In the End Zone: A Sports Romance

by Nacole Mills

  "Oh fuck," Brent said desperately over top of her. He raised up from her shoulder and Morgan saw his teeth gritted in a desperate attempt not to spill himself in her that very second.

  Morgan's whole body seemed to collapse as the last of her orgasm faded from her body. Her arms fell above her head and her thighs, which had been gripped around Brent's waist, fell open and limp. She was spent. Her breath came heavy and fast and she struggled to regain control over it.

  Above her, Brent could not contain himself any longer. He sat up over Morgan and pulled his cock from within her. His manhood throbbed and began sputtering white hot seed all over Morgan's flat belly. But her eyes were on Brent's handsome face. In the flickering candlelight, Morgan saw Brent's features contort as his own orgasm spilled all over her.

  And then, he too was spent.

  Brent collapsed onto his stomach beside Morgan and he groaned deeply into the comforter where they both laid. Morgan's hands groped for the bedside table, and soon she was fishing tissues from within a drawer to clean herself up. Then she rolled over and pressed her naked body against Brent's. She found his skin to be wet from sweat and smelling of sex.

  He turned his head over and peeked at Morgan. "You okay?" he asked breathlessly.

  Morgan smiled and leaned down to kiss Brent's temple. She then brushed a tendril of shaggy brown hair from his forehead. "I'm always okay," she said softly, curling her naked body against his, "Because you love me."

  Chapter Twelve

  Waking up next to someone was a new experience for Morgan. She had never done it before, not even with her boyfriend from college, but she quickly found that she looked forward to nights and mornings with Brent more than anything else during the week. She quickly learned that she slept better when she was curled up next to him, naked under the covers and wrapped up in his strong, heavy arms.

  The worst times, though, were the away games. Morgan dreaded them more than anything. Her and Brent would have to say private goodbyes hours before he ever climbed on to a plane, for they both agreed that keeping their relationship secret was the best for Morgan's career at the time. She only had a few more weeks until her internship ran out and her full-time job began. After that, they planned on going public with their romance.

  The more that Morgan and Brent were together, the more that Brent grew at ease with being monogamous with someone. "Monogamy used to mean that I slept with the girl more than once," he admitted to Morgan once over spaghetti and wine at his apartment. He had smiled at her and said, "I think I like this so much better."

  Morgan remembered that day sadly when she came home from work, knowing that Brent was a long plane ride away from her, suiting up for a game. Her apartment was always a bit emptier when Brent was out of the state. But I guess that's what I get for dating a football player, Morgan thought as she settled in for a night of television and a tv dinner.

  A buzz from her computer told her that she had a message and she jumped. She could only be getting a message from one person...

  93tobe: You up, baby?

  Morgan's heart jumped. It was Brent, the one, and only, person that she wanted to speak to.

  MorganMac: Yeah. Just got in from work.

  93tobe: Poor baby, having to work late.

  MorganMac: Meh. I'd rather work late while you are gone and get off on time when you are here.

  93tobe: *wink* true.

  MorganMac: You excited for the game tomorrow?

  93tobe: Nah. I'm more excited to get home.

  MorganMac: Want to video chat?

  93tobe: k

  Morgan switched over to the video chat, and within minutes, Brent Larson was on her screen. He was laying on his belly on a hotel bed, dressed in pajama pants and a white tank top. Morgan could not stop the grin from forming on her face when she laid eyes on him.

  "Hey," Brent said, his voice static and breaking up, "I can't talk long. I'm bunking with Sam and he should be back any minute."

  "Oh, okay," Morgan said, sitting forward. "I just wanted to see you a bit."

  "It's okay. I'm glad I get to see you, too," Brent said with a smile.

  They talked for a few minutes about their days, then Brent winked and said, "You know, while I have you, you should give me a little tease of what I'm going to get when I get home."

  "Brent!" Morgan gasped, feigning that she felt scandalized.

  "Aww," Brent said, laying his head to the side on the bed.

  "You'll be home tomorrow night!"

  "I know. I just forget what you look like." Brent loved to tease his girlfriend.

  Morgan rolled her eyes, but as she considered the idea, it did sound hot. Really hot, actually. "Fine," she said with a hard sigh, but she instantly grinned, letting Brent know how into the idea she really was.

  She stood in front of her computer and turned, humming a stripper-esque tune as she did. "Yeah," Brent said, his eyes glued to Morgan's form on his screen. "Nice."

  Morgan could feel herself getting a little turned on as she leaned into her webcam, pushing her tits together. Her fingers found the hem of her shirt, and she pulled the blouse up and away from her body. She was wearing a hot pink bra with little black hearts on it. It was one of Brent's favorites. He loved to bite at the hearts before pulling her tits out to graze on them.

  "Oh yeah, baby," Brent said, "I can't believe that you are wearing that one without me there!"

  Morgan giggled and replied, "Just imagine what you would be doing to me."

  "I'd be clawing at that bra, trying to get at those gorgeous tits," Brent said. His words made Morgan squirm as her heat and wetness began gathering between her thighs. "Let me see 'em, baby."

  Needing no coaxing, Morgan twisted the clasp between her breasts and pulled the bra clean away from her body. Brent groaned and grinned as Morgan's tits appeared, her nipples looking like hard candy to suck on. Morgan leaned forward and pushed them together, all for Brent's amusement. The look on Brent's face told Morgan that his cock was raging hard and he wanted her more than anything.

  "What are you looking at?"

  A familiar voice made Morgan's blood run cold, and soon the dark, handsome face of Sam Smythe, the quarterback for the Caimans, was staring at Morgan on her computer screen. His face went from wide grin to shock.

  "Morgan?" Smythe asked, unable to believe that he was looking at the marketing intern topless on Larson's screen.

  "Oh god," Morgan said in a low voice as she felt all of the blood run from her face.

  Brent's hands shot up to cover the screen and Sam stared at his friend and teammate. "Is that Morgan McMinn, the nice girl from Marketing?" Sam asked, staring down at Brent.

  "It's not what you think," Brent said, sitting up on the bed, trying to hide his throbbing erection.

  Morgan dove to the floor and grabbed her shirt. She desperately tried to cover herself, but it was obvious to her that Sam had seen everything. Horrible tears welled up in Morgan's eyes as she realized that this may be the moment that gets her fired. What if Sam told someone what he saw and it got back to Dryer? She would be out the door so fast that she wouldn't even see it coming.

  "Sam... Sam!" Brent said as Sam walked off screen.

  Morgan stared in horror as Brent tried to talk to Sam. "She's a good girl, Larson! She's so sweet! You can't just fuck with her. She isn't like the others," Sam yelled from off screen.

  "Let me explain..." Brent said.

  "Sam, please!" Morgan wailed from her end.

  The sound of Morgan's voice drew Sam back into view. He stared at Morgan, who was now covered, and Brent said, "She's my girlfriend."

  "We're exclusive, Sam," Morgan tried to explain, "We just can't tell anyone because I'm afraid that I won't get the permanent position in the marketing department if anyone finds out."

  Sam looked unconvinced, but Brent said, "It's true, Sam. I love her."

  The words fell on Sam's ears and he looked at Brent in front of him, then swiveled around to look at Morgan on the screen. "Oh,"
Sam said lamely.

  "Sam, please, you can't tell anyone!" Morgan said, holding her hands in front of her. "I really want this job, but I really love Brent."

  The quarterback sighed. "Fine, I won't say anything. But," He looked at Brent and raised a dark finger, pointing at Brent's face, "If you hurt her, I'll make you pay. She's a sweet girl and I won't let you do anything wrong to her."

  Brent held up his hands in defeat and said, "I'd never hurt her in a million years."

  Sam sighed again and turned away. Brent looked down at Morgan and shrugged. "I'm going to go, babe."

  "Okay." Morgan's voice shook a little as she tried to calm her nerves.

  "It's going to be fine, baby. Don't worry a bit about it. Sam's a good guy and he won't say anything."

  "Okay." That seemed to be the only word that Morgan knew.

  "I love you, baby. I'll be home soon."

  "I love you, too. Good night."

  Morgan closed out the window and pressed her forehead to her desk. Those hot little tears that had threatened to spill earlier were back, and before Morgan knew it, they dripped from her eyes as she bit back a sob. Would Sam keep their secret? She couldn't lose this job. It was too important to her.

  But what if Dryer makes me break things off with Brent? Morgan thought wildly. I cannot lose him either. I love him! And I love my job!

  Morgan slunk away from her computer desk and she crawled into her empty, cold bed. Gripping a pillow tight, she fell into a restless sleep. She just could not stop imagining the worst. Would she have to give up the career of her dreams or the man that she felt that she was meant for?

  ***

  When Morgan climbed from the elevator onto the seventh floor the next morning, she tried hard to stifle her yawn and cover the dark bags that had formed under her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she could not fall asleep last night, and tired wasn’t even the right word to describe her exhaustion. She carried a huge steaming coffee in one hand and her computer bag in the other.

  Morgan knew that it was just her imagination at work, but when she stepped onto the seventh floor, it seemed like everyone's eyes were on her. Every single person seemed to look up from their work and stare at her. Morgan looked around, feeling confused and nervous, and every single pair of eyes that met hers looked away quickly.

  As her heart fluttered with nerves, Morgan made her way to her desk, only to find that a young woman was setting up there. "Uh, hello?" Morgan asked as she raised her eyebrow.

  "Hi!" The woman said with a peppy voice.

  Morgan instantly disliked her. She was thin and tall with long blonde hair tied back in a high ponytail. "Uh, I think you have the wrong desk. This one is mine."

  The young woman looked confused and she cocked her head slightly, like a simple-minded cocker spaniel. "I don't think so. Mr. Dryer told me to set up here."

  "Dryer?"

  The name had barely gotten out of Morgan's mouth when a shout of, "Good morning, McMinn!" rang in her ears. Morgan jumped a little, and Dryer appeared at her side, clapping a hand on her back. "Have you met Missy? She's our new intern."

  Missy the blonde stood and stuck out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

  Morgan shook the hand gingerly. "Uh, Dryer, what's going on?" Morgan asked, trying to ignore the peppy little girl in front of her.

  "Come with me, Morgan."

  Morgan followed Dryer to his office space and stood. Dryer had barely sunk down in his chair when Morgan said with a stern tone, "What is going on? Am I fired?"

  "Please sit," Dryer said, extending a hand toward a free chair. His tone gave away nothing.

  "I'd rather stand."

  "Fine." Dryer leaned back and propped his feet up on his desk. "Missy is our new intern, and that desk is for our current interns."

  Fear welled up inside Morgan. Did Sam Smythe tell anyone about her relationship with Brent? Was she being let go?

  "Now, we can only have a handful of interns at a time, so..." Morgan gulped hard, waiting for Dryer to finish. "We have decided to keep you on board here and move you over to our media department."

  Morgan sighed and dropped into the free chair as a deep feeling of relief washed over her. She laughed and said, "Oh thank god! I thought I was getting fired!"

  Dryer raised one of his salt and pepper eyebrows at Morgan. "Why on earth would you think that?"

  Morgan was tempted to tell Dryer about her fears, as well as her secret relationship, but she bit her tongue. She simply shook her head and said, "Oh, no reason."

  "Well," Dryer said as he stood and began to pace, "We are glad to keep you on board. The work that you put our showed us, and me, that you really know your still. You'll be an Associate Junior Producer in the media department and you will help them produce segments on the games. You will still be a part of this department, but as a member of the media department, you will travel with the team to all home and away games. Does travel bother you?"

  Travel with Brent to all the games? Sign me up, Morgan thought happily to herself. "No, I can travel," Morgan said, fighting the grin that wanted to take her over.

  "Great!" Dryer smiled and shook Morgan's hand. "I thought that you would enjoy a position like that. I know how highly the players and coaching staff thinks of you."

  Morgan felt the heat rise up on her cheeks. "We've all gotten really close over the past two weeks."

  Dryer looked as though he wanted to speak, then he thought better of it. "Well, I guess we are good to go. Let me show you to your new desk and get you all setup." Dryer and Morgan made their way to the elevator, and as Morgan passed all of her former co-workers, they all smiled knowingly or shot her a thumbs up.

  "Bye, Ms. McMinn!" The peppy girl named Missy called out from her intern's desk.

  Morgan waved half-heartedly, then leaned over to Dryer. "Good luck with that," she whispered.

  Dryer rolled his eyes a bit but said nothing.

  As soon as the pair was in the elevator and headed for the eighth floor, Dryer looked at Morgan curiously. Morgan had cared for her boss since the very beginning of her internship. He reminded her so much of a fatherly figure that she could not help but revere him. "Everything okay?" Morgan asked. She could read his expression. It was one of concern.

  "Morgan," he began with a sigh, "I know."

  Something heavy and cold fell into the very pit of Morgan's stomach at Dryer's words. He knew? How long as he known?

  Dryer answered her questions, even though she did not ask them. "Coach Boss and I have both known for a while. I saw the way that you two looked at each other on your very first day. Boss saw how Larson looked at you when you went in for the first interview. And rumblings from the janitorial staff sealed the deal for me." Dryer looked down hard at Morgan. "I know that it is not my place to say anything, but Larson has a... well, a reputation around here, and..." Dryer's eyes looked sympathetic. "I don't want to see you get hurt by a playboy."

  "Oh, Mr. Dryer, it isn't like that!" Morgan insisted. "We talked and this is something different." She looked at Dryer and desperation rose up in her throat, "I love him, sir."

  Dryer sighed and looked at Morgan as though he was studying her. Just before the elevator doors opened to reveal the eighth floor, Dryer said, "Just guard your heart my dear."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Morgan McMinn struggled to hear the chatter on her headphones as the crowd around her cheered and screamed as the Caimans locked in another win. Morgan knew that her senior producer, Sydney, was giving her orders, but no matter how much she shouted, Morgan just could not hear. Instead, she tried her best to direct her cameraman as she tried to interpret the shouts that Sydney called out in vain.

  The cameraman, Gary, panned over the fans, grabbing great shots of their happy faces and cheering sounds. Then, Morgan pointed to the team and together they caught the perfect shot of the players all jumping to dog pile on Brent Larson, who just made the game winning touchdown.

  Morgan had watched with pride as
the game unfolded in favor of the Caimans. She stole glances at her handsome boyfriend in the number 93 jersey, and he never failed to make her heart race when their eyes locked. And when he had scored that last touchdown, he had looked right at Morgan and pointed to her, then his heart.

  "INTERVIEWS!" Sydney suddenly shouted into Morgan's ear through the headphones.

  Morgan had jumped and gasped as Sydney invaded her mind. "On it," she responded. She grabbed her cameraman Gary's elbow and pulled him toward the Caimans. "Interviews!" she hollered at the bewildered older man.

  Gary, who was famous for never speaking, nodded and raised the camera to his shoulder. Morgan grabbed her mic and held it up and at the ready. Her eyes began frantically scanning the players. Who would she catch first? Brent Larson seemed to materialize in front of her. He pulled off his helmet and grinned down at her. "Hey!" he said, his voice filled with jubilation.

  "Hey, sailor," she greeted him using one of the pet names that they called each other when they could not be open about their love, "Want to talk for a moment?"

  Brent nodded and pushed his sweat-soaked hair back from his flushed face. Morgan held up the mic and said, "I am here with Brent Larson, star quarterback of the Caimans. Brent, how are you feeling after making that game winning touchdown?"

  "Well," Brent said, leaning into the mic, "I'd just like to thank god and my late Mama for always believing in me. And my best one for keeping me on my toes." Brent's eyes glittered down at Morgan. His words were meant for her. "That was a fantastic game and this team is incredibly solid. I couldn't have done it without Smythe and the rest of this killer team."

  The crackling voice of Morgan's senior producer said into Morgan's ear, "Ask him about the mystery girl that the tabloids are reporting on. Is he dating someone?"