Hail Mary: A Second Chances Sports Romance (Gridiron Love Book 1)

by Vanessa Fox

  I slide the wine glass to her and she takes a long, lingering sip. "Very nice."

  "Bottled it myself at my vineyard in Napa Valley," I say with a smirk.

  "Oh, really?" She raises an eyebrow. "You never fail to surprise me, Kade. What else do you do in your spare time? Wrestle sharks to submission?"

  "Among other things," I wink.

  She laughs. I can't take my eyes off her. She looks like an angel, glowing under the soft dim kitchen lights, strands of gold flickering in her brunette hair. Her eyes are dark and inviting. They've always remind me of deep blue ocean water. I want to dive in, and be swallowed in its expansive depths, and never surface.

  Willow catches herself being sucked into my gaze and clears her throat. She takes another sip. "So, you probably have practice in the morning, I'm guessing?"

  "Every day of the week," I say.

  "So you should be a good boy, drink some water and take some vitamins, and go to bed early."

  I shrug. "That's never been my style. I'm more of a, stay out late, get drunk on Patron and pass out on the couch with a girl straddling me type of guy. But I'm still always the first to arrive at practice in the morning."

  She rolls her eyes. I can see a hint of blush on her cheeks and I wonder if it's jealousy.

  "Hey, it's working for me, isn't it?" I ask. "I've got a perfect record so far in my rookie year."

  "Whatever you say, Kade," she says, pretending that she doesn't like my ego. I know she loves it. She always has.

  "I mean, rookie," I emphasize. "Do you know how significant that is? No rookie quarterback has led his team 11-0, that I know of. If we make it through the year with a perfect record, I'm gonna go down in history."

  Her eyes are glazing over. All right, maybe I'm pushing it a little.

  "That's nice, Kade," she says. "But if you don't stop being a party animal, your career is gonna be a short one."

  I scoff. "Yeah, right. I'll be playing when I'm forty-five. And I'll still be partying late into the night with hot co-eds by my side."

  "Uh-huh."

  "Unless of course, I have you. Then I'll just cuddle with you all night instead."

  She tries to stifle a smile. "Won't you resent having me as your ball and chain?"

  "Nah, I won't mind. I like whips and chains."

  She takes another sip of wine, eyes never leaving mine for a moment.

  Suddenly I feel the overwhelming urge to skip over this sexual tension filled, will-they-won't-they limbo. I know what I want. And I'm 99.99% certain what Willow wants.

  I circle around the kitchen island to where Willow is seated and take her cheek in my hand, drawing her to her feet in front of me. Without even the slightest hesitation, I lean down and press my lips to hers, closing the gap between us.

  Our mouths and bodies fuse together immediately. She sinks into me, wrapping her arms around my waist, as I caress her face and run my fingers through her long hair. Her mouth tastes tart and sweet from the wine as she opens up to allow my tongue to explore her.

  I'm hard as a rock already. My hunger for her whirrs deep inside me, growing louder and more intense by the second, like an engine revving. I pick her up by the thighs. She straddles me and I can intently feel the softness between her legs rubbing against my erection, as I carry her across the kitchen and down the hall into my bedroom.

  I lay her gently on the white feather down comforter of my bed and run my hands up her thighs, pushing her dress up high until I'm cupping her voluptuous ass.

  I grind into her, and she arches her hips to express her want. Yes, Willow wants me, needs me. Knowing that she needs me as badly as I need her gives me strength, feeds my being. I'm hungry for her, desperate to taste and feel every inch of her. I'm starving, a man denied nourishment for years, and now I'm finally getting to feast.

  I kiss her lips, her cheeks, down her throat, across her collarbone, inching down between her breasts as she moans and writhes underneath me, snaking her fingers through my hair.

  My hands find her tiny black thong and pull it to the side. I'm guessing by her choice of underwear that she approached this evening open to indulging in sexy times, which makes me smirk.

  She's dripping wet for me, and I rub the wetness across her lips and against her clit before sliding two fingers inside. She gasps, "Kade!" and hearing my name makes me want to bust right then and there.

  Fortunately, I'm not a fourteen year old boy, so I stay composed, even if it takes every cell of my being to resist tearing her panties off and filling her immediately.

  I lower myself until I'm between her legs. I grip her thighs as I lick her delicious wetness and suck on her clit, making her shiver and moan. She forcefully shoves my head against her, relishing my mouth on her. I fuck her with my tongue and fingers until her back arches and she squeals, sending a gush of wetness like a wave over my face and chin.

  She's still shivering when I come back up. I pant, needing a breath of air after being smothered by her pussy. We both laugh as we kiss and she tastes herself on my mouth.

  Her fingers find my belt buckle and undo my pants as I grind into her, and within seconds she has my rock hard cock in her palm, squeezing and pumping me and guiding me towards her entrance.

  "Wait, Kade," she whispers into my ear.

  I know instinctively what it is. I quickly roll off of her and begin rummaging through my top dresser drawer. My body immediately feels cold and lonely in her absence, and I'm eager to return to her as fast as possible. Luckily I find a condom and rip it open, sliding it over my throbbing shaft before climbing back on top of her.

  Within seconds I'm inside her, and her hands are cupping my ass cheeks, pushing me deeper.

  "Oh fuck, Willow..." I groan, the sensations overwhelming.

  The next few minutes are a blur as I lose myself in Willow Greene. I fuck her hard, then gentle, then hard again. I shove her dress down and suck on her nipples as I thrust inside her. She runs her hands all over my body, over my chest and abs, across my back, digging her nails into my skin. She flips me over and straddles me, and I watch in awe as her breasts bounce up and down under the shadows and lights of the city through my window. Her pussy expertly tightens and squeezes my cock with every bounce, and I squeeze her ass cheeks and suck on her nipples when she leans down.

  "Fuck, Kade, I'm gonna come!" She pants, and her face twists in the throes of ecstasy. I feel her pussy quiver and tighten against me, and that's enough to do it.

  I grab a fistful of her hair and pull her down, kissing her deeply as my cock explodes inside her.

  "Fuuuuck," I groan, every cell of my body tingling. She sighs and rests her head on my chest, and we lay here, panting and catching our breath.

  "That was insane," she laughs, and her lips find mine again.

  "I didn't think anything could top our first time together," I say. "I was wrong."

  I've never forgotten our first time. Eighteen years old, under the covers of my bed. It was at my dad's house, in the middle of the afternoon when he stepped out to buy groceries. He told me sternly, "No funny business!" before leaving, which of course meant that I'd be getting into funny business immediately.

  Willow was nervous, blushing the whole time, eager to have me but scared because she was a virgin. I had spent so much time talking myself up as some big stud with lots of experience, but the truth was that I was a virgin as well.

  As soon as I fessed up to her, she relaxed.

  It was everything I could've hoped for. She felt amazing, warm and tight. I took my time with her, making sure she wasn't in pain, even though inside I felt like a horny dog who just wanted to hump as fast and hard as possible.

  We both came at the same time, and it was magical. We cuddled and kissed and whispered, "I love you", never emerging out from under the covers until we heard the front door open and the rustle of grocery bags being carried in.

  That was the moment when I knew Willow Greene would become my wife.

  A few months later, everyth
ing came crashing down. But I don't need to think about that anymore.

  Willow is here, in my arms again.

  After we broke up, I cursed myself for being dumb and naive enough to think that Willow could ever become my wife.

  But right now, with her warm body next to me and eyes gazing into mine, I'm realizing that maybe I was right the whole time.

  Willow

  I'm shivering like crazy, chilled to the bone, as the wind whips my body. But I don't even care. My arms are wrapped tight around Kade, and my body is pressed close as we ride down empty downtown streets. It's five in the morning and the invisible sun is just starting to inch its way up behind some far-off horizon, illuminating everything in a pale purple glow.

  I've always loved early mornings, and this morning in particular feels magical and dream-like after the surreal evening I spent with Kade.

  I'm still in disbelief over what happened. I guess it's not surprising that I managed to find myself in Kade's bed again. It was bound to happen sooner or later. But I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it. If you had told me two months ago that I'd be under the covers with my old high school ex turned famous pro quarterback, I would've laughed in your face.

  What's even harder to believe is ... how much I liked it. No, loved it.

  It wasn't some drunken booty call, it was meaningful.

  The way he looks at me. The way he kisses me with such desperation. I feel it. I know he does, too.

  He had emphasized 'casual'. But last night was anything but casual.

  That's not to say it was some romantic, candle-lit vanilla lovemaking like the very softcore porn that airs on some cable channels late at night.

  Nope. We were animals.

  We went at it for three rounds last night, trying every position ever conceived of by mankind, culminating in five orgasms for me. This morning, yet another round, this time steamy shower sex. He pressed me up against the damp glass walls as he pounded me doggy style, finishing in my mouth.

  I'm blushing just thinking about it.

  My body is sore. My mind is stimulated. And it feels like there are fireworks exploding inside of me, every cell rejoicing and giddy at the thought of belonging to Kade Hughes again.

  I honestly feel that this is where I was always meant to be: in his arms.

  We just took the long scenic route to finally get here.

  Kade takes a left turn down a familiar side street and pulls up behind the back entrance of my apartment complex.

  He slows to a stop and I slide off the seat, my limbs stiff and freezing in the frigid air. We pull our helmets off and he leans in, kissing me deeply, as he pulls me in and envelops me in his embrace.

  "You're freezing your ass off, aren't you?" He chuckles.

  I just nod, my body shaking uncontrollably.

  "Get inside and warm up," he says. "I'll call you after practice."

  He gives me another peck on the lips and smacks my ass as I walk away. Before entering the building I turn and watch him climb back on his bike, rev the engine and peel out.

  There he goes. Kade Hughes... man of my dreams.

  And he's all mine.

  My apartment is warmer than outside, but not warm enough. I pull off my pumps and tiptoe into my bedroom. I dive on to the mattress and pull the blankets over my head, shivering wildly, trying to warm up. Lingering thoughts of Kade's lips on my neck and his throbbing cock deep inside me definitely help increase my body temperature.

  I have to leave for work in a few hours. Katie's alarm clock will go off soon. I won't be able to hide under the blankets forever. I'll have to get up and go about my day. Figure out how to respond to Katie's questions about where I was all night, and later on, be grilled by Mrs. Cooper about my date.

  I'll have to go on pretending like everything is normal. But inside I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl. I'll be checking my phone every five seconds waiting for his call. I'll be daydreaming about him: his captivating green eyes, the masculine cut of his jawline speckled with blond five-o-clock shadow. The passion and drive he possesses, to not only be one of the best athletes in the world, but also to do everything he can to help the weakest and most vulnerable among us. I'll be thinking about the way the eyes of those children light up when they see him.

  Most of all, I'll be dreaming about how it feels to be wrapped up in his arms again, feeling safe, secure, and loved.

  Chapter 16

  Kade

  "EAGLE FOURTEEN, JACKSON THIRTY-FIVE!" I holler.

  The way the defense is lined up, I know they're going for a blitz. But we've set up man coverage, so for every guy barreling towards me trying to get a sack, there will be one of my own to step in his way.

  I quickly step to the side and tap my right guard's shoulder, making sure he knows to cut to the left to provide more protection. If he steps too far right, there will be too big of a gap for a hulking linebacker to pass through and get to me.

  I take position behind the center. The play clock is winding down.

  The center snaps the ball to me. We're doing a screen play, so I hold the ball out to my running back. He pretends to take it and tuck it under his arm, but it's all a ruse.

  I keep the ball and take a few steps back, scanning the field. It looks like the trick is working, as the defense is focused on my RB and they're all coming after him.

  I spot my intended receiver, number 33 Dylan Black, way far out at the 10 yard line. To my left, some of the linebackers have figured out the ruse and are now barreling towards me.

  I snap my arm and send the ball flying in a high arc.

  Two seconds later, a lineman plows into my side and sends me flying to the ground. I'm dazed for a moment, my head on the turf looking up into the night sky above the stadium, the bright yellow and white lights blurring into a haze.

  Then I hear the crowd erupting into wild cheers, and that's how I know my boy Dylan caught it.

  "Touch down!" the announcer bellows over the speakers.

  The Sparrows' lineman helps me to my feet. I glance over to see Dylan doing a jig in the endzone.

  "Yeah baby!" I scream, pumping my fist into the air.

  It's been a close game so far, but this touchdown should clinch it at 32-24... assuming we get the two point conversion.

  I watch the replay of Dylan's perfect catch as I rush downfield. Coach is telling me through my earpiece to go for a run. We line up and I say a silent prayer. It's all in my running back's hands now: number 17, Marcus Hayes.

  The center snaps the ball and I hand it off to Marcus immediately. There's a huge gap right down the center, and Marcus rushes to take advantage of it. But right before he crosses the goal line, he's pummeled in the side by a lineman and sent tumbling flat on his back. Fortunately, he keeps a tight grip on the ball and doesn't allow a fumble.

  I take a deep breath and look up at the big screens. The slow motion replay clearly shows him not making it past the goal line. Okay, so we didn't get the two points. No big deal. We still got this.

  I hate having the fate of the game be out of my hands, but I'm confident we can still win.

  I'm not one to celebrate prematurely, especially not with an offense as dynamic as the Oklahoma Sparrows. But they have no more timeouts and the Alphas defense has been on fire lately. I'm praying they can keep bringing the heat and keep the Sparrows in check. Then BAM! We'll be a perfect 16-0 heading into the playoffs, and we'll only need to win two more games to make it to the Gridiron Bowl.

  The dream is becoming a reality.

  I can't believe it's happening during my rookie season.

  After rushing off field, I give my wide receiver Dylan a big manly hug. Dylan claps my back.

  "Damn, that catch was amazing!" I say as we take our helmets off and take a seat on the bench.

  "That throw was perfect," Dylan says. He wipes the sweat off his forehead. His raven black hair is damp and matted, but when he runs his gloved fingers through it he restores it back to its normal poof and luster.
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  "Yeah, fuckin' sucks we couldn't get the 2 points, though."

  "Tell me about it. You all right, bro? Looks like you took a pretty big hit back there."

  "Nah, I'm good," I say. "I'm sure I'll be hurting in the morning, but I'm too full of adrenaline to care right now."

  Dylan looks out onto the field anxiously. "You think the Sparrows can get it?"

  "Hell no," I say. "They were strong in the first half, I'll give them that. They gave us a run for our money. But look at them out there. They're tired. They're scrambling. Our D's been on point."

  Dylan nods. "I hope you're right. God, if they get a touchdown, somebody's gotta stop that field goal. Ice the kicker. Tip the ball. Anything."

  "My boy Jax will take care of that, you'll see."

  Dylan laughs. "Well, if we go OT, you know who's gonna be catching that hail mary pass."

  I scoff. "Hell no, you think you're gonna get all the glory? I'll run it into the endzone myself."

  "Bullshit you will," he chuckles.

  I just smile and chug my Gatorade. Dylan and I have developed a great chemistry over the season. When I first started at practice camp, we didn't get along. Dude's got a chip on his shoulder even bigger than I do. And I can tell he resented the amount of attention I was getting. But as it turns out, we make the perfect team. We're completely in tune with each other. All I have to do is glance at him downfield and he intuitively knows what I want him to do. Eight of our games have ended with a touchdown pass to Dylan, and if we win this game, that'll make nine.

  I glance up at the VIP box high above the Alphas endzone. The windows are tinted and I can't make anyone out, but I know Willow is up there watching my every move and cheering me on.

  At first I was worried having her here at the game would make me feel nervous, afraid that I'd fuck up in front of her and embarrass myself. But instead I feel even more powerful. I feel invincible knowing I've got the love of my life supporting me.

  It's been a month since we visited the kids at the hospital and she spent the night at my condo. Even though I've been busy and traveling a lot for games, we've been meeting up every chance we get, and she's been there beside me for every hospital visit. Everything is progressing smoothly. Being with her is easy and natural. And every day is better than the last.