Illegal Formation

illegal formation (noun)
us /ɪˌliː.ɡəl fɔːrˈmeɪ.ʃən/
In football, an arrangement of players on the field that violates the rules and results in a penalty:
When players find themselves in places they have no business being.

Vic knew the rules.
No attachment. No distractions. No exceptions.

Then came the boy with the green gaze, her brother's best friend, the rookie tight end. And like all good quarterbacks, the man with the golden smile and something to hide slipped past every defense she had.

Vic shouldn't want someone with a broken nose and 'fuck me' eyes. She didn't want to need the replacement quarterback with the dirty secret, the golden boy with a temper that matched his passion between the sheets.

They were dangerous-not a part of the play. That kind of chemistry and ball possession wasn't exclusive to the field, and the lines between duty and survival were suddenly no longer so clear.

One convenient marriage, two exceptional athletes, and three secrets could bench them all for good. They might have put their lives at risk on the field, but the most dangerous plays happened behind closed doors.