Anitra Lynn McLeod Gridiron Gods 01 Waterboy

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But I m no leader. The thought of being in charge of anyone
other than himself was stone-cold terrifying. Up until a few weeks
ago, I was a stoop-shouldered loner with a kinky daydream
obsession.
And now you re the leader of a group of shape-shifting, football-
playing grizzlies. Matthew grinned. And think for a moment,
Danny. You re the perfect guy to lead.
How the hell do you figure that? As much as he appreciated
Matthew s support, the idea he was supporting was something Danny
didn t want.
You know what it s like to be picked on, to be at the mercy of
Waterboy 97
someone bigger and stronger. You would never hurt someone for
kicks. Matthew cupped his hand. You would never use your power
for evil.
You re horribly biased, Matthew.
No, he s right. Dylan met and held Danny s gaze. I think it
was Plato who said those who seek power are not worthy of that
power. At their startled expressions, Dylan wryly commented, I do
have a 3.6 GPA.
I m sorry that I treated you badly, Danny said.
Don t worry about it. I couldn t tell you. And even if I could, you
wouldn t have believed me.
That day, in the locker room, you weren t leaning over to hit me,
but to help me up, Danny said. What I perceived as anger was you
trying to keep your cool around me.
With a relieved sigh, Dylan nodded. I felt you as soon as you hit
campus. It drove me crazy, and at first I thought He cut himself
off abruptly.
You thought Danny was for you. Matthew bristled, and Danny
frowned at him. Matthew relented when he heard what Dylan had to
say next.
I did. But then I was told I was the nexus. That I will never have
a companion.
There was a long stretch of silence.
If I m the leader, then I can say that you will have someone. I
swear you will. Danny would make it happen no matter what he had
to do. Well, I guess after that I can t say no to being the leader,
right?
You can say no, but it won t do you any good. Dylan looked at
him with so much hope swimming in his gaze, Danny felt his eyes
water. Wordlessly, Dylan thanked him for trying to find him a
companion.
And you love taking care of us, Matthew pointed out. You
always have.
98 Anitra Lynn McLeod
Responsibility settled heavily on Danny s shoulders, but with
Matthew at his side, he new he would persevere. What the voice had
told him about the Gridiron Gods came back to him. Was that what
they were? In his heart, Danny thought they were.
Dylan stood. And now I think you should get dressed.
What? Why? Matthew demanded.
Stop grousing. You just want to see how many pieces of
furniture we can fornicate on today. Danny rose. Where do we need
to go, and why?
There s a meeting with the coach in twenty minutes. Both of you
need to be there.
* * * *
Danny Jones was surrounded by football players. Big and angry
and intractable. Walls of muscular flesh encased him in a protective
circle.
You always look after us, and now it s our privilege to look after
you. Brandon Sanders clapped his hand to Danny s back with
surprising gentleness.
Coach stood glaring at the group of them, his features a mix of
exasperation and incredulity.
I ve made my decision. He s off the team. Coach Miller met
their obstinance with his own immovable stance.
Danny felt trapped between a rock and a hard place.
Speaking for the group, Brandon stepped forward. If he goes, we
all go.
Confusion wrinkled up the coach s face. You ll walk over him?
He pointed one of his meaty fingers at Danny.
He s a member of this team. Brandon crossed his arms and
every guy around him did the same.
He s the goddamn waterboy!
He s our friend and our teammate.
Waterboy 99
I ll replace all of you.
Every guy on the team? Midseason? Good luck with that.
You ll lose your scholarship, Coach threatened Matthew.
No, I won t, and neither will anyone else, Matthew said. We re
here on academic scholarships, not athletic ones. You can kick us off
the team, but you can t kick us out of school.
For all the times Danny had felt alone and exposed, he now felt an
integral part of the group. Brandon wasn t just talking out his ass. The
entire team, including the second- and third-string guys, were willing
to walk if Danny wasn t reinstated. And Dylan made certain Danny
knew this had nothing to do with his leadership of the sloth. This was
because the guys honestly appreciated everything Danny did for them.
Overwhelmed by their support, Danny pinched himself to make
sure he wasn t lost in a fantasy.
Behind him, conveying strength with his presence, Matthew
moved closer and whispered, This is real. We re all behind you,
Danny.
Eventually, realizing he wouldn t have a job if he didn t have a
team, Coach reluctantly reinstated Danny. Clearly unhappy about the
situation, he crammed his clipboard into his sweaty pit and stomped
out of the gymnasium.
There were still unanswered questions about his and Matthew s
roles, but Danny let that go for now. It was hard to think of anything
negative when he was swept up into big, strong hugs that told him in
no uncertain terms that he was beloved by his teammates.
It. Was. Heaven.
THE END
WWW.ANITRAMCLEOD.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anitra Lynn McLeod has been writing since she was twelve.
Creating unique worlds is her forte, combining unlikely genres such
as historical, fantasy, futuristic and erotic into a steampunky and
steamy brew. Reading, writing, and white-water rafting are the three
things she enjoys the most. You can visit her at
www.AnitraMcLeod.com, write to her at alm@AnitraMcLeod.com,
or fan her at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anitra-Lynn-
McLeod/323123001356
You can also follow her on twitter @AnitraMcLeod
Or if all else fails, you can also snail mail her:
Anitra Lynn McLeod
PO Box 16631
SLC, UT 84116-0631
Send a SASE for a free bookmark.
Also by Anitra Lynn McLeod
Siren Classic: Devil s Due
Siren Classic: Dirty Cowboy
Available at
BOOKSTRAND.COM
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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