Off the Field: Bad Boy Sports Romance (7 page)

Just as we were about to kiss, Missy and Terry rounded the corner and spotted us. I pulled my hands back impulsively, hoping I didn’t hurt Gunner’s feelings. He meant so much to me. As they approached, I glanced over at my stepbrother and saw he was uncomfortable. Even before going off to war, he hadn’t been very social. After coming back, he could easily be labeled anti-social.

“We’re going to get a few drinks at a party. You two want to come?” Missy asked.

“I don’t know…” I said.

“Please. You have to come,” she begged. “Terry’s great, but I need my girl at my side.”

She winked at me and gave me the face that meant she was totally hot for the guy she’d just met. I sighed as I turned to Gunner.

“I’m going to get a book or two, I think. You guys have fun.”

Before I could try to talk him into coming, he walked off toward the library entrance. I wanted to run after him, to talk to him more after we’d almost just kissed, but Missy needed my help. She was a sloppy drunk, and I had to make sure she wasn’t taken advantage of if she went to the party full of strangers. Gunner rounded the corner and disappeared from site.

“Okay, let’s go,” I said to the other two, trying to mask my disappointment.

Gunner

As soon as I was out of sight, I doubled back around the library and headed toward Easy Breeze to get my bike. Was she really about to kiss me? I hated social situations and just wanted to get back to the lake and go out on the boat for a joint or two. Family week was bad enough without Missy showing up and taking up all of Cass’ time.

When I got to the dock, I climbed into the rowboat. I untied it from the dock. The sun beat down as I pushed off with my foot. Once out in the water, I started rowing to the center of the lake. This early in the day, I would have it to myself. A few kids would probably be swimming near the shore, but I’d be safe to lay in the bottom of the boat and smoke a couple joints.

I stopped rowing. The boat coasted through the water a little further. Part of me wanted to scan the shore for any threats, but I reminded myself I wasn’t at war anymore. After so much training to be able to kill the enemy, it was hard for me to just turn that part of me off. Hemingway and other writers made a lot more sense to me when I got back and started reading.

A cloud of smoke rose into the air. I closed my eyes and continued smoking. Time lost all meaning as I floated on the water’s surface. My thoughts centered on Iraq at first, but toward the end of the first joint, Cass was once again on my mind. I replayed her taking my hands into hers and looking deep into my eyes. She understood me. Was she going to kiss me?

The questions clouded my mind, lining up and demanding to be answered before I could think of anything else. Did I have feelings for my stepsister? Yes. Would I act on them? Probably not. Would she act on them again? Probably not. Did I want her to make a move on me? Hell yes. I put my hands behind my head and relaxed, comfortable in knowing no mortars would be lobbed at me. I fell asleep.

“Help!”

My eyes opened, and I sat up in one fluid motion, my head moving to determine the source of the screams. It took me a moment or two to realize I wasn’t back in Iraq. When I did, I saw a kid splashing in the water about two hundred feet away from the boat. The water was deep. I reacted quickly. After slipping off my shoes, I dove into the water and swam toward the boy.

“Help!”

His frantic movements were making it worse. As I reached him, his head bobbed under the water. He surfaced and spit out what he’d swallowed. Panic really set it at that point.

“It’s okay, man. I can help you,” I said in as soothing a voice as possible considering the situation. “I’m a Marine,” I added.

This appeared to calm him slightly.

“Just relax and float on your back. You’re going to be okay.”

He stopped flailing wildly and floated on his back a few feet away from me. I looked to the shore and saw his parents frantically waving. Their voices were barely able to be heard. Had the kid tried to swim out to my boat? Was it my fault?

“Let’s get to my boat, and I’ll take you back.”

“I can’t swim!” he shouted.

“It’s okay. You can float on your back and kick your feet a little. I’ll get the boat and bring it over so you can get in.”

“Okay, thanks.”

A few minutes later, he was safely in the boat, covered in water and shivering. I rowed to the far shore. His parents were ecstatic when the rowboat bumped against their dock. The boy climbed out and ran to them. After they hugged him, they began scolding him about swimming so far into the lake. Is the kid going to rat me out? I wondered as I watched the family interact.

His little sister seemed pleased at the fact he was being yelled at for swimming into the lake. The little guy didn’t say anything about swimming to the boat, but he pointed to me and said, “The army guy saved me.”

I wanted to correct him and say I was a Marine, but I kept my mouth shut. The father, wearing khakis and a white cotton button-but shirt, walked over to me. Can he smell the weed? He stared at me for a long moment in silence with absolutely no expression on his face. Finally, a smile spread across his face, and he reached his hand out to help me out.

“I really can’t stay. I have to get back,” I said.

“Nonsense. Get up here for a moment. Can I get you a drink? Where did you serve?”

He moved his hand closer toward me. I sighed inside and took it, letting him help me out of the boat and onto the dock.

“It wasn’t anything. I heard him yelling, and I swam over to help him.”

“You’re a hero,” the boy’s mother insisted as she walked over and stuck her hand out.

I shook her hand while shaking my head from side to side. “No, I’m not a hero. I’m glad he’s okay. You should get him some swimming lessons maybe.”

“I could pay you to teach him,” the father said.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t have a lot of time. I’m not here long.”

“Okay.” He continued starting at me. “Well, thanks again.”

“No problem.”

“You’re from where again?” he asked, suddenly a little more suspicious.

“Across the lake. Nice meeting you two.” I pointed to the boy. “You stay safe now. Remember not to panic when you’re in a stressful situation.”

“Yes, sir!” he said then saluted me.

I stepped into the boat and pushed off with my foot. As soon as I was away from their dock, I started to move the oars with as much force as possible. Sometimes physical activity helped me forget all the mental problems I had with flashbacks, anxiety and the nightmares. As I rowed, the sun began to set on the horizon. That magical pre-dusk light illuminated my way back to the dock at my dad’s lake house.

As I got closer, I saw someone standing at the end of the dock. It was Cass.

Cass

Gunner stopped rowing about ten feet away, but the boat had enough momentum to keep going and slam into the side of the dock with a thud.

“Hey, you.” I said.

“Hey. What’s up? Didn’t you go to that party?”

“Missy is staying with her new friend tonight.”

“Wow. They just met.” He didn’t make a move to get out of the boat.

“Right?” I paused. “What are you doing? Smoking again?”

“I was, but some kid started drowning and I had to save him.”

“Oh,” I chuckled nervously. “You say that so casually.”

“I just reacted. I’m not a hero.”

“I didn’t say you were, but…” I smiled. “If you take me out on the lake and smoke me out you’ll be my hero. I don’t think I can make it through Uno night with mom and dad.

He cracked a slight smile. “Get in.”

I climbed into the boat. Instantly, I was transported back four years to the last time we’d been in the boat together.

“The sunset is amazing,” I said.

“I agree. I love it out here.”

When we got to the middle of the lake, he stopped rowing. The boat rocked and swayed from side to side gently. He pulled a crumpled joint out of his cigarette pack. I almost laughed when I saw it.

“Mind if we lay down on the bottom of the boat?” he asked.

“No, that’s great. We don’t want the night-vision ninjas to see what we’re doing,” I teased.

“Okay, that’s enough. I’m not that fucking crazy.”

I smiled as we laid side by side on the bottom of the boat. It was a tight fight. His bare legs brushed against mine, making me excited as he lit the joint. After taking a hit himself, he passed it to me. I inhaled deeply. Smoking so much pot was out of character for me, but I wanted to be in the same place as my stepbrother. I needed to explain to him what had happened earlier at the library.

While babysitting Missy at the party for a few hours, I realized that it was just the heat. If it wasn’t for us being so dehydrated, we would have never been holding hands and about to kiss. The ridiculousness of my argument fell apart as we got stoned in silence. Above us, the stars burst into life against a deep black backdrop. So far away from the city, the sky was amazing.

“You remember last time we did this?” I asked.

He handed the joint to me. “Yeah. I do.”

Another hit turned the joint into a roach. “You want to save this?”

“Yeah, I do,” he said again then actually laughed.

I turned to him with a surprised look on my face. He didn’t break eye contact. The boat continued to sway gently, riding the water, protecting us from its depths. As I looked into his eyes, I saw something even more mysterious than the universe up in the sky. A sigh escaped my lips as his hand moved to my waist before slipping to my hips. He pulled me even closer.

Our faces were mere inches apart. My pot soaked brain got lost in the moment. Time stretched out into infinity as the silly laughter faded away. We continued to stare at each other. My breathing slowed and synched with his. I concentrated on each and every time our chests rose and fell. Without saying a single word we were both saying a lot.

He craned his head forward slightly first, but I followed. When our lips met in the middle, I melted. My body felt weak as he squeezed my ass cheek and kissed me softly. His tongue slid against my lips then pushed its way into my mouth. The rest of the universe didn’t matter anymore. The kiss was a cosmic event, and I had a front row seat.

Instead of fizzling out, the kiss became more intense. I pushed him on his back and crawled over him, straddling his body. We continued kissing as the moon slowly rose in the sky above us. I undid the button on his pants. He pushed my hand away. I looked into his eyes, tilting my head to the side slightly. Doesn’t he want me?

“Let’s go slow,” he whispered, his voice a song.

I bent down, my breasts pressed against his chest, and kissed him again. His lips were so soft, and he knew just how to manipulate them. Part of me couldn’t believe what was happening, but the area of my body located between my legs beat that thought down so I could enjoy what was happening. I sat back up and looked around. No one was in sight. The lake was dark and quiet. A dog barked in the distance.

After I pulled my shirt over my head, he moved his hands to my bikini covered breasts. I moaned as he massaged them. When I reached behind me and took the top off completely, a look of lust and hunger fell over his face. Whatever happened, there was no turning back for us. I wanted him to take me hard and fast.

Getting out of my shorts was a little more difficult, but with some maneuvering, I was able to get them and my panties off. Completely naked, I straddled his body. He looked up at me, my face framed by a field of dark skies and bright stars. We worked on his shorts and boxers next. After a few moments, he was completely naked as well. Even better, his cock was hard.

He put his thumb into his mouth then placed it on my pussy lips as I crouched over him. As soon as his skin made contact with mine, I groaned in pleasure. The rocking boat made it even more exciting. Slowly, I lowered myself onto him. His hard cock slid into me, filling me completely. When he was all the way in, I leaned forward, my breasts hanging down.

We made eye contact as his hands played with my nipples. I lifted up, feeling the friction of his shaft leaving my tightness. When I moved back downward, he thrust upward, plunging deep inside me. His face contorted as our bodies moved as one. The boat shifted back and forth in the water as we fucked each other. I was fucking him as much as he was fucking me.

“Cass…” he gasped, still looking into my eyes, reading my soul.

I kissed him on the lips, pressing my breasts against his hard, naked chest. My orgasm was on its way, but I wanted to prolong the moment, not ever let it end. His face twisted in beautiful again as I rode him fast and furious. Before we could get too close to the edge, I slowed down. He did the same. His cock moved in and out of my inch by deliberate inch.

“You got me so wet,” I whispered in his ear, causing him to moan.

The crisp night air caressed our naked skin as we made love and fell deeper for each other. All other thoughts left my mind as we switched back to fucking like animals in heat. His breathing quickened and his thrusts became more insistent each time he penetrated my tight, wet hole. I sat up, leaning back with him still inside me. His cock was huge.