Dejected, both women nodded. “We gotcha, Coach,” Chaney said, eyeing her sneakers and looking oddly adolescent. “We?ll back off.”

“Alright, then. Let?s go play some ball.”

“Well, ladies and gentlemen, it?s less than two minutes to go in the second half of play, and the Badgers, true to their name, have come out scrapping. Stephenson?s intimidator tactics have been neutralized by Lambert, courtesy of several spectacular shots right over the big woman. Looks like the intimidator has become the intimidated. Gathers is back in in her normal position as the Lightning, to pull this off, need all the firepower they can get. Badgers ahead by three, and the Lightning have the ball.

“The Badgers have shifted into a one-three-one trap type defense whose sole purpose is to get the ball out of Blevins? hands. Gathers inbounds to Race, who heads for the paint, fakes a shot, fakes a pass, then moves in again, dodging and dipping her way through the larger bodies. She lays it up. It hits the front part of the rim and bounces straight up. Lambert and Gathers go for the rebound. Lambert grabs it and uses her sharp elbows to clear out a space for herself. She passes to Chaney, who loses the handle.

“Toomey picks it up and shoots from the key. Scores! The lead is now cut to one with?less than a minute to play. Perfect foul situation for the Lightning.”

“Yes, just don?t foul Hodges, who is the Badgers? best free throw shooter at seventy eight percent from behind the line.”

“Lambert takes the ball out of bounds, guarded heavily by Gathers and Holloway. Race and Blevins are all over Hodges, and Chaney breaks free, wide open. Lambert sees her, but can?t get the pass off.

“The ref is counting down the final seconds. Lambert lifts the ball, and throws it at the belly of Gathers. The ball bounces off of her and out of bounds. Good play to keep possession by Lambert.”

“It was a gutsy call, Ted. Gathers could have easily caught that and scored the lead basket. Lambert was lucky that time.”

“There?s a switch behind the endline as now Toomey handles the ball. Chaney sets a pick for Hodge?s defender, springing the point guard, who catches the pass with sure hands. Turning, she sees Lambert streaking down the sideline all alone, and as the clock begins to wind down, she launches an airball as hard and as high as she can make it.

“The ball lands in Lambert?s hands at the apex of her jump and she JAMS it through. The perfect alley oop schoolyard play, but in this case, it worked to perfection. The lead?s back up to three.

“The Lightning race back and get the ball. The seconds are ticking down. Gathers manages to get a pass off to Blevins who is immediately fouled by Chaney.”

“A good call, Ted. The Badgers are just at their team limit, and Blevins can sometimes be inconsistent with her free-throws.”

“It?s a one and one situation, here as Blevins steps up to the line and receives the ball. She dribbles, looks, and shoots. The ball rattles around the rim, then goes through, cutting the lead to two.

“Pretty much everybody in the house knows this is going to be a deliberate miss, Ted. It?ll be interesting to see what the Badgers have planned. Lambert and Gathers switch sides, ready to box out.”

“Blevins steps up to the line. She dribbles once, twice, looks, and launches a complete brick that hits the rim and bounces nearly back to her. Hodges steps in and grabs the rebound, but has it stripped from her hands by Race. Both women go down and the ball rolls free. Lambert vaults the pile of bodies and lands on the ball just as the buzzer sounds, ending the game, and with it the Lightning?s hope for a repeat championship appearance.”

“It wasn?t a pretty game, but it sure was a gutsy one, Ted, I?ll have to give both teams that as we watch the euphoric Badgers dogpile on their Coach who still has the ball in her hands.”

“Interestingly, the only person who looks upset about this is Lightning Coach Merla Gibbons. The rest of the team is helping Lambert to her feet and showering her with as much congratulations as are the members of her own team.”

“Well, she played with them for many years, don?t forget, and I think they can be forgiven for feeling some of the same excitement we feel just watching her out on the court again.”

“Very much so, Ted. Well, that about wraps it up here at Bayou Arena, with the Birmingham Badgers coming out on top of the Louisiana Lightning 74-72. For Ted Richardson and all the rest of us at ESPN, this is Lori Belchar wishing you all a good night.”

Cat sat in the hot tub up to her chin. Every muscle in her body hurt. Some of them hurt twice. All she wanted to do was soak, take a hot shower , crawl into bed next to Dylan, and sleep for a week. If Dylan was in the mood to share her bed, that was. The tall coach had been very quiet during the drive home. Part of it, Cat knew, was processing the game and her role in it. Part of it, too, was the fact that she hadn?t “come all the way back” from the Dylan Lambert she was on court?the cold, stone-faced, nothing-but-business persona that Cat had, from time to time, caught glimpses of, but never directed at her.

The memory of Dylan?s words to her on the court still stung, even though she understood the logic of them. It was the lack of emotion behind those words that cut into her heart and made her feel, if not unwanted, at least rebuked.

As if on cue, Dylan entered the room with two glasses of juice. Dropping her robe she slid into the tub next to the blonde, groaning all the way down. “Oh God.”

“Tell me about it,” Cat took the offered juice, enjoying the fact that it was ice cold. “My aches have aches.” A moment later, she opened her eyes to see the perfect bud of a long-stemmed blood red rose just beneath her nose. “Thank you,” she said, surprised, as she carefully took the rose from her partner?s fingers.

“Thank you,” Dylan replied. “For putting up with me out there today. I know it?s not something you?re used to seeing, or dealing with.”

Cat chuckled, as if she hadn?t been having those very same thoughts just seconds before. “It?s alright, love. It?s not like you haven?t spoken firmly to me as my coach, you know.”

“I know. But it?s different getting ?talked to? by your coach and getting ragged on by a teammate.”

“Well,” Cat replied thoughtfully, “that?s true. And I?ll have to admit that it knocked me for a loop for a bit. But I thought about it?even while you were just talking to me, actually, and, well, I think I understand better now. I mean, it?s the first time I?ve really seen you with your game face on, and that?s a part of your personality I?m just going to have to get used to as I get more exposure to it.”

“You talk like my playing is a permanent thing.”

“Well, I think that based on what you proved out there today, it can be, if you want it to.”

“Mm.”

“Anyway,” Cat continued lightly, knowing this was a subject at its end, “it?s something to think about. Right now, though, all I can think about is my aching muscles.”

“This is the best thing for you. Just sit in here for about a half hour and tomorrow it won?t hurt nearly as much.”

“You?re trying to make it better aren?t you?”

“Yes.”

“You?re lying aren?t you?”

“Yes.”

Cat smiled and slid closer, giving Dylan a kiss on the cheek. “You?re sweet.”

“I had plans tonight,” Dylan sighed. “I was going to treat the team to dinner and then come back here and make love to you.”

“Just me or the whole team?”

Dylan growled and splashed water at Cat. “Brat.” She grimaced and straightened her own leg.

“Your knee?”

“It?s a little stiff,” she allowed.

“You know a very wise person once told me if you soak in a hot tub for a half hour the pain won?t be so bad in the morning.”

One blue eye opened and looked at the grinning blonde. “I could drown you, you know?”

“True, but you won?t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I?m the only one who knows how to make you forget when your knee is bothering you.”

“You are in no condition to do that.”

“Well, perhaps I could invite you into the shower with me and I could wash your back. It might not make you forget, but it certainly couldn?t hurt.”

Dylan?s brow rose as she sipped her own juice. “True.”

Cat rubbed her hands over Dylan?s back, knowing she should be using the sponge to actually do some washing, but why anyone would want a sponge between them and Dylan?s silky skin, she just couldn?t fathom.

The water ran over them from multiple jets set to massage their bodies gently, though as Dylan leaned with her hands against the wall, she realized Cat was doing a much better job than the showerheads ever could. “I have I told you tonight, I love you?”

“You haven?t mentioned it tonight.”

Dylan turned and looked into Cat?s eyes. “My mistake. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“How?s your knee?”

“I?ll show you mine if you show me yours.” Cat smiled and leaned up to kiss her lover.

The kiss, which was meant to be chaste, quickly turned passionate. The warmth of the water enhanced the heat between them as their hands began to explore well-known flesh. Cat forgot the pain in her body as Dylan?s touch turned insistent, causing her nerve endings to focus on other things.

The wall of she shower was cool against her back, making a delightful contrast for her as her eyes slipped closed when she felt Dylan, kissing her way down her body. There was soft moan when the sensation of the water running over her stomach continued down, only to have Dylan kissing it away.

“Your knee?” Cat managed to concentrate long enough to gasp it out even as her fingers tangled in dark, wet hair.

“Shhhh?” Dylan whispered, becoming more focused on her task.