PASS INTERFERENCE (Gods of the Gridiron Book 3)

by Shanna Swenson

“Look, I know we aren’t all Christians here.” Brett’s eyes fell to Paxton’s then. “But I think we should have a quick team prayer for Skyla. Would you guys be alright with that?”

  Every man stepped forward, all fifty-three Gladiators, and bowed as Brett began to speak softly, asking for Skyla’s safety and protection. Not a dry eye was left when he finally said, “Amen,” and they all rose.

  Just when Paxton thought his day couldn’t get any worse, the unthinkable had happened; his family was in danger and the shock vibrated through him like a gun blast.

  “Travis!” Becca was shocked to see Travis Redmond sitting in the waiting area of the hospital as she moved through the corridor.

  His handsome face looked up, covered in tears and redness, and a jolt went through her heart.

  “What happened?”

  “Becca.” Travis bounded up from his seat and clasped her shoulders. “It’s Sky. She… she’s been in an accident. They think she’s got a concussion and she…” he trailed off and looked down, a man in turmoil.

  “Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry. Is she going to be ok?”

  Travis nodded, but his lip quivered as if he were holding something back. Her eyes held his as he wiped at his tears. She’d never seen him so distraught, and it tugged at her heart. It was like a needle pulling a thread through her body as she moved forward to embrace him. She felt his big frame shudder as he expelled his emotions.

  Where were the others? Where was Paxton? Then it occurred to her. It was Saturday, they would be heading off to Kansas City for their away game. No one was coming.

  Travis was having to bear the burden of this alone.

  “Trav,” came a familiar female voice, and Becca turned to see Madison glowering at her.

  Becca released him as Travis saw Madi. He moved toward her, pulling her into his embrace.

  “Oh, Madi, I can’t believe it. I—”

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry. I don’t even know what to say.” Madi’s own emotions took hold of her, and she and Travis mourned together, holding each other tightly.

  That’s when Becca realized what had happened.

  She took one last look at their sorrowful hold on one another, hugged her middle, and wordlessly stepped back out into the lonely hallway to go retrieve her mother.

  “How the hell are we supposed to win this game without Ares?” Pax grumbled at halftime, fiddling with his shoulder pads as Brett’s lips tightened.

  They were down by two touchdowns and getting killed. All of them were worn out, sore, and not up for another hour and a half of getting their asses handed to them like they’d been the first half.

  “Have a little faith, Pax,” Josh stated and patted Paxton’s back as he passed by.

  “We’re a team. One man isn’t going to make or break us,” their stoic captain answered.

  “Bullshit. We’re getting slaughtered out there, in case you haven’t noticed, Zeus. You can’t score, and Linc and I can’t stop them. What do you suggest? We need our running back, among other things,” Pax smarted.

  Brett wiped the sweat from his brow and stepped forward. “In case you haven’t noticed, Poseidon, we’re all on edge tonight. Not just you!”

  “At least Skyla’s still with us,” Pax sassed and moved to turn.

  He didn’t get far before Brett’s hand came to his throat and shoved his back hard against the locker. Despite that Pax weighed more and was just as tall, Brett’s dominance overcame him—strength born from authority not size or power. Pax was helpless under the intense eyes of the mighty Zeus. “Ow, dude.”

  “Shut the fuck up, and quit acting like a little brat who lost his damn toy.” Brett’s fist slammed hard against the side of his head, and Paxton swore he’d never seen his QB that angry—alright maybe that one other time when Langley had attacked Madi. “You’re so self-absorbed sometimes, Paxton. I swear to God. You don’t even know what’s going on right under your nose.”

  “What are you talking about?” Pax choked out.

  “You don’t know, do you?”

  “Know what?” Pax gripped the wrist that captured his neck tightly.

  “Skyla lost the baby, Pax.”

  Realization dawned on him. Holy shit! He’d forgotten that Skyla was pregnant. His breath whooshed out as Brett released him.

  “No, you’ve been too busy in your own damn grief to see anyone else’s. Of course you wouldn’t know how that felt though, would you? You’ve never loved anyone aside from yourself! Love isn’t something you want. It’s a joke, right? Well, tell that to Travis, who could give a shit less about this game right now! Now, you get your ass out there and do what you were trained to do; you stop the rush, you stop the pass. Play defense like your damn life depends on it.”

  Pax couldn’t even come up with a response as he stared blankly back into the face of a man he admired as much as he did his uncle Kawai.

  “Quil, let’s go show these Chiefs that the Gods of the Gridiron aren’t backing down without a fight. Let’s go win this game, for Ares.”

  “For Ares!” Quil’s fist hit Brett’s.

  And just like that, Pax’s head was back in the game.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “How are you holding up, buddy?” Zeus asked Travis as he shook his hand and pulled him in for a half hug.

  They’d all met up after practice three nights later at Brett’s favorite pub, Trenches, not far from their houses in Morgan Falls—Pax, Brett, Josh, Travis, TJ, Berkley, Linc and Quillan.

  Skyla had come home from the hospital just the day prior, following a D&C and observation after the head-on collision. The girls were all hanging out with Sky tonight, so the guys had decided to pull Trav out and see if they could cheer him up and surround him with a little team spirit. He’d not come back to practice today. He was returning to work on Thursday, so it’d been Zeus’s idea to bring him out for a round of drinks; he’d reluctantly obliged.

  “As good as can be expected,” Trav answered and returned Pax’s grin with a mock-slug to his jaw, getting a laugh out of Pax.

  “Well, we’re glad she’s home and resting now,” Pax stated, simply because he wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Sorry for your loss, amigo,” Quil patted Travis’s shoulder with eyes that reflected his sorrow.

  “Thanks, Hades.” Trav nodded. He greeted the others, and Brett motioned for a round of the Bud in his hand as they all sat around a table he’d reserved in the back.

  “So, do we know who did this?” It was TJ who asked the question.

  “I have my suspicions, seeing as she got one of the biggest crime bosses in Atlanta arrested and he’s looking to serve the remainder of his life in a maximum-security prison.”

  “Oh, jeez,” Pax whistled.

  “I thought she was safe,” Brett said with a frown.

  “Yeah, she and I did too, for a time. I had a feeling this wasn’t over. Don’t you sometimes hate when you’re right?” Travis sighed with a humorless laugh and thanked the server who sat his beer down before him.

  “But you said the judge didn’t grant bail so how can he—?” Linc began.

  “I said he was one of the biggest crime bosses. He’s not the only one. Geraci’s part of a crime family. He was one of several.”

  “There’s more bosses?” Serious Zeus asked, brows drawn.

  “Sky said she thought there were two more, four in total. One died many years back in a fire at his club.”

  “His name was Perelli, right?” Berkley asked, and Trav nodded, taking a sip of his beer.

  “So, if he’s havin’ people follow her and attack her then what—?” Josh asked.

  “She’ll have a police escort now when I’m not around. When she’s at work and when she’s out and about. I was going to hire a bodyguard, but her boss was quicker on the draw than I was, insisting she be protected at all times so now she will be.”

  “Well, that’s gotta give you some peace of mind,” Quil stated, and Travis nodded.

  “I hate it for
you though, brother. I know how excited you were for this baby.” Lincoln patted his friend’s shoulder. He’d known Trav longer than the rest of them had. They’d played in San Antonio together before getting traded to the Gladiators as a package deal from the Stallions.

  Ares nodded solemnly and looked down. “Good thing is that she’s able to have more children, and she only ended up with a mild concussion, a few cracked ribs, and some bruises and cuts. It could have been so much worse. Thank God for airbags.”

  “Well, here’s to the small things then,” Brett agreed and raised his beer.

  “And here’s to family, guys.” Travis held up his own beer and gave them all a warm smile. “Thanks for always being here for me.”

  “Sláinte,” Pax responded automatically, and his heart froze. He suddenly realized just how much he missed Rebecca: her laugh, her sweetness, her energetic spirit…and how much he loved that sexy, dark-haired Irish lass of his.

  He loved her with a desperation that frightened him.

  He’d not fully breathed in her absence. He’d just gone through the motions of his life without her this last week, and God, how empty it’d been since he told her to leave.

  Pax had seen how quickly and fleeting life could be when Hunter had passed—and how devastating loss was. Now, with what had happened to Sky and Travis, it was like a clearing had opened up in his mind and heart.

  He’d always kept himself distant, always prided himself on being aloof to love because of what happened with his father, always enjoyed being untied, untethered, free. But he’d not been truly free until he’d been in the presence of perfection and that perfection was Rebecca Christine Ryan.

  He’d been an absolute and total fool. He needed his sweet naia, his Amphitrite—for what kind of sea god was he if he couldn’t make waves? She was the tide to his surf, the sand to his beach, and the wind in his sails. She completed him in every sense of the word.

  Now, it was time he manned up and told her.

  The wind was cold as it hit Rebecca’s back on her way into the apartment complex. She stopped dead in her tracks to see Paxton Guthrie standing outside her door, curly locks touching his shoulders, his hands shoved into his pockets. She almost dropped the bags in her hands as she looked up into his solemn, handsome face, into those blue eyes she’d literally lost herself to. He looked as beautiful as always, square jaw covered in a short, trim beard of blond with a red tint where the rays of sun caught it.

  Becca gulped as she took in his tan sweater and jean clad frame. He looked downright edible, even if her heart split at his words the last time they’d seen one another.

  “Here, let me grab those for you.” Pax moved for the bags literally falling from her arms, and she shivered as his warm palm brushed her flesh.

  “Th—thank you,” she mumbled as she continued to stare at him like he was a ghost.

  It had been almost two weeks since she’d seen him. Two long weeks. Two weeks of torment. Two weeks of regret. Two weeks of feeling like the lowest scum on earth. Two weeks of feeling like he hated her, and he should, for she’d not said anything back to him. Nothing to defend herself. Nothing to excuse the why of what had happened.

  “I—uh. Mind if I come in?”

  “Sure…I mean, no. Of course! Please, come in.”

  He nodded and followed her as her shaky hands fumbled with the keys. Finally, the lock gave way, and she entered first, knowing he wouldn’t go inside before her.

  They moved silently to the kitchen counter. When Veda saw Pax, she growled before retreating to her room, laptop in tow.

  Veda’s attitude had only worsened in the last couple weeks, and Becca knew it had everything to do with Quillan—or, better yet, the absence of Quillan. She and Veda, despite living together, hadn’t spoken to one another, aside from the shouting match that had ensued the day Becca came home from Paxton’s, tail set firmly between her legs.

  “How could you?” Becca asked, throwing her bag down dramatically into the empty recliner next to her sister.

  “One day you’ll thank me for getting you out of this mess.”

  “I don’t need you to rescue me, Veda.”

  “Obviously you do!”

  “I didn’t tell you to go to Madison. I was going to—”

  “No, you weren’t. You would have chickened out like you do everything else. We need that money and now this BS is over and done with.”

  And my heart along with it, Becca thought.

  “You could have given me a heads up. You made me look like a fool.”

  “Oh, you got to be the bad guy for a change? So sorry, little nun. Doesn’t feel so good, does it? But someone has to do the dirty deeds around here.”

  “Not every man is evil, Veda.” Tears came to her eyes then.

  “I just brought you to reality before he had a chance to break your heart in two, like he would’ve if you’d a’let him.”

  “I can stand up for myself.”

  “No, you can’t! You’re soft, just like Mam.”

  Nothing Becca had ever said was going to convince Veda that their father wasn’t a malicious man for leaving them or that all men weren’t their father. It was just gonna take time…and love. Which was something Veda had never had from a man. Thus, her hate for them all.

  “I want you to stay out of my business, from now on. I mean it.”

  “Oh, did you grow a set of balls, little sis? Well grand. Since you don’t need me anymore, I’ll be in my room!” With that, Veda had stalked off, slammed her door and had not else to say since.

  Now, Becca remembered the conversation all too well and how Pax had told her he didn’t want to see her again. She felt tears sting her eyes and pulled her chin up, praying she had the strength to have this conversation in the first place.

  “I had no right to say the things I said to you,” Pax said softly, slowly as he looked into her face. “I was angry and hurt, mostly hurt.”

  She pulled a breath in and attempted to rein her heart in, but it hammered away at the closeness of his body to hers.

  “I didn’t mean what I said about not wanting to see you again. I mean, I did at the time, but… Dammit Becca, why did you do it?”

  “I didn’t,” Becca stated truthfully.

  Pax rolled his eyes and threw a shaky hand through his messy locks.

  “It was Veda,” Becca finished. “She went to Madi behind my back, pretending to be me.”

  “Ha,” Pax laughed humorlessly, “of course she did,” he muttered. “No surprise that she hates me. I get it, though. I’m not to be trusted. I’m an outlander, right?”

  “Pax,” Becca rebuked.

  “No, just hear me out, okay? Then I’ll leave, but I need to apologize. I overreacted. I’m not good with relationships. Women. I don’t even know that I’ve had a real relationship with a woman. Ever. I’ve been with many over the years. Took them out on dates, to bed, but I haven’t had a steady girlfriend. So, I’m a little clueless as to how the whole give and take thing works. And I’m sorry that I let you down. But as I understand, that’s what people do. They take out their frustrations on those they love most.”

  Becca’s heart had stopped in her chest. She was frozen. What was he saying?

  “I’m sorry, Rebecca. I’m sorry that I was a dick. I’m sorry that I hurt you, but I’ve come to realize that life is really short, too short to let something like money stand in the way of who I love. I don’t care that you took the bribe…or Veda for that matter. I don’t care that you chose the money instead of me. All I care about is that I love you, and I couldn’t wait another minute to tell you that. I messed up, and I want a second chance to prove myself to you.”

  Tears flowed down her cheeks at the genuine look on his handsome face. She was two steps from walking into his arms and telling him how much she reciprocated his feelings when Veda’s voice intervened from the hallway.

  “Why?”

  Pax frowned as he looked her over with surprise and unease. “Why?” He seeme
d dumbfounded.

  “Yes, why do you want another chance?” Veda’s voice rose as she came to stand next to Becca, between Becca and Paxton.

  “Because I love your sister, Veda. I don’t want to live without her in my life.”

  “And you don’t care that she chose to take the money?” Veda’s eyes were unbelieving. Of course she would assume he had an ulterior motive for coming here—didn’t all men?

  “It wasn’t her who chose that, was it?”

  Veda snorted. “She still walked away from you.”

  “Because I told her to.”

  “And what makes you think she didn’t choose that?”

  “Because she loves me.”

  “Oh?” Veda turned to look at Becca. “Is that true?”

  Becca nodded and smiled into her sister’s stunned face. “I do.”

  “So all is forgiven, then?” Veda smirked.

  “That’s what love is, sis. Forgiving someone, even when they make the wrong choices. Even when they think they’re doing the right thing for your sake.” Becca reached out and took Veda’s hand. “I can love you both, Veda. I have enough to go around without sacrificing one or the other.”

  Veda’s lips quivered. “And what if he hurts you again?” Her green eyes bore into Pax’s face with fury.

  “Then I’ll forgive him again. Until he sees that my love for him is unshakeable, that nothing can destroy what I feel for him. Love is stronger than any other force on earth. It can overcome even the biggest obstacles in our paths.”

  Veda covered her hand over her mouth and turned to look at Becca, then she reached out and grabbed Pax’s arm. “And you? Will you take care of her? Keep her safe?”

  “I swear on my life.”

  “Take this and repeat after me.” Veda pulled a Claddagh ring from her hoodie pocket. It had been their mother’s. Becca gasped as Pax took it and smiled down at Becca. “I pledge my hands that I may be your friend, my crown that I may always remain loyal, and my heart that I may love you as best I can.”

  Paxton stepped forward and placed the ring, heart inwards on the third finger of her right hand, as Veda instructed. He then winked at Veda, as if to say, “I can take it from here.” Veda smirked playfully and stepped back to give them some privacy–what privacy she afforded anyway, protective big sister that she was.