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The tall, muscular young man smiled almost to himself as the recollections flitted through his mind, giving him an almost warm, tingly feeling.
"Hey, Levesque!" Coach Shawn Michaels called, waving a hand before his face. "What's with you?"
Paul Levesque looked up from his stance into the face of the other man, who looked slightly annoyed but concerned.
"We've got a play to go over here..."
"Sorry, Coach," Paul said, and he straightened up, readjusting his football helmet. At six-foot-four and two-hundred and seventy pounds, he was the star quarterback of Cannon's Worth's football team, the Badgers. "I guess I just had something on my mind..."
"That's pretty obvious," Michaels retorted. "Leave it off the field - whatever it is, it'll be back after this play."
Levesque turned his head to exchange glances with another player, Shane McMahon - his best friend not only in the college, but anywhere in the world.
Shane gave him a knowing look, then nodded.
"Sorry, Coach - it won't happen again."
"Damn straight..." Michaels said, then reached for his whistle and blew it.
As the team commenced their practice, Paul couldn't help but continue to be distracted. After all, it had been only under two weeks since the incident had occurred...
He couldn't afford to dwell on it. What had happened had happened. At least the damn little teasing, tempting bitch hadn't gone to the authories - at least not to his knowledge.
As he ran across the field, his gaze traveled all the way to the bleachers. There were only a handful of spectators today, as it was only a team practice - but he caught sight of the lovely vision sitting down at the very front row, watching him. She was here for him.
Stephanie - a tall, beautiful brunette with large, sparkling blue eyes, was not only Shane's younger sister, but his girlfriend as well. They'd met after Paul had graduated from high school and then come for an interview to get into this school. Her mother was the dean of students, and her father actually owned Cannon's Worth.
Despite having little in common with the brunette, Paul had begun courting her. As far as he was concerned, common interests didn't really matter. Stephanie was beautiful, sweet, intelligent and rich. What guy could ask for anything more in a girlfriend?
It was just too bad he couldn't get a certain other brunette out of his mind... One who'd claimed not to stand him but had gone out with him once, even though she knew he was with Stephanie.
At first, the young woman had been pretty much friends with him, although she'd initially expressed surprise when he'd asked her out - but she'd decided, after a bit of coaxing, to take him up on his offer.
The date had been horrendous... At least to her. Or, at least that was what the little tease had claimed.
The practice continued pretty strenuously for the next fifteen or so minutes, then ended when Coach Michaels blew into his whistle and waved a hand up high in the air.
As Shane approached him, Paul reached up to remove his helmet, freeing his golden shoulder-length hair - and, as he looked toward the bleachers again, he saw the girl...
She was standing beside another girl he knew by sight, Stacy Keibler. She had long, auburn-red hair and a very natural beauty about her. She was dressed in a black baby tee and blue stretch jeans, and he allowed his gaze to scan over her with appreciation. The corner of his mouth arched up in almost a smirk as he took in the sight of the big tattoo adorning her right shoulder.
The burly man turned to exchange glances with Shane again. The
other man wore an amused expression on his face but gave Paul a knowing
look...