On Deck: A Sexy Neighbor, Single Dad, Friends to Lovers Romance

by Liz Peters

  “I think you’re eager for me to get on with it because you want to live vicariously through me. You know I’ll tell you all the juicy details if it ever happens!” Alicia smiled and had to admit that what Laila was saying was true. All teasing aside, she really wanted what was best for her friend.

  “I’ll admit to that.” Alicia said, “but you love sex more than anyone I know. I admire your ability to wait for the right guy, but I still think you should go for what’s right in front of you!”

  Alicia climbed into the driver’s side of her car, leaving Laila alone in the lot to think about what her best friend had just said.

  She had something of a point. Laila did have feelings for Jeremy. But there was a big gap between that and going down the path of heat and sex and all that it entailed. She sighed thinking again of her recent morning dreams.

  She noticed the slightest flurry of snowflakes beginning to fall and decided she better focus on driving herself home and start getting everything ready for the first snow day of the year. There wouldn’t be a lot of preparation to do since she was just going to wind up stranded in her apartment until everything was over, watching movies and eating whatever was in the fridge. The thought that Jeremy might decide to join her crossed her mind, but that didn’t necessarily mean he would. Even if he did, it was more likely to be just as friends than anything else. She entertained a fleeting thought of them wrapped up together under a blanket. It gave her the tingles down below. She immediately pushed the thought aside and tried to focus on the road.

  Her thoughts were an absolute jumble for the entire drive home. She arrived before she even realized what was going on. She’d been on autopilot for most of the way, and when she finally pulled into her spot, all she wanted to do was hurry inside. Of course, she couldn’t avoid a long glance at Jeremy’s place just across the pavement. She was half tempted to walk across and knock on the door to ask him to come over for dinner later, but she couldn’t muster up the courage after all of the second-guessing she’d done on the short drive home.

  Instead, Laila just grabbed her bag out of the car, moving to her front door to head inside. She just crashed on the couch, staring at the ceiling and grumbled to herself about what a chicken she was. Then she noticed the snow was really starting to pile up outside the window beside her.

  ❖

  The snow had been falling for a while, and the sun had long ago sunk below the horizon when the power started blinking. Laila cursed under her breath at the first blink and then just groaned out loud as soon as the power went out completely. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, and it wasn’t going to be the last. The power grid in Midland wasn’t great, and any time there was a weather event, a power outage was sure to happen. It was just a given.

  Laila kept a few flashlights and candles around the apartment in strategic locations for just such an occasion. It took a few moments for her to fumble around in the dark to find the closest thing she could get her hands on. Of course, it was a candle, which meant she was going to have to find the lighter she kept nearby before she would be able to see anything further away than her hand in front of her face.

  Once the candle was lit, it was a quick enough job to walk around and light the rest of them. The apartment was pretty small so it only took a few to light it well enough that Laila wasn’t tripping over the furniture. The last time this happened, she and Mike had wound up curled up on the couch together watching bad movies on one of their phones. Tonight, she was all on her own. Laila grabbed a blanket, tucking herself in on the couch while she tried to read a book by candlelight. It took about half an hour before she realized how futile it was to even try. Now, she was just alone in the dark and suddenly feeling kind of lonely.

  Any other typical Wednesday night, she would have already gotten a text from Jeremy asking her if they were eating at his place or hers, but she hadn’t heard the tone that her phone usually gave out for a text. She grabbed it from the arm of the couch, glancing at the screen to notice two things in one quick second. The first thing was that she’d gotten two texts from Jeremy over an hour ago asking just that question along with him wondering if she was alright after the power went out. The second was that she had about one percent of her battery life left. Just enough for her to read the message, but definitely not enough to reply since the screen faded to black and the entire device died as soon as she tried to unlock it and start typing her reply.

  To add to her dilemma, Laila realized she was simultaneously hugry and freezing. Winter nights here could get ridiculously cold. It was something she’d grown used to, and on nights like this when the power went out, she usually wound up bundled under three layers of clothes and three or four blankets. It looked like tonight wasn’t going to be any different. There was no way she was going to do any cooking, but there were some protein bars in the pantry that she ought to be able to get her hands on without too much effort.

  Just about the time that Laila settled back onto the couch, tucked herself in under the blanket and ripped the wrapper off the protein bar there was a loud knock at her door that made her jump half out of her skin. The protein bar flew out of her hands, landing on the carpet at her feet before she jumped up off the couch and headed to the door, not quite sure what she was expecting to find on the other side. Before she could peek through the lens on the door she heard a familiar voice.

  “It’s me, Jeremy! Are you alright?”

  Laila rushed to the door, unlocking it quickly and throwing it open to find Jeremy standing there shivering on the other side with a huge flashlight in one hand a pizza box balanced on the other.

  “You must be freezing. Get in here.” Laila couldn’t help the rush of emotion that flooded through her at the sight of Jeremy showing up on her doorstep like a hero in a snow-covered coat. She got him inside, and Jeremy came out of the coat, dropping the layer of snow on it into the entryway while she hung it on the hook there.

  Jeremy grabbed the coffee table, dragging it over to the edge of the couch and rested the pizza on it before plopping onto the couch. She moved over to join him as soon as the door was locked and bolted while he opened the box.

  “I called and ordered a pizza when you didn’t answer me the first time. It got here like fifteen minutes ago, and I figured you weren’t going to be able to cook anything given the power outage. So, here I am.” Jeremy shrugged as he leaned back onto the couch, taking a slice of pizza with him as he relaxed onto the cushions.

  Laila smiled to herself thinking how good it felt that he had thought of her and cared about how she was doing. Then she grabbed her own slice hungrily before she tugged the blanket she had up over more of her torso. She used her free hand to offer Jeremy his own blanket but he shook his head and just stole the corner of hers that was free to cover his legs.

  “Well, I’m glad you did. I was just sitting here getting ready to eat a protein bar to get myself through the rest of the night. I mean, I’d have survived, but it wouldn’t have been pleasant.” He laughed softly, moving over so that he was under more of the blanket, though it brought their bodies closer together until their legs were flush against each other.

  It was nice to have someone this close, and it had been a while since Laila had experienced this. The only way it would have been more ideal is if they had been tangled up in each other. For now, she was happy to keep things friendly, but she wasn’t certain if she was misreading the signals that Jeremy seemed to be sending her as the night wore on. Though when he leaned in and draped his arm around her shoulder, she couldn’t help leaning into him. There had been a lot of times when they had been alone together. She’d even met his son Jesse and wound up babysitting on one of the long weekends when he had to go into work for a few hours.

  But tonight’s conversation was far from focused on the purely friendly topics that they’d experienced in the past. Laila wasn’t sure what was different about tonight, maybe it was the candlelight or the way they were huddled under one blanket to keep themselve
s warm against the cold. After the way the conversation was going, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when he leaned in to kiss her, but it most definitely was. The contact of his lips on hers took her breath away in the most delicious way possible. She became engulfed in the sensations and she kissed him back with a fervor she didn’t realize she had in her. Laila climbed her way into Jeremy’s lap, legs astride his own. The move was quick, she made it without breaking the contact of her lips on his, though it now gave her the chance to thread her fingers into his hair, pulling him in closer while he rested his hands on the small of her back.

  They were close enough that Laila could ignore the chill in the air that hit her back in comparison to the heat of Jeremy’s chest pressed against hers. As far as she was concerned, nothing short of some kind of natural disaster was going to be able to pry them apart, at least that’s what she thought until the sound of a sharp knock on the door had her sitting up and muttering a half-whispered curse into the close air around them.

  “Who in the hell could that be?” Jeremy sounded annoyed, but there was no way he could be as annoyed as Laila felt at the interruption.

  She leaned forward to peek through the slats of the blinds and see who was waiting outside and spat out another curse when she realized who it was.

  “Damn it all to hell.” Laila pushed herself up from Jeremy’s lap until she was standing in front of him, straightening out her clothes and hair in order to go to the door. “It’s my ex, Michael. I have no idea what he’s doing here. Will you just give me a minute to get rid of him?”

  Jeremy nodded as Laila made her way to the door. She pulled it open just enough to be able to see out, though there was no way he could see into the rest of her apartment from the angle he was standing at. Michael opened his mouth to try to say something, but Laila cut him off with her first response.

  “What are you doing here?” One hand was on her hip, while the other held the door in place, keeping the freezing cold wind outside from blowing it the rest of the way open.

  “I was in the neighborhood helping out some friends that lost power, and I called to see if you were alright, but it went straight to voicemail. I thought since yours was out too, you might need someone to check on you.”

  Mike clearly had no idea how annoyed she was. All those years of not really caring about her well being, six months of silence after the breakup, and he decides to show up NOW? Never mind the fact that he was here because he thought she wouldn’t be able to take care of herself. Laila opened her mouth to reply, but before she could form the first words, the door was pulled gently but firmly from her hand.

  It took her a moment to even realize that Jeremy was standing there behind her in the doorway, though he took up most of the empty space. He was clearly a lot bigger than Michael, not to mention that he was a heck of a lot better looking. She gave up trying to answer as she glanced over her shoulder to see him and then noticed the shocked look on her ex-boyfriend’s face.

  Instead of waiting for an introduction, Jeremy decided to end the conversation rather abruptly with a couple of simple sentences. “She’s good man. I’ve got this. Thanks for stopping by.” Jeremy wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back from the door. Without waiting for a response, he gave a polite nod and then shut the door in Michael’s face.

  Laila had no idea what the reaction was on the other side of the door, but she really didn’t care. She heard his car roar off into the night as she smiled to herself. She had no experience with having a man claim her, but she had a pretty good idea that’s what just happened. It was new and exciting, and for some reason, it was turning her on.

  Jeremy pulled her in closer from behind and she felt the heat from his body melt into her back. She was suddenly so aroused by his possessive reaction that all she wanted was to feel that heat wrapped around her all night long.

  She had no idea where her independent nature had gone, or why she was getting so turned on being caught between two alpha males, but her animal instincts were kicking in and it was hot!

  Forgetting about the door at her back, Laila moved around in Jeremy’s arms, foregoing the thank you that she could have given him to pull him back down into another kiss. This time, she gave up on being gentle and put everything that she’d been holding back into the way she tugged him in hungrily and pressed her lips against his.

  Chapter Six

  Jeremy

  Jeremy wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking when he went to the door to get rid of Laila’s ex, but there had been a part of him that suddenly felt possessive. He wanted this blast from her past anywhere else but in the middle of what had just started happening between them. Timing is everything, he thought. What an understatement! Tonight was something he hadn’t planned, and the last thing he wanted was to have it interrupted so unexpectedly. He’d spent far too long fighting off what he was feeling for her to stop now that she’d made it so abundantly clear that she wanted the same thing.

  There was something about being here in the dark that brought out his instincts. There was nothing but candlelight to see by and nothing but each other’s body heat and a couple of blankets to keep them warm. He felt more protective and bold than he would have normally been. Jeremy had been ignoring his attraction to Laila all along, but cast into their current situation, he was losing his resolve.

  Once he had so rudely excused her ex, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she told him they needed to calm things down. The jolt of cold air and dash of reality that brought Mike into their moment could’ve caused them both to come back to their senses.

  In order to gain confirmation, he looked directly at her in the candlelight. “Is he going to be a problem?” he asked. Without hesitation, she said just two words; “absolutely not.” Then she’d pulled him back into a kiss that was even hungrier than before. That was all the signal Jeremy needed to break the dam that was holding back everything until now. It was almost second nature to pick her up off the floor and carry her off in the direction of the bedroom.

  Jeremy had been in this apartment a few dozen times, though he’d never had the occasion to be in her bedroom. It was dark, but Laila must have popped in to light at least one candle before he’d arrived. There was just enough light that Jeremy could find the bed without tripping and sink onto it with Laila still in his arms. She managed to slip back to her position of straddling his lap again the way she had before. This time he felt certain that nothing would be stopping them now. At least, not if he got his way.

  The thing he wanted most was to peel those jeans off her lower half, even though the air around them was cold. Having her this close was enough to keep him warm, and he intended to do enough to her that she wouldn’t be worried about being a little chilly. One quick motion was all it took for him to pick her up again, dropping her to the bed and releasing the hold Laila’s legs had on his waist to tug her shirt up and expose the smooth expanse of her stomach.

  Jeremy leaned in planting a soft kiss just above her navel and grinning at the way her body strained up into his to meet his every motion. Laila clearly wanted this as much as he did, and when his hands moved to unbutton her jeans and slide them down her legs, her hands in his hair was all the guidance he needed for the next part of his plan. He had to admit that he’d been waiting too damned long for this. He’d been watching her and had caught himself daydreaming about what she would taste like on more than one occasion. Now, he had his chance to find out for real. Her clothes were removed in an instant and were now a forgotten pile on the floor beside the bed. That left her inner thighs exposed for the trail of kisses he left as he worked his way towards his ultimate goal.

  Laila’s response was intense. She was writhing, her body straining up from the bed until he finally gave her what she so clearly wanted by slipping his tongue between the smooth folds of skin at the apex of her thighs. Being here was everything that Jeremy had imagined, and the sounds that each flick of his tongue dragged from her was like music to his ears. He intended to
make this last for as long as he could before he let her get off though. There was no way he was going to do this quickly. He’d waited so long to give in to what he’d been imagining. That meant he was going to make sure that Laila sat right on the verge of falling apart until he was damn good and ready for her to do it.

  Jeremy wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he was finally ready to taste her climax on his tongue, but he knew Laila was so close that he wasn’t going to be able to hold her back any longer even if he tried. Maybe he didn’t want to try anymore. He was ready to watch exactly how her body reacted to the orgasm that was about to roll through her. Her hips were pushed high enough off the bed that he could slide his hands under her ass and lift her up into his face, growling against the cool wet skin as he looked up her frame.

  “You going to cum for me, Laila?” The words were a mumble against her skin, though they were loud enough for both of them to hear in the close air of the small room around them. Apparently, that was all it took because as soon as the words were out of his mouth she fell apart, her body shuddering as she cried a soft response into the chilled air.

  It was only then that Jeremy realized how cold the room was growing, and he knew that they were going to have to wind up under the covers as much as he was enjoying having Laila entirely at his mercy on top of the blankets. At least it meant he could strip her bare before letting her move an inch. He kissed his way up her frame, grabbing the hem of the shirt Laila was wearing. He guided it up her torso and tossed it onto the floor at the other side of the bed as soon as his lips met hers again. She was just as gorgeous as he’d imagined, probably even more so.

  “I cannot believe we’re finally doing this, and I’m sure as hell planning to savor you.” The words were another whisper just for her, and she responded by threading her fingers through his hair and dragging him down into another kiss.