“I’m so sorry,” she sniffled as she curled into him.
“Next time please ask me before you decide I’ve done something so incredible stupid as cheat on you. I think the entire team would come after me.”
He kissed her and lowered her to the bed.
Chapter Eighteen
Butch
His heart pounding, he set for the play. This was it, the play that would determine who won the Victory Trophy. They were down by two with two seconds left. He’d been called up to replace Nelson who’d pulled a hamstring. He needed to focus, they had to make this field goal..
Thoughts of Rocky galloped through his mind. Fuck, not now. “Focus on the game, dumbass,” he told himself. His body tightened as thoughts of the incredible make up sex they’d had the night before tried to distract him.
He heard them call the snap and he surged forward to grapple with the player in front of him. His foot slipped on the turf and he went down as the other player sprinted past him toward Rocky. A sharp pain radiated from his knee up into his thigh, making his vision go gray. Fuck, that hurt.
He pounded his hand into the turf. Then he heard it, the roar of the crowd. Had they won? Then the collective gasp.
He sat up and ripped off his helmet. He looked toward Rocky. Fuck, she was lying on the turf under an opposing player. Wasshe hurt because of the block he missed? Was it his fault? He heard the whistle and saw the ref throw a flag. He heard them announce the penalty for roughing the kicker. All he could think was he had to get to Rocky. His stomach threatened to rebel as he struggled to stand.
And then Trey was there. “You’re hurt, Butch.”
“Rocky’s down. Motherfucker tackled her after the kick. I heard the ref.” He put his hand on Trey’s shoulder to hold himself steady. “I’ve got to make sure she’s okay. If she’s hurt it’s all my fault, I missed the block, and...”
“Coach and Doc are checking her out.”
The silence in the Rip City Stadium was deafening. It felt like it was taking hours to hop toward her. “God, please let her be okay,” he prayed.
All the strength went out of him when he saw her sitting up. His good leg gave out when she smiled at him. Trey tried to lower him gently but he just collapsed. On his ass on the turf relief flooded through him. She was okay. That’s all that mattered. He didn’t care about his own injury he was an old guy who probably shouldn’t be playing anyway.
“Hey, Doc, Butch was also hurt on the play,” Trey said as they helped Rocky to her feet.
As soon as she heard that, Rocky hurried over and dropped to her knees next to Butch.
“You really okay?” he asked as he looked into her eyes. God, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“Yeah, but it looks like you’re not,” she said, placing his hand on his face.
Fuck the rules. He reached over and pulled her lips down to his and kissed her, right there in the middle of the field in front of everyone. It would mean the end of his career with the Legends but he didn’t care.
The crowd roared as he pressed his forehead to hers. “I love you,” he said as his vision started to grey out again.
“I know.” She held his hand. “Time to get that leg looked at, big guy.”
And then Doc was looking down at him. “Okay, loverboy, let’s get you on the cart.
Rocky
She watched as they put him on the cart.
Coach looked at her. “So, that’s how it is.”
She smiled at him. “Yeah. As much as I fought against it, that’s how it is. Stupid asshole,” she said with a smile. “Wormed his way into my heart.”
“This will have some consequences,” Coach said as the cart hauled Butch to the tunnel, “but right now, we won. Go celebrate and then take care of Butch.”
Worried about Butch, she’d completely forgotten that her field goal had won the game. The Legends had won the Victory Bowl her first year in the league. She shot her fist into the air and the crowd erupted. The energy of the crowd raced through her, making her smile.
When she saw Butch come out of the tunnel on crutches, she ran over and hugged him. Unable to contain her exuberance, she kissed him and the crowd applauded. “I’m surprised they didn’t ship you directly to the hospital.”
