s fine. The offender fled before we arrived.”

  Gray walks past the officer and straight to me. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Anton didn’t do anything. He gave me a scare. I was expecting you, not him.”

  One of the officers clears his throat, and we both stare at him. “We’ll do a sweep of the neighborhood. In the meantime, you take care and call us if he shows up again. Don’t take any chances.”

  “Thank you so much, officers. I appreciate how quickly you got here.”

  “We were in the neighborhood.” The officer’s attention goes from me to Gray. “Great game last night. You boys are playing well.”

  Gray smiles and shakes the officer’s hand. “You follow the Eagles?”

  “Yeah, I played in my younger days.”

  The officer nods at me, then Gray, and then he and his partner leave. Gray follows them to the door, locks it, and hurries back to me. “What happened?”

  Wrapping my arms around myself, I sit on the couch. Gray joins me, putting a protective arm around me.

  “Back in Texas, I dated a guy. At first, he was very sweet, but he changed. Anton wanted to know where I was every second of every day. When I tried to break it off, he became aggressive. He followed me everywhere. Then one day, he was waiting for me in my dorm room.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  I shake my head. “Scared me pretty good. He’s the reason I moved here. Anton stuck to the restraining order and was always the required distance away, but he’d push the limits. If I went to the grocery store and he was there, he’d say it was a coincidence. It got so I was scared to leave my dorm.”

  “But he never hurt you?”

  “No.”

 
Gray looks relieved. “What do you want to do?”

  “He scares me, Gray.”

  “I won’t let him anywhere near you. I’ll stay here, and if I can’t be here, you can stay with my mom. She loves you, so it won’t be an issue.”

  Leaning forward, I rest my head on his arm. “Thank you.”

  “Do you still want to go to Colt’s party?”

  I nod. “Anton stole six months of my life, and he’s not getting anymore.”

  Gray smiles. “That’s my girl.”

  The party is in full swing. The music is loud, and half a dozen girls surround Colt, all vying for his attention. You can tell he’s not serious about any of them. He and Gray were going to play beer pong, but because of Anton, they both decided not to drink so they chose teams. The losing team has to drink. So far, Gray is winning, which is making Colt unhappy.

  “You’re cheating,” states Colt.

  “How am I cheating? Come on, Mr. Quarterback, can’t you throw?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “You talk to my momma with that mouth?”

  “Your momma loves me.”

  Gray laughs and nods. “But not as much as me.”

  Colt nods. “I still think you’re cheating.”

  Shaking my head at their antics, I walk upstairs to the bathroom. The line is ten people deep. With a groan, I go back downstairs. Colt and Gray are still playing beer pong so I walk outside.

  Not long later a hand lands on my shoulder, and I shriek in fright. It’s Gray.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need to go to the bathroom, and the line is long, so I thought I’d go to the gas station.”

  “Not without me.” Gray puts his hand in mine, and we walk along the sidewalk.

  “Colt must be upset that you stopped the game.”

  “He’s claiming victory, telling everyone I forfeited.” Gray laughs and shakes his head. “Colt doesn’t like to lose.”

  We walk hand in hand until we get to the gas station. Walking inside, I grab a candy bar and put it on the counter.

  “Could I have the key to the restrooms, please?”

  “You gotta buy something.”

  I point at the candy bar. The young guy harrumps, reaches under the counter, and gives me a key attached to a large wooden spoon.