The Balled And The Beautiful: A College Sports Romance Story

by Chance, Nicole

  It made absolutely no sense, but then when did love ever?

  And with that both her mind and body froze. Love? No. Absolutely not. This was a man who had killed someone today. Who had picked her up off the street and dragged her into something horribly dangerous because he didn't want to get involved with the cops. This was someone who could decide the next minute that she wasn't worth the work and shoot her with the gun she knew was still tucked into his pants.

  "Amanda?" he asked, cautiously, breaking her out of her mental tail spin. She looked at him, suddenly feeling the wild and overwhelming urge to run that she had been so surprised to find missing before. Something in her eyes must have worried him because he reached out, grabbing at her arm. She jerked away.

  "Why am I here?" she demanded. "Why were those men chasing us? Who are you?"

  His expression shuttered, the concern disappearing behind a mask of indifference.

  "This isn't the place to talk. Get inside. This is our room." He jammed the key into the lock with more force than was probably necessary and shoved the door open with a bang. She hesitated but proceeded him into the room. The door closed after him with a sharp click and she turned to face him again.

  "Well?" she asked, her nails biting into her hands as she clenched her fists. "Who are you?"

  He didn't answer, striding past her and yanking his shirt over his head as he did. Her heart thudded in her chest as the sound of his buckle was followed by the hiss of a belt sliding out. She swallowed, staring at his lean and muscular back, frozen by an overwhelming combination of dread and intrigue. The belt fell to the floor with a thud but he didn't glance back at her, striding through a doorway at the far end of the room.

  "I'm taking a shower." The bathroom door shut with a decisive bang.

  Chapter 6

  Amanda was warm and comfortable. She drifted out of sleep slowly with the sound of someone else's slow breathing almost lulling her back into slumber. She yawned, her eyes fluttering open.

  A heavy arm tightened around her waist and she froze, suddenly very, very awake. William's eyes were closed, his breathing soft and regular as he lay facing her. His dark hair was mussed, and dark lashes lay like ink against his cheeks. He looked impossibly young, almost ethereal. She stared at him, her hand aching to brush a stray hair away from his forehead, but afraid to break the angelic tableau.

  The night before had been an awkward game of wills. William had returned to the room, toweling his hair and refusing to look at her. He had told her without even a glance to go and take a shower, or a bath if she'd rather, and she had agreed without argument. The sudden flood of adrenalin that had prompted her questions had faded in his absence and the exhaustion had crept back in. She had taken a long, hot shower, scrubbing her hair three times while discovering a myriad of scrapes and bruises peppering her skin.

  Finally clean, she had filled the tub with water as hot as she could stand and soaked until it went cold. Finally dry and clean she had wrapped herself in one of the hotel's fluffy white towels and stared at her clothes, laying in a pile on the floor. The idea of putting them back on made her nauseous. The idea of returning to the main room in only a towel was terrifying.

  A soft knock on the door made her jump, clutching the towel closer.

  "Yes?" she had called, impressing herself with the fact that her voice had remained steady and clear.

  "I have some new clothes for you. I'll leave them by the door. They should fit." Her heart had clenched at that, a wave of warm gratitude filling her. Poking her head out of the door, she saw no sign of him but a pile of soft pajamas laying on the ground. She had pulled them on with relish; the soft, clean cotton like a bandage on her wounded soul. Returning to the bedroom she had hesitated but finally climbed onto the bed and tucked herself in among the pillows and heavy quilt.

  She had been on the verge of sleep when William had returned, padding quietly into the dimly lit room with a couple of bottles of water and a grocery bag. She had pretended to be asleep, watching him move around the room before hesitating much like she had. Nervousness chewed at her belly, twisting with anticipation she had berated herself mentally for. But instead of slipping into the space beside her, he had dug into the closet to find a spare blanket before curling himself up on the large chair by the window.

  Swallowing back unwanted disappointment she had let her eyes close, ready to get back to sleep. But the sound of him shifting, the chair creaking in protest, had drawn her up out of sleep again. The memory was blurry with exhaustion and annoyance, but she was vaguely certain she had told him to stop squirming and to just get into the bed already so they could both sleep. Apparently he had listened.

  Her cheeks burned as she watched him sleep, amazed by her brazenness. She could blame it on the exhaustion, though, if he made a point of it later. She was always grumpy when she was woken up.

  Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes fluttered, sliding open slowly. His eyes were blurred with sleep, and the tiny smile he offered her sent a shiver of something she couldn't identify though her. She had managed to keep her hands where they had been but he seemed to have no such compunction. He reached forward, tucking her hair behind her ear. His hand remained there, warm and solid on her neck.

  His eyes drooped again, and she was sure he was about to

  fall back asleep when his dark eyes flashed open, suddenly wide away. He snatched his hand from her, and she could see a muscle jump in his jaw as he ground his teeth.

  "Good morning?" she offered, quietly. He didn't respond for a long time, watching her with exaggerated caution. Finally he sighed, sinking back into the sheets.

  "Good morning," he replied. "Did you sleep well?"

  She nodded, offering him a small smile. He didn't respond in kind, simply watching her with an inscrutable look on his face. She fought to keep from squirming, meeting his gaze as firmly as she could. She twitched in surprise as a warm hand found hers beneath the covers, holding it gently but firmly.

  "I'm sorry about last night," he said. "I know you deserve answers, but if I give them to you, you will only be in more danger. Those men, the ones in the apartment, they might have seen you and if they did you aren't safe. I need to get you as far away from Greece as I can. Someplace safe where you can get a flight home. If I let you go now, they will just try and use you against me. I can't let that happen."

  She stared at him, swallowing hard. His gaze was soft, apologetic even, and she couldn't bring herself to doubt his words.

  "Is it the police?" she asked quietly, hoping she wasn't

  asking too much again. "I mean...is that why-"

  But he was already shaking his head.

  "No, that isn't it. But I can't talk about it. The more I tell you, the worse it is. You already know too much." She nodded before turning to bury her face in her pillow. This was ridiculous. This was just...madness.

  A soft touch, a hand running through her hair had her pulling away from the soft cotton to look at him again.

  "I'm sorry," he offered. "I really wish we had met under better circumstances."

  "Me too," she whispered. He leaned forward, his forehead pressing gently to hers, and she felt a warmth fill her. His arm wrapped back around her waist and together they lay there, letting the world around them fade away.

  Chapter 7

  Another gloriously hot shower and a change of clothes and Amanda almost felt ready to face the world again. They climbed back into the jeep, still yawning, and made their way back onto the highway. William had been quiet as they had gotten ready to go, but she had caught him glancing at her over breakfast. There had been something lurking in his gaze since they had woken that morning, and even when the warm haze of imagined safety had faded it had lingered.

  Now as she stared out the window, watching the rocky landscape swish past, out of the corner of her eye she could see him watching her carefully. She looked over at him and looked away immediately. She couldn't explain the expression of confusion she had glimp
sed, but she wasn't really sure if she could ask.

  The morning past quickly with only a quick stop for gas breaking up the endless miles. Amanda was slowly working up the nerve to ask if they would be stopping for lunch at some point when William's hands tightened around the steering wheel. The leather creaked under his hands. A clench of fear gripped her belly and the now familiar pounding in her ears throbbed in time with her racing heart. His eyes were locked on the rearview mirror and she twisted in her seat to look out the back window.

  It took a moment to figure out what he was staring at, but finally she noticed them. Two cars back a dark SUV twisted along the streets. The driver was a pale man wearing dark sun glasses even though the day had remained cloudy and grey. The passenger slumped in his seat, staring out his window, but something in the way he held himself told her that his mind was entirely focused on the present and not lost in a daydream.

  "The SUV?" she asked quietly, looking back at him for confirmation. He nodded stiffly.

  She swallowed hard, hunching down in her seat. She could feel the thrum of her heart, and wondered absently if terror could replace cardio as a work out. She was beginning to think it might.

  A warm hand on her own made her look up. William still stared straight ahead but his hand wrapped tightly around hers.

  "It's going to be alright," he stated firmly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

  His voice rang with sincerity and she found herself nodding, heart calming in the face of his determination. She turned her hand over, weaving her fingers between his and squeezing. He glanced back at the SUV that had managed to maneuver on the narrow highway until it was only one car behind.

  "Are you ready?" he asked, and she watched as he took a deep breath, letting it out in a rush.

  "Yes," she replied simply, reaching up to tug on her seatbelt. She shifted her legs from where they had been curled underneath her, settling deeper into the leather seats and bracing herself. He pulled his hand from hers with a final reluctant squeeze, grasping the steering wheel with both hands.

  "Hold on," he murmured. Her hands clenched on the armrests as they suddenly accelerated, shooting around the car ahead of them. She glanced back and saw the men in the SUV shouting and trying to speed up. They were caught behind q truck though, and William's jeep only continued to surge forward.

  A squeak burst from her lips as he slammed the breaks. The tires squealed as he forced the vehicle to fly around a tight corner onto a tiny gravel road. They skidded up the steep hill they had been driving parallel to for the last hour. The jeep bounced, its shocks overworked as they careened along the thin road, screaming past tiny homes and the occasional farm animal. Amanda glanced back again and swallowed as the SUV spun into view.

  She glanced at William, but he was already looking with a sober expression into the rearview mirror. His eyes flashed forward again, and when she looked forward she saw a tiny village in the distance. It was tucked into the side of a hill, the streets impossibly steep and twisting. A grim smile twisted on William's lips and he sped up again.

  The SUV was still gaining, but in less than a minute they were careening into the tiny village, sending the few pedestrians scattering as they screamed Greek curses in their wake. Amanda leaned back as they swung around another corner. The jeep lurched forward as they shot down a steep hill. Amanda's eyes widened to the point of pain as she gasped. They were going to crash. They were going too fast and they were going to crash.

  But when they hit the next intersection, William yanked at the emergency break and the car skidded, barely turning in time to keep from sliding into a wooden shack of a store. Before she could catch her breath he had already turned again, accelerating back up the same hill they had come down. Amanda winced as she heard a horrific crash behind them, the crunch of wood and metal audible even over the roar of the overworked engine. Amanda sent a prayer up to anyone who might be listening that there hadn't been anyone in the small building. Another sharp turn and they were rocketing down another impossibly tiny street, but this one led down into another small valley and away from the village.

  She glanced back, but there was no dark SUV behind them yet. The road worsened until each bump sent both of them bouncing out of their seats. William was leaning forward, glancing around as the ground became rocky and impossibly rugged. A sudden, victorious smile lit his face and he yanked the wheel around, sending them off the road and down what looked like an overgrown trail used by farm equipment, or maybe the occasional truck. A tiny, clearly abandoned farmstead appeared to grow organically out of the rocky hills. The barn had been built right against an outcropping, utilizing the natural wall. William slowed, navigating carefully around rusting equipment and into the tiny space walled in on three sides by the rock cliff, the barn and what had probably been a house at one point.

  Amanda's ears rang in the sudden silence as he turned the engine off with a sharp twist of his wrist. They sat, silent and straining to listen for any sound of vehicles. Just as Amanda was beginning to hope they had lost their tail, the roar of another vehicle bubbled up. It was moving slower than they had, but it was definitely heading their way. William swore, his hand resting tentatively on the keys to the jeep. They listened as the vehicle approached, slowing further as it got closer. It stopped, idling a short distance away and they held their breath. Amanda reached out, gripping William's arm in her panic.

  "It's okay," he whispered, but his voice was strained. The other engine roared suddenly and the sound of rocks spraying had William twisting the keys again. They shot from their hiding place; even Amanda knew that it would only trap them when the SUV came around the corner, and they would be impossible to miss from that close. The only way out was the path that the SUV was now rocketing down towards them, and William hesitated.

  "It's going to be okay," he repeated, but she didn't think he was talking to her anymore.

  "William?" she whispered, fear freezing her as she stared at the oncoming car. He didn't answer, but instead slammed his foot on the accelerator. They tore towards the SUV and Amanda leaned back, holding in a shriek of terror. Just as she was sure they were going to collide with the oncoming car, William jerked the steering wheel to the left. They flew off the road and into the underbrush. The world became a blur of rocks, trees and the crunch of metal. She glanced back and saw to her relief that the SUV had veered away at the last moment, and was currently smoking against the rock cliff. Her relief was short lived, though, and as she looked forward again the scream she had held back before ripped from her throat. William slammed on the break but it was far too late and the car tumbled over the edge of another hill.

  The last thing Amanda remembered was the scream of metal on stone, and the flash of mind numbing agony.

  Chapter 8

  She woke in another perfectly white bed, staring up at the lazily turning fan. Pain sang along her right side, making her vision blur as she fought to keep from crying out. Her hands flexed, clenching as she fought against unconsciousness. One of them twisted tightly into the bedding, but the other strained against another warm hand, one that tightened around hers as she fought her way back from the precipice. She swallowed back a

  wave of nausea, letting her head fall to the side.

  William stared at her, his dark eyes haunted and bloodshot. A dark bruise covered one high cheekbone, and long scratch disappeared down his neck and below his shirt.

  "Are you okay?" she whispered, her throat dry and rasping. He blinked in surprise, a harsh laugh falling from his cracked and swollen lips.

  "Am I...Am I okay?" he asked, a hysterical edge in his voice. She frowned, wincing as it pulled at something sore on her scalp.

  "Yes," she agreed. "Are you okay?"

  He stared at her in disbelief for a long moment before he laughed that harsh crow's laugh again, his head falling forward to the bedsheets. His shoulders continued to shake, but she couldn't tell if it was laughter or tears.

  "William?"

  He shook hi
s head, his hand clenching around hers. She squeezed it in return and lay back, watching him as he continued to shake beside her, too exhausted to do anything else. Finally he looked up, his eyes wet and a little crazed.

  "How can you ask me that?" he whispered, roughly. "How can you care in the least how I am, when all I've done is kidnap you and risk your life? You almost died-"

  His rant choked off, and he stared at her. It was all she could do to meet that guilt ridden and panicked gaze, drowning in pools of mahogany. Another hysterical laugh ripped from his chest and he lurched forward, faster than her pain fogged mind could follow.

  But when his lips pressed desperately to hers, the pain fell away and the only thing she could feel was the warmth of his kiss. Her free hand flew up against his chest, tangling in his shirt. He pulled her impossibly closer, tilting his head to kiss her more firmly. She responded in kind, and when his tongue brushed her lips they opened welcomingly. The sweet press of his tongue to hers made had him pulling back with a quiet gasp, only to lean forward and press another light kiss to her willing lips. Then another. And another.

  "I'm sorry," he choked out. "I'm so, so sorry."

  "Shh," she murmured, shifting her hand from his chest to run through his hair gently. "It's okay."

  He pressed one last kiss to her lips before resting his head in the crook of her neck, breathing raggedly. They lay there for a long time. Slowly the world returned, including the aching pain in her side made her teeth clench. She ignored it, pressing another kiss to his hair.

  "It's all my fault," he murmured against her neck, making

  Her shiver. She took a breath, running her hand along his back.

  "What is?" she asked. She felt him swallow hard.

  "All of it," he replied. "Everything." "Trust me," she whispered. "Tell me."