Sports Gods

by J J Loraine

  “Fuck...” he mumbles under his breath.

  “What are we going to do? Do you think we can wait until morning? Maybe, if we get up early enough, we can avoid drawing too much attention...”

  Carson gets up and walks over to our pile of clothes. I stare at his tight, muscular ass and strong powerful legs as he bends over and rifles through his pockets.

  God, he’s so hot.

  “I’ve kept my phone off this entire time. I knew I’d be getting pelted with texts and calls congratulating me on today’s win, but I didn’t want anything distracting me from finding you...”

  The second he turns his phone on, it starts buzzing like mad. Text after text rolls down his screen. It looks like the whole country has been trying to get a hold of him.

  Suddenly, the streams of texts are interrupted by an incoming call. I don’t recognize the name.

  “It’s my agent...” Carson curses. He hesitates to answer.

  I put my hand on his shoulder and nod. “It’s OK. Take it.”

  He smacks his lips and answers the call.

  I hear a frantic voice on the other end of the line. I can’t quite make out what it’s saying, though.

  “Yeah, I’m fine...” Carson mumbles, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah, I am here... I have a feeling I know who ratted me out... No, I’m not sure how to get out.... oh?”

  Carson’s eyebrows raise and a smile lifts his striking cheekbones. He looks over at me with his old familiar sly gaze.

  I missed that look so much.

  He has a plan... but what?

  I raise my eyebrows at him and shrug.

  “One second,” he mouths, putting his finger in the air.

  He nods and grunts in agreement with his agent on the phone.

  “Hmm,” he wonders out loud. “... Oh, how about the football field!?”

  The smile on Carson face grows. “... How long...? OK. We’ll be there.”

  He hangs up. “I’ve got a surprise for you,” he smirks.

  “What?” I giggle.

  “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you!” he pinches my nose and we share a long, fiery look. “Let’s get dressed, quick!”

  Carson hops into action and it’s like watching a superhero. He shuffles into his clothes and I can only follow. What more can he have in store for me tonight?

  There’s only one way to find out...

  Chapter 32

  Carson

  “They haven’t moved the football field since I left, have they?” I ask, as I lead Sadie back down the stairs and to the side door we first entered through.

  “No,” she whispers, pushing ahead of me. “Let me check if the coast is clear.”

  I check out her perfect ass as she bounds ahead. She slowly pushes the door open and takes a look out both ways.

  After a moment, she waves me forward and I follow her into the night.

  The cold air hits my face and a feel truly alive all over again. What an amazing night this has turned into. I sprint ahead and grab Sadie by the hand. If I remember correctly, the football field is this way.

  We dash together through the spotted light of the street-lamps, as happy as can be. I nearly feel like I’m floating. All my aches and pains from the game have completely disappeared. I’m in heaven with my girl on my arm.

  I make a concerted effort not to run too fast, but I can hardly contain my excitement.

  Sadie’s going to be so surprised!

  I hear the sound of a helicopter overhead and I smile.

  Soon enough, baby.

  I whisk Sadie down the side streets and soon enough we see the football stadium rise up in the distance.

  “Let’s wait here for a second,” I say to Sadie, as we post up in the darkness of an alley across the street.

  “What are we waiting for?” she asks, filled with excitement. There’s not a drop of doubt in her. She trusts me completely, just like old times.

  I give her a quick hug. I can hardly believe the old team’s back together, and better than ever!

  “I love you, Sadie Songbird,” I tell her.

  Her cheeks flush and her toes twirl on the ground.

  “I love you too, Carson.... but what....” her thought is interrupted by loud roar, followed by a blast of wind.

  We both spin around and watch as a helicopter lands in the middle of the football field. I grab Sadie’s hand and take a look at her face. Her jaw is nearly hitting the floor. I can’t help but laugh.

  She looks up at me with wonder in her eyes.

  I just nod.

  “That’s for us!?” she gasps.

  “Yep, that’s the team owner’s personal helicopter. He lets us use it once in a while. He’s in Vegas with the rest of the team, so he had no problem lending it out for a night.”

  “Where are we going to go?” she almost has to yell through the near deafening roar of the spinning rotors.

  I smile and squeeze her hand.

  “Home.”

  Chapter 33

  Sadie

  I hold on tight to Carson’s hand as he leads me towards the idling helicopter. The wind from the rotors blows my hair like a cape. I feel like a superhero.

  When we get to the fence that surrounds the stadium, Carson picks me up and lifts me until I can reach the top. I awkwardly climb over until I’m able to somewhat gracefully fall down on the other side.

  I watch Carson as he sizes up the fence and gets ready to make his own jump. Before he can, though, he freezes, as though something else has caught his attention.

  He turns to his left and I see his eyes go wide.

  I stand in wait, feeling momentarily useless. There’s no way I can scale that fence again. There’s no way for me to get to him if he needs my help. My chest tightens as I see two shadows approach the love of my life.

  I freeze when I realize who they are.

  It’s Lacey and her friend.

  They jump up and down and awkwardly hug Carson. I can tell he’s trying to be polite, but I can’t hear anything over the roar of the idling helicopter behind me.

  He’s trying to wave the two girls off when Tracy excitedly looks in my direction. As soon as her eyes land on me, though, her expression drops and I see a look of confusion take over her face. That look of confusion is soon replaced by disgust, though, when she finally processes what’s happening. She sneers at me like I’m a leper. I see her mouth a certain cuss at me... and I just want to shrink away into the shadows. Suddenly, though, I feel a new sense of confidence taking hold. Maybe it’s just that I know I have Carson behind me now, or maybe that it’s enough just to know that he loves me, but I finally feel ready to stand up for myself. I take a step forward, but before I can make my move, I see Lacey’s eyes go wide from surprise. Her gaze shoots back towards Carson. I still can’t hear exactly what he’s saying, but he’s yelling loud enough that I can make out his booming voice.

  He’s giving Lacey a lashing of his own.

  I can only watch as the girl who’s tormented me for the past few years stands in absolute shock at the scorn Carson’s laying into her.

  She thought she had a chance with him... this must be devasting for her. Her dad could never get Carson, and now she can’t either!

  I watch in awe as a usually polite Carson tells Lacey off. Finally, he turns away from the two girls and almost effortlessly jumps over the tall fence that surrounds the football stadium. I’m still too shocked to move, but it doesn’t matter. Carson swoops me off my feet and carries me to the helicopter like I’m the most important thing his hands have ever touched.

  I swoon over him as we strap into our seats. He smiles back, his rage cools at the sight of me. The helicopter lifts into the air and he grabs my hand.

  I can’t take my eyes off him. I don’t care about the view or about Lacey or about anything anymore except for him.

  Eventually, though, Carson squeezes my hand and points out the window. I follow his finger and gaze out onto the land below.

  What I see is a
we-inspiring.

  Main street hums below like a glowing vein, bustling with light and people. It flows at a rapid river pace with all the energy of the happiest of times.

  Carson caused all this... these people are all so happy because of something he accomplished... how amazing.

  I gaze down a little longer until I’ve had enough. The helicopter glides through the night sky and I look back at Carson. He looks at me and I know that this is it. I caress his big hand and sigh in happiness as we fly off into our new life, together.

  Chapter 34

  Carson

  Epilogue...

  I’d never taken a summer off in my life before.

  I worked when I was younger, and when I started playing football, I’d spend all my spare time at the gym.

  This summer’s different, though. This summer I’ve rekindled my relationship with the love of my life.

  I still work my ass off. Now, though, I just get up extra early so I can get my exercise in before Sadie even wakes up. That way, we can spend the rest of the day together.

  Ever since that crazy night in our home town, we’ve been as close as ever. There’s no separating us. I’ve even braved going back to campus a few times so that I could drop her off for her exams.

  It was nuts, but also well worth it. I was swarmed by adoring fans, each with a story about how the night we won the championship was the happiest of their lives... I was happy for them, but still, none of their stories topped mine.

  When Sadie’s semester was done, she officially moved into my place. It’s too big to be alone in anyway, and she fills it up with so much warmth and love.

  It took us a while to figure out what she’d do next year for school, but we finally settled on an alternative to her current situation. She had good enough grades to get into any school she wanted, she just didn’t exactly have the funds. So, I provided the funds. The school in the big city that our little town borders is one of the best in the country. Sadie transferred there and will be starting up a brand-new semester about the time I’m starting up my new season.

  In the meantime, we’re spending as much time together as possible. It’s going to suck being away from her as much as we’re going to have to be, but I recently got her something to remind her of our love.

  There isn’t a doubt in my mind that she’s the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with. So, I found the perfect engagement ring, then I took her on another private helicopter ride.

  She asked where we were going and I told her it was a surprise. We flew through the air until she finally recognized the land below – our little home town!

  I had the pilot hover above her old family home as I unbuckled my seat belt and got on one knee. We had our headsets on and I heard her gasp over the airwaves.

  “Sadie, you’ve already made me the happiest man in the world... now will you be my wife?”

  “Oh, Carson... of course!”

  Tears well-up in her eyes as I slip the ring on her trembling finger. I get up from my knee and sit down beside her. We share a short, soft, passionate kiss and I can taste the salt of her tears. I hold her tight as we fly back home with our lips locked, celebrating the first joyous day of the rest of our happy lives.

  I love you, Sadie Songbird.

  Rugby God

  Chapter 35

  Jack

  “Alright, time to hit the shower, boys!”

  Finally.

  I don’t know how much longer I could have kept up that level of intensity. I’ve never worked so hard in my life, but I’ve also never had such a sexy audience.

  “Good practice today, Steele,” I hear my coach mumble as I walk by him. “That’s what I like to see.”

  I just grunt.

  Yeah, yeah. It wasn’t for you, bub. It was for her.

  I take my sweet time getting off the rugby pitch. My teammates jog by me, happy to be done with the hard work... I have a feeling my job’s just getting started, though.

  The crazy hot, voluptuous goddess in the stands isn’t even looking at me. She’s just staring down at her phone, all forlorn and shit.

  Take a look up, baby. I’ll put a smile on your face.

  She’s not taking the bait...

  Hmm.

  “Hey, Steele. Catch!” I hear from up ahead. I look towards the locker room door just as my buddy Allen punts a Steedon in my direction. I watch the ball twirl in the air.

  Perfect.

  Without a single wasted motion, I catch the ball and boot it into the stands.

  It spins like a dust devil before landing with a loud clang, just feet away from the curvy girl in the bleachers. That does it. She nearly jumps out of her sweet little sundress. Her phone falls to the ground and she finally looks my way.

  I wave.

  “Hey! Sorry about that!” I shout with a smile. I start to jog over.

  The rugby ball gets caught a few seats away from the mystery woman. I jump up into the stands to ‘retrieve it’.

  I usually don’t sweat much during practice, but today – thanks to her – I’m practically a waterfall.

  It provides a good excuse to lift my shirt up and wipe off my forehead. If there’s one thing I know girls love about me, it’s my body. I’ve got the best six-pack on the team -- believe me, we compare – and I’m not above showing it off.

  My legs are tired but the closer I get the springier I feel. This girl just keeps getting hotter. Her tight little sundress barely contains her awe-inspiring curves. Her thick thighs wash out from underneath her like fertile twin streams. I just want to dive right in.

  I could sure go for a drink right now.

  I finish wiping my forehead and let my shirt fall back down over my stomach. I make a point of licking my lips.

  The girl doesn’t seem all too impressed. She’s already looking away, trying to find her phone.

  “Shit... shit...” she mumbles as I hop up the final set of seats before her.

  “Sorry, about that,” I offer.

  She’s already staring at her phone again.

  “My screen...” she whispers, hopelessly.

  “Shit...” I grumble. Her screen is cracked right down the middle.

  “I’m such an asshole...” escapes my lips.

  That gets her attention.

  “No, no. It’s my fault. The ball didn’t even land that close to me. I’m just clumsy,” she says.

  Our eyes finally meet and I feel a sudden power take over me. Sure, this girl has a rockin’ bod, but her eyes are to die for. They’re turquoise blue and shimmering in the midday sun like gemstones. I feel my heart flutter in my heaving chest. My legs finally start to feel weak.

  Holy shit, what is this!?

  Chapter 36

  Ava

  The hot guy blocks out the blazing sun and makes me feel cooler.

  The embarrassment from being so clumsy quickly diminishes that relief, though. My cheeks burn ever so slightly as I blush up at him.

  God damn, he’s gorgeous.

  Was HE the one who kept looking up at me during practice?

  No way... I wouldn’t be so lucky.

  He sits down beside me and his short rugby shorts ride up his muscular thighs. I can barely keep myself from biting my lip. His exposed arms are as chiseled as the finest ancient Greek statue and his forearms are long and thick and full of power.

  Our legs nearly touch. He motions for me to hand him my phone.

  “Let me take a look,” he says in a deep, low voice that sends quivers through my body. I don’t even hesitate to hand it over to him. Our hands briefly touch and I feel spring flowers blossom in my stomach.

  His sweaty skin glistens in the sun. I can’t take my eyes off of him.

  “Ah, that’s not too bad,” he says, in a casual, surfer-type tone. “I know a guy who can fix this up in a jiffy. I’ll take you to him. Here.”

  Before I have a chance to say anything, he’s opened up my phone contacts list and is inserting his number.

  When he�
��s done, he hands me back my phone. It’s still working, but the giant crack in the screen splits the interface in two parts, like a broken heart.

  “Name’s Jack,” he says, reaching out to me.

  I smile and take his beefy hand. I do my best to hide my arousal, but I swear I subtly bite my lip at one point.

  “I’m Ava,” I say, softly. I have to admit, I’m a little intimated by this guy. He reminds me of all the jocks who ignored me so effortlessly back in high school.

  Is he really hitting on me, or does he have an ulterior motive? Maybe this is a lark for his teammates... some kind of hazing ritual?

  I immediately feel insecure. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s making myself feel worse than I should.

  At it again, huh, Ava?

  “Beautiful name... for a beautiful girl,” says Jack with a smile so charming it makes me want to puke.

  I’m suddenly overcome by nerves. I don’t deserve this guy’s attention. Why doesn’t he realize that? Or does he... could this asshole just be fucking with me?

  I descend into a mess of self-doubt as I sputter out a thank you.

  “It’s my pleasure. Listen, let me hop in the dressing room; have a quick shower, change into some street clothes, and then I can take you to my buddy’s tech shop. What do you say?”

  I can’t seem to manage to speak, so I just nod.

  His grin makes me flinch, it’s so bright. He jumps off the seat next to me like it’s a springboard, then climbs down the bleachers like an acrobat. His back muscles ripple under his cut-off shirt. I stare like a fool until I force myself to look away.

  Don’t get too invested Ava, these things never work out for you...

  I shake my head and my eyes land on the ball he had originally come up for... he didn’t even bother to grab it.