UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT (Gods of the Gridiron Book 1)

by Shanna Swenson

  “What’s wrong with that?” he asked and frowned down at her.

  “It’s childish, to be honest.”

  “Childish?” His brows rose, and Sky stifled another giggle.

  “I mean let’s use more adult-like words, less porn-star vocab.”

  “That’s it, I’m hog-tying you.”

  Skyla squealed again as Travis grabbed for her and cupped a hand over her mouth. She attempted to bite him and he chuckled. “Down, girl. Damn. That might be all kinds of new fun right there.”

  Her mouth flew open, and he used that moment to tickle her and pull her arms behind her back. He kissed her lips and had her quivering as his mouth moved to her neck; he sucked, licked, and nibbled…and had her wetness oozing down her thighs. He moved them up in the bed and had her place her arms back above her head as he positioned himself between her legs, running his hands up and down them, making her moan in anticipation. “I’m gonna bend you now, flexible girl.” He winked and she nodded, eager for something new and exciting with him.

  Travis pulled her legs up to rest on his muscular chest as he leaned down, folding her in half, her knees touching her breasts. His finger entered her and she moaned as he began to finger her, preparing her for his sex.

  Sky had never known lovers could have so many sexual encounters and still want and be able to have so many more. It was as if her body simply couldn’t get its fill of Travis “Ares” Redmond and needed multiple daily doses to function.

  Travis groaned as he entered her and leaned down upon her as he thrust, caging her thighs on either side of her as his forehead came to touch hers. “Oh, oh my God, Trav,” Sky whimpered as her calves rested on his shoulders, her feet touching as they came close to interlocking around the back of his neck. Her hands came to grip his biceps as he rocked inside her.

  “Right? That feels fucking fantastic, doesn’t it?”

  “Mmm,” was all Sky could get out as his sex hit somewhere deep inside that she never knew existed. He moved stealthy, with precision as her orgasm began to build within, higher and higher as his speed increased. “Oh Travis. Oh God.” His name was torn from her lips as her body gave into his caresses once more and she tumbled head over heels into sexual ecstasy.

  Travis followed soon after with a beastly groan of his own and chuckled as he came down from his high. “I fuckin’ own you, Fireball. Don’t you forget it.” He winked and kissed her forehead even as she squeezed him, using her pelvic muscles. He grunted and gave her a self-satisfied grin.

  “Keep tellin’ yourself that, hothead, whatever works for ya.”

  “I see you haven’t had enough of the god of war just yet.”

  “Fire on the head…”

  “Right. I don’t know why I’m surprised.” He feigned exasperation as he pulled out of her and helped her legs down, for they were like Jell-O.

  “You’d get bored with me if I was subservient.” She kissed his cheek and he pulled her tightly into his muscular embrace.

  “You wouldn’t be. You’re Aphrodite, a goddess in her own right.”

  She wasn’t, not until he’d awakened the sleeping sex goddess. Skyla wasn’t sure she’d be able to exorcise the bitch now that she’d been invoked. It was like trying to stuff a genie back into a bottle or a can of biscuit dough back into the tube once it was broken; it wasn’t freaking happening.

  “Ah my sweet, I think you’ve finally worn me out.” Travis yawned and tucked her head into his chest, resting his chin against her hairline. “Sky?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I…” he paused and Skyla’s heart fluttered as she looked up at him. He searched her eyes before blushing. “I’m really glad you aren’t marrying the mayor.”

  As thrilled as that statement should make her, it didn’t; she swallowed down the disappointment his words brought her. She gave him a weak grin and held back her tears. What had she been expecting? A confession of love? In a few days’ time? Negative. He was just having fun fucking her. That was all. This wasn’t love. Not for him. As much as she knew that, it still hurt.

  She tried to tuck it down as her mind relaxed and her body absorbed his seed. Once more they hadn’t used a freaking condom, and he’d come inside her this time. Great! Her body was reveling in his love-making, seeing it for more than what it was. Her heart was breaking apart and bleeding, and her mind was rationalizing it all into compartments of all the stupid things she’d done in the last four days. It had a board and a tally and it was pissed!

  “Hey,” Travis stated as he pulled her chin up to look at him. “You ok?”

  How could she genuinely answer that question? No. She’d finally gone and had the best sex of her life with the man she’d been in love with as a teenager, she was cervix-full of his cum, and worried about getting pregnant, worried about being killed by a gangster, and wanted him to tell her he loved her. No, she was indeed not okay.

  “Sky? When we get home, I…”

  “Please, don’t. Ok? I don’t want you to feel obligated or anything. I mean this is just a little fling, right? No need for us to make it more than what it is.” It took every ounce of her willpower to look up into his surprised eyes and not waver, but she did.

  Travis frowned but nodded. “Right.” He gave her a weak grin and kissed her forehead. Skyla felt her heart shatter in two even as his arms cradled her.

  She’d wanted to be wrong. She’d wanted him to say something to make her doubt the nagging in her gut. She’d wanted an admission of feelings, but she should’ve known better. Travis Redmond was a professional athlete with a reputation and an image to uphold and none of that would change now that they’d been intimate. He wasn’t any different than he’d been before they’d stepped into the cabin, and he wouldn’t be any different when they left. He didn’t love her. He didn’t want her. She wasn’t good enough.

  Her heart tried to tell her she was wrong, but her brain wasn’t listening. It told her to soak up these last few moments with him because they would be the last.

  She tucked her legs into her chest and listened to the steady thumping of his heart beat in her ear as she surrendered to the exhaustion their union had induced.

  Hours later, Sky awoke with a start. Some sound had woken her and her heart beat rapidly as she rose in the bed. Something was wrong. It was too quiet. It was too dark. She was still naked, she realized, and reached for Travis only to find an empty bed.

  “Shit,” she groaned, fearfully.

  She pulled herself from the comforter, feeling her skin chill as she moved to the bathroom, remembering where her clothes were last. She opened the door slowly, acutely aware of the loud creak of the hinges as she did so. She moved with purpose, feeling for her jeans on the counter and her bra and tank top, pulling them on quickly as she searched for the missing flannel top. She began to panic when she heard a loud thump. It sounded like flesh hitting flesh but she couldn’t be sure. Her mind raced with other options she didn’t want to consider. She had to find Travis.

  She moved back into the bedroom and slowly tip-toed to the door. When she opened it, her eyes fell on the empty den, fire dying in the stove and scarce lighting to guide her to the kitchen. She crept there and opened the fridge to give her light. She froze when the light revealed two large men in suits standing in the corner and a kneeling Travis, shirtless with a gag in his mouth, his arms tied behind his back. She gasped and heard Travis groan, mumbling to her despite the gag.

  “There you are, ADA Larson. Someone of great importance has requested your presence, my dear. He’s eager to meet you.”

  “Of course. Just let me grab a shirt and some shoes for Travis, and finish dressing myself.”

  “Naturally. We’re happy to accommodate you.” The taller man of the two nodded.

  “Make it quick,” the bulkier man snapped roughly.

  Skyla nodded and moved to turn the lamp in the living room on, feeling a large presence behind her that made her shiver. She balked at his closeness but prayed for her backbone to hold o
ut. This was going to get worse before it got better, she knew. She moved into the bedroom and found her flannel quickly, pulling it over her shoulders before donning the boots she’d found in the closet two days ago. She grabbed the thick coat off the rack, grabbing one for Travis too, and a flannel for him then nodded to the hulking giant scowling at her.

  They moved back to the kitchen, and she motioned to Travis as she spoke to the taller, more civilized-looking man of the two. “You’ll have to untie his hands if I’m to put a shirt on him.”

  “Only if Mr. Redmond can agree to shelve his hostility.”

  “I’m sure we can agree to that, right, Trav?” she asked and looked into his eyes. His brows drew but he grated a, “Yes,” through the gag, and she looked expectantly to their captors.

  The tall man stepped forth, untied Travis’s wrists, and stepped back. Travis shook the rope off and pulled the gag from his mouth. “What the fuck?” he growled and took a step forward only for Skyla to put a hand to his chest, stopping him.

  “Travis,” she implored. “Here, put your shirt and coat on.” She motioned to the clothes in her hands.

  “Assholes jumped me while I was getting a water from the fridge.”

  “He’s not called Ares, the god of war, for nothing,” Sky cooed to the men who looked ready to have a reason to knock him down a peg or two.

  “Mr. Redmond, if you could please finish dressing. My boss is not a patient man. He’s eager to see you both.”

  “You mean fuckin’ kill us. Why the hell should I be eager for that?”

  “We have direct orders to bring you in ‘unharmed,’ but that term has been loosely defined before,” the bulkier man of the two jeered.

  Travis took another step forward. “If you so much as look at her the wrong way, I’ll—”

  “Mr. Redmond, I won’t ask you again to kindly put your fuckin’ shirt on.” The tall man pulled a pistol from his back and cocked it. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear enough.”

  “Travis, please?” Sky begged and handed Travis the shirt. He threw it over his shoulders, and the coat she’d grabbed, and shoved his feet in the boots that sat next to the front door. He then took Sky’s hand and nodded for the men to take them away.

  Sky didn’t know where they were going and didn’t know precisely what would happen when they got there, but she could say with certainty that she was scared shitless of Giovanni Geraci.

  As they were herded into a stark white van parked in the snowy drive, she prayed as Travis pulled her into his side, prayed that they lived to be able to tell their grandchildren about this.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Two days and several hours later, the van finally parked one final time.

  They’d been permitted to use the restroom when they’d stopped for gas. Remote gas stations had been chosen—with facilities that hadn’t been the cleanest either—but Travis was grateful that they’d at least been allowed to evacuate their bladders. They’d also been given food to eat and water to drink, so the treatment was far better than he’d anticipated. He’d attempted to stay as calm as he could, for Skyla’s sake, although she looked far more reserved than he felt. He’d been less nervous at his last Super Bowl than he was today, meeting Geraci for the first time. Although, he feared more for Skyla and his brother than he did for himself.

  “Travis,” Sky whispered when the two men got out of the vehicle. “I love you.”

  Her sapphire blue eyes called to his soul as he looked back into them and lost himself to their depths. Like the fisherman of ancient Greece, summoned to their deaths by the alluring voices of the sirens, he was helpless. He leaned in to kiss her, knowing his words would simply screw it up, and let his lips do the talking for him.

  When Sky pulled back, she said, “I know I already told you, but that was before. Before I knew you. Before I’d given myself to you. It’s truer now than it’s ever been.”

  Travis gave her a smile and cupped her face before pulling her into his arms, tightly. “Sky, when this is all over—”

  Travis never got to finish. The side panel opened quickly, and he was grabbed by four rough hands gripping his shoulders and torso. He saw Sky gasp, attempting to hold back a scream. He beckoned to her with his eyes, pleading with her to hear the words he’d not said.

  When he was turned around, the tall dude from the van looked him over.

  “Geraci would like to see you now.”

  “Great, he spottin’ the drinks?”

  Travis turned his head to look at Skyla who was being assisted out of the van. He started to question where she was going but, much to his relief, she was following him, trailed by the bulky dude.

  They entered what looked to be a warehouse, smelling like wood shavings, and went up a metal staircase to a glass enclosed office of good size. It smelled like booze, sex, and dirty money. When they were made to sit on the black velvet sofa, Travis cringed a little. This felt like something out of far too many gangster movies he’d watched; he wanted to flee as fast as possible.

  Sky rested her hand on his thigh and watched the two henchmen back up against the wall. They all waited with bated breath while Geraci took his sweet-ass time; inside, Travis was quaking. He wondered what Giovanni planned to do with them, mostly what he planned to do to Sky. Would he hurt her, rape her, kill her to make a public statement? Travis knew the man probably wouldn’t push his luck, since Sky was the assistant district attorney, or would he? These men were above the law, right? Travis had seen that himself in the way Geraci’s crony had roped him into losing football games. Was Tucker even alive?

  Travis would soon find out as the door ahead of them opened and a plump, middle-aged Italian man entered the room, decked out in a mauve pin-striped Versace suit. The dark hair on his head, graying at the temples, was slicked back and he had a cigar tucked in the corner of his thin lips. His straight teeth emerged in a wide smile as he saw them.

  “Well, well, look who we have here!” His exuberance was unnerving. “Roll out the red carpet, we have celebrities in the house tonight.”

  Travis couldn’t tell if the man was usually this jovial, if he’d been drinking, or was simply putting on a show. Whatever the case, this didn’t bode well for Travis and Sky.

  “You two have taken me on a wild goose chase for the last week. I’m so glad you’re back…and well, as I’d asked.”

  “Mr. Geraci, I—”

  “You’ve traveled a long way. Could I interest you in a drink, dear? Travis? Or should I say, Mr. Redmond. It’s good to finally meet you face-to-face.”

  “Two scotches, please,” Travis said, his eyes lifting to Geraci’s. If he wanted fear, he wouldn’t get it from Travis.

  “Of course, of course.” Geraci motioned to the tall man who moved to the bar to pour their drinks.

  “Where’s my brother?” Travis got straight to the point.

  Geraci held up his hand as he moved to sit in the red straight-back chair adjacent to them. “Drinks first. Then business. As always.” His smile, again, was unnerving. He was gonna draw the suspense out for as long as he could. “How was your ride? You both look well rested.”

  That motherfucker. Travis attempted to rein in his temper which was growing shorter by the minute; he couldn’t help himself, he was a hothead by nature. Patience was not something he was known for. But he knew anger wouldn’t get them anywhere, so he gripped Sky’s hand on his thigh, letting her touch soothe him some.

  Geraci’s eyes flickered to the contact before he smiled at them again. Tall dude set their drinks down, and Travis literally inhaled the two ounces before slamming his glass down onto the coffee table, eyes narrowing at Geraci again.

  Geraci chuckled heartily, like he’d just been told a funny joke, and Travis felt Skyla shiver beside him. “Travis Redmond, you really are the ‘god of war,’ huh? Look at you, you’re ready to run me down. All that adrenaline. How do you get it out stuck in a cabin for days on end?” Geraci’s brows rose and his eyes roved over Skyla, Travis grow
led. “Oh, I forgot. You were cooped up in a cabin with this beauty. I’ll bet you got out more than adrenaline, didn’t you?”

  Travis looked away before he said something that might hurt them, counting to ten before looking back at Geraci.

  “Since you’ve finished your drink, I guess we can get right down to business.”

  Here we go, Travis thought and squeezed Skyla’s fingers lightly.

  “I didn’t like being shown up in that bar in San Antonio. I don’t appreciate being deceived. You of all people should know that, ADA Larson.”

  “Mr. Geraci, I can assure you—” Skyla began.

  Geraci held his hand up once again, silencing her. “Please save the commentary for after I finish, dear.” Of which, Sky nodded and bowed her head. Travis held in another growl. “Then you run from me.”

  “With all due respect, sir, we didn’t run until we were being chased. After your boy here blew a man’s head off!” Travis interceded.

  “Man, you are an impressive specimen,” Geraci said to Travis then lifted his chin. “Kane?”

  The tall man—apparently named Kane—stepped forward.

  “Gag him.” Geraci spat, and Travis flinched even as he stood. He knew that if he fought these men, he wouldn’t win; they had guns and he didn’t. He wasn’t going to get Sky or Tucker or himself killed over his smart mouth, so he acquiesced; he was bound and gagged, and thrown roughly back onto the couch.

  Sky shivered, and Travis hated himself in that moment. She was the only one left to defend them. He was now helpless, thanks to his short fuse. Sky remained calm though, her inner attorney taking over. “Mr. Geraci…”

  “Why were you in San Antonio, Ms. Larson?”

  “I was sent to investigate some cases believed to be tied to you.”

  “How convenient.”

  “I assure you, I had no idea that my former classmate, Travis Redmond, was going to be in the bar that night.”

  “He’s not your informant?”

  “No, sir. Until that night, I’d not seen him for a decade.”