Sidelined (12 page)

“To tell you I think your friend lost his phone on the boat and it’s been ringing nonstop since I found it. And you boys need to clean up after yourselves better, or the boat becomes off limits. Beer bottles everywhere.” Her voice trailed off with the closing of the door, but the ringing didn’t stop.

“I like your mom.” Levi rolled in his arms and kissed him. His amber eyes shimmered with golden sparks of light set off by the morning sun. “She could have handled that badly.”

“She could have. I guess. Oh my god, two seconds earlier and she would have…oh fuck me.” Tracy caught his breath when Levi jabbed him in the stomach and rolled out of bed.

“Maybe later, Coach, I’m kind of fucked raw at the moment.” He crossed to the dresser to retrieve the phone just as it rang again. He thumbed the screen and shot a hand through his hair. “Oh fuck me.”

“I thought you were raw.” But Levi didn’t laugh or sass back. “What is it? Is it bad?”

“It says Pascagoula River, get up, bitch, we coming to kick your ass.”

Tracy was on his feet, standing beside Levi before he could stop to think. “What do you mean coming to kick your ass? Who’s coming to kick your ass?”

“Hang on,” he said, his thumbs busy texting. The phone rang again, just one note this time. “Fuck me.”

“Who is coming here, Brody? And don’t lie to me.”

Levi looked up at him, his thumbs stilled in mid-text. “Aww so cute, the Viking King is ready to fight for my honor. I’m going to wet my panties in a minute.”

“Levi!” Tracy took the phone from him and pulled up the text. “Eight football players are on their way to kick your ass.”

“Slayer says eight and a half since Sunday’s got two legs in his trunk. And I believe the only thing that’s in need of worrying would be the city’s beer supply.” He went back to texting.

“Except that today is Sunday, and we still can’t buy beer on Sunday. And where are they going to meet you? Your trailer?” Tracy stepped into his bathroom and started the shower. He smelled of barbeque, sex, and Levi.

“Oh hell, I hadn’t thought about that. No, I don’t want them knowing I’m living there. It’s a bit of a comedown from my townhouse.”

“You think?” Tracy shot back, watching as he raised the phone to his ear. “Why do you live in that thing anyway?”

Levi held up a finger and pointed to the phone. “Judah, yeah, I need a favor…”

Tracy sighed and went in to shower while Levi talked with his brother. He didn’t want to stick around to find out about what. Using the mini-mansion to impress his rich friends, no doubt. He’d just lathered his hair when Levi stepped into the tub with him.

“Did you work something out with Jude?”

“He’s in Montgomery taking depositions for a case he’s working on. So no go.” Levi found the bar of soap and attacked Tracy’s body, his eyes sparkling with light. “Have I mentioned that I really love blond men? Especially when the carpet matches the drapes.” He took his time with the soap, running it between Tracy’s legs and around his balls, over his taint. Tracy reached out for the wall to steady himself.

“You’re dangerous to have around, Brody, God, don’t stop.” He turned them so that Levi was under the shower and started with his hair before taking the soap from him and repaying him for the torment.

“I could get used to this, really,” Levi leaned against the wall, his face upturned as Tracy stroked him. “Your eyes are incredible, when you smile, like now, can’t get enough of this with you.”

Tracy leaned over him his heart beating hard. “I wanted to hate you. I was set to hate you. How did you get so damned close this fast?”

“I’m irresistible. And cute. And hot. And sexy. And I love dick. And football. And you’re the only game in town.”

Tracy felt the knife twist in his gut about the time his balls drew up tight. Levi’s mouth went slack as he came in Tracy’s hand. He wanted the fun back. But he didn’t want to be Levi’s default fuck. Levi watched him with hooded eyes as he shuddered through his own orgasm but said nothing. He trembled at the gentle stroke of Levi’s hand.

“I didn’t know there was such a thing as coming too many times.” He leaned his forearms on the wall, trying to catch his breath in the steam. A pair of golden eyes peered up at him from behind spiked black lashes. And Tracy tried to pretend that the stinging in his eyes was soap.

“Stick with me, Coach, you’ll learn something new every day.” Levi stepped out of his embrace to rinse the soap and cum from his body, leaving Tracy to shiver and wonder exactly what just happened.

Chapter Nine

“So you and the big guy are a thing?” Bowen Murphy leaned back on the loveseat, his arm across the back and one foot propped on his knee. He looked really good. His gaze drifting constantly to his lover who walked restlessly around the patio.

Levi pulled a sip from the water bottle he’d scrounged from last night’s party. Burgers sizzled on the grill as Tracy’s dad once again played host. His sister and mom flitted around with drinks and food. Slayer pushed the new QB in the pool. What the hell were all these people doing here anyway?

“What would make you think that?” He caught Tracy’s gaze for a moment before the man went back to his discussion with Dale Shannon. The two coaches standing slightly apart from the rest.

“You know, I figured out that Shannon pimped you to me, hoping with someone to fuck on a regular basis I’d snap out of it and we’d win him some games.” Bo drained his beer and set the bottle on the floor while Levi choked on his water.

“Jesus, Bo, just say it out loud so everyone can hear you. Fuck, man.”

“See that’s the thing with you, Levi, you won’t answer a direct question. I played with you for four years and slept with you for nearly a year, but you never gave me anything personal. And I gave you everything. All I’m asking is if you’re seeing the man? Because I want to see you happy.”

Bo had some nerve. Everything but his damned heart. Levi ducked his head to count the bricks on the patio after his gaze met Dylan Sunday’s. Jealousy twisted him around. And guilt. He wanted Bo. He wanted what Bo had with Dylan.

“And you do that when you’re trying to keep it together. I’ve watched you for years, Five. The time we were together I figured…it was good, Levi. You saved my life. And your boyfriend is about ready to tear me apart.”

Levi shot a look across the patio in time to see murder in the pair of ice blue laser beams Tracy called eyes. He felt the smile twitch his lips and ducked his head again. “He’s still pissed that I called him by your name.”

“Oh, hell, Five, you didn’t?” It was Bo’s turn to choke on his drink. Except Levi hadn’t seen him drink anything.

“In my defense, I was hopped up on pain pills at the time and whiskey. And I’d just met him.” He grinned at the floor, thinking about it.

“Pain pills? Is this a problem, Five?” Bo turned serious and leaned forward, his hair falling over Levi’s arm made him shiver with memory. “Because rumor has it that’s why they cut you. That you didn’t pass a drug test.”

“Who the fuck started that shit?” Levi was on his feet standing over Bo. His hands in fists. “Me never pass a drug test? Who started that rumor? I will tear him a fucking new hole.”

“It’s just rumor, no one believes it.” Bo stood up only a fraction of an inch taller than him, but Levi felt like he’d been dwarfed, on purpose. “There’s been no official word. Just that you aren’t coming back, and we need to get on with the new program.”

Levi could hear a bird off in the distance it was so quiet. Just the two of them standing toe to toe. “I wasn’t asked to take a damn drug test. They stood there when the surgeon and physical therapists said I’d never throw again, and that was it. They walked out. I got a call the next morning letting me know my contract would be paid out and thanking me for my years of service.”

“So you just tuck your tail and run home without telling anyone. We get back and there’s no 501 and no word. Slayer says you won’t answer the phone. For three weeks, Five. Three. I called you myself, and you didn’t answer.”

Levi turned to leave. The look in Bo’s eyes held something he’d always wanted. But not now. Not with…Bo grabbed his arm and pulled him back to face him. Levi sank to his knee as pain screamed up his neck. He tucked his arm and held his shoulder. “Oh fuck, Levi. I didn’t think it would still be this bad.” Bo stepped back just as another person stepped forward. Big damn thighed Sasquatch squatted in front of him and made him look directly into those frost bit laser beams of his.

“Breathe. In and out. We’ve done this before, Levi. Don’t clench up like that, breathe and ride it out.”

“I can’t feel my fingers, asshole, and what the hell, Tracy?”

“What does the therapist tell you to do?” Tracy wouldn’t back down, Levi could feel the eyes of every person on that patio on him.

“To breathe. And relax. What the fuck do you know about it?”

“Got a master’s degree in Sports Medicine, asshole. I know something about it.”

“But you’re up here coaching a second-rate high school team. Some big fucking deal the degree is.”

“You forgot teaching English, because I have masters in that too. And I’m where I want to be.” Levi heard the hurt in his voice. The same hurt he’d heard in the shower. “How’s the pain now?”

Levi flexed his hand, nothing shot up his neck, his elbow moved, he didn’t feel like puking. “Better. You’re still an asshole.”

“And you’re still Levi Brody. The front office screwed you over, son. Not the team. They didn’t even tell me.” Dale Shannon knelt in front of him now. “I’ve spent the last two weeks trying to track you down, but not one of these clowns would tell me where you’d gone.”

“I’ve been running drills with Tracy’s QBs. And doing PT. I didn’t go far.” He felt like a fool now. Showing weakness in front of his team, his friends, and his replacement. “I just want to be part of it. That’s all I’ve ever had, and now it’s gone.”

“It’s not gone. You’re good with the guys. In the week you’ve coached them, they stopped being a bunch of whining assholes and turned into teammates. I couldn’t have done it.” Tracy took his good arm and forced him to stand up. He couldn’t look around at the guys. Not after the show he’d just put on.

“I’m starved. Are those burgers ready?” He couldn’t look Tracy in the eye either.

“Yeah, just about.” Tracy took the hint and went off to check on the food. And Levi excused himself to find the restroom.

He nodded to Sunday as he passed him. They’d had a cool relationship since the night Dylan nearly killed him. Sunday nodded back. Levi didn’t want to contemplate what he saw in the man’s cold eyes.

Mrs. Wright met him in the kitchen and all but pushed him into a chair. “Now let me see your hand.” She didn’t ask, she demanded. And Levi held up his hand, wincing as his shoulder pulled. “Do you feel my touch?”

“Yes’m. It just tingles sometimes. Goes numb other times. Right now, it’s okay.” He flexed his fingers for her as she moved on to his shoulder. Probing and prodding. “Type Six if you’re wondering.”

“Thought as much. And pain shot up your neck, didn’t it?”

“Stingers. That’s what the PT calls them. There are some spinal issues as well. I can handle everything but the stingers and the numb. The stingers put me on my knees.”

“Clearly. And you did this to yourself how long ago?” She lifted his shirt to place an ice pack over his shoulder.

“November. I didn’t do it to myself, a huge nose tackle, much like your son, did it for me. Well, him and one of his teammates, they kind of used me for tug of war. I was the rope.”

“You’re a smartass, aren’t you, Levi?” She patted his head. “I like that. You’ll keep Tracy on his toes, that much I can see.”

“I don’t know about that. He gives as good as he gets. And about this morning.”

She smiled and placed her hands over her ears. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Now go on with you. And take this.” She put a platter loaded with fresh vegetables in his hands and shooed him out to the patio.

He met Tracy’s eye. Then Bo’s. And that was it. Not another word about his injury or the season or anything. It was just them, talking over burgers and beers. Until someone said they needed to go run off lunch, and suddenly everyone wanted to go down to the stadium and see the facilities and maybe toss around a ball or two. And somehow, he ended up with Sunday in his car for the trip in to town.

“Listen, Levi. About the last time I saw you.” Dylan started, his fingers clenched on his knees.

“I was messing in your territory, there’s nothing to talk about. You look good, by the way. Healthy.” Levi didn’t want to think about that night. His stupidity could have destroyed so much more than he understood at the time.

“I’m getting there. It’s been a long hard road. For both of us.” Dylan reached out and put his hand on Levi’s on the gear. “For all of us. And I want you to know that…he needed you to get through it. I got that. He told me he wanted to die those first few horrible weeks after word came that I was KIA. That he thought about it. And that you saved him.”

“Maybe, I don’t know. He could have snapped out of it on his own. He’s stronger than you think.” Levi drove past Jude’s mailbox, his eyes on the road. Ten more miles to the school. Twenty more minutes to talk about something he wanted to forget.

“And you fell in love with him. That’s what I saw that night. You with your love shining in your eyes. Bo falling apart because his asshole father had to die without fixing their relationship. You were taking him away from me, and I hated you because you had both legs and weren’t psychotic and you deserved him more than I did.”

“Dylan, look, man, I don’t want to talk about this with you. I was wrong to try to continue…it was just sex. Nothing more. It got us both through a nasty season. It was drama that shouldn’t have happened. Don’t sweat it.” Levi turned the radio on and up, using the steering wheel controls, hoping the man would take a hint.

Dylan reached over and turned the radio off. “It isn’t nothing. I tried to kill you that night, because I was out of my mind. PTSD didn’t really cover what I was going through. I was trapped in that hell hole. Sometimes I didn’t even know I was home. Bo was…I was killing him. Slowly but surely. I could see it. I just couldn’t stop it. He turned to you, because I wasn’t there for him. That night something snapped. That night…that night…I got the help I needed after that night. I got better. Not just physically but mentally. And I’m sorry for attacking you. But I’m not sorry that you gave me the reason to.”