Page 86 of Quarterback Sneak
He lines up for the snap with Slate behind him. Once the ball is in Slate’s hands, Quint takes off down the field. I run towards Zane who’s trying to catch up to Quint. But Quint’s too fast. He scores, and we gather to celebrate. Slate smacks him on the back. “It’s a tie game, people,” Quint calls out.
Reid lines up in front of Zane with the ball. As soon as the ball leaves his hands, I’m running towards Zane. He sees me coming and dances away from me. I get a small idea of why opponents get frustrated with him. He gets a pass to Reid, but Slate stops the run. We line up again, and I watch Reid and Zane, trying to figure out how in the world to stop them. On the next snap, they score again. Our next drive, we fail to score and have to give it away. When we line up again, I watch Zane. He catches my eye and grins. It’s that grin that makes my blood boil. He knows they’re winning, and he knows there’s nothing we can do to stop it. An idea takes hold, and I wonder if I’m brave enough to pull it off. I turn to Slate, who’s standing right next to me. “You take Zane,” I whisper quietly. He gives me a tight nod, letting me know he heard me. When Reid snaps the ball, I lift the bottom of my shirt and pull it up to wipe the sweat from my face. I’m careful to keep my sports bra completely covered. I hear Quint hoot and drop my shirt.
“You’re down,” Quint hollers.
I look up and meet Zane’s gaze. His green eyes pierce mine. “That was a dirty move, Bennett.”
I give him my most innocent look. Quint turns to look at me. “What’d you do?”
“Does it matter?” I ask as he jogs back to our side. “It worked.”
He grins. “Yeah, it did.” He gives me a high five, and we line up again.
I can feel Zane staring at me, but I refuse to meet his gaze. On the next snap, Zane moves backward. He throws it to Reid, but Quint intercepts it and runs it in for a touchdown. Quint and Slate gather together and wait for me to join their circle. “Whatever you did, keep doing it, Evie,” Quint says with a grin.
I’m not really sure my stunt will work a second time. A hand suddenly wraps around mine. “You trying to distract me, Bennett?” a husky voice asks right next to my ear. “You don’t have to try hard. Just you being out here on the field is distraction enough. But add those short shorts and your crop tee, and you’re downright lethal to me.”
I look up at him and realize he’s like right there. I lick my lips, and his eyes follow the movement. I watch in fascination because that move wasn’t even planned. Knowing his broad shoulders block me from the other guys, I reach out tentatively and put my hand on his chest. His eyes shoot down to my hand, and his green eyes darken. Encouraged by his reaction, I run my hand over his chest. I can’t believe how firm it is. I swear I can feel his breathing speed up. Then without a word, I turn around and line up with Slate ad Quint.
“Let’s go,” I say quickly.
Reid snaps the ball, and I’m already moving. Zane nearly drops the ball, and I touch him a second later. “Gotcha,” I tell him with a grin while Quint whoops and hollers behind me. I run back over to our side, and Quint and Slate both high five me. Slate even smirks at me.
“You’re wicked, Evie; and I love it,” Quint says with a laugh. “Evie, we’re throwing it to you. Run straight at Zane, cut into him and then run to the right.”
“Ohhhh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I start.
“It is,” Slate says.
“Okay; I’ll try. Don’t throw it wicked hard.”
“I won’t,” Slate reassures me.
Nerves hit me as we line up, and I don’t dare look at Zane. Quint punts to Slate, and I run towards Zane. I cut hard to the right and watch as the ball spirals towards me. I grab it out of the air and run. Quint blocks for me, keeping Zane away, and I run it in. Quint and Slate both shout behind me, and I whirl around and meet Zane’s gaze. “Missing something?” I ask holding up the ball. Quint hoots and hollers and Zane grins at me, shaking his head.
We line up again, and I can’t help my grin. It feels good. When Reid mumbles something under his breath about Zane not focusing, I can’t help my laugh. Zane’s head jerks up at the sound, and I watch as his eyes soften. I don’t look away; I don’t think I could if I tried. Suddenly, the ball is snapped. I don’t even have a clue where I’m supposed to be. But then Zane throws the ball, and Reid gets it. He gets past Slate, and I move to intercept him. He never saw me coming and gets tagged. He scowls at me, even as Quint and Slate slap me on the back, not as hard as they would one of the guys, thankfully. On the next play, I run towards Zane. He looks for a pass to Reid and then decides to run. I can’t redirect; I’m too much in forward motion. Unfortunately, so is he. We collide, and I feel strong arms wrap around me as we both go down in a tangle of bodies and limbs. His back hits the ground, and we jerk to a halt.
“I’m sorry; I couldn’t stop. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
“I’m good,” I say breathlessly. I try to scramble to get up off him, but his arm is banded tightly around my back. “I can get up now,” I tell him.
“What if I don’t want you to?” I stare down into his eyes, so aware of his big muscular body beneath me.
“You two going to play, or should we just consider you both done?” Quint asks wryly.
Chapter 37
Evie
My face heats, and I scramble to get off Zane. He pushes me off him gently and jumps to his feet, putting out his hand. I grab his hand, and he pulls me to my feet. He doesn’t let go and uses my hand to pull me closer. “You can land on me anytime, Bennett.” His voice is low and sexy, and I shake my head at his obnoxiousness.
I wave a hand at my teammates. “You guys continue without me. I’m heading inside to get some water.”
“I’m done too,” I hear Zane say behind me.
I step inside and hear Zane come in behind me. “Evie.” His voice stops me in my tracks. I turn to him and see the concern all over his face. “Did I hurt you, Baby?”
I look at him in confusion. “No, I’m good.”
