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

by Liz Peters

  There was an intensity between them that wasn’t there the first time. It was more heated if that was possible. Jeremy had managed to take it slow before, as they were learning and exploring each other’s bodies. That life-altering night in the storm had been getting to know each other. There was something about the first time with someone that made you want to savor it and take your time. Something told him that there was going to be no savoring tonight.

  This time, it was Laila who took the lead. She grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him into a kiss. The next moment, their hands were all over each other, fumbling with the buttons on their clothes until somehow they managed to free themselves completely. There would be a random assortment of clothes strewn all about the room in the morning, but tonight, it didn’t matter.

  Jeremy wasn’t sure how long it took them to get naked, but he did know that it was far too long for his liking. He’d wanted those clothes off her before they’d even made it through the bedroom door. Once they were gone, his hands moved to her back for a moment briefly, before he rolled her over in one swift motion. He scooped her up off the bed then turned them both around slamming her back into the wall behind her. The bed was long forgotten as he used his hips to pin her there while his hands moved to guide her legs around his waist.

  Tonight wasn’t about exploring each other. It was about hunger. The heat that roared between them was enough to steam up the windows on the other side of the room. The way they moved together was something he hadn’t expected, but somehow was absolutely fitting at the same time. His lips found their way from hers to trail a line of heated kisses along her neck. Laila’s head fell back on her shoulders, giving him the room he needed to ravage her neck with his teeth and tongue one inch at a time until neither of them was going to be able to stop what was coming next.

  Laila’s hips ground against his, and Jeremy strained upwards to meet her body with his own, sheathing his full length in her heat with one smooth motion. The move pulled a gasp from Laila, her fingers digging into his shoulders until her nails burnt into his skin. Jeremy let out a deep groan, his own fingertips digging into Laila’s hips as though they were trying to pull each other in impossibly closer. It was as though being joined together as deeply as humanly possible wasn’t enough.

  Jeremy was running on pure animal instinct now. Suddenly it became hard to tell where Laila’s body began and his ended. It was a surreal feeling, and one he couldn’t remember ever really having before. There was just something about Laila and the way that they fit together that made all of this seem perfect. Her moans and sighs filled the room, echoing around him with each upward thrust of his hips and his own deep groans joined them, melting in together to make a nearly perfect symphony.

  He was at a loss for words. Normally he would have talked to her, told her exactly what her body was doing to his, but not tonight. This was just a little too wild and a little too feral to put into words. Instead, Jeremy let his body communicate all of the things he wasn’t going to be able to say. Judging from Laila’s reaction, she was doing the same.

  Time had ceased to exist in this room, at least for them, though the tension in Jeremy’s body betrayed that soon this was all going to be too much to hold back. He could feel it coming before the climax ever hit him, and Jeremy wasn’t going to fight it. However, he was going to drag Laila along with him. Jeremy picked up the pace, pulling her body down into his harder with every single stroke until she was crying out and holding onto him for dear life. He knew from the way her body tensed against his that she was just as close as he was. Finally, he found the words he needed in the moment. Jeremy’s lips found her ear, moving against it to make sure that the words swirled in a heated whisper against her skin.

  “Cum for me, Laila.” One simple sentence, but that was all that it took to have her falling apart in his arms. Her head fell back against the wall as her moans crescendoed and her body melted around his own.

  That was all the encouragement that Jeremy needed to join her in riding out their climax together. He waited until her body stilled, almost going limp against his own before Jeremy carried Laila over to the bed, slowly lowering her down onto the mattress and trailing a line of kisses along the curve of her shoulder and arm before he pulled away.

  “Stay with me?” It was Laila’s turn to speak, and this request wasn’t something that Jeremy was going to be able to deny. He wanted it as much as she did, and the thought of going home would require more energy than he had in him.

  “I’m not going anywhere, beautiful. Come on. Let’s get some sleep.”

  Laila nodded, waiting for him to crawl into the other side of her queen-sized bed before curling up against his body and burying herself in his chest. They laid there silently drifting, both lost in their own blissful thoughts.

  This wasn’t supposed to be the thing that Jeremy wanted. He was single for the first time in his adult life. Most guys his age would have been dating every woman that gave them a second glance, but Jeremy hadn’t gone out on a single date since his divorce was final well over a year ago. Yet here he was with a woman ten years younger than him, curled up in bed watching her sleep, and he wouldn’t have changed a moment of it.

  Jeremy did make the decision that he was going to start dating right then and there, but he wasn’t going to be dating just anyone. It was Laila. She was the only person since Stephanie who had managed to get his attention, and she’d managed to not only get it but keep it for the past few months. She was special. That much was becoming clearer by the minute. Eventually, Jeremy drifted off to sleep with Laila in his arms.

  ❖

  The next morning, Jeremy woke up long before Laila did. He couldn’t bring himself to wake her, but he did manage to extricate himself from the bed to head into the bathroom first and take a quick shower. He planned to make a sexy entrance back to the bedroom wearing nothing but a towel, but Laila was still fast asleep. Yesterday’s events must have really taken a toll on her and he assumed she needed a good rest.

  However, yesterday’s event had given him a great appetite and he thought it might be nice if Laila woke up to a homemade breakfast. He headed off to the kitchen and after a quick look around, found most of the ingredients he needed. He started to realize he was growing quite comfortable being in Laila’s space.

  He found a pancake mix and some bacon and soon the kitchen was smelling like something good was happening. He made a pot of coffee and thought about how important it was to have a full stomach since they had a lot of talking to do.

  He was both nervous and excited at finding out how Laila felt about their future. He figured he stood a better chance of pleading his case if he approached her with a breakfast instead of empty-handed early on a Monday morning. Both of them had to go to work before long, but it was early enough that he could at least manage a good meal and a discussion before they had to leave.

  Jeremy put his focus on cooking, as he got into the groove of working in the kitchen. He was nearly done when the sound of a laugh coming from the entrance to the kitchen shocked him out of his concentration. Jeremy spun around to find Laila standing in the doorway, a bathrobe draped across her shoulders and the sash tied loosely about her waist. Her hand was covering her face as she struggled to stifle a giggle that was still spilling out around the edges of her hand.

  “See something funny?” Jeremy raised an eyebrow, holding up the spoon that was in his left hand he had been using to stir the scrambled eggs and putting on a look of fake concern.

  “Maybe.” She folded her arms across her chest, grinning at him in the kitchen.

  “You know it’s rude to laugh at a man cooking you breakfast right?” Jeremy couldn’t help but grin. There was no way he was going to be able to keep up the faux offense for long when all he really wanted to do was break down in a fit of laughter.

  “Well, you’ll have to excuse me. It’s not every day I find a professional baseball player looking all hot wearing nothing but a towel in my kitchen before six in the
morning. Especially after what happened last night, but if you’re going to cook me breakfast then I’m definitely not going to interrupt.” She grinned back at him, walking completely into the room until she was standing next to the stove.

  Jeremy stopped to plant a kiss on her lips, lingering there long enough that Laila had to push him away for a moment, whispering against his lips.

  “I think you’re burning the eggs.”

  “Oh shit...” Jeremy pulled away, going back to the stove just in time to save the scrambled eggs he had been working on from turning into rubber.

  “You’re a wonderful distraction, and if you stay in here much longer, I’m going to burn the bacon too. So why don’t you go get a shower, then meet me at the table so we can eat breakfast? We have a few things to discuss before we get the day started.”

  Laila nodded, giving him another quick kiss before she moved to leave the kitchen. She paused in the doorway again, looking over her shoulder at him as he returned to cooking.

  “Just promise me one thing?” Her voice was innocent, and it stopped him in his track for the moment.

  “Anything.”

  “Don’t put anything on before I get back? I’m very sentimental about seeing you in a towel, if you know what I mean.” This time it was Jeremy’s turn to dissolve into laughter.

  “Whatever you want, beautiful.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Laila

  They had seen each other every day since the night that Laila had finally admitted she wanted something more than friendship with Jeremy. They had basically been inseparable ever since. It was sort of surreal for Laila.

  She had been absolutely prepared to give him up as a friend entirely after Stephanie had come over. She’d almost ++convinced herself that she was better off alone after the dramatic scene with Michael. But that incident is what brought her and Jeremy together and it had changed everything.

  Another turning point for Laila was when she’d been out Christmas shopping with Alicia. They had just come around a corner in their local mall when heading straight for them was Mike and what looked to be a new girlfriend.

  Alicia reflexively reached out and squeezed Laila’s hand, and although she appreciated her friend’s support, she certainly didn't need it. She knew in her mind that this day may come and was somehow prepared for it.

  She looked up at Michael, said hello, and then introduced herself to the new woman. Alicia stood back to let her handle it, although she was on standby in case she needed to step in and kick some ass.

  Of course, the new girlfriend didn’t know who she was. She was guarded, but polite, and Laila’s name didn’t register any recognition on the other woman’s face. Clearly, Mike hadn’t mentioned her.

  That gave her a strategic advantage. Michael was relieved that she wasn’t giving away her role in his past, so she took the time to make a little small talk and try to get a handle on what she was seeing in his demeanor. She intentionally kept her shoulders straight, her eye contact direct, and her smile sincere.

  Michael had always dealt with depression as long as she’d known him. Their relationship seemed to help keep it at bay mostly, but she could clearly see that it was back in full force. His slumped shoulders and sad eyes were his tells, and she knew them well. The lack of connection between him and this woman made the story clear: this was a broken man, trying his best to move on and suffering terribly. She had seen enough. After a few short moments of polite conversation, they parted ways.

  Laila had to silently remind herself that it was Michael’s idea to break up. He wanted it, and he initiated it. Her role had only been to accept it, and eventually to adapt to it. Her head knew she was right, but her heart grieved just the same.

  Alicia had read Michael’s body language from her stance off to the side. She went from being ready to kick his ass, to feeling sorry for him. The first words out of her mouth were “It’s not your fault, you know?”

  “I know.” Laila replied. “It just hurts to see him like that. I expected to feel jealous or angry or something, but all I feel is sad.” She knew that this marked the end of their story, and Alicia just nodded at her with understanding in her eyes. Then, without saying another word, the two friends walked off together.

  After a nice lunch and a few more hours of shopping, Laila said “I’ve got to go. I’m supposed to go grocery shopping with Jeremy and his son so we can all make dinner together.”

  Alicia laughed and nodded. “Go on and be a good step-mom.”

  Laila could have stopped and corrected her friend, but she’d realized that’s kind of the role she was playing. Jesse was Jeremy’s kid, but he was becoming more and more important to her as time wore on. At first, she’d thought it was just because Jesse was so similar in age to the kids she worked with every day, but there was more to it than that. They had started to form a real friendship that Laila appreciated more than any of the ones she could have with the kids in her class.

  It gave her something to think about on the drive home. Jesse was already in town. His school was closed the next day, and Jeremy was taking advantage of the long weekend to get in a little extra quality time with his son. He’d driven down to Stephanie’s house to get him while Laila was out shopping today, and she was certain that they were going to be waiting on her as soon as she pulled in the lot.

  ❖

  A little more than an hour later, Laila, Jeremy and Jesse were pulling up in the parking lot in Jeremy’s car. The entire shopping trip that they were coming back from was a smashing success considering the number of bags that were waiting in the trunk. Though, if one were judging from the amount of junk food they contained, they might think that it was less of a success. Either way, they’d all had a good time, and it seemed that they were going to have an awesome weekend ahead of them as long as everything worked out as planned.

  This was going to be the first weekend that Laila spent with them in Jeremy’s apartment. It also meant that they were going to be sharing a room for the first time while Jesse was with his dad. That prospect made her more than a little nervous, not in the least because of the warning that Stephanie had given her the first and only time they had talked.

  Things had not calmed down on that front. She could tell that Jeremy had spoken to her about it, though he wouldn’t tell the specifics or what Stephanie had to say on the subject. That led her to believe that it was less than complimentary, even if the three of them had seemed to come to some kind of stalemate regarding the entire situation. She just didn’t want to make things worse by being there overnight while Jesse was there, but Jeremy had insisted.

  Laila had done a good job of putting the thought out of her mind for most of the day, but when they pulled up in the parking lot, the reality of what was about to happen hit her hard. Jesse and Jeremy were grabbing bags out of the trunk when she realized that she’d left her overnight bag with the clothes she would need to hang out in over the weekend. She should have been helping them unload, but it seemed like a good opportunity to take a breather and get her head on straight. Jesse deserved to have a good weekend with his dad and not let her conflicted mood disrupt all of that.

  “Hey guys, I’m going to walk over to my place and grab some clothes. Do you have the groceries?”

  “Yeah, Lai. We’ve got it. Just head over and get whatever you need.” Jeremy waved her off, and Jesse was already carrying the bag filled with Oreos and marshmallows in the front door of his dad’s apartment since that seemed to be the thing he was most interested in at the moment.

  It freed Laila up to jog across the lot, fishing her keys out of her pocket as she went. She knew where the bag was that she needed. She’d packed it this morning and left it sitting on her bed in preparation for tonight. It would have been easy to head back out the door with the bag draped over one shoulder in time to help the two of them put away the last of the groceries. Instead, she sat on the bed for a minute, taking a deep breath.

  “Everything is going to be great.”
She said it aloud as if that would be enough to chase all of the doubts and worries that had been flooding her system away. It helped, but it wasn’t the cure-all she needed it to be.

  Instead, Laila was left to gather what courage she had and head out the door. Her worries were still there, though they were hidden just under the surface. She had just enough time to lock the door behind her and turn around to face the lot when she heard her name being yelled in a familiar voice.

  “Laila!” Jesse had been waiting by the trunk of his father’s car, waiting for her. Once he’d spied her he broke into a jog and then a run, heading across the lot towards where she was standing. As if out of a nightmare, Laila saw a car turning into their end of the lot. It didn’t seem to slow down for even a second. She knew Jesse wasn’t going to make it across the expanse of pavement between them before it would crash directly into him.

  Laila felt her heart jump into her throat, forgetting everything else that was going on around her. She had no time for thought other than getting to him as fast as humanly possible. The bag she’d been holding fell to the ground outside her door and she broke into a run, moving as fast as she could towards Jesse. She had no idea where Jeremy was, but there was no way he was going to be close enough to stop what she was witnessing. It was all on her.

  It seemed as if everything was in slow motion. Laila had enough time to get out into the lot and to register the sound of the horn from the car when the driver finally noticed Jesse and Laila in its path, followed by the squeal of the brakes when they tried to stop, but it wasn’t going to be enough. She gave one final push of energy, putting everything she had into running across the asphalt and closing the distance between herself and Jesse. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she felt the relief of her body slamming into Jesse’s before she gave him a shove.

  The next thing she knew was a rush of pain that roared through every cell of her body, followed by a series of sounds, both loud and soft, that she couldn’t make heads or tails of. She struggled to see if Jesse was safe. The pavement was underneath her, the cold, hard surface pressing into her skin while the rest of the world swam around her until the entire thing faded into black.