“YES!” She took a split second to thank God or whatever Supreme Being watched out for basketball players, off after the opposition.

She knew with ten seconds left on the clock this was going to be the Pistols? last chance, and she was prepared for it. She did her job and made it impossible for their point guard to get a clean shot. She managed to hold her off for four full seconds until a pass was made to one of the forwards.

The shot went up, arcing into the air as if riding on the tails of a rainbow.

It got nearly deathly quiet in the arena, as every single eye followed the ball. Watching it approach the net, Cat heard the buzzer and prayed.

Those prayers were answered when the ball hit the rim and bounced back, striking the court and rolling harmlessly out of bounds. Her shout of victory was drowned out by the screaming of the frenzied crowd and the cheering of her teammates as they surrounded her in a happy jumble.

But the thing she noticed most was the wink and nod from the sidelines before Dylan’s attention was intercepted by the Pistols’ coach, coming to eat crow.

Sometimes, she thought, holding that small bit of praise tight to her soul, life can be good.

The celebration in the locker room turned into an impromptu party befitting the winning of a championship instead of simply triumphing in a game they had been expected to win. Still, the coaches allowed the frivolity, knowing there was a good deal of pent up energy needing to be expended, and further knowing that a release was better here than out in public where fights tended to get started.

It wasn?t until well after midnight when the group finally headed out of the locker room and through the now empty arena, ready for a well-earned night?s sleep. Cat stepped into the cool darkness of the night with Shaniqua on her left and Anya on her right. Above the sounds of their laughter, she heard a peculiar chirping noise that came up from the duffle slung over her shoulder. Unzipping the bag, she reached inside and came out with a tiny cellphone belonging to Dylan. And it was telling her that someone had called and left a message.

“Oohhh,” Chaney ribbed, making a fake grab for the phone. “Hot date tonight, Shortchange?”

“Very funny,” Cat replied, hastily hiding the phone behind her back. “It isn?t mine.”

Chaney?s eyes widened. “Ya don?t say? .” Her grin deepened into a leer. “Been holding out on us, tiny?”

Cat was thankful the darkness hid her blush as she realized that she had just opened a can of worms best left closed. “Um?listen?I gotta go back inside. There?s a message. You know?.”

“Privacy. Gotcha, Shortchange. You sure you?re gonna be alright walkin? out here by yourself?”

Cat had to smile. Ever since the attack, her teammates?and Shaniqua in particular?had taken it upon themselves to be her personal bodyguard cum escort. “Yeah, I?m sure. I?ll be fine. The coaches are still inside, so if I need to, I?ll walk out with them.”

“Alright, then. You have a good time with your?date.” A flash of white teeth, and Shaniqua was swallowed up by the darkness.

Shaking her head and laughing a little, Cat turned on her heel and jogged back into the building. She?d made it to the stands when Coach Caulley stepped out and grabbed her elbow. “Woah. Where?s the fire, Hodges?”

“Sorry Coach,” Cat replied, slightly winded. “I just?.is Coach Lambert around?”

Caulley?s eyes immediately narrowed. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all. I just need to talk to her for a minute. Do you know if she?s still here?”

“I think she went up to her office, but?.”

“Thanks!” With that, Cat took off running again. She ran through the locker room, out the back, and down the hall past the infirmary until she got to an old, less than reliable freight elevator. Jamming on the ancient button set it creakily on its way, and she drummed her fingers against the peeling paint as she waited.

“Come on! Jesus, what are the monkeys that lower the cables on strike for more bananas or something? God!”

Several minutes later, the doors slid open with a grudging sigh, and Cat stepped in, praying yet again that she wouldn?t get stuck in the damn thing.

She didn?t, and when the doors finally opened, she stepped out into another narrow hallway. Unlike the grand corporate offices, the offices in the arena were small, cramped, and dark. Cat walked down the hall humming idly to herself until she came to the door she knew was Dylan?s. It was closed, but she could see a sliver of light spilling through the bottom, so she knocked.

After the second knock, when there was no answer, she tried the door handle. It was unlocked, and with tentative force, she opened the door and stepped inside.

The office was stark, with a battered desk, computer, and chair, and very little else. It was also empty.

There was another door directly opposite her, and Cat saw light from beneath that one as well. She cleared her throat. “Um?Coach? Coach Lambert? It?s Cat. I?ve brought you back your?.”

Before Cat could finish, the second door opened, and Dylan strode out, wet from the shower she?d just taken, and completely naked save for the towel casually wrapped around her lean hips.

“?.phone?” Cat squeaked as every muscle in her body locked. Except for her heart, which seemed to beat double time. A sudden influx of hormones caused a full, head-to-toe flush to break across her body, and although her brain was sending urgent messages to her eyes, they were?thank you very much?quite content to remain where they were; on Dylan?s magnificent breasts.

Dear God, get a grip! Her brain shouted, trying to urge locked muscles into action. You?ve seen naked women before! Hell, you even showered with a whole group of them not more than a half hour ago!

Yeah, but none of those were Dylan Lambert.

The rest of her body happily agreed with this statement; her eyes most of all as they finally allowed slight movement and traced the tight, banded muscles of Dylan?s belly, then swept up and across impossibly broad shoulders and along a wonderful neck, before coming back down to their favorite targets and remaining there.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for this sinner now and?.oh man?just now, please.

In reality, this entire internal dialogue had taken up less than two seconds, but to Cat, it seemed like an eternity. A very blissful eternity, but an eternity nonetheless.

Dylan didn?t appear to notice the rapt perusal as she smiled a greeting to Cat while walking over to the desk upon which her clothes were stacked.

“I don?t know whether I should thank you or curse you for bringing that back,” Dylan remarked as she picked up a black T that sat on top of the stack. “I haven?t missed the damn thing all weekend.”

The towel dropped away and Cat?s brain turned into hissing white static as the most beautiful posterior she?d ever seen in her life came fully into view.

“You?re awfully quiet this evening,” Dylan remarked, glancing quickly over her shoulder before shaking out her jeans. “Something wrong?”

The words, finally loosed, came in a rush. “Who me? No, nothing?s wrong. Not at all, no. Just came by to drop of your phone. Thanks, by the way.”

Dylan, now fully clothed save for her bare feet, turned and gave Cat a curious look. “For?”

Cat gave an embarrassed laugh. “For, you know, letting me use your phone. I was able to get to my mom before she left for the weekend. So?thanks.”

“You?re welcome,” Dylan replied, reaching for her socks and boots.

Cat found herself at a rare loss for words, but her body was telling her, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn?t about to leave the room just yet. She scratched the back of her neck, trying to order her thoughts. The task was, of course, impossible.

“So,” she finally got out. “Some game, huh?”

Dylan snorted. “Oh yeah. The Rolaids company called and asked me to be their CEO. Seems I made them more money tonight than the rest of the country put together.”

Cat winced. “Sorry.”

Dylan shrugged. “Comes with the territory.”

“Yeah, well, I?d prefer it if we didn?t visit that territory too often, if it?s all the same to you.”

“I can live with that,” Dylan replied, chuckling. Now fully clad, Dylan retrieved the phone Cat had brought and stuffed it into her own duffel, which she then slung over her shoulder. “Everything else going okay with you?”

Cat smiled brightly. “Oh yeah, just fine.” And she meant it, too.

“Good.” Dylan yawned. “Well, I?m ready to hit the bed. How ?bout you?”

“Definitely! Bed sounds great!” She paused, then flushed again. “Mine, I mean. My bed. You know. Sleep?.bed?.” Her voice trailed off miserably as she gave herself a sharp internal kick.

Chuckling, Dylan laid a casual arm around Cat?s shoulders and steered her in the direction of the door. “C?mon, Shortchange. Time to go home.”

Two days later, after a thankful weekend break, the Badgers were back at it, practicing hard to ensure that there would be no more “Pistols problems” as they dubbed the last game. Each put in their best efforts, and when the practice was over, the coaches were well satisfied. Even Caulley, who wouldn?t be satisfied with a Championship trophy.

Disgusted by her forty percent foul shooting during the last game, Cat opted to resume her habitual drills after practice.

Unlike during the game, she sunk her foul shots with ease, so she moved back and tried threes from the perimeter. Those went in easily as well. Layups came next, and those were a bit harder because of her stature. She was always more comfortable shooting from the outside, but also knew that if the opportunity presented itself, she would need to be confident enough to drive to the hoop and take the shot, no matter who stood in her way.

Dylan walked silently into the empty arena, guided by the rhythmic thumping of a basketball. She leaned against the wall and watched for a couple of minutes before strolling further onto the court. Cat caught the ball and turned to face her coach

“Hi,” she gasped, breathing hard and blowing out long, slow breaths to calm her racing pulse.

“Hi yourself,” Dylan replied, gesturing toward the basket. “That was more than foul shooting. You were really working it.”

“Yeah, well I need to get stronger driving into the paint. I don?t do it often, but I can?t be wary when I do.”

“True.” Dylan scratched above her brow. “Your game is good.”

“Not good enough.”

“Well, we can always get better.” Smiling, she swatted the ball out of Cat?s hands and spun it on one finger. “Just don?t be too hard on yourself, ok?”

“Yeah,” Cat chuckled. “Like you?re not.”

“Hey! I?m the coach. It?s my job to be hard on myself.”

“Hmmph.” With a wicked grin, Cat reached out and grabbed the ball back. “Heh. How ?bout a game? The Goddess against the mortal? First to eleven wins? Huh?”

Dylan?s grin was even more wicked. “Sure ya wouldn?t rather play shirts vs. skins?”

Cat actually heard her jaw click as it dropped open and hung there. Normally, she wouldn?t have been so wide-eyed, but the unexpected flirtation, coupled with the vision of last night, conspired together to force the expression onto Cat?s face.

Chuckling, Dylan grabbed the ball from Cat?s stunned hands, turned, and arced the ball through the net. She spun on her player, eyes twinkling. “First rule of immortal combat. Create opportunities and take advantage of them.”

Cat gave a little grunt as the ball impacted lightly with her flat abdomen. She caught it reflexively and blinked. “You gonna flash me now?”

“Would it work?”

Cat?s look said it all, and Dylan laughed. “I?ll keep that in mind for later, then.” She tapped the ball in Cat?s hands. “C?mon. Let?s see what you got.”

What Cat had was a move that went exactly two steps into the paint before she was again summarily stripped of the ball and forced to calculate the angle of the curve made by Dylan?s body as she jammed the ball through the hoop.

“I hate you,” she groaned, receiving the ball back.

“Hey. You challenged me, remember?”

“Okay, then. I hate myself.”

Dylan laughed softly. “C?mon now. Two-zip. Your ball.”

Cat tried. She really did. She tried as hard as she?d ever tried anything in her life. She pulled out every move in the book, invented some on the spot, and none of them worked. Her offense was useless, and her defense was even worse. Of course, they both acknowledged the inherent disparity between a small point guard and a towering forward with the wingspan of a condor, but still, Cat was determined to prove something.