Touchdown Daddy (125 page)

Margie was walking by herself, her earphones plugged into her ears. It was a day to be happy, she had aced her tests and Lance had passed it too. Not that she admitted she cared, but of course she cared. She’d seen him in class on the day of the test a few days ago and her heart had skipped a beat. He’d seen her too and she was the one who had shied away from the stare. Whatever happened between them, Margie knew he didn’t deserve to be kicked off the team or the college. He was a smart guy and it seemed like he actually did take her advice and studied.

She felt a tap on her shoulder just as her favorite song came to an end. She whipped around to find Bryan behind her, his hands thrust into his pockets and a big smile on his face. Margie rolled her eyes, pulled out one of the earphones and held it away from her ear.

“What do you want?” she asked him, as he continued to smile.

“How are you, Margie?” Bryan asked, making sure a distance was maintained between them.

“So you know my name now. Good. Again, what do you want?” Just the look of him made her blood boil. She hated him. She wanted to punch his face and wipe that smirk off. Bryan took in a breath and looked away with heavy, lidded eyes, before turning back to her.

“I wanted to have a chat. Congratulations. I heard you topped your business class.” Bryan suddenly stuck out his hand towards her and Margie looked at it with her face scrunched up.

“Are you kidding me? You can’t have stopped me in my tracks to congratulate me. If you don’t tell me what you want, I’m going to walk away.” Margie was about to plug the earphone back in when Bryan put his arm across in front of her, a dramatic gesture to ensure that she didn’t walk away.

“No. No. Okay. I wanted to apologize,” he said, and Margie raised her eyebrows.

“For what?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

“For what I was saying that day at the game. I know you heard me. And I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry for spreading those things about you and Lance,” he said, hanging his head low. Margie could barely believe it.

“Are you serious? What is making you apologize to me? You don't strike me as the kind of person who spends every day counting their sins.” Margie pulled out her other earplug as well and Bryan let a short laugh escape his lips.

“I’m apologizing because Lance told me the truth.” Bryan looked up again and Margie shook her head in further surprise.

“Truth?” she asked.

“About his relationship with you. I’m sorry that I spread gossip based on an assumption.” Bryan sighed. His cheeks were flushed. From the corner of her eye, Margie saw a movement and realized that Lance had appeared from the side. He was leaning against a tree now, his arms crossed across his chest.

She looked over at him and he smiled at her.

“Please leave now, Bryan,” Margie said, without looking at him. She sensed him shrug and leave immediately.

Lance and Margie stood looking at each other for a few seconds before he walked over to her. He looked gorgeous, as ever. His dark brown hair was brushed to the side, falling over his forehead. His green eyes were large and begging for forgiveness.

“Hey,” he said softly. Just his voice was enough to make Margie want to fall straight into his arms.

“Hi,” she said, and he smiled, finally.

“What was that about? Did you force Bryan to apologize to me?” Margie was still confused. She’d been fooled once before, she did not want it to happen again. This time, she was going to get the facts straight.

“Kinda. Especially after he told me what happened at the game. I don’t know why I’m still friends with him after all the shit he’s pulled over the years.” Lance ran his fingers through his hair. His sharp jaw was outlined perfectly by the fading light of the evening, and Margie knew exactly what it felt like to run her finger down it. She gulped and tried to strengthen her resolve again.

“So he just made all of that up?” she asked, and Lance nodded.

“The part about the pity sex. Yeah. Of course I didn’t say that. You should have known I didn’t.” Lance looked her directly in the eye as he spoke and Margie tried to hold his gaze. It was hard to do that and not simply melt into his arms.

“So what had you told him?” she asked. She needed more information.

“That we were intimate. That I didn’t know you well but wanted to get to know you better. Of course he didn’t like it. None of the guys like the sound of it, or that I’m not dating a cheerleader again,” Lance said with a sigh. Margie licked her lips and looked at him, trying to study him closely. Could he be trusted? Was he trying to dupe her again?

“And why did you wait this long to say all this?” she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Because I wanted to wait until the test was over. Just so that you don’t think that I
am
actually using you. Now that the test is over, I don’t need you to be my tutor anymore, but I still want to get to know you,” he said and stretched his hand out towards her. Margie looked at his hand, breathed in and slowly placed her own on his open palm. There it was, that electric shock again!

Lance pulled her to him and she rested her hands on his shoulders.

“I can’t believe I’m falling for it again,” Margie said, shaking her head.

“From now on, we’re going to speak our minds and be open about everything. I’m sorry that I caused you pain. You caused me a whole world of hurt that night at the bar,” Lance said with a laugh, and Margie rolled her eyes.

“When I was pretending to laugh and have fun?” She laughed with him.

“That dress was killing me,” he said and tightened his hand around her waist. Margie grazed her lips along his chin now, unable to control herself any longer.

“I can wear it again for you if you like,” she said with a giggle, and Lance kissed her softly on the cheek.

“Please do. But this time, don’t screech at Chloe and ask her to get off you,” Lance said, laughing again. Margie felt her cheeks flush, embarrassed that he knew about that.

“I’m sorry. That happened right after I heard Bryan talking. I had nobody else to take my anger out on,” Margie said, hiding her face on his chest. Lance was stroking her hair as he spoke. She could feel his fingers creeping up her back to trace the shape of her bra strap through the fabric of her clothes.

“Do you want to come to mine this time?” she asked, whispering in his ear, and Lance looked back at her. He was not expecting her to be this forward when she was so shy the last time.

“Yes,” he replied hoarsely.

The crowd cheered in waves. The game was being filmed this time by national television and the team supporters who were attending the game had been instructed to cheer in a wave pattern. There were going to be scouts in the bleachers, and Margie’s heart was pounding again. There was no doubt about it, Lance was going to be spotted, handpicked for a National League team.

She was in one of his jerseys, her hair tied up but her curls tumbling down over the back of her neck.

She cheered loudly as Lance kicked the team to victory. Bryan, at the other end of the seats, leaned forward to pass her a smile. Margie nodded in response. She decided she was going to warm to him.

Lance was on the shoulders of his teammates again and he caught her eye. Margie blew him a kiss and he mimed a catch and then rubbed it on his cheeks. Margie’s smile widened and she covered her mouth as she laughed. They’d been together for three months already, college was nearing its end and each day was better and better with him.

She watched as the cheerleaders swarmed the field now and Chloe ran right towards Lance. He leaned in towards her from above, still on top of two of his teammates’ shoulders and gave her a quick hug. Margie felt a jealous tug somewhere at the bottom of her heart, but he looked up immediately towards her and smiled. He was telling her that she had nothing to worry about. Lance was a man very much in love, and he was in love with her.

“He’s proven me wrong.” Claire’s voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Claire’s first game, and she had agreed to accompany Margie after days of pleading.

The buzz in the crowd had caught on to her as well. Claire was standing and clapping now, just like everyone else. Hank, the Arts Major from the bar, was beside her, equally converted on his first attendance of a football game.

“Your boyfriend is quite the performer,” Hank leaned forward to say, and Margie couldn’t help but laugh. She agreed. If there was ever a performer, it was Lance Healy.

People everywhere were blowing horns and waving big foam thumbs in the air, and Margie found confetti stuck to her hair now. This was going to be her life now, she was going to attend his games and watch on proudly as Lance took his team to victory after victory.

“Here she comes.” Claire nudged Margie with her elbow just as Chloe appeared behind them.

“We won!” Chloe shrieked, right into Margie’s ear.

“We did!” Margie said excitedly, and Chloe shocked her with a tight hug.

“What’s the deal with her then?” Claire asked as they watched Chloe walk down the seats towards Bryan and the other guys.

“Nothing. She still hangs around Lance a lot, but she knows she doesn’t really stand a chance with him. She’s kind of nice to me, though. So as long as she doesn’t throw herself at him anymore, I have no complaints,” Margie said with a sigh and a smile.

“You’ll have to deal with that a lot, though,” Claire said, rolling her eyes at Chloe, who was now hugging Bryan tightly. “Fangirls throwing themselves at Lance,” Claire added.

Margie sighed and shrugged. That is what she had signed up for with Lance as a boyfriend, she knew that.

“I consider myself lucky,” she said with another shrug. Claire pointed ahead and Margie turned to look. Lance had broken away from his team and was climbing the short distance through the bleachers towards her now.

“You are very lucky. And he’s a lucky guy to have you,” Claire said, clapping again as the crowd cheered for Lance as he made his way to Margie.

Margie’s heart was beating fast. Lance was coming to her. She was important to him, more than the game and more than the cheers.

“We won!” he said, just as he came up to her and lifted her up in his arms to give her a twirl.

“We won!” she repeated after him and leaned in for a kiss.

“Let’s get out of here?” he asked, gripping her waist tightly.

“What about celebrating with your teammates?” she asked, and Lance laughed.

“They’ll understand,” he said, planting a kiss on her belly.

“We’re leaving, Claire. I’m abducting your friend,” he said, turning to Claire and Hank.

Margie couldn’t do anything else other than blush a bright red.

*****

THE END

Bonus Book 25: Pregnant by the Dragon King

By:
Eliza Moon

Description

A curvy lady knight winning every battle PLUS a Dragon King who wants his throne back PLUS a vengeful witch looking to destroy them!

Two centuries ago, a battle between dragon and witch took place in the far off land of Grizlenzadi. Carmichael, the Dragon King of the land, lost his throne to the evil queen Danasi and she cursed all dragons, into a dormant extinction.

But the time has come for revenge...

Curvy Karina, also known as the famous Black Knight, has fought every knight in the country. And won each time.

But she isn’t prepared to learn that the long-lost Dragon King himself has sought her out to end the curse once and for all.

Now, it’s up to Karina to defeat the Witch Queen and free the dragon race. But what happens when the adventure of a lifetime turns into a steamy romance between a dragon and human? Only one way to find out.

Once, the land of Grizlenzadi was ruled from the heavens by the Dragon King and Queen. Caichmiorral and Morrigana watched over the three races of the land—the elves, the dragons and the humans. All was well. And so it remained, until one day, a human witch, a girl named Danasi, was born. Days after her birth, she was abandoned for her abnormal magical abilities. Feeling compassion for the child, Caichmiorral raised her with the dragon hatchlings, but as the girl grew older, she developed lustful feelings for him. When Caichmiorral refused her advances to become his mate, she ran from home, devastated and furious. Heavily laden with uncontrollable magic, Danasi nearly wiped out the faire folk and elves in one fateful night. Furious, King Caichmiorral demanded the witch leave his land and she did.

For a time, all returned to peace, until the scorned witch returned with a foreign army of enslaved undead and declared war on the dragon race. Caichmiorral accepted the war threat with a heavy heart. Ultimately, after the witch poisoned and killed his egg carrying mate, the war efforts faltered and the witch Danasi imprisoned all the dragons in the very earth itself. Danasi cursed him into his human form, adding to the pain in his heart with his freshly dead mate, she made the decree that the only way to lift it was to lay eggs with a new mate. Unfortunately, with all the dragons gone, Caichmiorral disappeared from the world, doomed to remain human for the rest of eternity.

Almost two hundred years later, the dragons still remain locked in their earthen prisons. The Dragon King is nowhere to be found and Danasi still holds onto the throne, ruling unjustly over all of Grizlenzadi.

Yet, there is hope. Caichmiorral has caught wind of a legendary jouster, known only as the Black Knight. He believes this man might just be his answer to breaking his curse, regaining his throne and destroying the witch Danasi once and for all. Death of the Witch Queen is the only other way to defeat her.