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 I m hurting you every time we come together and that s the last thing I want
to do. Without another word, he walked away from her. Sporting a raging
boner, a confused brain, and an agonized conscience.
At the worst possible moment of his life, he d actually dug out his moral
compass and used it flaunted it, even. She was most likely pissed, though
hell, he was the one with blue balls while she d just had the mother of all
orgasms. Brought on only by his fingers.
Shaking his head, he shut his bedroom door with a quiet click, thinking he
might ve heard an aggravated growl coming from a particular feminine voice on
the other side of the door, but he couldn t be sure. Their already fragile so-
called relationship had probably gone right into the toilet with this one gesture.
He d rejected her. Sort of.
And she d probably never let him forget it, either.
Chapter Ten
 You re not pulling me from the game. Jared stood on the sidelines, hands on
hips, facing down his coach. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Foley
bouncing on his heels, dying for a chance to get out there and play.
Not over Jared s dead body would his second stringer get on that field.
 Hell yes, I am. They re brutal out there. You can t afford to take another
sack. Jim held his clipboard in front of his mouth, staring at the field. Their
time out was almost up.  The doctor said it wouldn t be prudent letting you go
back out there with so little time left. We ll use the half to put you on ice, give
you a shot, whatever the doc thinks you need. Foley s in.
 Fuck you. No, he s not. Jared spit on the grass, ground his teeth together
to keep from saying more. Such bullshit. They were in Florida, playing against
the Dolphins, who were notorious for going after the quarterbacks of the
opposing team. That day s game was no exception.
He d already been sacked three times and they still had a minute left in the
first half.
 They know your vulnerable spot, going straight for the shoulder every single
time. Jim shook his head.  I don t want to pull you, but it s doctor s orders and
I gotta listen to him, Jared. I m not about to have you get all fucked up again
by a losing team who has no chance of going to the playoffs. I hate to do this
but I m benching you till the second half. Foley! Get in there!
 Will do, Coach. Foley already had his helmet on and after offering a quick
salute to both Walsh and Jared, he jogged out onto the field.
Muttering a string of curse words, Jared stalked off, furious at Coach Walsh s
decision. He hated being benched. It didn t matter if they were winning by a
landslide, he couldn t stand it. Getting old sucked balls. Getting old with an
aggravating injury sucked major balls.
Sucked worse that his wife had been flown out to watch him play and he was
doing nothing but using his ass to warm a bench.
He glanced up into the stands, momentarily pleased to at least hear the
smattering of Hawks fans among the throng of boos when they heard Foley
was going in as a replacement. Raising his hand, he waved in the direction of a
few navy blue hats and shirts, grinning when they cheered and waved back. A
few of them called his name, one female in particular screamed,  Marry me!
and he shook his head.
He d already done that. And fucked it up real good, too.
Ah, but he did love a crowd. And he loved the game. It was where he felt at
home on the field, with his team and his coaches, their fans cheering them
on. Being on enemy ground wasn t as thrilling, of course. The majority of the
people in the stands wanted to see his team lose and lose big. The Dolphins
defense had been strong, but so had the Hawks . They were in the lead, and
the Dolphins would have to fight like hell to win.
He felt responsible for that score, responsible for the entire team. He was
their leader, the one who called the shots out on the field. They listened to
him, they protected him and he took care of them for their efforts. Damn it,
they were his brothers, his family.
He d grown up watching the Hawks. They were his team, always had been.
Hell, he d gone to game after game with his dad growing up. Always wishing
someday he could be out on that field playing for them.
No way could he give that up. The Hawks needed him.
And Foley could get out there and fuck it all up. The plays were different with
Foley. His presence on the field could shift the entire rhythm of the team, and
what if he fumbled the ball?
 Don t let  em get you down, boss, said a familiar voice.  Take a break, nurse [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]