Turn Over(45)

And then I saw him. Wide open. Ready. He cut left then right, throwing the defender off track. My eyes darted to the opposite side of the field before I hurled the ball forward. It was a perfect spiral. Damn, it hit him square in the chest.

“That’s it.” I jogged toward him. “That’s fucking it.” I laughed.

I slapped the back of his helmet with a few taps when I got to him. “Now we can hit the showers.”

James fell to the ground with a thud. His legs and arms flailing in all directions. “Thank God,” he groaned.

I chuckled. “You said you wanted advice, so here it is. QBs throw to the same guys in the game who can catch during practice. There’s some confidence going into Sunday that he’s going to catch the ball. Get it out here and you get it on Sunday. Understand?”

He rolled to his side, beating the ground with his fist. I knew he was hurting. I had run him hard. His eyes were closed. The trainers tried to step in, but I waved them off. Out here was my domain.

“Got it.”

It was the first time I’d actually given him a useful tip. A small glimpse into how I made decisions. I didn’t share often.

I knew I’d throw it to him. If he ran the route like that on Sunday, he would be my first target. I never made promises. The game always changed. Players were injured. Someone always had an unexpected breakout game. The circumstances unfolded like a storm on the field. And I was the one who had to navigate everyone through the lightning and blasting rain. This was my fucking ship.

Today’s grind felt good. Working my body to the point of exhaustion was something I was built for. And I realized how different it was showing up to practice sober. I had more speed. My engines fired with precision.

I walked off the field toward the locker rooms.

The trainer was waiting next to the tub. “I have everything ready for you, Canton. Just like you like it.”

The cold water filled the tub. I could almost feel the water on my skin now. I threw my gear in the equipment bin and plunged one leg and then another into the water. Robbie tipped the bucket and a fresh avalanche of ice floated on top of the water.

I exhaled, letting my head rest on the hard surface behind my skull.

“How are you feeling?” the trainer asked.

“Good,” I grunted. I wanted to let the heat evaporate. I was on fire.

“Your neck isn’t bothering you?”

“No.” I had an injury last season that had irritated me off and on, but it never kept me out of a game. Robbie asked like clockwork.

Somewhere in that twisted head of his he wanted there to be something wrong. Something he could fix. There were plenty of guys on the team who could use help. I wasn’t one of them.

“I’ll check back with you in a few.”

“Hey, grab my phone for me.” I pointed to where it was lying on the top shelf in my locker.

“Here you go.” Robbie passed it over the ice cubes and walked off so I could soak in silence.

There was no one else in the rehab room with me. I pressed Alexa’s number and waited for her to answer.

“Hey.” Her voice was like pure heaven in my ear.

“How was the flight?”

She’d landed this morning and had been in Nashville for the entire day, but this was the first chance I had to call her. Team meeting followed by practice. After showers I had another meeting with Applewhite. It would be ten o’clock before I was at the ranch again.

“Good. Fine.” She sounded stiff.

“Is someone there?” I asked.

“I’m in the studio,” she explained.

“I thought you had a break.” The ice started to melt around me.

I had this mental image of her doing the same thing I was. Soaking her tight body in a marble tub. Her hair over her shoulders. Her tits bobbing on the water while the bubbles gathered at her curves. Fuck, it made me hard. I wanted to get in that tub with her and splash the water on her expensive tile floor until she was delirious from my cock pounding inside her. Hell, I had it bad for this girl.

“I sort of burned through it when I took that extra day with you,” she whispered.

“Any regrets?” I grinned. I already knew the fucking answer.

“No. None.”

“Good.” I saw Robbie on his way back. He was just on the other side of the glass window where the other guys were talking about practice. I had to make this quick. “I’ll try to call later. It will be late though.”

“That’s ok. I don’t know when we’re going to finish here.”

I wanted to ask her what she was working on. Was she recording the song she played for me last night in the living room? Had she approached Jake with the idea of expanding her audience? I thought it was a hell of an idea. If she could convert me to a fan, she could hook anyone.