23. Everly
23
Everly
R achel and I share a look and grimace. I’ve seen the Mavs lose a game before, but I’ve never seen this kind of flop. It’s literally the worst they’ve played all season, and if I didn’t know that two of their starters had come down with Covid today, I’d say it was an unbelievable fall from grace.
A lot of the crowd here are Clippers fans, so there are plenty of happy people in the stands, but it’s obvious who the Mavs fans are because we all sit sober and dejected. We’re sitting at the funeral for our dreams, and if it’s this bad for us, I can’t imagine how Ryder and his team feel.
When the halftime show comes to an end and the teams come back onto the court for a brief warmup, we cheer like crazy again. If ever our team needed a little bit of support, it would be now, so we scream for all we’re worth.
I watch as Ryder and his coach talk and gesture for several minutes, and then I see Ryder calling the team together for a quick huddle before they break, only to grab at the shorter point guard I know is Marvin. Ryder pulls him back and speaks to him for several seconds. Whatever he says must have been unexpected based on the look of surprise on Marvin’s face, but Ryder nods multiple times and then they split.
I rub my hands together nervously as the game starts up again. At first, I don’t notice much change until a few minutes in I realize no one has scored. That’s new! In the first half, the Clippers seemed to score every time they touched the ball. I watch and sure enough the defensive formations for the Mavs are different. It’s still a zone defence, but it’s not the formation they were using in the first half.
And then suddenly Marvin shoots a three-pointer and scores!
I turn to Rachael with a shriek of victory, but we soon settle as the game moves quickly on. And before I know it, I’m watching Marvin plant another three-pointer, this time from further out.
“That’s amazing!” Rachel exclaims. “I’ve never seen someone take their shots so far back. He’s basically to the half court line.” I follow her line of sight as does each of the Clipper players, because they shift formation to compensate, and suddenly the game is on.
Over the course of the next forty minutes of play, the Mavs inch their way up, scoring so much more frequently than the Clippers that they manage to tie the game in the fourth quarter, and then everything goes into overdrive as the game takes on an energy akin to a battlefield with fouls being called left and right and free throws handed out like candy.
Rachel and I sit with bated breath counting every shot, every rebound, one eye on the clock and the other desperate not to miss a thing, praying for a win!
The players are exhausted. They’ve been sopping wet since the first half, and now they’re something else altogether. They’re still quicker than any of the fans lining the arena, but it’s clear we’re at the end. In a last-ditch effort, the ball falls back to Marvin with two seconds on the clock, and suddenly it’s in the net, and the buzzer goes off giving us the lead by 3 points.
We’ve won! The Mavs have won! Rachel and I scream with the rest of the crowd and spend the next ten minutes bouncing and waving and linking arms and singing, and we completely lose track of time as the players run onto the court and everyone around us is hugging and shouting.
I scan the crowd looking for Ryder, but I’m not the tallest, so I stay there wondering if I should stand on my chair when he suddenly appears in front of me, towering over the crowd, climbing over chairs. In one smooth motion he sweeps me up into a kiss, hoisting me into his arms and sinking his heart and soul right into the moment. Around us the noise goes on and players are running around the court like fools, but Ryder and I are locked in a world apart, our own little piece of heaven, lost in each other. When the kiss softens and we gently pull back, he tilts his forehead down to mine and we grin like children. “You did it.” I say low, just loud enough for him to hear me over the noise around us.
“Yeah...We did it,” and suddenly his eyes crinkle and all the adrenaline from the game comes shooting to the forefront as he hoists me up into the air. I throw up my fists in a gesture of victory, and we both whoop before he brings me back down and places me on my feet again. With one last kiss, he bends low to look me in the eyes.
“See you at the hotel?”
I feel giddiness inside as I nod my head emphatically, and then all of my brain cells short circuit as the question in his eyes morphs into a heated promise.
“Oh, it is on,” he murmurs, and - Oh. My. God! Electricity zips through me all the way down to my core, and I literally cannot get to the room fast enough. I watch him reunite with his team, and eventually they make their way back to the locker room while I stand there with stars in my eyes. I’m so going to get laid tonight!
What a comeback! I part ways with Rachel after a few more celebratory jigs. Then I grab an Uber to the hotel where the team coordinator has my room card ready. I show my ID when I arrive, and a security guard escorts me to the proper hall. Ducking into the room I take my time going through my clothing options and then stand in front of the mirror to compare. A few minutes later I nod my head decisively.
“Team jersey it is!” I strip down and pick out a black thong to accompany the jersey and then pull out my phone to browse while waiting for the city’s champion of the night. Ryder arrives over an hour later, and I’m suddenly nervous when I hear voices in the hall and hear the click of the door.
There’s exhaustion in every step, but when he drops his duffle bag to the floor, his satisfied grin makes it all worthwhile. I grin right back, and when he opens his arms, I jump up and run into his embrace with complete abandon. All of my nerves melt away the second our lips connect.
When he lifts me into his arms, I say a prayer of thanks for the showers at the stadium because he’s fresh, clean, and ready to go. Grabbing at a pocket in his bag with one hand, I see him snag a condom and toss it to the side table before he turns and pushes me against the wall where he brings his mouth slamming down on mine, one hand massaging my breast, squeezing, flicking, and teasing me while the other one slides slowly south. The second his fingers splay under the hem of my jersey and touch the thong, he pulls back with fire in his eyes.
“ This is interesting,“ he murmurs as he drops his gaze to my bare legs and then walks me to the bed where he turns me on my hands and knees and then slowly strips away both the jersey and the tiny garment below. The groan that issues from his throat is the most rewarding sound I’ve ever heard, and I clench my thighs together feeling a pulse in my core responding to his need.
“Everly,” it’s a reverent whisper issued as I crane my head to the side to look back at him over my shoulder. His eyes lift to mine just as he plants both hands on my bare behind. “My God, woman. This ass… Have I ever told you that you are fiiiine?!” His voice lifts into a croon on that last word as he draws it out with enthusiasm. “This is the finest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!” he declares with an expression wavering between hunger, need and awe. He stares for a minute, before sweeping his fingers over me, massaging and caressing until finally I see his gaze shift to determination as he clenches his jaw and gives me a quick smack.
I hardly have time to yelp before he pulls me closer, placing one hand on my shoulders and pressing me down until my chest touches the bed while my hips remain raised, and that’s when the ministrations begin. First his mouth, then his hands, and when I’m fit to burst at last he straightens himself and I hear the tear of the condom package followed by the pressure of his shaft spreading my folds and filling me slowly.
When he reaches the hilt, he holds for a moment, massaging me with his hands, sweeping them over my rear, my legs, my back and my nape. I take a moment to breathe, but it’s short-lived when he pulls back and then pumps into me, slowly at first, and soon after with more speed. In this position I can feel everything, and it has me throbbing and tingling until I can’t stop the cries coming from my throat.
My hips respond to his touch with their own tiny thrusts, and when he leans forward to reach underneath me I suddenly realize the beauty of long limbs, because he can reach all the way under. With one hand seizing my breast, the other moves lower to give a beautiful flick and point of pressure at my core, and suddenly he flings me into waves of ecstasy just before following after me with a final slam from behind and a cry of his own.
We collapse together on the bed, and when we can move again he flings himself into a star shape while I roll over and wrap myself around him like a monkey in a tree. For a few minutes we heave air, and then I feel him still beneath me. Seconds later I glance up to check if he’s asleep, and I find deep, golden-brown eyes watching me.
Placing a hand on his torso I wonder when he managed to strip all of his clothes off, but then I get caught in the feel of his skin. “You’re so hot,” I say in wonder, and then watch as his laughs make my hand bounce on his chest. Peeking back up at his face, I see he’s quirked an eyebrow at me.
“Thank you?” He sounds mildly amused, and I laugh when I realize what I’ve said.
“Yes, yes, you’re a hottie. That too.” I roll over on top of him and place both of my hands in his hair, gently tugging, testing its springiness, exploring. Dipping my fingers down, I trace his mouth and playfully dip the tip of my finger inside. He holds my gaze when he sucks, and I feel my heart race beneath my skin again as an unbidden grin pulls at my lips.
“What happened tonight?” I ask as I move my hands down to his pecks, testing, rubbing, and massaging. He looks contemplative for a moment and drops his gaze, and then I see a smile tug at his lips when he tilts his head and looks my way again.
“Honestly, it was you.” His voice comes out husky and soft if a little surprised. For a moment I’m not sure I head correctly. I stare at him, wondering if this is a joke.
“Excuse me?”
His eyes trail down my face and then take in my plump breasts squished between us, and I see the moment when he gets caught in the view. It takes several seconds before he raises his eyes back to me with a loopy grin.
“I’ve known you forever, Everly, and never thought anything of it…but then you showed up at the photoshoot and everything changed. You drew me in like a tide, and something happened in me. I wanted you, and I wanted you forever. I saw my whole future laid out with you, and it scared me to death. Fighting it was wrong, though. I almost ruined everything. The moment I embraced the change in me was the moment I felt free - free to love you…free to fight for a second chance…free to be the person I was always meant to be.”
I sit up, unconsciously trying to get a better angle to listen, and he scoots back beneath me until he’s propped against the headboard.
“I don’t think I understand the connection between our relationship and the game…”
“I had to let go of the team I wanted us to be, the team we would have been with our normal starting lineup, and I had to embrace the change. I just couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it and seeing you out there in the crowd and thinking of the difference in my life made something click. I convinced Coach to stop making us work the plays, and instead I made the plays that worked for this lineup. That’s what a good leader does, you know? They help others find their strengths and then set them up to shine. The Mavs did that tonight. We owned that court - the biggest comeback of the season.”
He finishes with pride and satisfaction etched all over his face, and I feel the same emotions spilling out of me. What a man! When he finishes his explanation, I’m grinning at him like a fool, and he sweeps his hands up my legs to my breasts. Then seconds later he reaches higher and draws me down for a gentle kiss.
“You know you’re my saving grace, Everly?” I catch my breath at this, but he’s not done. “I’m all in for you. You’re the best change that ever happened in my life, and I’m never going back. You’re it for me.”
I close my eyes and feel tears prick behind my lids. My God it’s so beautiful to be loved by this man!
But I haven’t told him the truth yet…and I’m afraid that maybe I’ve waited too long.