Read Online In Sickness and in Wealth by Gina Robinson - Free Book Online

of the players, Matt, said to me as he grabbed a dripping bottle of water. Matt was probably twenty. And just so darn cute.
    "I certainly am!" I did a quick cheerleader jump. "Will that do?"
    Matt and his buddies clapped. "You ever play any rugby?"
    Matt was the biggest flirt of any of the guys. The way he said it was a challenge.
    "No." I shook my head. No way I was letting a challenge go unanswered. I was dying to get on the field and give the game a try. "I usually prefer to give blood the old-fashioned way. Played a little lingerie football in college, though. We called it powder puff, but…" I winked. "Don't suppose there's any such thing as lingerie rugby?"
    Matt grinned and pulled off his shirt, revealing rock-hard abs. "Let's invent it. I'm game. And damn if I'd mind being known as the inventor of another lingerie sport."
    The guys hooted.
    I shouldn't have been teasing and flirting with the guys. I was just so happy. I couldn't stop myself. I was wearing a sports bra beneath my rugby shirt. I stripped my shirt off to reveal my sexy bright pink sports bra with a zipper in front and extra underwire. "College lingerie football is always flag. I don't suppose there's such a thing as flag rugby, either? No flag, no game."
    Jus came up behind me. "Kay—"
    Jerod grabbed a bottle of water from me. "No flags. Sorry, Kayla. How about a promise from the boys to be gentle with you? No tackling the coach's wife. That's just bad form." He put his arm around me, dwarfing me.
    In my tennis shoes, I came up approximately to Jerrod's armpit.
    "Who's in?" Jerod said.
    Someone grumbled, "Where's the fun in that?"
    Matt's hand shot up first. A dozen other guys volunteered.
    Jus shook his head. "Kay, this is a bad idea." He flicked a gaze at his team. "These brutes get carried away when they're playing. They don't know their own strength—"
    "Chill, baby bro." Jeremy took my arm and led me to the field.
    After watching an entire day of the game, I knew the basic rules and some of the rudimentary plays.
    I rubbed my hands together. "I can hardly wait to be in the scrum!"
    "You're not going to be in the scrum with those guys' arms all around you and their hands on your butt." Jus shook his head. "You're too small. You could snap your neck. You're playing wing. Stand outside the scrum and wait to get the ball."
    Jerod shook his head and rolled his eyes.
    The guys picked quick teams and formed up—shirts and bare chests. I was with the bare chests, though technically I was wearing a sports bra. Jerod was shirts. Jeremy was on my team.
    "Aren't you playing, Jus?" I asked, hoping he would.
    "Jus never plays, do you, buddy?" Jerod laughed. "He's afraid of getting his ass kicked."
    Jus shrugged. Water off a duck's back. "Someone has to ref. I'm the best damn one we've got."
    Jus took my arm. "Kay, I wish you wouldn't. The guys get carried away out there. The game's played largely without pads. You don't know how to fall and take a tackle. Every one of those guys outweighs you by a hundred pounds or more—"
    I kissed Jus to shut him up. "I'll be fine. This will be fun! Put the ball in play."
    Rugby was a complicated game, similar, yet different from American football. The other team kicked off. On the second play, Jeremy got the ball and ran for a try. In rugby, you actually have to touch the ball to the ground after crossing the goal line.
    The boys were being a little too protective of me, keeping me out of the action. We kicked off and recovered the ball on the next play. Wanting to show them girls could play, I surged forward and begged for the ball. To my surprise, Matt threw it to me. I caught it, tucked it in close to my right side, and sprinted toward the goal line.
    Defenders closed in on me, surrounding me from all sides. I looked behind me for a teammate to throw the ball to and caught a glimpse of a defender in the corner of my eye. I veered right and slammed into a wall of muscle at full speed. I bounced back and lost my footing.