The Win
The Win
Tamara POV
I opened my mouth for him. The moment I did that, his tongue delved inside my mouth. A deep rumble emanated from his chest. His kiss turned deeper, more insistent. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer until I could feel the heat of his body through the fabric. He kissed me like he was starving, his lips pressing against mine with an almost desperate urgency. I responded instinctively, my fingers threading through his hair as I tilted my head, allowing him more access. His breath quickened, and I could feel the beat of his heart pounding against my chest as he deepened the kiss further, making everything else blur into the background.
Oh, goddess. I needed this so badly. My body was arching into his unconsciously.
I didn’t want the dream to end. Ever.
Something hot, like a huge rod, pressed against my belly. I shot my hand instinctively to feel what it was, but he took my hands in his and pinned them over my head. I moaned in protest, but didn’t leave him.
Finally, I pulled away, my breath coming in short gasps. “I won’t reject you… this week,” I whispered.
“I’m not going anywhere, Tamara,” he said softly, “Not now, not ever.” His weight still pressed against me, that hot rod between us, which I so wanted to grab and explore. “And you won’t reject me.”
I opened my eyes half–mast, and looked dreamily at him, and for the first time, I allowed myself to feel the full extent of my emotions in my dreams. Was I was falling for him? Was I ready or not? Yeah… I was dreaming. My mind was so muddled up that Matt’s proximity, which I dreamt, affected it. I chuckled, and then fell off into deep sleep.
The next day, I found myself nervously preparing for the match. The practice had left me drained, but it had also pushed me to my limits.
The match was set on the beach, right by the sea. The sun was beginning its ascent, casting a golden glow across the water. The air was warm. The crowd around the courts buzzed with excitement, as the sound of waves crashing against the shore added a background to the noise of spectators cheering. It was a perfect setting for a beachball game, but the nerves in my chest had nothing to do with the weather or the environment.
I was dressed in my team’s uniform, a tight–fitting half tank top and bikini bottom, designed to help with movement and agility, but all it did was highlight the attention I was getting.
The boys in the crowd couldn’t seem to take their eyes off me. I could feel their stares, their gazes lingering a little too long, and I hated it. Why did they have to look at me like that? I wasn’t their prize to ogle. I wanted to play, to focus, but the constant attention made it hard to concentrate. It was like every glance was a weight pressing down on me. Like they were judging me or lusting after me. When I glanced at Matt, his expressions were dark, like he was cataloguing every boy out there with his eyes to kill them in future.
The Dolphins–the reigning champions–were already eyeing us like they were going to wipe us out. I could feel the tension in the air as the Dolphins lined up on the court. Their looks were intense, and they seemed ready to bring it all. The pressure was suffocating.
‘You’ve got this, Angel said, but the weight of their stares lingered in my mind. No assurances were going to prepare me for what was to come.
I glanced at Matt as he stood by the sidelines, watching me. His presence was the only thing that kept me grounded. His eyes were locked on me, and I took a deep breath, ready to face the game.
Lexi and Sarah’s voices cut through the tension, sharp and cutting.
“If we lose, it’ll be because of Tamara,” Lexi sneered.
Sarah agreed, “We don’t need someone like her dragging us down. I don’t know why Coach Dana has agreed to let her in the team. She’s such a fucking douche!”
I bit my lip, trying not to react. The sting of their words burned deep. Angel growled at them. ‘Should I kill them?‘
I sighed. ‘That’s not a solution, Angel. Besides, we are in the human world. Our rules don’t work here.‘
Coach Dana gathered us in for one last pep talk. “Focus! No distractions. This is about the team. Let’s win!” She glared at me, as if I were the only one messing up. I could feel the weight of her disappointment. “And you Tamara–make sure that you don’t mess!”
The match began, and the first two points went to the Dolphins, just as I feared. Coach Dana shouted at me from the sidelines. “Tamara, you’re making us lose! Focus, damn it!”
I could feel the intensity in the air as the next few volleys went back and forth. The ball flew at me, and I didn’t hesitate. I dove, feeling the sand beneath my hands. My heart racing as I sent the ball back over the net. But what surprised me was how Sarah didn’t take the ball. Instead she hit it in a way that the ball came back at me. Shocked, I hit the ball and it flew toward the opponents. They all froze for a moment, hoping the ball would fall outside the court, but it fell an inch inside.
1/3
The Win
I stilled when the crowd erupted in cheers with my name. “Tamara!”
Sarah’s mouth dropped. But then she narrowed her eyes, glanced at Lexi and then muttered something under her breath.
“Got lucky, huh?” Lexi scoffed.
We were on the board.
But just as the match progressed, I felt a cold tension from Sarah. She kept moving into my way, trying to block my shots or deflect my passes. Whenever I tried to make a good play, she’d trip me up, using every opportunity to sabotage my moves. One time I couldn’t resist and shouted, “What the hell are you doing?”
Once, when I went to dive for a pass, Sarah purposely stepped on my foot, causing me to stumble and miss the ball. I could feel her smirk at the corner of my vision, as though she was pleased with herself.
“Watch where you’re going,” she muttered loud enough for only me to hear, a clear attempt to throw me off my game. She was such a fool. Why was she trying to make us lose the game? What was in it for her? Or was it that she wanted to make me look bad in front of Coach Dana?
But I couldn’t let her get to me. I couldn’t let Sarah’s petty moves distract me. I took a deep breath, steeling myself. This was bigger than her. This was my chance to prove myself.
The ball came to me again, and this time, I didn’t hesitate. I dodged Sarah’s interference, spinning around and sending the ball over the net. It landed perfectly, scoring another point for us.
We were tied now.
I could feel the momentum shifting. My teammates were getting excited, encouraged by the way I was playing. Sarah, however, wasn’t happy. Her face twisted in frustration as she glared at me.
I blew a strand of my hair from my face. I wasn’t going to let her ruin this. I led my team to the next point, calling for a well- timed serve that left the Dolphins scrambling. The game was on, and we were winning.
The final score came down to one last point. I could feel the tension building as I rushed toward the ball, knowing that this was the moment. I jumped and spiked it one last time, sending it over the net with everything I had.
After a tense pause, a member of the opponent team, tried to take it, but she landed on the ground, missing the ball.
Oh. My. Goddess.
We won.
The crowd erupted in cheers. I stood there, frozen as I heard them. Several boys entered the court and lifted me, but the moment that happened, Matt made his way in, lifted me off them and made me sit on his shoulders, growling at them.
I laughed as I balanced myself on him. From the periphery of my vision, I saw Coach Dana blinking in disbelief. Lexi was jumping with our college people in excitement, while Sarah was standing on the sidelines, looking like a ghost. My gaze went to the girl she was staring at. And that girl was from Dolphins team. She looked like she could kill Sarah. Something
was off.
The referee announced our win, and our college people cheered harder. This was the first time they had won from Dolphins. Matt was so happy that he looked up at me. “Kiss me,” he demanded.
“Why?” I asked.
“Just fucking kiss me!” he snapped.
I couldn’t help it. I lowered myself and kissed on his forehead, but he captured the back on my neck and kissed my lips.
“Matt!” I rasped. “Put me down!”
He left me with a dark chuckle, but he didn’t put me down. Why did I feel like he was staking a claim on me?
Lexi came rushing to us. She was genuinely happy with tears in her eyes. “Great game, Tammy!” she said. “There’s a party
tonight at my place. I want you there. And your boyfriend too!” Saying that, she spun and hurried to her friends.
Whoa! I never expected this day would come. “He is not my boyfriend!” I shouted.
“Yes, I’m not her boyfriend,” Matt added. “I’m her soulmate.”
