Full Court Devotion (2 page)

“Okay,
Natalya, I won’t embarrass you, if you’ll promise to come to my game tonight.”

She
stopped halfway down the hallway from her office and gnawed on her lip. “I have
a ton of homework.”

He
tilted his head to the side regarding her. “Could you at least come for a few
minutes?”

“Is
it so important for you to show off to me?”

He
blinked. “I’m not…trying to show off. The games are just a lot of fun and you
seem like you could use a break.”

“A
lot of fun because you’re the star?” How did he know she could use a break? Did
stress just radiate from her or was it something she’d said?

“No.
The students make them fun. We have the best spectators in the nation.”

She
rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard they’re the meanest.”

“They
don’t try to be mean. They’re just having fun and supporting their team.”

“If
you went to play at another school where the fans where cheering like ours,
what would you do?”

“I’d
think it was hilarious.”

“You
would!” She shook her head. His easy grin attested to the fact that he was
telling the truth. How would it feel to be that confident?

“Yeah,
I would, but I know it’s hard on some. My mom’s philosophy is, ‘If you can’t
handle getting razzed, get off the court.’ I know that sounds harsh, but we’re
collegiate athletes. We’re mentally tough and don’t let a little teasing bug us.”

“I
never thought of it like that.”

“If
you can’t laugh at the fans and the refs, you’re going to have a pretty
miserable time playing.”

“That’s
probably a good attitude.”

“So,
you’ll come for a minute tonight?”

She
tilted her head to the side, regarding him. “What was your end of this deal?”

“I
won’t come into your office and tell everyone you tried to tackle me this
morning so I would ask you out.” The sparkle in his dark eyes was irresistible.
She could see why women flocked to him, but she didn’t want to be another
number.

“You
wouldn’t dare!” Kazlyn folded her arms across her chest and stared him down, or
rather up.

“Try
me.” He arched an eyebrow.

“Okay,
okay. I’ll come by…for a few minutes.” Kazlyn wasn’t sure if she believed him
or not, but as much as he’d teased her, she wouldn’t put it past him.

“Come
at the end of the game, so I can talk to you after.”

She
shook her head. “You’re lucky I’m coming at all, no demands.”

He
held up his hands. She marveled at the size of those palms and couldn’t resist lifting
her own hand to trace his index finger. He visibly shivered and she dropped her
hand in embarrassment.

“Is
it a requirement of basketball players to have plate-sized hands and giraffe
legs?” she asked.

“Nice
to know I’m so attractive to you.”

Kazlyn
blushed furiously, not sure how to respond to that. He would be attractive to
anyone who called herself a female. She gave him a quick smile before turning
and walking toward her office.

“See
you tonight,” he called after her. “If you smile like that at some of the male
students, they’ll help you sit down close so I can see you. If I knew your name
I could get you tickets in the patrons’ section.”

“No
demands and no names,” she shot back at him.

He
held up those plate-sized hands again and gave her one more tempting grin. Her
mouth watered and not just because she’d skipped her granola bar to talk to
him.

Ty
was still
smiling as he changed in the locker room that night. The girl with no name was
not only beautiful, but fun to talk to. It was rare he met a girl who didn’t
know who he was. Rare and kind of nice. He appreciated his fans, but he knew
most girls dated him because of his semi-stardom—not what he was looking
for and definitely not what he would be taking home to meet his mom.

Jamison
bumped into his shoulder. “Hey, you going to wake up and join us for warmups?”

“Not
sleeping, just daydreaming.”

“Ooh.
Care to share?”

“Nope.”
He thought of Natalya’s sweet smile and large green eyes. How even though she
looked weighed down by her bag, she seemed to dance instead of merely walk.
Then, there was the way he’d felt when he touched her. He wasn’t sharing those
memories with anyone.

Jamison
pumped his eyebrows. “She must be impressive.”

Ty
nodded his agreement. Natalya was definitely impressive.

“Maybe
you’ll spill the details on the drive to my house for Christmas.”

Ty
kept the smile on his face, barely. He appreciated not having to stay in his
apartment alone during the break, but he wished he could afford to go home and
be with his mom and little sisters. Graduation was only four months after
Christmas, then he would drive his beat-up Toyota home for the summer.

“You
really need me in that three on three tournament, don’t you?” he asked Jamison.

“Ha!
I could win it by myself, I’m just trying to keep you in shape during the
break.”

“You
promised your momma could cook. I’m planning on gaining a bunch of weight.”

“She
can and she will love to spoil you.” Jamison’s tone softened. “Your mom would
want you to come with me.”

“I
know,” Ty exhaled. “She told me so last night.”

“I
wish you could see them, man.”

Ty
nodded and forced a smile. “Me, too.” He threw his warmups into his locker. “Let’s
go beat up on some Utes.”

“Sounds
good.”

Ty
jogged next to his friend. He forced his thoughts from his mom and a feisty
blonde who wouldn’t tell him her name. It was time to play ball and remind Coach
Anderson why he’d recruited a no-name from Alabama.

***

Kazlyn
stared blankly at her book. Her roommates were all at the basketball game and for
once, she could study in her apartment in peace and quiet. Why couldn’t she
concentrate? She said a quick prayer, asking for help getting through the next
two weeks of school. She pushed out a long sigh, knowing exactly why she
couldn’t focus. The reason was tall, dark, and handsome, and she could remember
every cute and teasing thing he’d said to her today.

Her
phone beeped. A text from her oldest brother, Luke.
Do I need to come visit
you and send the wrath of big brother into all those boys who are chasing you?

She
smiled and typed a quick reply.
No time for boys, so no worries.

Then
I can go to bed in peace tonight.

Sure
thing. See you in a week.

Sounds
great.

Kazlyn
stared at the pile of homework and wished Luke did have something to worry
about. Ty’s face came into her mind again. She shoved away from the small
kitchen table, grabbed her coat, and hurried out the door. The icy wind hit her
as soon as she exited the building. Luckily, The Spectrum was only a few blocks
up the hill.

The
wind pushed her through the glass doors as if it wanted her to see Ty as much
as she did. The lobby was deserted. She walked up the empty escalator to get
there faster. The ticket takers had already deserted their posts and as she
drew closer to the stadium, the roar of the crowd almost pushed her back. The Aggie
fans were screaming, “Left, right, left, right.”

Kazlyn
peeked through an opening and saw one of the red-jerseyed Utah Utes walking to
his bench, obviously he’d just fouled out. He paused for a second and the crowd
paused with him. He resumed his steps and the, “Left, right,” started again. As
soon as he reached his seat, they all screamed in unison, “Sit down!”

The
player shook his head, but sat down. Kazlyn laughed. The students were organized,
she’d give them that. She scanned across the standing, pulsating student
section for a seat, but couldn’t see a break in the bodies and really didn’t
want to push her way through. Looking at the section below filled with families
and older couples, she saw a few open seats down by one of the portals to the
locker rooms. She picked her way down the stairs, settled into an open seat,
and focused on the game.

Ty’s
tall form was close to the three-point line. USU’s guard had barely crossed
half-court before he drilled the ball at Ty. Dribbling straight in, Ty dodged
two defenders, leaped, and dunked the ball. Kazlyn jumped to her feet to cheer
with the rest of the crowd.

The
students erupted together and drew out his name, “Tyyyy-reeese.” Kazlyn got the
feeling they did that cheer a lot. A couple of teenage girls sat behind Kazlyn.
They giggled and she heard the one say, “Ty is so hot. I love him!”

She,
and probably most of the other females in the crowd, had a hard time looking at
anyone except Ty. One other player stood out, a huge redhead. He looked like a
farm boy who could’ve been from Snow Valley. When the announcer said, “And
Jamison Hall grabs another rebound,” Kazlyn did a double-take. Jamison had been
a few years older than her, but he
was
from her hometown. Crazy. She remembered
the big fuss in Snow Valley about him being good at basketball, but she didn’t
realize he was
this
good.

Jamison
gave Ty an assist and the crowd went crazy with their Ty-rese cheer again.
Kazlyn was amazed at the way Ty moved. She’d watched a lot of basketball with
both of her brothers playing for their high school team, but Ty was better than
anyone she’d seen. His hands just seemed to know where the ball was going to be
as he pulled in rebounds or was in just the right spot for someone to pass it
in and score. She’d noticed how big he was, but in just a jersey and shorts she
couldn’t help but look at his nicely-defined shoulders, arms, and calves. He
definitely didn’t have giraffe-legs and she could understand why the girls
behind her kept talking about him.

With
only a minute left in the game, one of the students yelled out the score of
each team, the other students repeated it as one, then they pointed from the
Aggies to the Utes, and in a deafening roar screamed, “Winning team, losing
team.”

“That’s
just mean,” Kazlyn muttered.

The
game finished with the Aggies winning 86-78. Kazlyn joined with everyone in
cheering. The team ran down the tunnel she was sitting next to, slapping the
hands of the children hanging over the edge. Ty jogged at the back of the pack.
She wished she could get his attention, but was too embarrassed to hang over
the tunnel. The girls behind Kazlyn screamed, “Ty!” He looked in their
direction, but instead of seeing them, he focused on her.

“Natalya!”
He grinned, holding his large palm up.

She
leaned over and grabbed it. “Great game.”

“Thanks.”
His coaches were behind him and obviously waiting. “Will you wait for me?”

She
shook her head. “I can’t.”

He
nodded, his dark eyes dimming. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As
Ty followed his teammates out of sight, one of the coaches eyed her strangely.
Kazlyn forced a smile at the guy.

“What
is wrong with you?” One of the girls behind her demanded.

Kazlyn
whirled to face her. “Are you talking to me?”

“You
bet I am.” The cute brunette’s bottom lip jutted out. “Tyrese just asked you to
wait for him and you told him ‘no’.”

“I
have a lot of homework.”

The
girl’s redheaded friend tossed her beautiful curls. “Girl, you are missing
out.”

Kazlyn
gave them an apologetic smile and followed the crowd out of the stadium into
the cold night air. Her homework had to come first, but she knew the teenagers
were right. She was missing out, missing out on more than she wanted to think
about.

Kazlyn
exited her
class and looked discreetly around for Ty. He’d said he would see her tomorrow.
She’d been watching for him all day, but this was the one place he knew she’d
be. Not spotting him anywhere, her shoulders rounded and she trudged toward the
exit. Thoughts of Ty and his teasing grin were the one bright spot with this
dreary weather and the fear of finals pressing in.

“Natalya.”
His deep voice carried through the building and Kazlyn’s entire body warmed.
She turned and waited as he jogged up to her. “Sorry,” he said. “I wanted to be
outside your classroom, but I got…detained.”

Even
though Kazlyn knew it was some admiring girl who probably detained him, she
didn’t mind, too much. At least he was here now. “I should’ve waited, but I
didn’t know if…” She glanced down. He didn’t say anything and when she looked
back up those dark eyes sparkled at her.

“I
told you I’d see you tomorrow. If I missed you here, I would’ve searched the
student center for the office you work in.”

“You
wouldn’t.”

“Don’t
wait for me on Monday and you’ll see.”

She
couldn’t help but smile, wishing it wasn’t Friday, so she could see him
tomorrow. She turned toward the door. “I’d better get to work.”

“I’ll
walk with you.” He reached over and relieved her of her heavy bag.

“Thanks.”
Ty’s smile, and the relief of not carrying her bag, made her feel like she was
floating.

They
exited the door and once again, he shielded her from the canyon breeze with his
body. It was such a simple gesture, but made her feel like he cared, like she
might be more to him than all the other girls vying for his attention.

They
didn’t say much as they hurried through the wind to the student center. Kazlyn
exhaled as they entered the warm building, pulling her gloves off and stuffing
them in her coat pocket. “I don’t mind the cold that much, but this wind is
vicious. I’d rather have it snow.”

“I’d
rather have it snow, too. I like the different seasons, where I’m from it’s
usually too warm.”

“Where
are you from?” She glanced up at him shyly.

“Alabama.
You?”

“Montana.”

He
responded kindly to some greetings, “Hey, Ty,” and “Great game,” then whirled
back to her. “Back up the bus,” he said.

Kazlyn
stared at him, confused.

He
wrapped his large hand around her smaller one and tugged her out of the flow of
people and into a semi-private corner of the large open area on the second
floor.

“You
just told me where you’re from, but you still won’t tell me your name.”

“It’s
not like you’re going to track me to Montana.” She smiled.

He
arched his eyebrows. “Try me.”

Kazlyn
looked down at their clasped hands, then back up at him.

His
grin grew. “You’re letting me hold your hand and still won’t tell me what your
name is.”

Kazlyn
didn’t deny it or pull away. She wanted to tell him her name, but she liked the
way he teased her too much to give in, yet. And she
really
liked the way
his hand felt around hers. “Maybe I’ll tell you my name Monday.”

“You’d
better,” he growled.

She
laughed.

“How
about letting me take you to dinner next weekend?” he asked.

“What’s
wrong with this weekend?” She couldn’t believe how much she wanted to go out
with Ty. The teenagers at the ballgame last night really made her stop and think;
she didn’t want to miss out. She wanted to get to know him—smile and
laugh and feel alive. He did all that for her and she barely knew him. Being
around him felt like springtime after a vicious Montana winter.

He
chuckled. “I wish it could be this weekend. We fly out for Vegas in a few
hours, game tomorrow afternoon.”

“Oh.”
Kazlyn already felt the loss. Between studying and Ty not showing up to make
her smile, it was going to be a very long weekend.

He
stroked his thumb along the back of her hand; tingles started on her skin and
worked their way up. She swallowed, trying to control her racing heart.

“What
did you think of the game?” He looked like a little boy asking his favorite
teacher if he’d done okay on the assignment.

“You
were amazing! I couldn’t believe the way you moved. It’s like you know exactly
where the ball is going to be and you find it. I’ve never seen someone play
basketball that well.” Kazlyn knew she was gushing, but she couldn’t seem to
help herself.

His
smile and the way he gently rubbed her hand made all the gushing worth it.
“Thanks. Did the students’ cheers bug you?”

She
shrugged. “Some of them were funny, but the one at the end is pretty mean.”

“Winning
team, losing team?”

“Yeah.”

“It
is, but like I said, these are big boys, they can handle a little teasing.”

“But
that still isn’t a reason to be mean. How would Jesus treat the other team?”

He
laughed, but it was a friendly sound. “I should’ve known you’d be a Christian.”
He squeezed her hand. “Don’t get me wrong. I am, too. And I agree that you
shouldn’t belittle or make fun of people. I always try to treat the other team
like I’d want to be treated.”

She
nodded, relieved he shared her faith. “I noticed when you were shaking hands
that quite a few of them hugged you or thumped you on the back.”

“They’re
good guys. I know some of them from camps and I’ve played against a few of them
for years.”

She
glanced at their hands one more time before reluctantly tugging free. “I’ve
really got to go. My boss will be wondering what’s going on.”

“Okay.”
He handed the bag to her. “Wait for me outside your class Monday?”

“Sure.
Good luck this weekend.”

“Thanks.”

Kazlyn
walked away, only allowing herself to look back once. Ty watched her. She
waved, blushing and wondering if any man had made her feel this way before.