The End Zone: SPORTS ROMANCE (Contemporary Sport Bad Boy Alpha Male American Football Romance) (New Adult Second Chance Women’s Fiction Romance Short Stories)

by Jenna Payne

  A large Bengal Tiger padded from behind the sofa and stood between Anita and the door. Opening its mouth she could see the pointed fangs. She raised a golf club in readiness. On seeing her, the tiger yawned and sat down to lick the wound on its forearm.

  What was she thinking? This was James; at least she thought it was James. No, she had really seen it happen; she had seen him change before her very eyes. Anita didn’t know what to think, and sat back down on the sofa, tiger or no tiger. She rubbed her eyes but it was still there, purring away on the carpet like a huge overgrown housecat. Strangely she didn’t feel afraid or even unsafe as the cat stood and padded over to the sofa and placed its head on her lap. The situation was so surreal.

  As she stroked the soft head an old poem from her schooldays ran through her mind:

  Tiger, tiger, burning bright

  In the forests of the night

  What immortal hand or eye

  Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

  She closed her eyes; the whisky now hitting her bloodstream made her feel tired, and the soft, warm head in her lap coupled with the hypnotic purring sound lulled her into a deep sleep.

  When she awoke the light outside was dimming and James was asleep, his head resting in her lap like a small boy. Stroking the short dark hair her heart missed a beat – whatever the truth about this man she was falling under his spell.

  He started to stir under her touch and he shifted his head to look up at her. He looked drained, almost hungry and wild, the remains of the animal still lingering in his features. The desire inside her rose. She had never felt this way before about any man. Talk about animal magnetism! His dark chocolate eyes held her entranced for a moment before she lowered her lips to his and kissed him gently. She could smell his sex, a deep earthy mixture of musk and longing, and it made her want him all the more. He returned her kisses; gentle at first, the soft full lips caressing her own. Then his tongue flicked lightly over her lips before exploring the soft wet recesses of her mouth. She could feel the desire burning between her legs, hot and pulsating.

  Flipping her over with his strong arms, he was suddenly on top of her and she felt deliciously helpless pinned to the floor by his muscular body. His hand was on her blouse, unfastening the buttons with alarming expertise and she lifted her back to allow him to remove it, whilst unclipping her bra at the same time. Her ample breasts thrust forward into his large and capable hands as he delicately kneaded the soft flesh, rolling her hard nipples between his fingers and watching her pupils dilate with pleasure.

  “You like that?” James purred in her ear.

  Anita nodded, a soft moan coming from her lips.

  “What else do you like? Do you like this?”

  Anita felt his hand slip under her skirt, skimming the skin of her inner thighs as his fingertips sought out her most intimate parts.

  “God you’re wet”

  She groaned and arched her back as his fingers slipped under the flimsy material of her G-string and probed into her soft flesh. Her clitoris was pulsating and ached to be touched. He caressed her lightly, brushing the swollen bud with the end of his fingers, a whisper of a touch, barely there. Her body thrashed under him. She could hardly stand it, and she wanted more.

  “Please,” she whispered, almost begging him.

  “What do you want me to do next? Do you want me to lick you, lick your tight little pussy?”

  Anita gasped at the thought and as James moved down her body, she opened her legs slightly to allow him easy access.

  The first touch of his tongue sent her wild with delight. Just one long slow lick and she was in ecstasy. His long tongue probed deeper inside her.

  “You taste so good,” he said.

  She could feel the length of him hardening against her and she gasped at the size of him, imagining him penetrating her, pushing deep inside her.

  James sat up and looked at her. His eyes were wild with desire; a wild, mad intensity that she had never seen before. It must be the tiger within him. Standing, he removed his tight boxer shorts releasing his thick, hard cock. Anita’s eyes widened at the sight of him, unable to take her eyes off his magnificent manhood, and James smiled sexily.

  “You like what you see?”

  Anita nodded and sat up as he walked over to her; she knew exactly what he wanted.

  His cock glistened with pre-cum and she licked deftly at the end tasting the salty stickiness. James began to thrust gently at her, eager to be enveloped by the soft warm mouth. Opening her lips he entered her and she gently sucked and licked at his throbbing erection.

  James moaned with pleasure. “God that is so good.”

  He grabbed at her face and hair, eager to be fully inside and began pumping her mouth, his strong thigh muscles tensing with each eager thrust.

  She felt utterly helpless and totally in his power. He was so strong. He could do whatever he liked to her and she wouldn’t have been able to stop him. But she trusted this man, trusted that he wouldn’t push her too far.

  His thick glans worked in and out of her mouth, and he held her head steady so he could delve deeper. When she felt herself start to gag he pulled away, his cock still twitching with anticipation.

  Without words he pushed her back onto the floor, opening her legs wider to gain access. His fingers worked between her legs, finger fucking her with his long capable digits. Anita squirmed beneath his touch aching for his thick cock to penetrate her. She didn’t have to wait long. Soon he positioned himself between her legs, the tip of his cock poised at her entrance. With one thrust he was inside her and she cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure, pinned to the floor by his huge weapon. Any softness in his eyes had fled to be replaced by pure lust and her desire for him increased. His muscular body rippled with pure pleasure as he humped her, his substantial cock pumping her, each thrust harder and more powerful with increased vigour.

  On the point of orgasm he stopped and looked down at her, panting like a wild beast. Her eyes begged him to continue and he smiled; his own eyes predatory and greedy.

  His muscular arms reached around her and with one move he had flipped her over until she was crouched on all fours. She could feel him positioning himself behind her, his cock angled for deep penetration. Raising her slightly with his hand he guided his cock inside her.

  Anita moaned gently, this was going to be painful but she wanted it so badly. Grasping her by the shoulders James flexed his buttocks and thrust deep inside her wet hole with all his strength. Anita shuddered as the pressure built inside her ready to burst until she could hardly stand it. The world around her exploded into a million shattering lights that flashed and sparkled deep inside her cortex. She had never known an orgasm like it.

  James continued to pump inside her, more urgent and more powerful with each stroke. She noticed a change in him, the hand at her back began to claw at her and his body once firm and slippery with perspiration was now soft as a thick fur brushed against her naked skin. A rough wet tongue licked at her neck as James let out a deep and throaty growl; he had turned into a tiger.

  Anita’s body tingled with excitement; she didn’t know what to think about this half man, half tiger. All she knew was that it was extremely sexy, and the thought of James the tiger inside her made her come again.

  His thrusts became more urgent and James let out a magnificent howl as he ejaculated, his giant cock twitching and exploding inside of her, the hot cum spilling out of her and dribbling down her leg.

  Completely spent, James flopped on top of her, his body heavy against her. She could still feel him throbbing inside her and as his ardour subsided she could sense him slowly return to human form, his arms pulling her to him in a soft embrace.

  Anita slept a deep and quiet sleep, the best she had known for a long time.

  When she awoke she was in his bedroom, lying in a large bed with crisp white sheets. James was standing by the window wearing a blue dressing gown, his hair still wet from his recent shower.

  �
��Hello you, how are you feeling?” James smiled and sat on the bed beside her. “Are you OK?”

  Smiling sleepily Anita sat up. “I feel great,” she said. She blushed slightly under his gaze as she thought about their recent intimacies.

  “About the whole tiger thing, I mean, how do you feel about that? Is it OK with you?”

  Anita didn’t know what she felt, only that this man was the most incredible guy she had ever met.

  Reaching toward her, James took her hand, tiny and dainty against his. She had never felt so safe with anyone in all of her life.

  “I suppose I don’t really understand all of this, but I’m sure I can get used to this over time.”

  “Well, I guess that means that you’re willing to give me a try at least,” James said, smiling. “I can tell you more about my inner tiger, but I think first we have some more pressing business, don’t we?”

  Anita’s heart raced as he slid in between the sheets. She was definitely willing to give him a try.

  THE END

  Bonus Story 16 of 20

  Strike to the Heart

  The girl hung limp from the climbing harness. Her shattered helmet hung in pieces from its strap and blood from her head dripped down her pale face. Max moved the helicopter closer to the rock face, gauging the situation before they acted. Rescue specialist Trey Williams was already harnessed up, ready to be lowered to the more critical of the two climbers stranded on the sheer wall. The second climber was about 100 feet up, safe but unable to move from her spot. Her dangling friend was caught up in her rigging, so that her safety equipment was effectively holding them both. Moving the top climber was impossible while her friend hung from their tangled ropes. The young women had overestimated their climbing experience, and one climber was clinging to life because of their foolishness.

  Max nodded to Trey and he began the descent towards the injured climber. Sydney Clark, the trauma flight nurse, manned the winch while Trey continued to drop closer to the helpless woman. She thought to herself how lucky they were that the air was so still today. The rescue was going to be complicated enough without the added danger of gusting winds. There wasn’t anywhere to set the gurney while they strapped the patient in, so Trey was going to have to perform a harnessed rescue. Once the woman was secured to his harness, he would have to cut the rope that secured her to her friend, and then try to stabilize her lifeless body as best as he could while the winch raised them both to the chopper. The last thing this rescue needed was more hurdles.

  Trey reached the woman and felt for a pulse. He held hand his over his head with his thumb up and Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. The ranger had noticed the climbers on his rounds, long after they were already in danger. The blood on the rock wall suggested that they had been hanging there for awhile before anyone had noticed them. Time was of the essence and so much had passed already.

  Trey put a cervical collar on her neck and then began securing the woman’s harness to his. Her breathing was shallow, but her pulse was quite strong. He’d lay money this one was a fighter, but she was going to need to fight harder than ever to survive these injuries. Trey triple-checked the attachments and signaled Sydney to start bringing them up. The winch moved slowly as it brought them in, closer and achingly closer.

  Sydney guided the rope as the wench pulled them steadily in the air. A harness rescue in this situation wasn’t ideal, but they really had no other choice. She did a brief visual check on the other climber, relieved that the woman still clung to the wall. She looked exhausted, even from Sydney’s vantage point. Once they got her friend secured, she would be a much easier rescue. Nothing was routine, but the hardest part was almost over.

  Trey and the climber finally reached the chopper and Sydney snapped the safety onto Trey’s harness to pull him in, then they secured the climber to the stretcher. She moaned softly as they strapped her in.

  “That’s a good sign,” Trey sounded relieved. They were all thinking the same thing when they’d first laid eyes on the situation, but none of them had been willing to put into words their fears that the woman was hanging there, dead. She wasn’t out of the woods yet though. The amount of force it took to crack a helmet like that was substantial. She likely had a severe brain injury that could still take her life.

  Max guided the chopper away from the rock face and maneuvered into position to rescue the second climber. He didn’t want to blow her off the face of the wall with the wind created by the chopper. Max got into place and nodded to Trey. Once again, he was lowered to the climber.

  He hung beside her for longer than he should, and Sydney realized the woman was arguing with him. She was terrified already, and Trey was asking her to let go of the wall and grab onto him. He’d already clipped a carabineer from his harness to hers, so she was safe to let go and grab onto him. After being stranded so long, the poor woman was too afraid to let go. She shook her head frantically as Trey spoke as calmly as he could, shouting to be heard over the chopper.

  Sydney couldn’t believe what was happening. She needed to tend to the victim, but Trey needed her to man the winch until he brought in the second climber. This woman was wasting precious moments when she should already be safely in the chopper. Sydney was exasperated.

  She was still shaking her head frantically as Trey reached into his pocket with one hand. He was up against her, his left hand wrapped around her waist to stabilize them both. All she had to do was let go and she’d be safe. Trey continued talking as he slowly pulled out his rescue knife. He raised the knife up to the final rope securing her to the wall. She was so intent on his words that she didn’t see what he was doing until he cut the rope. She felt the tension release and threw her arms around him.

  Sydney let out the breath she’d been holding. There was an ambulance waiting for the second climber at the top of the fire road. The helicopter wasn’t equipped to seat so many people and it was just as safe to fly the short distance with them pulled about halfway to the chopper. The climber was about to get more adrenaline than she’d signed up for.

  Sydney took a moment to attend to her patient. She moaned occasionally, but mostly lay motionless on the stretcher. Max was a seasoned rescue pilot and didn’t need her to guide him until they started lowering the two to the ground. Sydney quickly ran an IV and injected some morphine into the line. The climber relaxed slightly as the medicine started to do its work. Sydney checked her vitals once again and then moved to the winch to assist with the drop off.

  The ambulance was parked in the clearing, the stretcher ready for the climber dangling below the chopper, clinging to Trey. Pinedale didn’t have a hospital, so from there, the ambulance would transport her 77 miles away to Jackson. Max set the two of them down gently and Trey unhooked from the rescue line. Sydney released the break on the winch and the rope was rolled back into the chopper. Trey would ride in the ambulance with the second climber while Sydney and Max flew the critical patient to Jackson. They would be there in minutes, which could mean the difference between life and death for this young lady.

  Sydney continued attending to her patient. She was in bad, bad shape. The extra few minutes it took to get to the trauma hospital would likely be the most harrowing of this young woman’s life.

  ***

  Max flew with the speed and smoothness of a seasoned pilot. Sydney often complimented him on his landings, which were almost imperceptible. She’d flown with several pilots in the years she’d been working with Care Flight Rescue out of their Jackson office, and he was the best. He landed on the helipad with the grace of a dainty butterfly. The trauma team was already in place on the roof, ready to unload the climber and take on her care. This would be the last time Sydney saw the woman, and she would likely never know what happened to her. It was just as well; so many of their patients were clinging to life when CFR was called in. Their prognoses were never good. CFR was their only hope and knowing their fate would make the burden unbearable for Sydney. She’d rather live under the delusion that every life s
he touched lived another day. She was a tender heart; one death would break her.

  Max tended to the chopper as Sydney restocked the supplies and disposed of the waste. Every rescue ended the same, with the two of them spending over an hour restocking, servicing, and checking the equipment and the chopper. Rescues were never scheduled so they were always ready to go at a moment’s notice. Neither of them had scheduled days off, they came when called and stayed nearby during the peak rescue season during the summer. The Wyoming wilderness was a popular destination for summer-time adventurers. The tiny town of Pinedale filled with tourists every summer as thousands of people like the two climbers came here to find adventure, and some got much more than they bargained for. Having a chopper and rescue crew located so close to the Wind River Range had cut the emergency response times substantially. In a town of only 1900 residents, the CFR substation brought in much-needed jobs.

  Sydney finished her task and went to help Max finish on his end. She was a hard worker and a firm believer that working together made everyone’s job easier and faster. Max smiled at her and handed her the window scrubber. She laughed; he always had her wash the windows. He smiled at her mischievously and winked. They worked in comfortable silence until everything was finished, then headed into the station to change. Sydney’s scrubs were covered in blood and dirt from working in the tight space with the climber. She headed for the locker room and a much needed shower.

  The hot water sluiced over her tan skin and down her slender body. She shook her long hair down and began soaping it up with the fragrant shampoo she kept at the station. The good thing about working with mostly men; her shower supplies were where she left them and she had the entire ladies’ shower area to herself. She hummed softly to herself as the fragrant steam and rough spray washed away the tension of the day. Her work was hard, but the rewards were so many. Despite the rewards, there were times at night that she couldn’t shake the images of the people they helped. The climber dangling next to a rock wall covered in blood was going to be a tough one to erase from her memory.