The Red Zone: An Enemies with Benefits Sports Romance (The League Book 2)

“WHO ALLOWED you to come into my house?” Mae stood in her kitchen, drinking a glass of water with a scrunched face as she eyed me up and down.

“The unlocked door.” Her face softened to an amused smile at my remark and I followed up with one to match hers. “Nice dress.”

She stared at me blankly for a second, setting the glass onto the granite countertop, before turning on her heels and walking past me down the hall.

“What… where are you going?”

Was I not supposed to say that or something? I thought telling someone their outfit looked nice was a compliment, no?

“I’m changing. Stay right there.”

She had to be messing with me.

I caught up to her in two steps, grabbing her by the elbow. “Don’t even think about it.”

The only way she was getting out of that dress tonight would be if it was my hands taking it off of her, but with the way her boobs looked in the damn thing, she could keep it on for all I cared.

Whirling her around to face me, I wrapped my hands around her waist, tugging her against the front of my body. My hands glided over her figure instinctively before I slid them both down to her ass, squeezing tight.

“If you don’t stop…” she moaned as I dropped down to kiss the side of her neck. “We’re going to be late for dinner.”

Friday night dinner was the least of my worries right now. In fact, skipping dinner and making a three-course meal out of her sounded way better than the chicken parmesan Scarlett was making tonight.

Mae tightened her fingertips around my biceps as I continued sucking on the hollow part of her throat. “Are you ever going to let me in here, or are you going to keep sneaking out to the pool house and crawling into my bed every night?”

Not that I was complaining, we could stay in the pool house as long as she wanted. But it seemed like a damn shame to let such a nice house go to waste. Especially considering all of the rooms in here that we could have fun in—her office, the kitchen, right here in this hallway.

Mae wrapped a hand around the back of my neck, brushing the sensitive skin with her nails before pulling me in for a long, tantalizing kiss. “Might I remind you that you were supposed to move out like three months ago… wait, I forgot to ask, did your contract ever get extended?”

“I signed for another five years… I’m looking for a roommate, you know anyone?” I taunted.

“I’m sure we can ask around.” I smacked her ass so hard she yelped. “Fine… I’ll think about it, but only because my bed has better pillows.”

“Don’t worry, we can transform it into that sex house you were wanting,” I joked, nipping at her earlobe. “We’ll get a sex swing or something to really solidify it.”

She shook her head with a laugh. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

“Me too,” I replied, but we both knew I wasn’t talking about food.

Ten minutes later, we were all seated around the dinner table at Scarlett and Abel’s place, drinking and laughing together as we started on some appetizers.

“Have you guys decided to stop living in the pool house, yet?” Lea asked.

I looked over at Mae with a laugh, knowing we’d just been talking about the same subject a few minutes prior. Lea was a fucking mind-reader, I swear.

“She’s coming around to the idea of it. She hasn’t even cashed any of my checks, though. So, I might need to pay up in other ways… if you know what I mean.”

Mae’s body tensed as the hand I had on her thigh slowly began to inch under the hem of her dress. I wasn’t going to make any exhibitionist style moves, but there was no harm in giving her a little glimpse of what she could expect after dinner.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to.” She turned up her chin, and I kissed the side of her jaw as she gripped my hand under the table, stopping me from teasing her further.

“Sure, you don’t.”

Scarlett looked over at Mae with a smile stretched on her face from ear to ear like she knew something that I didn’t. Mae mouthed something to her about them getting lost to which Scar gave a little hop of her shoulders.

Mae twisted her head, and I caught her lips, intertwining them with mine.

“You guys are disgusting.” Lea shook her head side to side, eyeing Mae and I as she brought a newly poured glass of red wine to her lips and gulping the entire thing down in one go.

“I second Lea’s statement.” Scarlett side-eyed us with a smile and Abel tipped his head in agreement.

“Do I sense some double dates in y’all’s future?” Jamison, a well-known sports reporter, held out his recorder as Abel, Scarlett, Mae and I all walked into the stadium’s player entrance together the following Sunday afternoon.

“In his dreams,” Mae called back.

I turned over my shoulder and shot a wink at him. “She’s not wrong.”

Scarlett and Abel continued on ahead of us. Meanwhile, Mae smacked my shoulder playfully out of reflex, but all I did was let free a bellowing laugh as I slung my arm over her shoulder and tugged her closer to my side. Kissing her forehead, I guided us to the player and family entrance where Lea was already waiting at the end of the hall with her hip popped and arms crossed.

“Calhoun! Let’s go. You’re already late.”

“Sorry, Lea! It’s all my fault. I was having an outfit crisis,” Mae said.

“In case no one’s told you… it’s nice seeing the two of you finally getting along.” She gave us a genuine smile. Man, it was nice seeing our people happy for us.

“You know what that means, right?” I shot a look at her. “You’re next.”

Lea rolled her eyes. “Come on before my dad finds you. You’re supposed to be setting an example for these rookies, quarterback.”

Mae squeezed around my waist tightly, stopping me in my tracks for a long hug. She did this every home game, holding me in this hallway as long as she could, like she wasn’t ready to let me go. As much as I enjoyed playing football, there was nothing like meeting up with her after the game, bickering playfully about what songs to listen to as we rode home together.

I just loved spending time with her, being in her presence.

“Play safe?” she whispered.

I nodded, dipping my head down for a good-luck kiss. “See you after the game?”

“I’ll be here.”

There were nine seconds left on the clock.

The fans were in an uproar around the stadium.

Both teams were tied, and we had the ball at the five-yard line.

One more touchdown and this game would be ours.

Then, I could go back home with Mae and we could have our own special kind of celebration.

I called out the final play, looking around the group for everyone’s understanding nods.

“Let’s win this, boys. On three…. one… two… three…” We broke the huddle, everyone shuffling into position, ready to drive this victory home.

The ball snapped, and a defensive tackle came out of nowhere, stopping our red zone drive as he knocked into me with the force of a thousand suns at the exact moment the ball released from my hands.

I could feel myself being propelled backward toward the ground. What I knew to be milliseconds felt like an eternity as I watched my life flash before my eyes in slow motion.

When my body finally hit the ground, her face was the last thing on my mind before everything went black.

My Mae.