Rushed (The Rushed Series)

by Gina Robinson

  Winning the first two games put us into the finals against the Zeta Nu team and their old archenemy Dan Bates. The guys had their vendetta. I had mine against those animals for kidnapping me. Our drive was strong, but they wouldn't be easy to beat.

  We girls dressed for the game in full makeup and pushup cups, ready to flirt with the refs, a couple of frat guys from neutral houses, those who didn't have a team in the tourney. The other team's girls may have had us beat in athletic ability, but we were man killers.

  The Zetu Nus had coached their girls well in the art of dirty play. Throwing elbows, late blocks, "accidental" tackles, all when the refs weren't looking. Add in that their girls were athletes and fearless. And their line was stocky and solid. Unlike our girls, they weren't afraid to block. We were in deep trouble.

  In the first half, they plowed over our defense. Superior coaching on offense kept us on the boards and in the game. We went to the locker room at the half tied at fourteen apiece.

  Dakota gave us a rousing speech. "Keep it up, girls. Keep. It. Up. Hold our heads and we can win this one. I do not want to parade around the Mr. University stage in my swim trunks. And I sure as hell don't want to win Mr. Congeniality.

  "It's all riding on this half of the game. I see a W, a big W in our future! The other team isn't used to playing against girls who know what they're doing. We'll wear them down, outsmart and outrun them. If we win this, we win the homecoming trophy!"

  If we won the game, we had enough points to win the overall competition even if Dakota didn't show up to the Mr. University finals. If Zeta Nu won, things got dicey. Dakota would have to place in the top three of the Mr. University contest for us to take home the trophy.

  He and Zach went off to confer about strategy for the second half, whispering to each other and laughing like the old friends they were. We came into the second half fired up. But it didn't seem to matter. Dan and his girls had figured out our limited playbook and shut down my offense. Fortunately, Dakota and Zach were able to out coach him on defense to keep the game even.

  The game was still tied with less than twenty seconds left to play. We had possession on their fifteen-yard line. It was third down and twelve. We'd lost yards in each of the first two downs. We couldn't break through their defense. Dakota called a timeout. He and Zach had a brief discussion about which play to run.

  "You're the head coach, Dak," Zach said. "I bow to your decision. But if you want my two cents, I say we have to surprise them. Dan is guessing our offense every play and running a perfect defensive game. We have to do something that wasn't in our high school playbook."

  "All or nothing?" Dakota held Zach's gaze and grinned. "Know what I'm saying?"

  Zach grinned back. "It worked on TV."

  Oh, crap, I thought as Dakota grinned full out and called me over.

  "Friday Night Lights Special, QB." Dak slapped me on the back. "You can do it, girl."

  I was shaking when I returned to the huddle, called the play, and led the cheer. On the line, waiting for the snap, I was so nervous I felt like I was about to throw up. Sarah would be the receiver for this play. She was fast, but inexperienced, and had a habit of messing up plays under pressure. Dan wouldn't be expecting me to throw to her. The element of surprise was the only thing we had going for us.

  Our center snapped the ball. I caught it and looked for Sarah. She ran straight out and cut toward post. I passed the ball off to where she should be just before the other team grabbed my flag. As I let loose, I strained to see whether Sarah ran the play right and cut the right direction. It was like a slow-motion scene in a sports movie when Sarah caught the ball completely in the open and sprinted across the goal line.

  The next thing I knew, I was being hugged by all the girls. We screamed and bounced and chanted.

  Zach worked his way through the mass of girls surrounding me and hugged me, picking me up off the ground and swinging me around. "Great job, QB1!"

  With all the heat I felt in the moment, it took every ounce of restraint I had not to kiss him, fiercely. I craved the freedom to share my joy openly with him. I craved him.

  Sarah beamed ear to ear. She was going to be impossible to live with after this. At that moment, I felt glad, like really glad to be a Double Deltsie. Happy and proud. I had real friends and a place to belong.

  Dakota was suddenly beside us. "Hey, offensive coach, give the head coach a chance to congratulate his girl."

  Zach and I exchanged an intimate glance full of our reluctance to let go of each other. He wanted to kiss me as badly as I wanted to kiss him.

  "Catch!" Without warning, he tossed me to Dakota.

  I screamed, playfully, flirtatiously, as Dakota caught me. He kissed me, full out, full tongue, before I could protest. I cupped his cheeks in my hands, pretending to be in love with him. Did he have to kiss me so authentically, with real tongue?

  The girls cheered. And I thought again, This is all wrong.

  Zach pulled Sarah into a hug, laughing as he congratulated her. Appearances mattered. I wondered if anyone but me noticed the difference in the way he held us. Hoping they did and hoping they didn't at the same time. Jealousy is an irrational bitch. The ugly green monster climbed on my back. I wanted the world to know Zach was my guy. Mine.

  Dakota set me down. "Party at the Tau Psis!" he yelled as the Tau Psis streamed onto the field.

  We screamed and cheered our way down Greek Row to the frat. We were the champions! And proud of it. The game was over. We owned the homecoming trophy.

  The guys scooped Sarah and me up, carrying us on their shoulders like we were victorious warriors. When we arrived, the house shook with music. And the kegs were being tapped.

  Dak poured Sarah, Zach, and me beers and made a toast. "Raise your glasses, everyone. To the best damn flag football team on campus! Love my powder puff girls!" He hugged me and kissed the top of my head.

  I took a sip of beer. Dakota, and most of the guys around me, chugged theirs and began refilling red plastic cups.

  Dakota continued making a short speech. "Everyone should be proud of their effort. A special shout-out to Sarah and my gorgeous girl Alexis, the heroes of the game." He bruised my lips with a kiss, like he owned me. Going too far again in this quest for authenticity. Trying too hard.

  Sometimes I got the feeling Dakota was taking this charade too far to get back at Zach.

  "And everyone who executed the Friday Night Lights Special to perfection," Dakota continued. "Coach Taylor would be proud. If he were real. So I'm going to have to be damn proud in his place." He lifted his glass and chugged down his second beer. At this rate, he was going to be hammered before the speeches were over.

  Zach was still on his first beer.

  "To our coaches—Dakota and Zach!" I yelled, lifting my glass.

  More cheers. More drinking.

  "To Dak—one hell of a leader and coach." Zach looked Dakota in the eye. A moment of understanding passed between them.

  I swallowed a lump in my throat and chased it with a gulp of beer. When the toasts and the speeches ended, the party went into full swing. I hung out with Dakota, his arm slung over my shoulder as Zach, Seth, Paul and Dillon hung out in their own little clique off to the side, out of the main action. Because of Zach's role in the win and Dak's patronage, the Tau Psis may have tolerated them for the night. But they weren't brothers. They were still inferior.

  The frat guys grabbed a football and Dakota and pulled him away from me onto the lawn to show off their football moves. By that time, Dakota and the guys were stinking drunk. They stumbled as they ran, tripped, and laughed like everything was hilarious.

  I stood on the front porch, watching them swagger like drunken peacocks. Hot stuff.

  Zach came up alongside me. Without looking, I knew it was him by the way my body tingled with desire. I was hot for him, and only him. I wanted to celebrate with Zach. Not Dakota. Not the Tau Psis.

  "I was just heading out," he said. "Before I go, I wanted to congratulate
you again. Great game tonight, pledge."

  I turned to look at him. His eyes sparkled with heat.

  "I'm going with you," I said.

  "What?" He looked like he was trying not to grin.

  I leaned up and whispered in his ear. "No one will miss me if I disappear for a while. I'm desperate to be with you…and celebrate."

  I smiled like a flirt, a smile that reached my eyes and couldn't contain my desire. I wanted intimacy in every way. I wanted his thoughts on the intimate details of the game and the beauties of our strategy. I wanted to feel him next to me and in me. I wanted every part of him. "Meet me in the alley."

  "Up against the rough brick of a wall again?" His whisper was hoarse and excited.

  It revved me up even more. "Just meet me."

  I watched as Zach said goodbye to a drunken, cocky, loud-mouthed Dakota. "Take care, number two," he said at the top of his lungs to Zach, like he was showing his supremacy. Like he couldn't help himself.

  Remembering what I'd heard about the party where they'd fought, I held my breath as I waited for Zach's response.

  "Good job, head coach." Zach slapped him on the back. "You earned the win."

  I let my breath out. Everything was going to be okay.

  A decent interval after Zach left, I slipped out unnoticed. Dakota was so wasted, and full of himself, that I highly doubted he would miss me all night. On my way out, I saw Sarah necking with one of the Tau Psis. And Katie sneak back to a room with another.

  I slipped into the alley. Zach waited for me in the shadows. I threw myself into his arms and kissed him, breathless with desire for him as I took his hand. "Come on. I have a plan. The house will be empty. Everyone's here celebrating. If we run, I can be back before anyone notices I'm gone."

  Zach ran his hand down my arm. "Your room or mine?"

  "Neither. Too risky." I ran my hand through his hair. "Sarah and Katie's. They're both occupied, if you know what I mean." I skimmed my fingers over his cheek. "No one will charge into her room looking for her or me. She always leaves it unlocked. She won't mind if I use it."

  Zach took my hand and started running, dragging me along. "What are you waiting for, pledge?"

  We ran the entire way and slipped into the house through the houseboys' basement entrance. I was right. The house was deserted. Breathing hard and laughing, we sneaked to the second floor. Sarah and Katie's room was unlocked, just as I knew it would be.

  We slid inside and closed the door, jumping and laughing at the sound of it clicking closed.

  He pulled me into his arms. "Fantastic game, pledge. I was proud of you out there." He kissed my neck.

  I was high with adrenaline from the win and the thrill of getting caught. Breathless from the run. Dirty from the exertion of the game. And totally desperate, wet, and ready for him.

  "Thanks, coach. Now stop talking and show me how much." I grabbed his sweatshirt and T-shirt in one handful and pulled them up, going on my toes to lift them over his head.

  He helped me out, pulling them off and tossing them aside as I ran my fingers over the hard planes of his chest. I licked his erect nipples, circling them with my tongue before latching on to suck them.

  He gasped and held me against him. "You make me so hot and horny, pledge." He slid my boy shorts off while I unzipped his jeans and stepped out of my shorts and panties.

  I had a sweatshirt on over my sports bra and boy shorts uniform. He pulled it off over my head and reached for my sports bra.

  "Forget the bra. Just do me." I breathed the words into his ear, scooped my sweatshirt up, and tossed it on Sarah's bed.

  He walked me back toward the bed, kissing my neck, whispering in my ear. "Your hair smells like grass and damp dirt. Your neck tastes salty. The smell of football is sexy as hell on you." He licked my neck. "I've never done a champion quarterback before."

  I shivered. "Just score, will you."

  "Anything you say. I'm going to make you sweat even more." He pushed me onto the bed.

  I fell back onto my sweatshirt, on my back, wrapped my legs around him, and pulled him inside me.

  "I love you," I whispered, still breathless, and rocked against him.

  "I love you, too, QB." He held my gaze, poised at my opening.

  "Don't tease me. Make a winning drive, QB1," I whispered back, egging him on. "And make it hard."

  He drove in. I gasped and rocked back into him, locking my legs around him, pulling him in.

  The twin bed rocked against the wall with each drive. Faster and faster. Harder and harder. The house was empty. Everyone would think either Sarah or Katie were entertaining. What did we care if anyone heard?

  I was close, so close. "First and ten, do it again." I dug my fingers into his bare back.

  He thrust so deeply, I gasped with the pleasure of it. "Score, score, score!"

  The flimsy twin bed squeaked and groaned. One more thrust…

  I inhaled, waiting for the waves to break through the incredible tightness building in me, longing for release. "Zach, Zach, Zach!"

  This was true bliss.

  The door burst open. "What the fuck is going on in here?"

  Chapter Twenty

  Alexis

  I screamed. "Get out!"

  Dakota and Morgan stood in the doorway, with their arms supporting a stinking drunk Sarah.

  Zach pulled out and reached for his jeans, shielding me as much as he could from their view. I wrapped my sweatshirt around my waist and reached for my boy shorts.

  "I knew it!" Morgan screamed, slurring her words as her face contorted with jealous rage. "Douchebag! I'll make sure you're kicked out of the house now. You can't make a fool out of me."

  Dakota's eyes were glassy. He was totally bombed and slow to understand. He looked stunned, like he was caught in the headlights and at a loss what to do and how to react. How angry should a betrayed decoy boyfriend get?

  I hadn't even known Kelly was in the house until she came running and brushed past Dakota and Morgan. "What's going on here?"

  Morgan swayed on her feet, obviously drunk, too. Just not as drunk as Sarah. Her eyes were bloodshot, highlighting the fury burning in them.

  "I feel sick," Sarah said, and threw up all over the front of herself and on the floor.

  Morgan ignored the stench and the mess. She stepped forward around it and stabbed her finger into Zach's chest. "How dare you! You refuse me for two years and ruin everything by screwing a pledge?" She tried to dodge around him and lunge for me.

  Zach caught her by the arms. "I'm sorry, Morgs. This isn't about you."

  "You have to go. I won't stand for the humiliation." She shook free of Zach's grasp. "You both have to go. Houseboys can't fuck the girls in the house. It's against the rules. Isn't that the excuse you've always given me?"

  I was embarrassed for her.

  Kelly looked uncomfortable, too. "Morgan, calm down. Let me handle this."

  Dakota looked down like he just realized Sarah had vomited on his shoes. He turned green.

  I thought for a minute he was going to upchuck, too. He stared at Zach. "You fucked up again, buddy."

  I made a split-second decision. This was my fault. I wasn't going to give Dakota and me away as decoy phonies. I had to play along. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Dakota. This is all my fault."

  He handed Sarah off to Kelly and turned.

  "Don't leave," I said.

  He walked away.

  "Kick them out!" Morgan screamed in her drunken slur. "Both of them."

  The stench in the room was overwhelming. Kelly looked pained and uncertain. "Zach, I think it's best if you go now. You'll have to clear out. About your job—"

  "I'll be out by morning."

  "No!" I screamed. "It's not his fault. It's mine. I went after him. I suggested this. It's all my fault. Kick me out, but don't fire Zach."

  Zach ran his fingers through my hair. "It's okay, pledge. It will be okay."

  I grabbed his arm, but he shook it off and brushed past Mor
gan and Kelly and out of the room.

  I took off after him. Morgan blocked my way. She was red in the face as she grabbed my arm. "Bitch! I will see you punished. You'll never be Greek again." Her breath stank of stale beer.

  That and the smell of the vomit made me gag. "Shut up! Just shut up!"

  "Back off, Morgan." Kelly guided Sarah gingerly around the mess on the floor toward the bed. "We'll decide what to do about Alexis later. She's entitled to a fair hearing."

  "Don't kick Zach out." Sarah's plea startled me. "Please. He's one of us." She fell back on the bed.

  I shook free of Morgan's grip and ran after Zach. I was too late. He wasn't in the hall. When I ran downstairs, the front door was open. I checked his room. He was gone.

  I texted him. Don't leave me. We'll work it out. I need you. I love you.

  He texted back. I love you, too. I just need to be alone right now and think.

  My mouth went dry as I remembered what he'd told me about the day in the woods. I'd just taken his new family and support system from him. What had I done?

  Zach

  I walked around campus, trying to get a grip and figure out what to do about this fucked-up situation. All of a sudden, Dak was the injured party here. I was the bad guy. Just when it looked like we were working things out. Shit.

  As the cold air cleared my head, I knew I had to talk to Dak. I didn't know what the hell I was going to say to him. I had to say something. In person. Had to know whether we should come clean about the shitty decoy thing or let him be the injured party. Dak was all about his image. We'd just crapped all over it.

  I headed for the Tau Psi house. The party was still going strong when I arrived. I stood in the back alley behind the house, steeling my courage. I would be lucky if the Tau Psis didn't beat the shit out of me before I even found Dak.

  A girl staggered out the back door of the house, into the alley and the row of parked cars. The lighting was dim. As she passed beneath the streetlight, I recognized Morgan. What was she doing here? Why had she gone back to the party?