Page 111 of The Late Hit
“Here’s your key, Miss Wilder. You’re on the eleventh floor, room 11122. Enjoy your stay.” Taking the key, I grab my suitcase and head to the top floor.
Sliding my keycard against the magnetic strip, the green lights flash, unlocking my door. Wheeling my bag inside, I place my card on the dresser and grab a bottle of water before heading straight toward the window to open the blinds. Reaching for the drapes, I fling them open letting the Arizona sunlight shine in. And there she is. State Farm Stadium is just a few blocks over. I stand there, staring at the arena and throwing up a silent prayer for Quinton.
Turning around, I start to head toward the bed. “Ho-lyfuckingshit!” I scream, hands trembling as I bring them to my chest. “You scared the shit out of me, you jackass!” I toss the bottle of water at Quinton who was lounging on the bed. “What the hell are you doing in here?”
“Hey, baby, nice to see you too,” he retorts. “And this is my room. Or should I say our room?” He waggles his eyebrows up and down at me.
“Coach Campbell approve of this sleeping arrangement?” I ask, hands finding my hips, slowly sauntering toward him.
“He did.” Quinton reaches out and grabs my hips, tossing me up and over him. Landing on my back, he immediately rolls on top of me. “I missed you,” he says, leaning down for a kiss.
Todayiswhatdreamsare made of. I’ve been dreaming of this day since I was seven years old. That year, my dad was on assignment for ESPN, and he surprised Damien and me—Xav was too young—with tickets to go with him to the National Championship where Loganville and Colorado played. The game was in Dallas, and we had seats in a box. Damien and I had no connection to either team, it was just so cool to be there. Mom didn’t go on that trip, instead, a friend of my dad’s went with us. She looked out for us while he worked.
When the final seconds on the clock ticked by and confetti filled the air when the buzzer went off, I knew I wanted to be a part of that moment. I wanted to be in the middle of the field with confetti raining down on me, my team’s band playing, and holding the National Championship trophy.
And thirteen years later, here I am. Standing in the middle of an NFL stadium getting ready to play in the National Championship. Dreams really do come true when you pour everything you have into achieving them.
Coach has had us up and moving since eight o’clock. He didn’t want us lounging around all day and getting tired. The team met in the hotel dining hall for a private breakfast. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to eat, but thanks to last night’s endless rounds of sex, I worked up quite the appetite. Thank God Brynn was on board to let me use her body to work off all my stress.
We fucked until she finally told me that her pussy needed a break. I could ravish that tight body for days on end, but I agreed with her. I didn’t want her to be sore for today, and it was getting close to lights out. Coach agreed to let me stay with Brynn, but he threatened me with bed checks. My girl likes to sleep naked, and I didn’t want to give Coach a reason to come into our room and embarrass him or Brynn.
After breakfast, we rode on buses over to the stadium for a light workout and team meetings to go over any last notes on our game plan. Before we left, Coach had everyone come out and take in the field.
Standing at the fifty-yard line, I take in the field. The stands are empty right now, but it won’t be long before sixty thousand people make their way to their seats. Somewhere, a little boy is going to be witnessing a National Championship game tonight and a dream will be planted inside him.
“Feels pretty fucking crazy, doesn’t it, man?” Grant asks, flinging his arm around my shoulders.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” I answered.
“Well believe it,” Coach Campbell interjects. “Believe it, men,” he shouts for the rest of the team to hear it. “Stand here, soak it in for as long as you need for it to sink in. You’re here because you’ve worked your asses off to get here. You’ve conditioned yourself for this. You’ve listened to me ride you for months now. And I know you thought I was being a dick, but I cared. I saw that this team, this team right here deserves to be in the National Championship. It’s been a helluva season, but we’ve got one more in us.”
“Hell yeah, we do!” I shout back to Coach.
“Now do whatever you need to do. Be dressed and ready on the first-floor conference room. I recommend taking the stairs, there are a lot of us, and the Eagles mob will be waiting at the elevators. We’ll gather there, walk through the lobby together, and board the buses.”
And with that, Coach Campbell walks toward the exit.
It’s not long before the rest of us are making our way back onto the buses.
Brynn is in our room when I get back. She’s curled under the covers with her eyes closed. Glancing at the clock, I see it’s just after one in the afternoon. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I set my alarm for an hour before swiping the “sleep” mode. Placing my phone on the nightstand, I toe off my tennis shoes, rip off my shirt, and slide my pants down. In only my boxers, I crawl under the covers bringing Brynn into my body. She startles at first, but then she relaxes into me.
For the next hour, I get some rest. Dreams fill my head, but they’re dreams of celebrating our win tonight with my girl in my arms.
The alarm on my phone goes off. Leaning over, I switch it off. Rolling onto my back, I bring my arms above my head and stretch them out. Brynn wakes up too, sleepy eyes finding mine.
“I’m proud of you,” she says, her head propped on my chest.
Lowering my arms, I wrap them around her. “Thanks, baby. Couldn’t have done it without you by my side.”
“Don’t,” she scoffs.
“I’m serious. You’ve been my biggest believer, my biggest supporter. You’ve let me unleash stress onto you when you didn’t deserve it, but most importantly, you’ve always been there for me. When I need to talk or when I need to have some fun to unwind, you’ve always been in my corner.”
She beams up at me. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Now go hit the shower, and I’ll lay your clothes out,” she says, pushing off me, but not before she gives me a quick kiss.
Stepping out of the bathroom, steam escapes with me, but what I find waiting for me takes my breath away. Brynn is standing in the tiny living area with a tray of food in front of her. She’s laid out my freshly steamed burgundy suit with the tapered suit pants, a white button down, and a burgundy and white checkered tie. On the floor by the bed are my black dress shoes and on top of the clothes are my black aviators and headphones. As much as I appreciate her getting my outfit together and ordering me food, it’s Brynn that has my full attention.
