Page 4 of Second Down Darling

We talk about the plan for the week. She keeps glancing backwards and eventually angles the screen until she’s mostly croppedout.

“Kota, I can’tsee—”

“Hold on.” She mutes herself. I can see her profile. She’s saying something, but I can’t hear thewords.

That’s when ithappens.

The bathroom door behind her swings open, and Jake steps out through a billowing cloud ofsteam.

Freshly washed andcompletelynaked.

I blink, a strangled whimper lodging in mythroat.

Holy crap. He’sperfect.

I knew he was beautiful, but my fantasies fall short of the reality. His wet hair falls in his face as he towels off. First his damp locks. Then his wide, muscular chest. Down his washboard abs. And finally his groin where an enormous erection bounces against hisstomach.

I’m frozen until the sound mysteriously pops back on again, and his deep voice fills my room. “Let’s make this quick, Dakota. I gottajet.”

They’re definitely going tofuck.

“Oh God.” I slam my laptop shut. My hands are shaking as I fling it away fromme.

Nausea sweeps over me so hard, I barely make it to the trash can before I lose mybreakfast.

Five minutes later, my phone buzzes from my nightstand, but I ignore it. The calls and texts keep coming. I don’t bother to check them because nothing my sister or Jake say will change my patheticsituation.

Later that afternoon, Jake knocks on my door, calls my name, apologizes for not knowing I was on a video conference with my sister. My suitemate thinks I’m home, but since I don’t answer, they decide I must be out. I don’t budge from where I sit on the floor with a box oftissues.

The sun sets and rises again. My suitemate comes and goes as the dorm comes alive, and by the time I finally dust myself off and stand, I’ve made mydecision.

I’m going to transferschools.

As quickly aspossible.

1

JAKE

Two years & three monthslater

Some betrayals cut deeperthanothers.

Expectation is everything. Knowing shit’s headed your way and preparing for the tackle keeps a man’s spirit intact despite whatever gale force sackshim.

It’s the difference between staying down and getting back upagain.

The film flickers against the screen, filling the room with the familiar crunch of player smashing against player. It’s a sound I love. A sound I livefor.

Or at least, I usedto.

My mind is a million miles away. It should be on the upcoming game against Alabama. It should be on their killer defense that could pound my ass into the turf come next week. It should be on leading my new team to avictory.

Instead, I see my ex, Dakota, bare ass up, face down on our bed as my best friend Troy railed her frombehind.

While our baby sat in a dirty diaper and cried in the otherroom.

Mentirosos.Liars. Both ofthem.

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