Risks Regret

One play will determine the rest of my life.

It’s a long shot.

A Hail Mary pass.

But I have a better chance of my bum knee magically healing itself than at winning back the girl I stupidly gave up.

I made a mistake and let her get away from me once.

I won’t be that careless this time.

When an injury ends my career on the field, I start over as a coach.

Moving to Seattle brings Molly back into my life and I want a new beginning with her, too.

I realize my injury is a blessing in disguise. I was never going to find the missing piece of my soul on the football field, because that missing piece was always her. I was just too young and stupid to see it.

I need her back.

I'm putting everything I have into this one last shot.

It's up to Molly to decide if my Hail Mary turns out to be a fumble or a touchdown…

If you like insta-love romance with a little bit of humor, this over-the-top quick read is perfect for you.

Please note this story was previously published under the title Hail Mary: A Quick Snap: Championship Edition Novella Collection by Loni Ree. The story has been expanded and changed slightly but the overall story outcome remains the same.

My plan to get a drink and ease some of the stress sitting on my shoulders flies right out the fucking window the minute I lay eyes on her. The curvy little woman sitting alone in a booth at the back of the bar blows my mind. She’s the perfect bait for all the motherfucking sharks circling her, and I don’t like it one bit.
Territorial thoughts rise up out of nowhere, and I wonder if I’m losing my mind. One of the little bastards gets up the nerve to approach her, and I almost laugh at the defeated look on his face as he slinks away. I glance around, giving all the hungry assholes a warning glare.
My heartbeat pounds in my ears as my hands clench at my side, and I fight the urge to twist my fingers through her long chestnut hair while I’m fucking the hell out of her. Okay. This shit is getting scary. I’m powerless to stop myself from pushing my way through the crowd, heading for the woman who just knocked me on my ass without even acknowledging me yet. What in the holy hell is going on here? If I didn’t know better, I’d believe that this curvy doll just stole my heart. Fuck my life.
I stop next to her table and watch her stunning green eyes widen as I slide into the booth across from her. “I’m not interested,” she huffs, but the desire swimming in her expressive eyes tells a different story.
“I wasn’t asking.” The words slip past my filter, and I watch her eyes narrow. Wrong fucking thing to say, dumbass. An angry red blush covers her peach-colored skin and I know it’s time to backpedal.
“You just harass women for fun?” As she stares at me with one eyebrow raised, I stare back, trying to figure out how to handle this situation.
“I’m not harassing you.” I shrug. “I’m trying to make your acquaintance.”
“Nice try.” She shakes her head. “But I’d rather we remain strangers.”
A barely dressed waitress walks up, interrupting us, and I sit back to see how my girl reacts. “Can I get you anything?” My eyes water when the server leans close to me, and her sickening sweet fragrance reaches my nose. I sense an invisible wall developing between me and the curvy beauty, and I hate the distance.
“No,” I growl, hoping the waitress takes the hint to get the fuck away before turning back to the girl shooting daggers at me.
“Just signal me.” The clueless female pats my arm before walking away, and I barely resist the urge to wipe her touch away. Shaking my head, I wonder if I’ve had a brain bleed or something. My MC brother, Devil, would have a field day with me right now. Hopefully, he never finds out about this.
“You should take her up on her offer.” I blink several times, trying to catch up with what I missed while having a conversation with myself. Exhaustion and stress have turned me into a dipshit.
Reaching across the scarred wooden table, I take her soft hand in mine and run my fingers across her silky skin. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
“Lucky me,” she mumbles under her breath.
For some reason, I can’t walk away from the ornery female, so it’s time to change strategy. Taking a deep breath, I smile at her. “Let’s try this again. I’m Risk.”
“A risk, or did your mother decide to name you appropriately?” She smirks and I barely resist the urge to pull her close and cover her plump lips with mine.
“Risk Long.” Ignoring her flippant remark, I lean over to place a kiss on the back of her knuckles. Her emerald eyes widen as electricity fills the air around us.
“Interesting name. I could make all kinds of comments, but I’ll refrain. My name is Pen.” She grumbles and pulls her hand away, “Just Pen.”
“Like a writing instrument?” I ask before internally groaning. I sound like a goddamn moron. One look at the curvy little beauty and my brain went on a fucking vacation.
“Yep.” She rolls her eyes and shrugs. One side of her t-shirt slips from her shoulder, giving me a glimpse of pale silky skin and causing all the blood in my body to head south of my waistband. My oxygen-deprived brain has no fucking hope of keeping up with the back-and-forth battle.
“Interesting name.” I smile and feel an invisible wall coming up between us. The snarky little miss is making conversation rather difficult. “Is it short for Penny or something?”
“Or something.” A lesser man might walk away at this point, but I dig my heels in for the ride. Something tells me this girl is worth the effort.
“No, I’m not from around here. No, I don’t want to take a ride on your dick or anything else. No, I’m not gay.” The curvy beauty pauses for a few seconds. “I think that should answer all your questions. Now that we have that out of the way, can you please leave me alone?”
That’s not happening. Ever. What? I rub the back of my neck, wondering where these crazy thoughts are coming from. “Let me buy you a drink and we can talk.” I give it one last try.
Seeing determination enter her emerald eyes, I feel my hackles rise.
“I already have a drink and I don’t want to talk to you.” She holds up her bottle before taking a sip. Her shoulders slump as she stares into my eyes. “Look. You’re barking up the wrong tree. I’m not going to be your easy lay for the night.”
“Who says I’m looking for an easy lay?” As the words leave my mouth, I see the train heading straight for me, but there’s nothing I can do to avoid the collision.