The End Zone: SPORTS ROMANCE (Contemporary Sport Bad Boy Alpha Male American Football Romance) (New Adult Second Chance Women’s Fiction Romance Short Stories) (58 page)
Authors: Jenna Payne
I rush to the ER to find a patient bleeding. He’s clutching his lower abdomen from pain.
“Patient is male. Caucasian. 6 feet 2 inches,” the nurse continues to brief me as I assess the man lying on the bed.
“How are you, Sir?” I ask.
“We’ll Angie, what a surprise! Are we going to continue to meet like this?” Ty grins at me.
“Ty? What in the world happened to you?” I ask him as I deal with his injury. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to patch him up from a gunshot wound.
“Long story short, I’m home on leave and got into a brawl with some knucklehead trying to steal from a little old lady.”
I gave him a very disappointed look. Home on leave? And he hasn’t tried to get in touch with me!? Without saying I word, I turn around and enter a few entries into the computer. It’s not a serious wound so the nurse can take care of him from here.
“Well, you take care of yourself, Captain Kirk,” I say. I turn around and walk off. I’m mad. He promised to stay in touch and he didn’t even send an email or try to get a hold of me. To make it worse, he’s been home!
“Angie, wait,” he starts. But, I storm off.
For over a year, I’ve been thinking of this guy and he’s just like all the other jerks I’ve dated. I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid and so blinded.
Maybe my father was right about him after all.
I work the reminder of my shift, clearly agitated and disappointed. Agitated at him. Disappointed in myself for waiting for him.
*****
I swing open my apartment door and head straight into the bathroom to shower. I immediately head to the kitchen to open a bottle of wine. I need to get all this anger out somehow.
Just as I settle down on the couch to enjoy some TV and wine, the doorbell rings. I get up and look through the peep hole.
It’s Ty with a bouquet of roses and a bottle of wine. Surely he came to apologize for the jerk move he pulled over the last year. I’m going to pretend like I’m not home. He needs to just go away. I want some alone time.
He rings the doorbell again.
“Angie, I know you’re in there. I can hear the TV,” he yells through the door.
I sigh. “What do you want Ty?” I yell back.
“I want to talk. I brought peace offerings,” he says.
“This isn’t someone kind of war. Just go away,” I tell him.
“It feels like a war right now,” he replies.
I open the door only to shut it in his face. Quiet. A few seconds go by and I open the door again.
I roll my eyes and cross my arms.
“I hate you so much right now,” I snort angrily.
He hands me the roses and wine and walks right past me.
“Ok, just come on inside,” I yell after him.
He surveys the room like he’s back in the battlefield and walks around to see past the corners. His arm hugs his abdominal wound from the gunshot earlier.
“You should still be at the hospital or be taking some pain killers,” I tell him as I close the door and walk towards the kitchen sink. I pull an empty vase from the shelf and start to fill it with water for the roses.
“Don’t need any of that,” he says. “I survived out in the battlefield without it.”
I turn to look at him and roll my eyes again.
“You need to stop being so hardheaded and let someone try to take care of you for once,” I inform him. I turn back around to put the flowers in the vase.
“I’m sorry,” he apologizes. He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He rests his head on my shoulder. Ty takes a deep breath.
“I missed you so much Angie.”
I’m angry again. He thinks he can just walk right back into my life and expect me to forget about everything! This was how it happened the first time. He apologizes, makes me feel sorry for him, tells me how much he misses me, and leaves never to return again!
I’m not falling for this trick he’s playing. I push him off me angrily.
“How dare you!” I scream. “You leave me, promising to keep in touch. But you don’t! You’re home on leave and you haven’t even tried to get a hold of me? No phone call? No email? If you hadn’t showed up at the hospital I may never even have known that you were home.”
I walk past him to grab a napkin to wipe the tears off my face. I’ve been so lonely. I’ve missed him so much. I’ve waited. And waited.
Then he speaks, and I hate myself for hanging onto his every word.
“Angie,” he starts and walks over to hug me. I push him away and grab my glass of wine. I plop on the couch and ignore him.
“I, I’m not home on leave. I’ve been home for a month or so. My contract is done.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I ask.
“No, but it’s the truth,” he pauses. “I want to start over and tell you the truth.” He clears his throat.
“I thought about you. I found out where you lived the first day I got back. But, I didn’t know how to approach you. I wasn’t sure. I was afraid,” he confesses.
Part of me wants to forgive him after this confession, but the other part of me is telling me to stand my ground. He tricked me once before.
“I thought about all the ways I could approach you. I just wasn’t sure.” He walks closer, but refuses to sit. He looks nervous and looks away.
“I wasn’t sure how—what you would think of me.” He runs his fingers through his hair, still cradling his wound with his other hand all the while.
My heart beings to melt. I can’t help it. Ty is strong, always so sure. He says exactly what’s on his mind with no hesitation. But, here he is nervous and unsure of himself.
I sit my glass on the table and motion for him to sit down. He waits for a bit and adheres to my command.
I look into his eyes trying to peer into his soul. I see his eyes move to my lips and stops short of my breasts. I realize that I’m not wearing a bra. My nipples are poking through my tank top. He looks away nervously. I grin. For once he’s nervous and I’m in command.
I get up and straddle him, gently because of his injury.
“Angie,” he says surprisingly. But, before he can finish I lean in and gently bite his bottom lip, teasing him. I roll my tongue in his mouth and kiss him.
He grabs my butt and squeezes. He pulls me harder. From between my legs, I feel him get harder. I grind my hips against him as I hold onto him.
He reaches up, pulls my tank top over my head and eagerly sucks and caresses my breasts. I love the attention he gives them.
I get up, unbuckle his belt, and take off his pants. His member springs into view, standing at attention. Making sure I don’t disturb his injury, I tenderly climb right back on top of him and slip him inside me.
“Ahhh,” he sighs. “You feel so good.”
Ty relaxes and leans back on the couch as I slide up and down on him, slowly. He reaches up to squeeze my breasts. He pulls my chest towards him as he puts his face in between my girls.
Our bodies move in sync as I gently ride him. Ty kisses me again with one hand on my breast and the other on my butt. He feels so good.
Ty puts a finger in my mouth. Still riding slowly on top of him, I suck on his finger as if I had his hard member in my mouth. He reaches around, spreads my butt cheeks and penetrates me from behind with this finger.
“Oh my god Ty,” I moan as my eyes roll into the back on my head. Pleasure after pleasure sweeps through my body.
“Oh, Ty!” I yell and climax. Sensing my orgasm, Ty immediately comes too.
I collapse on top of him, not wanting to get off for fear he’ll disappear again.
“I love you Angie,” Ty finally says. His face is happy, but slightly pained, and I realize I’m leaning on his injury. I gently slide off of him and onto the floor, between his legs.
“What I wanted to say earlier was,” he stops for a second, and turns back to me. “I went to meet with you Dad a few days ago. I told him that I love you and that I want to marry you.”
He pulls out a small black box, gets down on his knee beside me, and says, “He gave me his blessing. So, will you make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?”
I look at him in disbelief. My mouth wide open.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I scream. There’s no doubt in my mind that Ty is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. He slips the ring on my finger.
I get up to hug him and realize that Ty just proposed to me naked. We both collapse on the couch laughing in each other’s arms.
THE END
25-year-old Carrie Cox sat thoughtfully on the front steps of her dormitory building within the Space Academy campus, lost in dreams of fighting the biggest battle of her life and somehow winning some justice for her father’s demise a few years back.
With her long black hair pulled back in a clean, tight ponytail, her thin pink lips pursed in a straight line, and a look of determination in her dark brown eyes, she seemed the perfect candidate for the next space clash against the evil alien clan Sphunkon. The well-defined muscles in her arms and legs, along with the way she carried herself with strength and resolve, were apparent evidence of how hard she’d worked to achieve her status of top student in the academy since enrolling in it in two and a half years ago. She was definitely itching to get off Earth and start seeking revenge for her beloved Daddy. However, she still had one remaining semester to complete before she could graduate and become a full-fledged space fighter.
A female voice cut through her thoughts. “Hey, Carrie.”
Carrie turned around to see her best friend and roommate Lyca Bennett sit down beside her on the steps. Lyca’s blonde curls and very feminine features were a stark contrast to Carrie’s strong, serious look and somehow womanly yet powerful physique.
“I’m really excited for our Space Combat 301 class!” Lyca gushed, her blue eyes twinkling with eagerness. “I heard there’s a new instructor taking over old, boring Gray…”
“His name’s Mike Gomez,” Carrie interrupted.
“You mean
the
Mike Gomez?!” Lyca asked in bewilderment. “Oh, my gosh! He’s like the best space fighter ever and the most gorgeous cyborg alive on this planet!”
Carrie laughed at her boy-crazy friend who never seemed to take her classes seriously and yet always managed to pass everything.
“This is going to be an amazing, unforgettable last semester!” Lyca exclaimed. “I wonder if he’d take interest in a student, even if just for a one-night stand?”
“Lyca!” Carrie said in disbelief. “First of all, I don’t think he came here for his love life or even to make out with young, wild female students. Second, you’ve got a boyfriend. Remember? Oh, and third, romantic relationships with instructors are not allowed.”
“Bummer…” Lyca said, her face falling.
Carrie laughed again. “You are too much!” she exclaimed, giggling despite her shock. “What about Dan?”
“What about him?” Lyca asked, frowning.
“Didn’t you just tell me last night that you two are officially going steady already and that you believe you’re actually in love for the first time?” Carrie reminded her.
“Well… yes…” Lyca answered slowly. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t still have my fun, right?”
“Wrong,” Carried replied firmly.
“Okay, fine,” Lyca gave in, throwing her hands up in the air. “I’ll be a good girl.”
“You better be,” Carrie said. “Poor Dan has been in love with you since we all met each other on our first day here. He deserves a break. And don’t forget that he’s a very good friend of ours.”
“Okay, okay…” Lyca finally said. Then a mischievous glint appeared in her eye as she stared straight at her best friend. “On the other hand, you have never been in any relationship since coming here. And I can count the number of times you’ve dated with just one hand!”
“So?”
“So… I’ll just have my fun by setting you up with a gorgeous hunk on campus!” Lyca declared, looking as if she’d just come up with a brilliant idea. “Yes, you ought to have some fun before graduating or your Space Academy experience won’t be complete.”
Carrie was about to protest when Lyca held up her hand to silence her. “I promise I’ll be the best girlfriend to Dan if you promise to go out with all the great guys I pick out for you.”
“What? Are you crazy?” Carrie gave her an incredulous look.
“Okay, just pick out a few who are your type,” Lyca said. “Please?”
Carrie sighed and nodded, which made Lyca jump up and cheer loudly. Then her friend grabbed her by the hand and excitedly dragged her to their class with the famous Mike Gomez.
The Space Academy Dome was a huge covered arena utilized mostly for space simulation and training activities and for major school events. For introductory purposes of the class, the twenty graduating students had been assigned to sit in one section of the bleachers that were usually concealed in the dark but were now clearly illuminated with a spotlight.
Everybody was so engrossed in their conversations with their classmates that they hardly noticed the dimming of lights.
“Is it true that we might actually be sent to outer space for this class?” Carrie heard a guy nearby ask his friend. Her heart skipped a beat as she listened in. The two guys were busy discussing this possibility with great excitement.
Then a hush suddenly fell on the group when the dome suddenly went pitch-black. After a few seconds, the entire arena seemed to have transformed into the cosmos, with planets and stars barely visible in the background. A small space ship seemed to be coming toward them, moving at a snail’s pace, as the students held their breath. It halted just right in front of the students. The white surface began to open with a humming sound, revealing a gorgeous man with military-style cropped dark blonde hair and intense gray eyes. He was extremely well-built, with bulging muscles still evident through his all-white space suit.
“Good afternoon, future space fighters,” he greeted without any expression on his face. He snapped his fingers and the space ship behind him vanished into thin air. “Welcome to your last space combat class. My name is Mike Gomez and I’ll be your instructor for this remaining quarter of your academy training.”
Carrie’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the stunningly attractive teacher. She felt Lyca squeezing her arm beside her, but she could not tear her eyes away from the celebrated space fighter whom many students had idolized for so many years. He looked quite young in person and much better-looking than in the photos she had seen of him. For the first time since coming to the academy, she felt her heartbeat racing and heat escalating within her body.
*****
It was definitely rigorous for a first meeting. The new instructor was tough, strict, and highly organized. After giving a short introduction, he divided the class into pairs and immediately got them doing an hour of arduous physical exercises while suspended in mid-air!
Carrie focused on completing all the drills with her partner Troy, whom she hardly knew but often saw alone and withdrawn. He hardly interacted with anybody on campus. Nevertheless, he was just as serious as her in doing well so she was happy to have been paired with him.
All the students donned a uniform white space suit with a special device that made them float in the air as if they were actually in outer space. A helmet, however, was not necessary.
Lyca, who was luckily partnered with her boyfriend Dan, seemed to be enjoying herself despite the incessant trickling of sweat on either side of her face. Carrie saw her face lighting up as she engaged in various combat positions in very close proximity with Dan. At the same time, she kept stealing glances at the strikingly handsome cyborg. Carrie couldn’t tell which excited her more.
At one point, Lyca leaned over to Carrie and whispered, “He’s such a hottie!”
Carrie wanted to ask who he was referring to, but it seemed as if Dan had overheard her so she just smiled and nodded.
“Miss Bennett,” a booming voice suddenly called, making everybody turn toward Mike and then stare at Lyca. “Concentrate.”
“Sorry!” she called back with a sweet smile, not the least bothered.
It was Carrie who threw him an annoyed look discreetly, but continued her work with Troy. It wasn’t long after when he passed by and stopped to observe them.
After a minute, he grunted and approached them. “Do that last defensive move again, Miller,” he commanded Troy.
Troy nodded quietly, before moving backward a bit to position himself again. Carrie threw him a punch, which he blocked skillfully, grabbing her wrist and twisting her around. She was flung toward his chest, which made him sort of stumble backward instead of wrapping his arms around her tightly as he was supposed to do.
“What’s the problem, Miller?” Mike barked. “Afraid to touch a girl?”
Troy reddened, muttering “sorry” under his breath and refusing to look at their instructor. Carrie felt sorry for him.
“Watch and learn,” Mike told him. Carrie stared at him with nervousness as he took over Troy’s position. He motioned for her to attack him.
Without hesitation, she swung a punch at his face which he swiftly dodged. In a flash, he’d grasped her wrist, twisted her around toward him, and trapped him within his strong muscular arms. Her heart hammered fast as he held her tightly against his brawny chest, with her back on him.
She saw her best friend turn around to watch them, gasping in surprise. Her round eyes meaningfully gazed at Carrie and a smile began playing on her lips. In response, Carrie just glared at her.
Mike then released her and fixed his steely stare at Troy. “That’s how it’s done.”
“Uh, yes, sir,” Troy said uncertainly. “I’ll do it better.”
“Later,” Mike answered. Then he turned to Carrie. “Exchange positions. It’s your turn.”
Carrie nodded, although she was still a little shaken up by the cyborg’s touch. With a determined face, she got ready for the defensive move. When Troy hurled a punch at her, she expertly ducked and completed the move without any problem. She waited for Mike to comment but he stayed quiet so she finally let go of Troy.
Mike’s face remained blank. “You move like a girl,” was all he said before walking away.
Carrie felt hurt and insulted. She knew she’d done it right and a lot better than others too.
I am a girl, asshole,
she retorted in her mind.
As the instructor hovered around the other students, Carrie tried her best to keep on working well with Troy who also looked crestfallen.
Meanwhile, Lyca gave her a pitiful look which Carrie did not react to. She had to get her act together and show Mike Gomez that he’d made a mistake picking on her. She was determined to show him that she was the best student he could possibly ever have in his lifetime.
*****
“I’m going to graduate and be one of the best space fighters of this batch,” Carrie said with great resolve as she looked at the photo of her dad on her bedside table.
She was sitting on top of her bed in the dorm room she shared with Lyca, deep in thought as she once again recalled how her father had been killed by members of the Sphunkon clan while in battle. He’d been given a special posthumous award by the government but that did not make the pain less in any way. She’d lost the only family she had and she would never find peace until she somehow got back at the Sphunkons or contributed to their downfall. It wasn’t just a duty to her planet, but a personal vendetta that she had to fulfill.
It had been a week now and it didn’t look like she was gaining any respect from the new terror teacher. No matter how hard she tried to do well or to please him, he continued to look down on her. He never gave her even one compliment. She was getting fed up, although she still struggled to put up with it just to pass the class and graduate on time. She’d worked hard for this for two and a half long and hard years. She wasn’t about to give up.
The bathroom door opened. Lyca came out all glammed up and cheerful, but upon seeing her friend, her face was filled with concern. “Hey,” Lyca said, plopping down on the bed beside her.
“Hey,” Carrie said, forcing a smile. “Going out with Dan?”
“Yup,” Lyca replied, putting an arm around her. “Will you be alright?”
“Of course,” Carrie answered quickly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Lyca took both of Carrie’s hands in hers and squeezed them reassuringly. “I forgot… you’re a tough woman. I’m sure you can handle the terror hottie.”
Carrie couldn’t help but laugh at the nickname. Lyca joined in. “You know, I have a feeling he likes you…”
Carrie’s eyes widened. “Don’t start,” she warned.
“No, really,” Lyca insisted. “He’s strict and sometimes harsh, but he seems to be singling you out most of the time.”
“Probably, but it doesn’t mean—”
“Maybe the machine inside his body has messed up with his mind and heart,” Lyca wondered with a giggle. “Or maybe his heart’s not human anymore. It’s just a machine now!”
Carrie laughed aloud. “You always know how to make things lighter.”
“That’s me! Light and bubbly Lyca!” she proudly said.
“Go on your date,” Carrie said, shooing her friend. “Don’t keep Dan waiting.”
“Okay!” Lyca said, standing up and smoothing her skirt. “Next Saturday, I’ve set you up with Dan’s cousin Jack who’s coming to visit from the neighboring city. You promised!”
Carrie gave her an irritated look but could not protest. “Fine. Go now.”
That evening, Carrie had planned to just curl up in bed and read. But she couldn’t focus on the book. She couldn’t keep her mind off Space Combat 301. It was the only class that she’d had to work this hard for and yet she didn’t seem to have made any progress yet.