Page 37 of Leave It On The Field (Grand Slam 3)
“Wow, okay.” I duck under his arm and spin away from him. “The first time we were together you ripped the undies right off my body. Now you’re telling me to put them back on. I guess the honeymoon really is over. How disappoi—”
Before I can finish the sentence, he grabs me and backs me up against the wall.
“Soph,” he says, looking down at me with the wide eyes he only gets when someone has hurt his feelings. “Please don’t ever say I’m disappointing you. All I ever want to do is make you happy. You know that.”
“Oh, baby.” I wrap my arms around him again. “I’m just trying to get your mind off everything. You could never do anything to disappoint me.”
“You’re everything to me.” He squeezes me so tightly that I almost can’t breathe. “None of this crap matters without you. You understand that, right?”
“You know I do. You’re my world. It’s you and me first. Always.”
He lays his head on top of mine and lets out a long breath. “I think I want this season to be my last. I haven’t told anyone yet, but I’ve been thinking about it for months. Is that okay?”
I look up at him. “Of course it’s okay. Anything you want. It’s your career—”
“It’s my career, but it’s our life.” His face is more earnest than I’ve ever seen it. “It’s just, you know, with everything that I’ve brought down on you—all the unwanted attention. It might be better for you if I’m not playing.”
“Seb,” I say, rubbing his back. “Baby, none of that is your fault. I don’t want you to quit until you’re ready. I’m tough. I can deal with it.”
“I don’t want you to have to deal with it. Please tell me when it gets to be too much. I’ll quit that second. Just don’t leave me.”
“Leave you? What are you talking about? I’m never leaving you.” I look up at him again. His eyes are watery. “Seb, I’m never leaving you. Let the trolls bring their best stuff. I won’t let it get between us. In two weeks, we’ll be at the lake house and all of this craziness will fade away.”
“That sounds so good.” He hugs me to him again. “I can’t wait to be there—just us.”
“Just us,” I whisper into his chest. His heart rate is almost back to normal.
There’s a light tapping on the door.
“Seb,” Joe says. “It’s time. Bud wants to address the team.”
Seb takes a long breath and blows it out slowly. “Will you come down here right after the game?”
“Right after.”
“Promise?” He smiles down at me. His face looks relaxed for the first time since I came in here.
“Promise,” I say, as I start backing toward the door.
He holds up my panties. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Nope.” I open the door. “I’ll get them from you tonight after the game.”
Seb whips the panties behind his back as Joe walks into the room.
“Have a good game, babe,” I say as I start walking down the hallway.
“Sophie! Get back here.”
I twirl around, causing my dress to rise up a little bit. “You can’t make me.”
“Joe, can you see, I mean, uh, Sophie’s dress, can you—” Seb says, sputtering as he points at me.
“I’m wearing a dark dress that goes below my knees. No one will see anything—unless I want them to.”
“Sophia, get back here,” Seb says, a smile spreading over his face.
“Nope. Maybe you can wear them during the game like that guy did in that movie—”
