Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 3)

by Roxy Sinclaire

  I was about to pinch him again when he caught my hand in mid-air.

  “Also, if you are going to live with me, you have got to stop attacking me.”

  He kissed my hand and put it back down.

  “It would be nice to live with you. It would make looking for a place out here much easier.”

  “And much cheaper. It is very expensive to rent a place out here,” I commented.

  “Yeah, well it is one of the most expensive cities in the world,” he agreed.

  “Oh, wow! Well look at you learning so much about the city!” he exclaimed.

  “Hey!” I protested, “I wanted to move here after school. It wouldn’t make much sense if I moved and didn’t know anything about it.”

  “Fair enough. Well since you know so much already, it wouldn’t hurt to see it, right?”

  “No it won’t.”

  He continued, “So that’s the plan for tomorrow then. I will show you the city.”

  “Hmm…can’t wait,” I said eagerly.

  We ended up falling asleep in each other’s arms. The next morning, we got up and had breakfast. After we ate, we took a shower together. Nick was caressing my body and we both had to exercise extreme self-control not to make love in the shower. Once we were clean, which really took a while since we took a long time staring at and washing each other; we got out of the shower, changed and headed outside.

  The city seemed to be buzzing with activity. It was filled with lights. Nick held my hand and we walked around and saw Times Square and the Statue of Liberty. I was so glad to finally be here. We had hot dogs and New York pizza. We took a cab to Coney Island and went on the rides and the Ferris wheel.

  It was the most fun that I had in a long time. We also went to Madam Tussaud’s and took pictures with the wax figures. Soon after, we made our way back outside and then I saw the law firm that I had always wanted to work at. Roberts and Stanwell was one of the best law firms in the city. Not only did they take on important clients with a good cause, but they also paid their lawyers very well. I looked inside the building and saw that they were interviewing interns.

  “Wow,” I said.

  “What’s the matter, April?” Nick asked.

  “This is where I want to work,” I told him.

  “Wow, it looks nice,” he remarked.

  “Yeah,”

  “Maybe we should go in?” he suggested.

  I hesitated, “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think I am ready yet.”

  “I think you are ready. You are smart, hard-working, dedicated, witty, incredibly attractive and sexy. They would be crazy not to hire you,” he encouraged.

  I thought about it. He was right. I was amazing. Plus, I was in the big city. So, anything could happen, right? I knew I couldn’t just enter the law firm in a jeans and jersey, so Nick offered to help me out. He took me to a store where I got a professional looking dress and shoes and he paid for the bill.

  I panicked as I realized that I needed a copy of my resume and a few reference letters. Then I remembered that I had the documents on my phone and began to calm down. We headed to a nearby café and asked them to print out the documents. I finally had everything that I needed. We then went back to the firm. I kissed Nick and headed inside.

  I nervously smiled.

  “Wish me luck,” I prompted.

  “Good luck,” he said with a kiss.

  I stepped inside the glass doors and spoke to the receptionist. I was still nervous but had to keep my calm.

  “Hi, I’m here for the interview for the internship,” I told her.

  She then told me to have a seat. I was fidgeting with the papers on my lap. This interview could make or break my career. I waited there until I was called.

  “Miss Hansen, they are ready for you.” said the receptionist.

  I got up and headed upstairs. I made it to the fourth floor and walked through the glass doors towards Mr. Miller’s office. I took a deep breath and knocked on his door.

  “Come in,” he called.

  I stepped into his office, which had a beautiful view of the city. He had numerous stacks of papers on his table and pictures of Japanese and cultural art on the wall. He rose to greet me and after we shook hands he reclined in his office chair and offered me a seat.

  “So what brings you to Roberts and Stanwell, Miss Hansen?”

  I took a deep breath. I knew I had to sell myself and my passions.

  “I have always been interested in this law firm. I have been tracking all of the cases that you have done and I have studied many of the details of several of them.”

  “Oh really?” he inquired.

  “Yes, just ask.”

  He then proceeded to ask me about some of their cases from the time that they opened to the case they had just won last week. He was impressed by the amount of detail that I could provide.

  “Wow, I have to say I am quite impressed,” he remarked.

  He asked for my resume and references. He glanced over the documents and nodded. From his facial expression, he also seemed impressed with my resume.

  “From your resume, I see that you are doing pretty well in school. I also see that you have amazing references here.”

  “Oh thank you, Mr. Miller.”

  “Well, Ms. Hansen. I am quite impressed and we will be interested in granting you a position here at the firm as an intern within the next few months. As long as your references check out and if you do well on your exams, you can work with us here at Roberts and Stanwell.”

  “Oh thank you so much, Mr. Miller!” I exclaimed happily.

  I then stood up to go. He again offered his hand and I shook it. I then made my way to the elevator and headed outside to Nick.

  “How did it go?” he asked.

  “It went great! They told me that they would hire me if my references check out and if I do well in my exams,” I was so excited!

  “Wow! That’s great!” he replied enthusiastically.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  He hugged me and kissed me. Then he said, “And I know you will do well in your exams since all you do is study.”

  “Yeah, I don’t have much of a life,” I agreed.

  “Yeah, I can’t wait for you to move here. You are going to love it.”

  “Well, wherever you are, is where I want to be…except the locker room. That place smells really funky,” I said with a wry face.

  “It doesn’t smell that bad,” he argued.

  “Eww!! You didn’t smell how disgusting the locker room was at the stadium?” I said.

  “No, what are you talking about?”

  I told him, “You are so gross!”

  He then leaned in to try to kiss me.

  “No! Don’t kiss me!” I said, exasperated.

  “Come and kiss me!” he insisted.

  Laughing, I hollered, “NO!”

  He then pulled me to him and kissed me.

  He told me with a big grin, “Now, you are dirty too.”

  “Ugh! I have to take a shower now!” I declared heatedly.

  “As long as I get to shower with you.”

  He then kissed me again. We made our way back to the apartment and took a shower before we ended up going to an Italian restaurant a few blocks away. Chez Italia’s was an old-school Italian restaurant with an amazing ambiance.

  We ordered some pasta and enjoyed each other’s company. The food was really good and the atmosphere was really romantic. I almost didn’t want to leave the restaurant, nor did I want to leave the city. But I had to leave within an hour. Nick paid the bill and we left the restaurant.

  I packed up my stuff and Nick looked at me sadly, asking “You sure I can’t convince you to stay?”

  “If I do stay, then I can’t take my exams and then I can’t become a lawyer and come out here and live with you,” I reminded him.

  “Good point.”

  After I finished packing, we kissed for a while and then headed to the bus terminal. We couldn’t keep our hands of
f each other while we waited for my bus to arrive. Suddenly, the announcement was made. We heard it, but couldn’t stop kissing. They did a final boarding call and then we separated. I headed to the stop and he kissed me goodbye.

  He slowly released me saying, “Good luck on your exams. I know you will do well.”

  “Yeah, I should be okay. I will call every day, okay?” I assured him.

  “You better.”

  A final kiss and I got on the bus. I slowly watched him outside the window and I sighed. I knew we were only going to be separated for a few more weeks, but that didn’t make the pain of separation any easier. I watched through the window as the bus slowly pulled away from the station. I was glad I brought my books along so I could study. It was a smart move for me to bring my books.

  I sat there and began to study. I was so focused and wrapped up in my reading and so strongly determined to do well on my exams since I knew what was at stake. I studied so much that I didn’t even realize that the bus reached the stop. I looked up and immediately got off the bus and began to walk home.

  24

  Nick

  I was becoming impatient. I wanted to know what was going on with April. It seemed like I had been waiting forever for a phone call from her. I was hoping to get some good news soon. April had managed to pass all of her other exams and this was the last one. This one was crucial. If she passes this one, it means that she could move to the city, start her internship and move in with me.

  So, that would explain the quick pacing and the extreme nervousness. I looked at my phone, sighed, and continued my nervous pacing. She was taking a long time to call. I started to worry. Maybe she didn’t pass? Maybe something was wrong? I tried to distract myself. I watched one of the football games and made note of the moves and passes. I turned off the television and decided to call. Just as I picked up the phone, she called.

  “Hey!”

  “Hi!”

  “So…. I’m just calling to tell you…” she began.

  “Calling to tell me what? That you passed? That you didn’t?” I prodded.

  “I’m calling to tell you that I failed….and I can no longer keep you in suspense…,” she said.

  So she failed…why didn’t she seem more upset?” I wondered.

  “I PASSED!” she screamed.

  “You passed?” I verified to be sure.

  “Yes, I passed!” she repeated excitedly.

  I told her sincerely, “Congratulations! I’m so proud of you!”

  “Yeah and this means that I can get that internship and…. we can finally live together and spend way more time together,” she exulted happily.

  “Yes! This means I get to wake up to you and take more showers with you and show you more of the city,” I said enthusiastically.

  “Yeah, I have some money saved but it’s still not enough. So I will need to work hard to make some more money so that I can move to the city…,” she began.

  I then heard the doorbell and was surprised. I wasn’t expecting any visitors.

  “April, I’m going to have to call you back. There’s someone at the door,” I said.

  I ended the conversation and then answered the door. Before I even fully opened it, I was surprised to see my father on my doorstep. I thought he had disowned me. I wondered what he was doing here. I opened the door and stared at him angrily.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me,” I said angrily.

  “I’m just here to talk. Can you let me in?” he asked.

  I was hesitant to let him in since he had kicked me out of the house.

  “Look, I didn’t come here to fight. I just want to talk,” he continued.

  I decided to let him in.

  “Fine,” I said petulantly.

  I showed him to the couch. We sat down in silence for a few minutes.

  He looked at me for a moment and began to speak, “Look, I came here to apologize. I know things haven’t always been the best since your mother died. I just decided to focus on work and taking care of things financially. I just was so hurt by the loss of her that I stopped being a father and focused primarily on being a businessman. So I am sorry that I haven’t been a good father to you. I know I can’t change the past, although I wish I could. I should have at least tried to be a better father to you. I can’t forgive myself for not being there for you then, but I am here, I want to make up for lost time.”

  I can’t believe that he was saying this. This wasn’t like him at all.

  “Okay, Dad. I appreciate the effort it took for you to come down here and say all of this, but you could have called,” I told him.

  “But would you have taken my call?” he asked.

  “No, probably not.”

  “Exactly. That’s why I came out here. Also, that April girl…there’s something different about her. I think she’s a good woman,” he offered tentatively.

  I sat there listening to my father and wondered what changed his mind.

  “I think she’s good for you and that you should hold onto her.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  He responded by saying, “She came by the house recently and we talked for a while. Wow! I didn’t know she was so pretty and quite bright. Anyways, she convinced me to come here and talk to you. She felt guilty that we weren’t talking and she wanted to do something about. I didn’t even know she was in law school or had gotten an internship with Roberts and Stanwell. That’s a tough place to even get a job. She seems like a well-rounded lady. I’m sorry I misjudged her. You are lucky to have her.”

  “I told you so,” I replied sharply.

  “Also, I heard some things about Jennifer that were quite distasteful. I’m actually glad you broke up with her. She really didn’t seem like the type of young lady who could be so mean and disrespectful to others. I also didn’t expect her to only be interested in money. So I am also sorry for telling you to go back with her.”

  “It’s okay. You didn’t know,” I placated.

  Then he said, “Yeah, but April seems like a respectable woman who is going to be a lawyer. Last time I checked, lawyers made a lot of money. Plus, for her to come to the house to speak to me, that was pretty brave of her. I think you should marry her as soon as you can.”

  I couldn’t believe what dad was saying. He was giving me his blessing to marry her! I didn’t need it and I had planned to make an honest woman out of her anyways, but Dad’s support meant the world to me.

  He then handed me some money.

  “Here, take this,” he said.

  I counted it. It was $4000!

  “What’s this for?”

  “That’s to help cover any expenses when you guys begin to live together.”

  “Wow, thanks Dad,” I offered as we then sat down and began to talk.

  “I didn’t know that you were selected to play with the Giants. I guess that was my fault, huh?” he supposed.

  “Yeah, I really wanted to tell you but, we weren’t exactly talking,” I replied.

  “Sorry about that. I just wanted to say that I’m proud of you son,” my dad said with a grin.

  I smiled back at him. We decided to see the city and we finally did some father-son bonding. Since my dad frequently visited the city, he told me where I should go and where I should avoid. We also stopped to get some pizza and we talked about football and stats. It was like I got the father I had always wanted when I was growing up.

  I opened up to him and told him that I had met James Jones and that now I might have a chance to meet Mark. I also told him that practice with the team was going well and I told him the benefits I got as a result of signing up with them. Dad was quite impressed that the team was taking very good care of his son. We continued talking as we headed back to my apartment. Once there, we each had a beer and talked for a while longer and then he looked at the time.

  “Well, I have to get back. There’s a lot that I have to do. Well, we need to do this again. There’s still a lot
I need to know about my son,” he said.

  He then rested his hand on my shoulder. I couldn’t believe that I got to spend almost the whole day with my dad. I hardly could even get a minute with him when I was growing up. Whatever April did, worked. He clearly came out of his shell and was definitely trying to fix the relationship.

  “Anyway, I have to go right now. I have got a flight to catch,” he went on.

  “Bye, Dad. Thanks for visiting.”

  We hugged and then he left. I closed the door and thought about what had just happened. I never expected my dad to ever say that he was proud of me. I sat alone in the apartment and wished I could tell one person everything. I tried to call April, but she wasn’t picking up. I wondered if she was okay.

  I tried again but no answer. I began to panic. I know she wasn’t at work, because work finished an hour ago and since school was over, I know she wasn’t studying. I began to panic. Where was she? What was she doing? I couldn’t think straight.

  Suddenly, I heard the doorbell and I looked outside.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked in relief.

  “I had to see you.”

  It was April. She had a few bags with her. I helped her with the bags and told her to come in.

  “How were you able to get here?” I wondered.

  “Your dad. He gave me some money. Look, I hope it wasn’t a problem talking to your dad behind your back. I felt guilty because I thought I had gotten in between you and your dad. I just wanted to make things right,” she worried.

  “Wow, you didn’t have to.”

  “But I wanted to.”

  I leaned in and kissed her.

  “You really didn’t have to, but I’m glad that you did,” I told her.

  “Yeah, so you and your dad finally bonded, huh?”

  “Yes, we did. Thank you,” I told her gratefully.

  I kissed her and held her.

  “I see you decided to move in early,” I teased.

  “Yeah. It was hard for dad let me go but eventually, I left.”

  “Yeah, I can imagine. I’m glad you are here though.”