Gray's Girl (19 page)
Tension mounted in the packed stadium as the announcer kept up his running commentary on the game. Thousands of fans held their breath as the action unfolded on the pitch below them, worshippers held in thrall before an altar of emerald green turf and the gods battling it out below. Behind goalposts that reached for the heavens, the clock ticked down, each second stretching out to infinity.
“Chaney and Garrison are in support. Does Lamont have… Yeah, there we go,” the commentator announced excitedly as the big screen zoomed in on the pile of bodies on the ground. A hand extended from beneath, extending the ball to the rear as the opposition surged against the heap of players, trying to get over the top of the men on the ground and to the ball but being rebuffed by the two heavyset men protecting it like old-world sentinels.
Frankie held her breath as another man thundered up to the back, hands on the soldiers of the sentinels, to hook the ball gently backward with his foot. She winced as he was shown on the big screen.
His face and body was smeared with dirt, a cut on his cheekbone bleeding, and his other eye was darkening with the beginnings of a vicious bruise…all shown in high-definition. If either hurt, he didn’t show it, concentration and grim determination etched on his face as he shot a glance backward to check where his teammates were. Opening his mouth, he yelled orders that were lost, the view on the screen visual only, and the Wolves in their black and gray sweaters spread out across the pitch as they were supposed to.
“Cross is up there at the breakdown. He’s delaying…he needs to use it or lose it—”
The words cut off as Damon leaned down and snatched the ball up from the floor. Dropping his shoulder he ran straight at the opposition line, low to the ground and fast.
“Cross is going for it. DeMarcos coming up—No, we have Gray…Leighton Gray is coming up fast on the outside. It’s Cross to DeMarcos…to Gray…”
Frankie surged to her feet, the rest of the stadium going wild as the Wolves’ favorite son returned to action in blazing form. Tears and hope filled her eyes as the camera picked up her husband sprinting up from the outside of the pitch. Blond hair loose and flowing around his shoulders, he slid past an opposition player to drop into place as Damon turned and passed the ball. It hit him in the center of his broad chest, caught and tucked under his arm tight as he focused on the line.
Make the line, make the line,
she chanted in her head as he ran, heavily muscled legs pumping, driving him toward the try line. The opposition marshaled their defenses, several solid-looking players running to intercept, but the camera stayed on Gray, picking up the silver web of scars over his left leg that told the tale of his near-death injuries and determined recovery.
“Gray has the ball. God, look at him go—There’s the gap.
Gray is through
!”
Her back ached, stomach muscles tightening into a hard band, but Frankie ignored it as she held her breath with the rest of the fans in the stadium. As though he ran with wings on his heels, Leighton brushed off the last of the tacklers and threw himself into the air. A graceful arc, his huge body stretched to the maximum as he reached with the ball…
And slammed it down.
“
Try
!” the commentator bellowed as the crowd went wild. Cheers and bellows erupted from the stands as the clock went into overtime. It didn’t matter; with one last run her husband had secured the Wolves’ victory. The kick would be converted, a mere formality not captured on screen as the commentator rabbited on.
“Gray has the try, sealing the deal on his first match back at national level. I swear, this guy is amazing. Since he came back from injury, there’s literally been no stopping him…”
Smiling as the players milled about on the pitch, swarming over Leighton and raising him high on their shoulders, Frankie picked up her bag and slowly made her way down from the families’ area toward the changing rooms.
Slow was the word. Just days before her due date, she didn’t walk, she waddled, and even the stewards watched her with a wary eye as she paused for a moment to catch her breath.
“Shh, Mummy’s here,” she murmured, rubbing her hard belly as she finally reached the bottom of the steps and headed toward the players’ area. The clatter of boots in the corridor behind warned her that the Wolves were coming off the pitch, but she carried on at her dogged pace.
“Hey Frankie!”
“Looking good, pretty lady.”
Several commented as they passed, their expressions tired but triumphant as they headed for hot showers and, in several cases, medical treatment. She waved as they went, stopping again to catch her breath.
“Hey sexy, what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?”
The familiar voice sounded behind her, stroking along her spine like a silken caress. Turning in place, she watched as Leighton walked toward her, his gait smooth with only a slight limp on his left side. He’d done fantastically, proving all the doctors wrong and regaining almost all the strength back in his damaged leg. Determination and stubbornness served him well as he fought to regain his dream and return to the pitch. He had, and as he’d just proven, he was faster and stronger than before.
“Hey, handsome.” Her fingers tightened on the corner of the wall as she smiled at him. “Just come down to see if I can pick up a handsome player. You’ll do. How quick can you shower?”
His eyes darkened as he reached her, looking down at her with a mixture of love and desire that hadn’t wavered in the year they’d been married. If anything, it had grown stronger. His gaze dropped to her swollen belly and the look softened for a second, becoming protective, before it hardened again, that feral, sexy edge in it that she loved.
“If you’re waiting for me in a cubicle, two shakes of a lamb’s tail…” he murmured, moving in closer, his expression suggestive.
Pain lanced through her, and she gasped. Then grinned.
“Make it one shake, and get your kit on, not off. You’re about to be a daddy.”
~ About the Author ~
Mina Carter was born and raised in Middle Earth (otherwise known as the Midlands, England). After a slew of careers ranging from logistics to land-surveying she can now be found in the wilds of Leicestershire with her husband and young daughter…the true boss of the family.
Suffering the curse of eternal curiosity Mina never tires of learning new skills which has led to Aromatherapy, Corsetry, Chain-maille making, Welding, Canoeing, Shooting, and pole-dancing to name but a few.
A full time author and cover artist, Mina can usually be found hunched over a keyboard or graphics tablet, frantically trying to get the images and words in her head out and onto the screen before they drive her mad. She's addicted to coffee and Nutella on toast.
Find out more about Mina Carter here:
http://www.facebook.com/mina.carter
~ Coming Soon ~
Imperial Princes
Commando’s Cowboy Book 3
Soldier’s Angel Book 4
~ Also by Mina Carter ~
Prince's Courtesan
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Now after five years, Seth has found her, and she can no longer outrun her destiny: she'll be the prince's courtesan, but he'll never own her heart…
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Illicit love, burning hot sex...
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Keliana knows it's forbidden, but she can't get the handsome colonel of out of her mind, nor can she ignore her dreams of one day loving him openly as a free woman. When she's called before her prince and given to Nikolai as a gift, she thinks her dreams have finally come true. Until Nikolai is raised to prince and cannot marry his harem mistress.
And deep within the shadows, enemy machinations work to keep them apart forever...
Faery Wedding
It's Asharra De Silve's wedding day, and this real life faery princess isn't looking forward to meeting her prince charming at the altar. Sold to the highest bidder as a virgin faery princess, she’s not sure how to tell the unsuspecting prince that he’s been had by false advertising. She was certainly a faery, and a princess, but the bit about being a virgin...?
What she doesn't expect is for her one night stand to turn up before the ceremony....or the wild sex...or the fact her bridegroom turns out to be the exact opposite of what she expected...
Wildcard
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Sometimes the Wildcard beats the deck…
Michael Thrivener is a Sniper in the Army. Just back from a deployment, he and his squad mates decide it’s time to formally reinsert themselves back into society--more specifically the female populace on Ladies Night. Unfortunately the country dive they pick doesn’t suit Michael’s mood, and he finds it hard to get in the groove with the sharp twang of country music in his ears. So he does what any red blooded male would do--he finds the bar and starts to load up.
Enter Jasmine, fresh out of a nasty divorce and pried from her apartment by her friends for a “fun night out.” Jasmine, like Michael, is not feeling the night at all. When she comes out of the ladies room to find her friends all paired off with a bunch of soldiers, she finds herself the target of Michael's practiced charm. But it'll take more than charm for Michael to win his way into Jasmine's bed. And in the process, he might just end up winning more than he intended...
~ More Erotic Romance from Etopia Press ~
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But when Alexandra bumps into Mr. Buff at a club, things go from visual to physical. And much to her delight, she learns that Mr. Buff is really Mr. Dominant. She loves spending time with him and getting to know him the way nature intended, but she’s looking for more than a fling. How’s she supposed to make Mr. Buff realize he’s Mr. Right?
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Nicholas always knew his husband Paxton was bi-sexual, but finding his forgotten stash of cheerleader DVDs makes him wonder if Paxton's been tamping down his old desires. As strong as their love is, he knows there are things he just can't give Paxton...or can he? He decides to get Paxton a very special birthday present—a night with a woman—a no-strings arrangement to grant him the fantasies Nicholas isn't equipped to fulfill. But when he meets Paxton's best friend Jodi, Nicholas finds himself facing new feelings of his own. If only he could stop imagining Jodi's body wedged between Paxton and him and figure out what to do...