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  Copyright © 2017 by Jenya Tilar

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  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  For The Love Of Basketball

  Lesbian Romance

  By Jenya Tilar

  Table of Contents

  For The Love Of Basketball

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Special Bonus Story

  Their Little Secrets

  For The Love Of Basketball

  Chapter 1

  “Do you have your lucky necklace?” Tessa Brown’s best friend, David, mates another pair of her socks and throws them into the open suitcase lying on the bed making a big show like the socks are a basketball. “And David Brock makes the winning basket again, the entire audience is on their feet.” He cups his hands around his mouth and does his best impression of an announcer’s voice then turns around flips his shaggy blonde hair to the side and takes an exaggerated bow.

  “Of course.” Tessa pulls the necklace from beneath her shirt and dangles it in front of David’s face. “I haven’t taken it off since the 8th grade end of the year dance.” Tessa smiles wistfully and gets a faraway look in her eyes. “Two words…Monica Heather...”

  “Oh no you don’t, I’ve heard those two words about two hundred times too many.” David goes back to mating socks and shooting them into Tessa’s suitcase.

  “I know, I know.” Tessa keeps her mouth shut while she sorts through a big case of CDs throwing the one’s to the side that she doesn’t want to take with her as she embarks on her new life. Instead of talking about Monica Heather she retreats into her memories. In middle school Tessa was the star of the girls’ basketball team. She was the captain and by far the best player on the team. She led them to the girl’s state championship that year and they all received championship necklaces with little pendants hanging from them to commemorate the win. She had been so proud to strut into the 8th grade end of the year dance with that pendant dangling down onto the front of her crisp white button up shirt. She’d had this gigantic crush on Monica Heather the entire year but Monica was a girl that had a new boyfriend every month and she hadn’t once even glanced in Tessa’s direction. But that night Tessa found herself at the punch bowl at the same time as Monica and when their fingers accidentally touched Monica had looked her straight in the eye for what felt like an eternity before asking her if she wanted to sneak out of the dance and take a walk around the football field.

  They had ended up sitting high up on the tallest bleachers. As Tessa leaned back with her hands behind her head listening to crickets sing as dusk descended Monica had reached over and lifted the pendent playing with it with one hand while the other rested on Tessa’s knee. Tessa held her breath as Monica leaned in moving her hand from the pendant to Tessa’s face and kissed her gently on the lips. The effect was explosive and Tessa had quickly returned the kiss with an excited fervor. The pair had spent the rest of the evening making out and talking until it was almost midnight and time for their parents to come pick them up. In the back of the car on the way home Tessa had tuned out her dad singing along to Don’t Stop Believing at the top of his lungs and rubbed her fingers across the pendant thinking back to the evening she had with Monica.

  Of course a week later, after some sparse texting and several times of Tessa pouring her bleeding heart out to Monica she had gotten a text from her. It was brief and cold and it said she had a boyfriend. Monica thought it was best they didn’t talk anymore, she didn’t want to be unfaithful to her boyfriend and she was sorry if she’d led Tessa on.

  Even though things had turned out the way they did Tessa still regarded her championship necklace as her good luck charm and she hadn’t taken it off all this time. She had loved other girls but Monica was special and so was the necklace.

  “You know I can practically hear you thinking about it, you might as well have just repeated the story out loud for the two hundred and first time rather than sit there with that dreamy look on your face. Monica treated you like shit Tess. Now you’re a hotshot with a basketball scholarship going off to college. This is the real shit.” David gets up and walks around to give Tessa a half hug before launching the last balled up pair of socks right into the middle of the suitcase.

  “Maybe you should be playing basketball, too. Have you been working on your jump shots?” Tessa squeezes David’s arm before shoving him away playfully.

  David makes a big show of jumping straight up in the air with his arms flailing pretending to shoot a basket and makes a high pitched squealing sound. “I don’t think the other guys on the team would be ready for all this.” He sweeps his hand over the front of his own body before flopping back onto the bed.

  Tessa chuckles heartily but her face becomes serious in the next moment as she eases herself down beside David. “So this is really it isn’t? In three days I’ll be in a dorm waking up at the crack of dawn for early morning practices. Juggling basketball and school work, eating ramen alone at midnight instead of having you there beside me.” She quickly wipes at her dry eyes before the tears start to form.

  “Having hot women falling all over you.” David lightly punches Tessa’s upper arm. “Women Tessa, Monica has nothing on these women you are gonna meet and I bet your calendar will be overflowing with dates.”

  “Ah sure,” Tessa chuckles again. “I’m already homesick. You’re the lucky one, you get to stay around here and still go to school.”

  “Yeah, I’m so lucky I get to keep living in my mom’s basement while I go to the local community college. Tess I can’t even bring a guy home. Mom wants to analyze all the noises she hears over toast and coffee the next morning. I’ve gotten so good at car sex you wouldn’t believe it, I…”

  Tessa cups her hand over David’s mouth. “I don’t need to hear the details David.” She smiles and moves her hand when she’s sure he’s ready to stop talking.

  “Exactly, that’s just the point. My mom shouldn’t need to either.” The text tone on David’s phone goes off and he begins typing a reply after enjoying an outright laugh at the message he receives.

  “Your mom is great David. She’s interested and supportive.” Tessa wishes she could say the same for her own mom. Although Tessa’s mom has come to terms with her sexuality she still has this way of implementing her passive aggressive judgement whenever she can.

  “Well that’s another positive, you can date whoever you want without your mom being around to find and pick on every negative thing she possibly can.” David somehow manages to always find the positive in everything and he won’t stop until Tessa relinquishes her pessimism.

  Chapter 2

  A multitude of tears and a couple more heartfelt conversations later and Tessa is waving at David’s retreating wood panel station wagon while he toots the horn and makes silly faces as he backs up. He likes to call the old battered 25-year-old hulking beast a classic but secretly he’s mortified to drive it. Tessa chuckles as he ducks his head avoiding eye contact with a group of jocks as he leaves. When she can no longer see the retreating station wagon Tessa starts to turn around and head back up to her dorm to begin unpacking when something or rather someone catches her eye.

  That someone is the most beautiful woman Tessa has ever seen. Tessa sweeps her own dark
shaggy bangs out of her face as she takes in the beauty walking past on the side walk. Her blonde hair is tied up in a loose ponytail swaying behind her with every step, blue eyes that literally seem to sparkle lock with Tessa’s dark brown eyes. A smile tugs at the corners of the woman’s mouth but her eyes are already laughing. She looks just a bit uncomfortable in a light grey pant suit but stunning all the same. Tessa silently curses herself for not doing more than throwing on a pair of basketball shorts and an old baggy t shirt but it’s too late now.

  “Afternoon.” The beautiful mystery woman lets her mouth break out into a huge smile that almost matches the laughing eyes and stops walking the ten or twelve steps it takes to be standing right in front of Tessa.

  “H…hi.” Oh god, Tessa can’t believe she’s standing in front of this knockout woman stuttering over her words, or word, since she hasn’t been able to get out more than one of them. “I’m Tessa.” She smiles back her own megawatt smile.

  “Oh, not Tessa Brown is it?” her voice has become softer with an edge of playfulness to it.

  “Um yeah…um does my reputation really precede me that much?” Tessa chuckles nervously but silently and frantically tries to place why this lovely woman in front of her would know her name.

  The woman lets out a full on laugh and shakes her head. “Well now I am curious about this reputation you speak of, but no, I’m Harriet Lewis. I just took the job as new head coach of the women’s basketball team and I’ve heard of you.”

  “Oh wow, I guess I should have heard of you too huh?” Tessa lets out a small embarrassed chuckle at not even knowing who her coach was when she saw her.

  “Oh, don’t worry about it, I was just signed on. It seems the decision to let go of the old coach was quite a sudden one. I just got done with all the paperwork actually hence the outfit, I’m not usually a pant suit kind girl.” She sweeps her hand down her body.

  ‘You could be a flower print muumuu and house slipper kind of girl and you’d still be hot.’ Tessa thinks it but doesn’t say it out loud. Instead she says, “well maybe not but it looks great on you.” Her cheeks color immediately.

  Harriet cocks her head to the side with the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. “Thank you, honestly I can’t wait to get home and put on some shorts and a t shirt, maybe get in a quick game of 21 with the neighbor’s kid before dinner time…” She seems to be about to elaborate more when her phone starts to ring.

  Harriet picks up the phone and immediately turns the other way and hunches her back. It sounds like she’s having an argument with someone but Tessa tries not to tune her ear into every word. She considers walking away to give Harriet the privacy she clearly wants but she just cannot seem to make her feet move in tandem with her mind. After a brief time Harriet disconnects the call and turns back around.

  She looks nearly surprised at the expectant looking Tessa still standing in the same spot but quickly plasters an obviously fake smile on her face. “I’m sorry about that. So um, I have to go, are you, um, are you all ready for the first practice tomorrow morning?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be, I think.” Tessa tugs at the free strands of dark hair falling into her eyes again and looks down at her shoes before looking back up into Harriet’s eyes.

  “Ah, don’t play modest. I’ve been in the coaching game five years now ever since I graduated college and I’ve heard your name a time or two even before I found out I’d have the pleasure of being your coach. Don’t you think there aren’t scouts out there everywhere and they start paying attention to exceptional players even as early as middle school years.”

  Tessa unconsciously brings her hand up to her chest feel for the pendant through her shirt. Could scouts really have been watching her since middle school? “I didn’t know I was so popular.”

  “Oh I bet you are way more popular than I could even imagine.” Harriet clears her throat and looks away for a split second, a blush has risen to her face. She regains her composure quickly and looks back into Tessa’s eyes. “I really have to go. I’ll see you early tomorrow morning for the first practice.”

  “Yes, coach Lewis.” Tessa stands up straighter and salutes Harriet reprimanding herself in her head moments later thinking about how dumb and childish she must look to this fully grown goddess of a woman.

  Harriet just laughs it off and turns to leave but quickly turns back around and reaches up to sweep a stray strand of hair that has fallen back into Tessa’s face behind her ear. “Might have to get that cut if you can’t see where you’re going when you have the ball in your possession, even if it is super cute.” This time she does actually turn to leave only glancing back and throwing out a backwards wave toward Tessa.

  Not satisfied with just leaving things as they are yet not knowing what on earth to say Tessa shouts, “see you in the morning coach Lewis.”

  Harriet keeps walking along the sidewalk but shouts back, “Yep, and its Harriet when we aren’t on the court.” She promptly turns the corner leaving Tessa standing still awestruck in her wake.

  Chapter 3

  Tessa pulls the covers over her head and groans in protest of the annoying and offending alarm clock blaring out its wake up call. She’s tempted to hit the snooze button but just as quickly sits up and begins her morning routine when Harriet’s face pops into her head. Tessa hates mornings but suddenly there’s a spring in her step thinking about her coach. She tries to shake off the giddy feeling, she tells herself she was just imagining the flirtatious tone used by the other woman, she’s probably not even gay, she might be married to man, or for that matter she might be married to a woman.

  All the same Tessa can’t help but put a little extra effort into her appearance. She even knows its pointless, she’s just going to go to basketball practice and get all sweaty. And then there’s another fantasy in itself planted there by David. She couldn’t get up to her room fast enough to call David and spill out all the thoughts running through her head after meeting her new coach. David had jokingly mentioned how hot it would be to have a dirty sweaty locker room encounter after all the other players had left. As silly as his jokes were they hadn’t stopped Tessa from letting her mind wander to those places as she lay awake that night listening to her new roommate snore.

  Now she stands in front of the mirror on the back of her dorm room door being sure just one last time that her hair is falling perfectly. She dug through the clothes she had brought from home this morning for far too long to find one of the only pairs of short shorts in her wardrobe. Normally she would slip on a pair of basketball shorts and an old t-shirt, her customary outfit but today she’s wearing blue shorts with a green strip up each side that sit a couple of inches above her knee and a sleeveless shirt with large arm holes showing off her matching blue and green sports bra and a bit of skin as well. She turns away from the mirror and grabs her bag satisfied that this is the best she can do considering she’s going to basketball practice.

  When Tessa arrives at the gymnasium she notices only two cars parked in the parking lot. Checking her watch confirms that she is about 20 minutes early. Maybe she will get some a few precious minutes alone with Harriet before everyone else shows up and practice begins.

  She walks into the locker room and sets her back down on one of the benches immediately seeking and finding Harriet through the large glass door to her office. She’s bent over her desk with an adorable wrinkle creasing her forehead with concentration.

  Tessa stands paralyzed for a moment watching her coach and not knowing whether it would be appropriate to say hello or not. Finally her decision is made for her. Harriet looks up and their eyes connect. Tessa’s face reddens and she raises her hand for a small wave. Harriet responds with a smile and beckons for Tessa to join her in the office.

  “Wow, the early bird catches the coach deep in thought about her starting lineup.” Harriet gestures to the papers in front of her. “That’s how that saying goes right?”

  “Something like that.” Tessa delivers a wide smile
to her coach as she takes a seat in one of the folding metal chairs opposite Harriet’s desk. Tessa takes a chance and jokes a bit, trying to be subtly flirtatious, “well, I’m here to make all your decisions easier, in fact I am the key component to any starting lineup.” Tessa winks and chuckles so that Harriet will know she’s joking but immediately begins to worry that Harriet will now think she’s conceded.

  “Well, I highly doubt you’re going to make ALL of my problems easier, in fact you might complicate a few…” Harriet trails off and begins making swirly doodles on the corner of the paper in front of her. “I don’t doubt you’d be an asset in my starting lineup, I’ve seen videos of you playing but I’m not sure it would go over well with very many of my junior and senior players if the star freshman comes in and takes a place in the starting lineup immediately. They might be a bit jealous.”

  Tessa hasn’t heard most of the last part of what Harriet has said because she’s been too busy fixating on why Harriet would say she might complicate her problems. Was she flirting again? Or maybe she was simply talking about how it would be a problem with the more experienced players if she came in and took a place in the starting lineup immediately.

  Tessa has been so deep in thought that she obviously hasn’t even noticed that Harriet has asked her a question. Harriet sits in front of her with her eye brows raised and a sexy half smile half smirk hybrid sitting on her lips. “Um, I’m sorry, what was the question?” Tessa is sure her face must be a flaming shade of red.

  Harriet lets out a deep real genuine laugh but doesn’t say anything instead she just repeats her question. “I was just asking how you slept last night your first night here.”

  Tessa takes time to consider the question while images of the hot and sweaty shower room romp from her fantasies flood through her head. She blushes again when she raises her eyes and meets Harriet’s “It was fine. I slept well.”