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Stepping out of the bathroom, Dylan wiped her mouth with the corner of the towel slung over her shoulder.

“I thought you only did that before big games,” Cat commented, trying to quell a smirk that was just begging to form at the corners of her mouth.

“What? Brush my teeth?”

Cat’s smart return logjammed in her throat as Dylan flung the towel away, giving the younger woman a full, glorious view of her lover in tight black

spandex. The nearly knee-length biker-style pants rode smooth on Dylan’s heavily muscled thighs, and the vision started up a steel drum band in Cat’s

chest.

“Earth to Cat,” Dylan said, laughing. “You in there, darlin?”

“I….” With difficulty, Cat swallowed through the desert that had taken up residence in her mouth. She lifted her eyes, only to be confronted with Dylan’s

black sports bra covered chest. “Um….” She blinked. “Do we have something we’re supposed to be doing today?”

Dylan’s laughter richened as she closed the distance between them and gathered Cat into a warm hug before separating just enough to place a very sexy

kiss on her lover’s delicious lips. “Unfortunately, we do. Although…” Her eyes brightened as she bent slightly, and before Cat knew it, she was cradled in

two very powerful arms. “It occurs to me that I’ve neglected to teach you some very important pre-game rituals.”

Lesson time was on, and this particular student proved to be a very apt, and interested, pupil.

“Dylan?”

“Mmm?” Dylan didn’t look up as she fiddled with the new brace on her knee. Longer, tighter, and more complicated than the one she’d worn during the

volleyball tournament, she knew it would take a good bit of getting used to. To be truthful, though, the brace wasn’t what was keeping her eyes from her

partner. No, that would belong to the fact that if she looked up and saw Cat’s sleepy, languid form just barely hidden by the sheet she’d thrown over the

smaller woman, there would be more than five thousand pissed off fans and one outraged boss calling for her head, because they’d never make the

tournament.

God, what Cat did to her. There was something about the way they came together that made her feel in ways she’d never felt before. That thought

disturbed her on so many levels that she didn’t even know where to begin examining it. After a moment, she sighed, putting the problem on a back shelf in

her mind to be mulled over later, when the time was right. Finally she looked up, unable to stop the smile that spread, unbidden, across her face.

“You were asking?”

“Oh.” Cat blinked. “Yeah. I was wondering if that was one of your regular pre-game rituals.” She said it with a hint of a tease, but Dylan could tell the

question itself was a serious one.

“Sometimes,” was her honest reply.

“Oh.” After a minute, she smiled. “Well, I’ll definitely be looking forward to helping you out with those rituals in the future.”

Dylan paused briefly, nearly taken aback by Cat’s casual acceptance of her past. Then she grinned. “Me too.”

“Hello again everyone and welcome to the Lakeland Sports Pavilion, site of this year’s Children’s Cancer Initiative Pro-Am Three on Three tourney. Bob

Haskell and Jan Wainright here courtside to bring you wire to wire action as ten women’s professional basketball teams, and ten lucky fans, join together to

help make the dreams of sick children and their families come true.”

“It’s a beautiful day here in sunny California, Bob, and the stands are filled to capacity with cheering, excited fans. A perfect day for basketball, and a

perfect day to see Pallas Dylan Lambert try out her moves once again on the court.”

“Couldn’t agree more, Jan. So with that, why don’t we bring it down to courtside and begin with the introduction of the teams for this year’s tournament.”

Kim stood off to the side, watching as the players from the other teams got introduces. She couldn’t have kept the grin off her face if someone had

threatened her with bodily harm, and her cheek muscles were starting to ache something fierce. At least her stomach had calmed, thanks to the

consumption of enough Pepto to plug up an elephant.

She’d already met her own teammates. Well, perhaps “met” was a bit too strong a word to use. She’d accepted Dylan’s warm handshake, but didn’t dare

look her in the eyes, afraid she’d embarrass herself by fainting dead away. Touching the woman was bad enough.

Cat, on the other hand, was everything Kim thought she’d be and more. In a way, she felt vindicated. Her mother had always told her not to look up to

sports and entertainment stars. They were human too, after all, and most of them, or so her mother often remarked from behind the pages of the latest

People or Star, were rat bastards to boot.

But Cat had been every bit as kind and as sweet as Kim dreamed she’d be.

Besides, she had the cutest smile.

And the most awesome green eyes.

And…

Kim pinched herself once again, stopping the burgeoning fantasy dead in its tracks.

Well, at least she didn’t feel faint anymore.