#Rev (GearShark #2)(72)

Before the game was set to start, the fans were told to find their seats, and once the field was clear, the teams retreated to their sides. It felt weird to be on the opposite side from Trent, but it was a necessity. I found him in the group across the field. It was easy because he was the biggest one.

Or maybe it was because I loved him.

When I started thinking about the way he kissed me earlier and how he said he wanted to be inside me, I had to look away. If I didn’t, I was going to look like one of those cartoon characters with hearts in their eyes.

Lame.

The press would have a damn field day.

Romeo and Braeden approached and took up position on each side of me. They both had their flags already fastened around their waist. We were wearing Knights colors, and the frat was wearing Alpha U colors.

“Crush ‘em, but don't break ‘em,” Romeo said quietly.

“You're getting soft in your old age,” Braeden told him.

“At least make it look like an accident." Romeo conceded.

Braeden offered me his fist, and we bumped it out.

The entire team got together and talked strategy. Obviously, Romeo was the quarterback, and most other positions were filled. I was put on defense. Strange because I wasn’t that big, but no one questioned Romeo.

Our game wasn't going to be as long as a real football game, but the fans didn't care. They cheered and flocked to the stands like nobody's business.

I avoided the press, who was especially interested in our side of the field like a plague, and breathed a sigh of relief when they were escorted away so the game could begin.

Our team won the coin toss, so we got the ball first.

I smiled under the helmet when I saw three out of the four guys who attacked Trent were playing offense, including Con. I wasn't sure where the big one was, the one who’d been friends with Trent up until he started thinking T was gay.

I looked for him earlier but had yet to lay eyes on him.

The ball was snapped and the game began. I knew the basics of football, but I wasn't an expert. It really didn't matter anyway. I went right for Conner.

He was in my direct line of sight, and I charged him. I sank low like I knew Trent did and didn't hesitate. I bulldozed into him and took him down. He landed with an ooomph beneath me. I quickly "scrambled" up and "accidentally" kneed him in the balls.

“Ugghh…” He rolled to his side.

“Man, you okay?” I asked. “My bad.”

He rolled onto his back and glared at me. His chest was heaving, probably because his boys were barking.

I offered him a hand to help him up, but he knocked it away.

I smiled. “Have a good game.”

The distinct flare of panic in his eyes when I spoke made me extremely satisfied as I turned to walk away.

Braeden lived up to his “Hulk” status during the game. That guy was a freaking beast on the field. It was quite the contrast to the guy I saw with my niece and sister. But it sure was hella fun to watch. He took down guys like nobody’s business, and by the end of the first quarter, one of the guys who jumped Trent was escorted off the field with a limp.

As the quarterback, Romeo wasn’t really in the position to tackle, but he still managed. He ran the ball a couple times and used his upper body as a battering ram when Conner or a few other guys got in his way.

Of course, we couldn’t make it look like we were targeting a few players rougher than the others, so we couldn’t take them out every play, and we had to actually play the game.

It was fun actually.

Watching Trent in his element was awesome. The only other time I saw that kind of passion in his eyes was when he talked business with Gamble. He played quarterback for the frat. It wasn’t his usual position, but he was the best choice. Plus, it was a little less “contact” for his ribs.

I had a feeling Romeo pretty much warned his Knights players to back off Trent, and of course, the Wolves already knew about his injury because they’d been training with him while it healed.

A couple times, T got sacked, but not hard enough to reinjure him. Still, each time he went down, my heart skipped a beat. Shit, I had no idea how Rim and Ivy dealt with this all the time.

Romeo seemed to realize how I was feeling, which made me wonder if I was being obvious. Before Trent took the field again, he was at my side. “Why don’t you play out there this round?”

I glanced at him. “Why?”

“You notice Con’s out there this go around?” He hitched his chin toward the field.

“What the f*ck?” I muttered. “He wouldn’t take down someone on his own team. That would look shady.”

“Unless it was an accident,” Romeo said.

I wouldn’t put it past him. He’d already taken a bunch of cheap shots at Trent. “I’m going,” I said.

Romeo called in one of the other guys, and I jogged out to take his place.

Trent glanced at me momentarily, but his eyes didn’t linger.

The ball was snapped into Trent’s hands. He held it, looking for an open pass. When he found one, he threw the ball. Most players followed the ball, but my eyes stayed on T. I even let the player by I was supposed to be blocking.

It’s a good thing. I wasn’t the only one whose eyes stayed with him. Conner cut across the field toward Trent. He shoved one of the opposing players back, and it looked pretty legit.