Quarterback Sack

by SE Hall

  “No, fuckhead, it’s not. Goodnight.” I slam the door in his face and turn the lock, just to make sure his crazy ass doesn’t try to barge in here. Ava slowly opens the bathroom door, looking around the room frantically before stepping out.

  “What the hell am I doing here? I need my head examined.” She starts pacing the room, mumbling to herself while I lie back on my pillow and try not to laugh. “That’s one of my players out there. This is exactly why I don’t do football players! They never grow up. Everything’s a game to them.”

  “Are you done?” She flips around to shoot glaring anger and panic at me when my question interrupts her little rant.

  “Am I done? Am I done? No, not even close. This cluster-fuck proves the point I was trying to make earlier!” She runs her hands through her hair, shaking her head. “This is exactly why I can’t be seen with you. He would run his mouth and we both know it.” She’s way overthinking things and if she wasn’t so worked up, the “little rant” now much bigger, I’d pounce on her and kiss that sexy fucking mouth until her only worry was how fast we could get naked and in my bed together.

  “He probably would.” I can’t deny that. It’s Tyler. “But it would only be to tease me and get under my skin, because that’s what he does. Ty’s like a brother to me, he’d never hurt the team or my career.”

  “Maybe not on purpose, but bottom line, he’s one of my players. One that, despite your friendship and the best of intentions, loves to run his mouth to the tabloids.” She sits on my bed, her ass hanging off the edge as she tries to keep her distance from me.

  “You’re absolutely right. Can’t have a fucking scandal going around about two single people seeing each other. That’d be devastating to the entire NFL,” I quip in dry sarcasm, resting my head on my hands, clasped together behind my neck.

  “This isn’t a joke, Rush! It was a mistake for me to come here tonight.” Her head drops and I can feel the shame she’s forcing on herself from over here.

  “No, it wasn’t. You needed to get away from the bullshit and that’s what I made happen for you. Now you can either go out there and risk Tyler seeing you leave my bedroom, or you can lie back on this pillow and we can find a movie to watch.” She lifts her head and glances over her shoulder at me, contemplating her options. As if she’s giving up and admitting defeat, she releases a deep, labored breath and lies back on the pillow next to me.

  “I promise I won’t bite,” I laugh, trying to ease her mind, because even lying down, her body’s so stiff and rigid, I’m uncomfortable for her.

  She quickly sits up, looking over at me, the ends of her long, brown hair teasing my arm. I force myself to remain still even though it’s killing me having a woman this gorgeous so close to me…in my own damn bed. Not doing a damn thing about it.

  “Let me guess, you won’t bite unless I ask you to. You know, it all comes back to sex with you.”

  “And that’s why you’re here, Ava. You knew the score the second you left with me tonight. I’m not the one pretending to be someone I’m not, hiding behind a façade I created in my own head that says I have to be perfect.” She doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t need to. She hates that I just called her out on her bullshit, and loathes the fact that I’m right. If she could leave, she’d already be long gone. Her narrowed, blazing eyes confirm it.

  “Look, just try and relax for the night. Watch a movie with me and then I’ll make sure you get home.” I grab the remote and point it at the T.V., searching for something we’ll both like. “How about Fifty Shades of Grey?”

  “Nice try. Find a comedy.” I laugh at her dry response and she finally smiles, smacking me on the shoulder.

  “See, this could be fun. No stress, just two people in a bed, both still single,” I have to add, “innocently watching a movie.” I scan the available shows and land on a comedy channel hosting different stand-up comedians. We both sit up against the headboard and watch for a few minutes until we hear Tyler banging the bed against the wall.

  “Sounds like he’s busy and won’t see me if I leave now.”

  “Or, you can stay a little longer and leave when they’ve all crashed.” She’s already standing before I have the chance to finish.

  “Thank you for tonight. I did have a great time, even with all the insanity.” Her eyes scan over my face and for a moment, I want to say something witty and funny, but stop myself.

  “Anytime. And, just so you know, I’ll have the locks changed tomorrow, to keep his ass out.”

  Her smile does something to me. I’m not sure what exactly, or why, but it does. And it looks great on her.

  Guess I managed witty after all.

  Chapter Twelve

  RUSH

  It’s game day and I make the mistake of looking up to the private box where Ava is sitting. She’s wearing a Thunder stocking cap with a fucking puff ball on top of her head, yet somehow…she makes it look sexy. I lift my helmet and see her friend Marcy elbow her, but she doesn’t acknowledge Marcy, eyes already locked on mine and returning my smile. I know she’s only being openly friendly because most people can’t see her, and even if they could, it would take them forever to figure out who I’m pointing to. But any other time, she’d ignore me, and I’m not gonna lie—that shit stings.

  “Riggins, get your ass over here. I need your head in the game!” Coach Benson screams. I hustle back to my team, but I can feel her eyes still on me as I move through the players. And I realize, for the first time ever, I’ve allowed someone in the stands to mess with my head before a game.

  Nope. Not fucking happening. Not even for her.

  “Hey, I’m taking this for a few minutes. I need some music.” I yank the headphones away from one of the water boys and watch his face light up as I do. He’s star-struck, happy that I just pulled a dick move, but I need to get my head straight if I’m going to pull this game off, so a grunted “thanks, man” is all the “make it right” I’ve got time to give right now.

  We aren’t favored tonight, but then again, I play the best under pressure. And my team plays best when I lead them to do the same, so I’m not worried. I crank up the music and watch Tyler and Pierce coming at me as they dance through their pre-game ritual. It’s become something I look forward to; anything to get them riled up and ready to kick some ass on the field. Funny as hell too, ‘cause neither of them can dance worth a shit.

  “You ready to fuck these assholes up?” Tyler tugs a headphone off my ear while he continues to bust a move.

  “Every. Damn. Day,” I answer and move to do my ritual. I pace behind the players, thinking about what I would say to Jett if I was preparing him for a game.

  You ready to do this shit? You’ve worked your whole life for this game. Every fucking time you step on that field could be your last, so don’t come off it with any regrets. Leave it all out there, four quarters of everything you’ve got. Get out there and lead your team to a win.’

  The same kid I took the headphones from taps me on the shoulder and points to the coach, who’s screaming at me again. “Riggins, you’re in!”

  Everything falls into place the second I run onto the field. Just like in practice, the guys are in sync with me and the line holds back the defense, giving me time and room to do my job.

  It’s half-time before I know it and we’re up by thirty points. I guess the constant practicing has made a difference. All the guys are smiling and the normal banter between them is in full swing when I turn to see Ava, entering the locker room with the coaches.

  “All right, all right, have a seat. Don’t celebrate until you still have the lead when there are zeroes on the clock. Miss Vanderbilt has something to say before we go back on the field, so sit your asses down and listen.” Coach Benson doesn’t know how to smile, even when we’re winning by a huge spread.

  Ava steps forward and I watch the other guys flirt with her, as though they actually have a shot in hell at tapping into the hard shell she’s built around herself. She’s covered head to
toe in Thunder gear and I can’t help but fantasize about seeing her in nothing but my jersey as I grip her long hair and take her from behind.

  “Thank you all for being understanding and patient with me during this tough season. It means more than you know.” She looks down at her fidgeting hands before she continues. “My grandfather loved this team and it’s easy to see why. Tomorrow afternoon, here at the stadium, there will be an unveiling of a statue in memory and honor of him and I’d really like all of you to attend if possible. It’s still covered because I wanted this to be a family unveiling, and you were all his family.” She speaks quickly, hardly sparing me a glance as she turns to walk out of the locker room, I’m sure to escape before showing any emotion—which in her head, would mean weakness.

  I ignore the comments from the guys and don’t engage in any of the conversations about “how fucking hot she is.” If they only knew just how gorgeous she is underneath all that business armor.

  AVA

  I walk out of the locker room full of sweaty men, unsure if I made any sense or just rambled incoherently. My attention was shot to shit the second I saw Rush’s eyes brushing down my body, as palpable as an actual touch. I hate his ability to fluster me with a mere glance, but more so, I hate how much I like his interest. I become some attention-starved, giddy girl who can’t control herself whenever he’s around.

  He struts back onto the field just as Marcy rejoins me in the owner’s box. “How’d it go? And why are you back so soon? I figured you’d be giving the QB some half-time pointers.” She grins devilishly and wiggles her eyebrows. The girl’s been fishing for information since Friday morning, and I gave her a few snippets in hopes of shutting her up, but held back the part about being in his bedroom. She would’ve never let it go if I told her that I walked away from him…lying on his bed, all but begging me to stay.

  “You’re insane.” I shake my head. “The game’s about to start again, so knock it off.”

  She doesn’t argue, switching topics to how the apparel store was packed, and I’m half listening when I see Rush get sacked in the backfield, his head taking a serious bounce when he lands.

  I stand quickly and move to the glass to get a better look, my focus on what’s happening down on the field rather than her ill-timed comments in the background. “Yes, I can tell you have zero feelings about Mr. Riggins.” She snickers, but falls deadly silent when long seconds later, he still hasn’t stood up. “Holy shit, why isn’t he moving?” she whispers.

  The lump in my throat practically suffocates me and I try not to overreact. Football players take hits all the time, no big deal, and I’d be standing like this for any of the guys. I don’t want to see anyone injured. Right? Yes, that’s definitely the case.

  We watch as the medics finally help him to his feet and the stadium erupts. It’s obvious he’s led to the bench behind the team, still surrounded by medical personnel. He drops his helmet beside him and I can practically feel his frustration all the way up here when they make him stand and escort him out. “They think he has a concussion,” Marcy loudly announces the intel she’s somehow already gathered.

  “I need to go check on him.”

  “Will we be doing this for all the injured players tonight, or just this one in particular?” She’s following me before I can tell her to stay behind.

  “Not right now, Marcy. You can give me hell later, when we’re at my house or something. But,” I take a deep, calming breath to keep myself from biting her head off like I want to, “just leave it alone here.”

  She’s quiet the rest of the way to the locker room. Still silent as I tap my foot loud and impatiently as security takes their time clearing me, again, since half of them don’t recognize me yet. Need to fix that. And maybe question their intelligence…I was just down here at half-time.

  “Rush, you’re out for the rest of the game. Quit arguing.” I turn the corner to the coach’s office just in time to hear him respond to their orders.

  “Not a chance in hell.” Before he can growl anything else, I enter the room and all eyes turn to me.

  “Can we help you?” One of the medics moves to escort me from the room, but Rush stops her.

  “You might want to check yourself there, Doc. That’s Ava Vanderbilt you’re about to throw out of here.” Her cheeks flame with embarrassment and she apologizes, twice, before slipping out the door behind me.

  “What’s going on?” I ask the remaining medical team…all two of them, brave enough to stay and attempt reason with a very surly, unreasonable Rush Riggins.

  “He has a concussion and will need to be monitored overnight. Mr. Riggins seems to think he can go back out there and play.”

  “Rush, you’re not going back out there if you’re not cleared by these men,” I state firmly. He looks defeated, but resists the urge to fight me, fully ablaze in his narrowed eyes. Not that I’m telling him anything that isn’t in the NFL rules, or within my authority…and he knows both. I’m not at all happy he’s hurt, but having the upper-hand, control, in his presence for once doesn’t feel terrible.

  “Fuck.” He shakes his head back and forth in frustration before tossing his helmet on the ground behind me. “How long before I’m cleared?” He looks at the lead doctor for answers.

  “We’ll check you daily and clear you when you’re ready.”

  “This is bullshit.” He’s livid, and I hate it for him—his anger over being pulled, his injury and what I know is his biggest concern—how long he’ll be sidelined.

  “Calm down, Rush. You know it’s league rules.” I want to say ‘and what’s best for your health’ but refrain. He’s biting his tongue hard enough to draw blood as he turns to me.

  He takes a few deep breaths before speaking, this time sounding a bit more rational, logic surfacing as his adrenaline settles. “Fine, but I’ll be up your asses until I’m cleared, so get used to this face.” He points to his fierce scowl and my lip curls…he’s even sexier when he’s mad.

  The doctor laughs at Rush’s ridiculous behavior then talks to the other medic quietly. I stand back, not knowing whether to approach him or steer clear. He reclines against the wall and his expression softens when he looks at me.

  “At least we have a break after tonight. It’ll give me time to get cleared and at my best before we take the field again.”

  “Maybe you could use the break. Do something fun.” I take a few tentative steps toward him, keeping a professional distance, yet itching to be closer.

  “There are a couple things that come to mind.” His eyes dance with mischief as he grins.

  I ignore his blatant insinuation, praying the doctors didn’t overhear. His personality is all over this place tonight; from raging mad to coy and flirty in the span of a few seconds. It gives me a heady sense of power that I could calm him so easily…and be the reason for his smirk.

  “I’m sure you can. I’m gonna head back to watch the rest of the game since you’re okay and listening to reason now. You take care, Rush.” Take care? Smooth, Ava. Before he has a chance to tempt me with any sort of response, I turn and leave quickly before I do something, or say anything else, I’ll regret.

  Rushing to check on him, heart in my throat, was bad enough. I’m not supposed to like him or the way only he has of keeping me on edge all the time.

  Rush Riggins has become my secret addiction. No matter how many times I swear to myself I’ll keep a safe distance or how hard I try to prevent it from happening, he’s getting to me. The real me. Peeling back my guard layer by layer and burrowing his sexy, witty way into depths no one’s ever been able to reach. I can never let him see the true, full effect he has on me because I know…he’d use it to his advantage every chance he got.

  Chapter Thirteen

  RUSH

  She’s out of her damn mind if she thinks I’m letting her just walk out of here like that. Walk away from me, again. Ava’s game of “cat and mouse” isn’t cute anymore, and I’m about to remind her who’s in control. A con
trol she loves surrendering to; she needs me to eliminate any other option as her excuse. I’d rather she’d realize it’s alright for us to be together, but until that happens…I can more than handle being the boss.

  “Can I at least watch the rest of the game from above?” One of the doctors looks at me in surprise. I guess he’s shocked I’m no longer snarling, or not fighting to get back on the field. It’s a lost cause. They’ve already written their official report, including my symptoms and treatment plan—no playing time.

  “I can’t stop you from watching the game, but you have to remain under observation for a few hours.” I sit up, pulling my pads off as I do, then grab the extra jersey in my locker and slide it over my head before digging into my stash and palming a condom that I plan to use.

  “Well Doc, one of you better get your running shoes on to keep up then. I have somewhere to be.” I’m nice about it, even allowing them about twenty seconds to plan amongst themselves before I open the door and walk out, the sound of hurried footsteps following me down the hall.

  The team elevator isn’t too far away and should open fairly close to the VIP box that holds the one woman I can’t keep get out of my head. I need to look at this differently, shift my interest before I get to her. I could use this as a chance to watch Thunder play, experiencing the game and my team on a completely different level, but with the current thoughts running through my mind, I know the minute I see her—watching the game will be my last priority.

  Once we reach the box, I give the little medic chasing me his orders. Not that I have the power to do so, but who gives a fuck. “Stay out here. I’ll be fine inside, with my new observer.”