Love in the End Zone Read online

  LOVE IN THE END ZONE

  Carina Rose © 2022

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations. Any resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Other Books by Carina Rose

  About the Author

  Contact Carina Rose

  A note from the Author…

  Acknowledgments

  Pro quarterbacks regularly face tough linemen determined to knock them down—but for one hotshot athlete, it was an infuriating blonde who stood the best chance of laying him on his back.

  I was one of the top quarterbacks in the league, riding high after scoring a lucrative deal with the DC Rockets. Fans adored me, sponsors wanted me, and women, well, they were eager to date me. Except my life revolved around football, not falling in love.

  Until I saw her.

  I’d just scored the winning touchdown, sending the Rockets into the playoffs and ending the Virginia Thunder’s season. I spiked the ball and basked in the fans’ cheers. I’d done it. But then I took off my helmet and locked eyes with a gorgeous blonde.

  She wasn’t cheering. Instead, she stood with her arms crossed, glaring at me. I smirked and winked, hoping to soften her murderous expression. Except it had the opposite effect. Rather than smiling back, she lifted her hand and extended her middle finger before disappearing into the crowd.

  That was unexpected.

  After my press conference, I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman in the stands. It didn’t help that social media had turned our interaction into a meme, and then I found out that the beauty was none other than Reese Parker, granddaughter of Charles Reese, owner of the Virginia Thunder. Which explained her reaction… sort of.

  I should have been preparing for the playoffs, but all I wanted to do was convince her I wasn’t enemy number one—and that scoring with me would be her best move.

  Chapter 1

  Reese

  I paced the floor in the owner’s suite, waiting for the game to resume. With only two minutes left, which if played right could feel like twenty, my nerves were frayed.

  “Reese, do you want a glass of wine?” My best friend, Alexa, stood at the small bar pouring herself a glass. She wasn’t a lover of football as much as she was a lover of football players. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the latter. What’s the saying, don’t hate the player, hate the game? Well, I loved the game, getting personal with a player… not so much.

  Did I love the team? Yes. It was difficult not to since my granddad, Charles Reese, owned the Virginia Thunder. I knew more stats and rules than the men standing on the field in black-and-white striped shirts did… especially today. I’d never seen so many ridiculous yellow flags hit the turf in one quarter. Then again, God forbid DC Rockets’ golden boy didn’t get into the playoffs. My blood boiled just thinking about Trent Archer.

  “No, thank you,” I said, snagging another cookie off of the tray, making her laugh. “What?”

  “Nothing.” Alexa lifted her wineglass in salute before taking a sip.

  When I looked at the TV screen in the corner, I saw Trent talking to his coach on the sideline.

  Damn, he was gorgeous. The way his sweat-darkened hair hung wispily on his forehead, his defined, scruff-covered jawline, made women and some men swoon. The man had looks that rivaled those of a model. No, actually his were better. Models tended to be pretty, and Trent was anything but pretty. He had an edge to him that made heart rates accelerate… and not just on the field. There had been enough pictures of him with gorgeous women circulating the internet to prove that statement correct.

  There were also the many magazines that featured his… well… features. Sexiest athlete, prettiest eyes, and my favorite, best butt. Of course they weren’t all in the same publication, and I was sure there were more than just those, but that was the gist of it.

  I continued to peruse the six-foot four, two hundred five pounds of pure male as he slid his helmet on and jogged to the Thunder’s forty-five-yard line, signaling the end of the fourth quarter’s two-minute warning.

  Alexa leaned toward me and whispered into my ear. “Remind me why we hate him again? Because I’m thinking that man knows his way around a woman. Look how big his hands are. And wouldn’t it be fun—”

  “Because he’s a jerk,” was my reply, cutting her off. I knew what ran around in her head. Yes, I was sure Trent’s bedroom skills were above par. They had to be, considering the company he kept. And yes, if circumstances were different, sure, but they weren’t different. They were anything but. He was the rival. The enemy. The thorn in my side. The one who sadly got away.

  She laughed at my answer, and I shrugged because it was the truth. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my granddad, and I knew how the business worked. I was so well-versed in the sport that if Granddad would have had his way, I would be sitting in the war room on draft day rather than behind the scenes in my house.

  Deciding to try and explain it, I said, “A few years ago, Trent Archer went undrafted. Not because he wasn’t an amazing player, but because he got injured during the summer before his senior year. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t recover from, but he didn’t bother to red shirt to avoid ineligibility. Instead, he finished his senior year online, graduated on time, and without any professional prospects. Most thought he had left the sport. Then when the scouting combines started, my granddad had invited him to the Thunder’s facility. Other teams heard about it and since my granddad has a stellar reputation, they did the same. His first stop was Nebraska, then Michigan and Indiana. It wasn’t until he came to Virginia that things started to get serious.

  “Both teams in the area, the DC Rockets and the Virginia Thunder needed a quarterback. Trent knew that and played the game, no pun intended, to get the most lucrative deal.” I didn’t blame him, who wouldn’t want to make the most they could. It was the way he went about it that irked me. “Granddad thought he was a lock and according to Trent’s agent, he was… until he wasn’t.”

  Just thinking about that time made my annoyance grow. Granddad’s team had been in a slump. They lacked a leader. One who could advance them… one who could sell tickets and fill the seats. My granddad was counting on Trent. I glanced out the glass window to see the majority of the stadium filled with Rockets fans. At least it was full, I suppose. I let out a huff before continuing. “Then at the eleventh hour, he signed with the rival DC team.”

&n
bsp; Alexa’s brows drew together. “Ugh. Why?”

  “Who knows? Trent’s reasoning to the media was… and I quote, ‘DC’s offer was the right fit’ end quote. My guess is he wanted to start right away and with DC’s starter coming off an injury, Trent would. With the Thunder, he would have been backup for a year until Donnelly retired. Which I understood. Plus, DC had more money to throw at him than my granddad did. Of course if Granddad hadn’t told our GM to invite Trent to training camp, which the media loved, who knows what would have happened. In my opinion nothing. I know for a fact that DC’s ticket sales skyrocketed because of the hype. All because of Granddad.”

  “Wow, he is a jerk.”

  “I’d say. He also did one of my sorority sisters wrong.”

  “Wait, he went to Sutton?”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened?”

  I’ll never forget that day. “Our sorority was the ‘sister’ house to Trent’s fraternity. Their fraternity sponsored a silent auction to benefit a charity. The prize was a date to the spring formal with one of the prominent alumni who came out of the fraternity. Tracy Martin, a shy biology major, won. Her choices were a med student, a guy who invented a travel app and started a tech company straight after graduation, or Trent Archer.” Alexa looked at me and sighed. “Yup, she picked Trent.”

  “Was he horrible on their date?”

  “Couldn’t say because he never showed up. Claimed he had an emergency.”

  “Ugh.”

  “Right. Anyway, long story short, Tracy was devastated because it was a big deal on campus. Rather than the school’s paper highlighting the event, it highlighted Tracy getting stood up. It was a major debacle. Except for classes, she didn’t leave the house for days. The following week a picture of Trent on a beach in California surfaced. It had been taken the same day he should have been with Tracy. I’ve never immediately disliked a person I didn’t know so quickly.”

  The more I thought about that day combined with everything else, the more annoyed I got. I brought my attention to my granddad who stared at the field with hope in his eyes. Despite knowing the team wouldn’t make the playoffs, beating the rivals would be a great way to end the season. He must have sensed my stare because he turned around and smiled. I gave him one in return and a thumbs-up.

  Turning to Alexa, I told her I’d be back, grabbed my VIP pass that got me anywhere in the stadium—well, aside from locker rooms, but that was fine with me—slid on my Thunder cap, and headed into the stands. The grooved metal steps were charged with the fans’ energy, causing them to vibrate beneath my sneaks. Seeing more Virginia fans made me happy, but sad at the same time.

  All of what happened created a domino effect. Without filling the seats and having a losing season, the money wasn’t rolling in. Can’t spend what you don’t have, my granddad said to me four years ago when I asked him if he could counter the Rockets’ offer.

  I understood that too. Regardless of loving the sport and my granddad, I didn’t join the family business full on. Instead, I spent my final college years in Europe, graduated magna cum laude with an economics degree, and currently worked at SUGARCOAT, THIS! cookie bakery with Alexa, who owned it with her mother. My sister, Kenzie, and her husband, David, worked in the Thunder’s front office. Trust me, they were better suited for those positions. Me, I could be a bit of a hothead and was a much better fit behind the scenes.

  During the summer and fall after my junior year in high school, I interned at my granddad’s office to get early college credits. I’d sit in meetings and listen to them go on and on about marketing, profit margins, the need for salary caps. They also discussed stats, which I happened to love. Everyone thought I’d be joining the executive team, yet much to their surprise but not my granddad’s, I didn’t. That didn’t mean I wasn’t around on draft days or to consult with the senior staff.

  It also didn’t mean I wasn’t a wizard when it came to bizarre information. Sue me, but for some reason that stuff always fascinated me. For instance, Austin Stars are 0–8 against teams with quarterbacks with an E in their first name. Also, the Rockets are 5–0 in the red zone against teams who have a defensive player named Smith while playing on the road. And one more for good measure, the Thunder have more third down conversions while playing against teams that have an animal for a mascot.

  I could go on and on, but right now, I had something that needed to be done. Weaving my way through the concession stand lines, I finally came to the gate I wanted. A security guard in a bright yellow jacket stopped me at the top of the stairs before I lifted my badge. He smiled and waved me by. That was another thing. Thanks to keeping a low profile, few people knew who I was. I rarely attended team events, and when I did, I was sure not to be at the forefront. Unless I was promoting the bakery, I did my best to stay away from the media.

  The smell of beer, pretzels, and hot dogs brought back a slew of happy memories from when I went to games as a little girl. Remembering the joy on Granddad’s face as he explained the rules to his young granddaughters made me happy. This stadium, despite its size, was part of home to me. Call it nostalgia or the fact that I feasted on the energy oozing from the stands, it made me feel alive.

  I took the ribbed steps down to the lower level and stood at the railing, bringing myself just left of the goalpost. My ears hummed with the roar of the crowd. The announcer’s voice boomed, as the Rockets’ fans chanted, Archer, Archer, Archer. Trent hiked the ball, handed it off to his running back, and thankfully, our defense stopped him on the twenty-two yard line. A collective moan filled the stadium.

  Regardless of knowing there was a five point score difference, I glanced at the scoreboard at the opposite end of the field. That last play took barely any time, and the clock was still running. I let out a long breath, and took a minute to look over at our sideline, hoping our coach would call a time-out, but before he could, Trent went into a no-huddle, hurry-up offense and the next play was off. This time, he threw the ball to his favorite receiver, who went out of bounds at the eleven yard line, stopping the clock with fifteen seconds left.

  My heart thumped against my ribs. I knew despite of the game’s outcome, the Thunder’s seasons was over, but a loss would send the Rockets straight to the post-season. For a moment, I didn’t know which was worse—that we weren’t going or that they were. Deep down, I knew the Rockets would make it, but hoped it wasn’t because they beat us. Bad enough what happened with Trent and my granddad, but the rivalry between the Rockets and Thunder had been going on for decades. I supposed that was what happened when two teams’ stadiums were a mere twenty miles apart. We just seemed to be in a slump lately when playing them.

  A whistle sounded, my hands wrapped around the painted blue railing, and I stared at Trent. Through the slit in his facemask, I saw his eyes shift from his tight end on his right to the wide receiver on his left. The running back behind him took a step back. I watched as Trent lifted his foot two times as a signal.

  He’s going to run. I wanted to scream those four words to our defense, but I knew even if I did, they wouldn’t hear me, thanks to the tens of thousands of fan’s voices and foot stomping wracking the stadium. Our left tackle stepped to the right, and I leaned forward as the ball was hiked.

  Trent faked a hand-off and, just like I suspected, he tucked the ball into the number two on his jersey, and ran into the end zone untouched. Defeat hit me straight in my sternum. Poor Granddad.

  While the crowd erupted, the refs threw their hands in the air, signaling a touchdown, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the field. Annoyance rushed through me that no one in our coach’s booth, on the sideline, or on the field read that play correctly. I shook my head. Then that cocky, number-two-wearing baller spiked the pigskin, sending it into the air like a rocket… how fitting. Naturally, the DC fans around me were high-fiving and chanting, playoffs over and over again.

  Ignoring the splatters of beer flying in the air, I crossed my arms over my logo-covered chest and stared at the
ensuing celebration. At that moment, Trent took off his helmet, seemed to look directly at me, then smiled. No, he didn’t just smile, he puckered his lips in a mock kiss right before winking. Jerk! Everything that happened came rushing back… the team, Tracy’s devastation, and his egotistical gesture. So, I did what any respectable Thunder fan would do. I lifted my right hand, extended my middle finger, and flipped him off.

  I told you I could be a bit of a hothead.

  Chapter 2

  Trent

  “Playoffs bound!” my center yelled as he thrust his fist into the air. I smiled at him right before taking off my helmet. As soon as it slipped off, the sound of jubilant fans amplified, despite not being in our home stadium. The thing was, we were close enough in proximity and there were more Rockets jerseys than Thunder ones in the crowd.

  When I looked up, a gorgeous blonde stared at me. Our eyes connected, and the seventy thousand screaming fans seemed to vanish. It was as though we were in a tunnel, just a pretty girl wearing the home team’s colors and me. Her eyes narrowed into a glare. I almost turned around to see what or who she was tossing darts at. Rather than do that, I turned on the charm and blew her a kiss right before I winked—a move I’ve perfected and most women liked. Much to my surprise, she lifted her hand and flipped me off, causing my mouth to gape. I’ve had adverse reactions from opposing fans before, but generally they had a beer gut and facial hair. The female population tended to like me. Well, all but this one.

  Knowing reporters would be waiting for an interview, I turned and headed toward the sideline. “Who was that?” Jackson, our tight end and my closest friend, chuckled. “Don’t tell me there’s someone in the DC Metro area who hasn’t fallen for the charms of the Trent Archer?”

  I shoved him and laughed. “Dude, whatever. We’re going to the playoffs!”

  “Damn straight we are! Woo Hoo!” Jackson jogged off. I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder to see if the mystery woman had returned—she hadn’t. I hustled past a couple of my teammates being interviewed, smacking them on the shoulder pads as I jogged by. It was great to see them all so happy.