The Slider (Boys of Summer Book 5)

by A. M. Williams

  “Never be afraid to talk to me about anything. I want you to know that I’m here for you no matter what.”

  With a sniffle, she released me and walked from the room, leaving me staring after her.

  I felt like a weight had been lifted admitting that to my mother. I knew I was making the right choice.

  37

  Zoe

  I was nervous as I pulled into the Jacob’s apartment complex.

  It was tiny, but nice. Though there was no personality in the community. Young trees were scattered throughout, one day they would offer nice shade and add some personality to the complex.

  They did nothing to hide the boxy exterior currently.

  And thinking about the exterior did nothing to calm my nerves.

  Even though Jacob and I had been dating for several months, I’d never been to his place. He’d always come to mine.

  I didn’t love that my first visit to his place was after he broke his ankle, and not because we wanted dinner together so he could show me his place.

  I blew out a breath.

  “You’re worried over nothing,” Noah said from the passenger seat.

  I glanced at him, his gaze was pinned on his phone and whatever game he was playing.

  “That might be true, but I’m still nervous.”

  “It’ll be fine. You two are, like, totally into each other. This injury won’t matter in a year.”

  Noah, the wise, old sage at almost sixteen years old.

  “I want you to remember this conversation when you go pick up a girl for the first time.”

  He laughed. “Right, sure.”

  I shook my head and carefully navigated the parking lot, slowing as I saw Jacob’s building up ahead.

  I found a spot out front and held my breath as I turned my car off.

  “Stop freaking out.” Noah unbuckled and stepped from the car. “You’re going to be sick.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him, and he shook his head.

  We fell into step as we walked underneath the awning out front. I scanned the door numbers until I saw Jacob’s and raised my fist to knock.

  “You look like you’re going to be sick. Take a breath or something,” Noah muttered.

  I shot him a look, but he just grinned.

  “Better. You don’t look green.”

  I elbowed him in the side, making him grunt. But before he could retaliate, the door opened and Jacob was there, leaning against the door with one crutch jammed under his arm.

  “Hey.” He hopped out of the way and we stepped inside.

  A quick glance showed a stark space that didn’t match Jacob at all.

  I turned to look at him and saw his grin. “Living room is through there. You want anything to drink?”

  I shook my head and looked at Noah, who was also shaking his head.

  I followed Noah into the living room and hoped my thoughts on Jacob’s apartment weren’t showing on my face. There was no artwork on the walls.

  He had a sofa with an ottoman and a crate to the side.

  A rickety-looking table in the dining room.

  It was sad.

  I looked at Jacob and caught his grimace.

  “I’m glad you’re here. Sorry about the place. I didn’t bother buying any decorations because I didn’t want to be here too long…”

  He trailed off as he lowered himself to the couch and propped his foot up.

  I hoped he didn’t hope to be here long because he wanted to find a nicer place, and not because he wanted to get back together with his ex. He’d assured me he didn’t want to be with her now, but when he first moved in?

  Who knew?

  “How are you feeling?” I asked, carefully sitting next to him while Noah sat on the floor, propped up against the leg of the couch.

  “Tired. Some pain,” Jacob said.

  “Understandable. You need anything?”

  He shook his head. “Nah. Derek stopped and got my prescriptions. I just need to stay off it as much as possible for now.”

  Silence stretched between the two of us and I tried to think of something to say, anything, really. But there was nothing.

  “Will you be able to play again this season?” Noah asked.

  I glanced down at him and caught his look toward Jacob. The hero worship was still strong with him.

  “Most likely not. If everything goes well and we made it to the playoffs, I might get lucky, but that’s a pipe dream I think.”

  I furrowed my brow as I looked at him. A pipe dream? I didn’t think so. It would give him something to look forward to.

  “But next season?” Noah pressed.

  Jacob shrugged. “I can’t say for sure that I’ll be playing next season.”

  I glanced at Noah; he was wide-eyed. “You don’t know if you’ll be playing?”

  Jacob sighed, and I snuck a glance his way, watching as he scrubbed his hand over his face. “There’s always the chance I could be traded. And my contract is up after this season. I might not get renewed.”

  He paused for a beat and looked at me as he continued. “I’m not sure I want to renew, if I’m being honest.”

  Silence met his declaration. I was the first one to break it.

  “What do you mean?”

  He blew out a breath and rubbed his hands against his shorts. “Well, I’d been thinking before my injury that I should look at what I wanted to do after I was done with baseball. We had that conversation.”

  I nodded, and he continued. “Knowing that this injury has likely killed whatever possibility I had of getting a contract renewal has put things in perspective. I don’t want to be traded. I’m happy here. I want to stay here.”

  My breath hitched at his words. I studied his face, taking in his steady gaze and calm demeanor. Did this mean what I thought it meant? Or was I reading too much into it?

  “What are you gonna do if you’re not playing baseball?” Noah asked.

  I’d almost forgotten he was with us, and as glad as I was that he and Jacob were becoming quick friends, I wished just then that he wasn’t so I could ask all the questions I had spinning through my head about what Jacob meant.

  “I’d probably use my degree,” he said, his gaze now on Noah.

  I looked at my nephew and stifled the laugh bubbling up at the look on his face.

  “You have a degree?”

  “Yeah,” Jacob said. “I could have joined the minors a few years before I did, but I wanted something as a fall back just in case I didn’t make it to the big leagues.”

  Noah’s nose scrunched. “Really? What’s it in?”

  “Yeah, really. I didn’t want to assume that I was going all the way. So I got a degree in journalism with an emphasis on broadcast journalism. I’d look at maybe doing sports anchor or something like that.”

  Noah stared at Jacob for a beat before asking, “Is that why you’re always asking me what colleges I’m interested in?”

  My breath hitched, I had no idea he and Jacob were talking about things like that. If I hadn’t already been in love with Jacob, knowing that he was looking out for my nephew would have tipped the scales in his favor.

  “Yeah, man,” Jacob said. “You gotta think long term. Not just what you want immediately, but what you can do if that doesn’t work out. A degree means I can work after my dream is done.”

  Noah said nothing, and he looked at his phone thoughtfully.

  I looked back at Jacob and raised my brows. He shrugged.

  “Y’all ready to order something?”

  “Actually, I just wanted to see you real quick. Pops is coming to get me. He should be here in a few minutes.”

  “Really?” I asked him.

  He nodded. “Yeah. I figure you two don’t want me here cramping your style. You probably have some stuff to discuss, and Pops asked me earlier if I could help tonight.”

  His phone dinged and he checked it.

  “He’s here. Thanks for letting me come see you, Jacob.”

  I watc
hed as Noah walked over and they did some weird fist bump handshake thing. He gave me a chin jerk. Then he was gone.

  Jacob and I remained silent until we heard the door click shut behind him.

  Then I looked at him.

  “Well, if you’re ready to order, I am, too.”

  38

  Zoe

  “Before we order, I think we should talk about some things,” Jacob said.

  I blew out a breath and nodded. I couldn’t disagree.

  “I really am sorry about Lexi,” he said. “I had no idea I hadn’t updated my paperwork.”

  He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face. “It was a nightmare getting rid of her because she said she knew that meant that I wanted her.”

  My eyes widened, and he nodded. “Yeah. It was a shit show. But I got it fixed before I left.”

  He paused and studied me, looking nervous now. “I put you down as my next of kin.”

  I blinked at him. “What?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Before you ask, let me tell you why. My parents are several hours away, and I don’t have siblings.”

  I didn’t think that was a good reason, but it didn’t look like he was done.

  “And considering you’re the woman I’m in love with, it made sense for me to put you down since I plan on making sure you have my last name before too long.”

  His words stole breath from the from my lungs.

  “What?” I whispered.

  He studied me. “I love you. You didn’t give me the chance to say that before you hung up earlier. But you’re not alone. I love you, and I love Noah just like he was my own. I only get a few years with him before he’s gone, but I hope it’s enough that he knows how much I’ve grown to care for him.”

  My vision blurred as tears gathered in my eyes. “Are you serious right now?”

  “Yeah, I am. I meant what I said earlier about not wanting to be traded. I want to stay here, and that’s why I think I’m going to ask my agent to not renew my contract. I’ll look for a job around here and see if I’m able to find one. If not, I’ll figure something out.”

  He was saying all the right things, but there was a part of me that worried he was making these decisions simply because of his injury.

  “Are you sure? Don’t you want to take some time to think about this? You just got injured and I don’t want you to decide until you’re more healed.” I understood now why my mom asked me that earlier.

  He shook his head and leaned forward, grabbing my hand and tugging until I leaned against him and he could wrap an arm around my shoulder.

  “I’m sure. I’ve known for a while now that I was coming up on the end of my time as a player if I didn’t make it to The Show soon. And I’m okay with not making it. That’s not my dream now. My dream involves you, Noah, and some kids someday.”

  I blew out a shaky breath.

  Holy crap. When he made a declaration, he made a declaration.

  “So what you’re saying is, this is it?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, it is.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I never thought I’d get married again after divorcing Lexi, then I met you. And if I’m being honest, I didn’t want to like you.”

  I winced.

  He quickly continued. “But I couldn’t get you out of my mind and I knew I was being ridiculous. I couldn’t let her ruin what could be a good thing with us. You’ve proven repeatedly that you’re not her, and you give me so much more just being you than she ever gave me.”

  While the words were amazing, the reality behind them was sad.

  He was married to her for several years, and he basically just admitted that he wasn’t super happy with her. And I hated that for him.

  I pulled back from him and tilted my head up so I could look at his face more fully. “I hate that your marriage ended so terribly, but I don’t hate that we found each other.”

  He grinned and leaned down to press his lips against mine.

  I tried to move closer to him, but the angle was awkward.

  I pulled back and carefully moved so that I was straddling his lap.

  “Is this okay?” I asked him, looking over my shoulder at his foot, which was still propped up on the ottoman.

  “Better than okay,” he murmured before grasping my chin between his fingers and turning me back to face him.

  I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his, placing my hands on his shoulders and widening my legs so I could settle more fully over him.

  He groaned low in his throat as I settled over him.

  I would have thought it was a groan of pain, but considering the hard ridge pressing against my center, I had a feeling that it wasn’t one of pain, but of pleasure.

  I slowly rocked my hips over him, reveling in the low groan that spilled from his throat.

  I pulled away from him and bit my bottom lip as I continued undulating.

  “Fuck,” he rasped, his hands on my hips, holding, but not guiding my movements.

  His pupils were blown as his gaze raked over me. There was a slight flush to his cheeks, and I loved seeing it, letting me know he liked what I was doing.

  My center throbbed with each brush of my clit against his dick, the friction, building me toward an orgasm.

  A small part of me was embarrassed at how close I was to coming already, but I couldn’t find it in me to care all that much. I could tell Jacob was just as affected.

  I leaned forward to press my lips against his again, opening my mouth and deepening the kiss.

  I moaned as his fingers tightened on my hips and he started guiding my motions, roughly pulling me down against him, helping me get that delicious friction I craved.

  “You gonna come?” he panted, pulling back.

  I leaned my forehead against his. “Uh huh.”

  I wasn’t capable of words.

  “How close are you?”

  I whimpered as my center spasmed, and then I was flying.

  I froze as pleasure wracked my being. I wasn’t sure how I was still tethered to the Earth, that’s how good it felt.

  I leaned against Jacob as I came down. I was the most relaxed I’d been since he got injured.

  But I was the only one. The hard ridge of his erection still pressed against me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do to help with that.

  I sat up and kissed him lightly. “Spread your legs.”

  He arched a brow as I moved off him, but he did as I asked. I checked where his injured foot was, then carefully knelt in front of him.

  “Holy fuck,” he muttered as I reached for his fly, carefully pulling it down and reaching inside.

  I carefully pulled his dick out, hoping my face didn’t betray how nervous I was.

  I’d given blow jobs before, but Jacob was easily the biggest guy I’d attempted one on.

  I could do this. I wanted to do this.

  I gently stroked him, and his hips pushed up. I adjusted myself and leaned forward, carefully licking the bead of pre-cum leaking from his tip.

  He blew out a harsh breath, his gaze riveted on what I was doing.

  I sucked the tip, laving it with my tongue while I slowly stroked him.

  Then I got to work, languidly sucking him in, applying more suction, more friction.

  He didn’t move the entire time, but I wanted him to fully enjoy it.

  I forced as much of him into my mouth as possible, my eyes watering, my gag reflex trying to kick in.

  Then I backed off. He groaned, his hands gripping the cushions beside him.

  I sucked in a breath and did it again.

  His hands threaded through my hair, holding tight enough that I felt a bite of pain, but not so tight that I couldn’t move as I wished.

  He guided my movements, sometimes pushing me down further, sometimes pumping shallowly.

  He thickened in my mouth and as he guided me, I brought the hand I was using to hold me up into play, wrapping it around his sack. He jerked and moaned, and shot into my throat.

  My eyes w
idened in surprise at how quickly he came, but I swallowed everything he gave me, only pulling back once he’d stopped shivering.

  I couldn’t help but grin at the blissed out look on his face. I’m sure I looked pretty smug about it.

  I opened my mouth to say something, but there was a knock on the door.

  I looked at Jacob, then down at his half-hard dick laying against his pants.

  “Fuck,” he muttered, sitting up. “You go to the bathroom in my room to get cleaned up and I’ll see who it is.”

  “You sure?” I asked, eyeing his crutch and casted foot.

  “Yeah, positive.”

  I stood and watched as he carefully tucked himself away, then stood.

  Once he was on his way to the door, I hurried into his bathroom.

  I gasped when I saw the state of my hair in the mirror. No wonder he said I should clean up. No way was I facing anyone with sex hair. I hadn’t even had sex!

  I finger combed my hair, then carefully pulled it back when that didn’t do much. I washed my hands and rinsed my mouth.

  There was nothing I could do about the puffiness of my lips. I’d have to hope that whoever was at the door was gone or they didn’t care if they were staying.

  With one last check, I strode from the bathroom and back to the living room where Jacob was standing with an older couple.

  “Hey, babe,” Jacob said, smiling at me. “Come meet my parents.”

  Well, shit. I wasn't expecting that.

  39

  Jacob

  The look on Zoe’s face would have been comical if I didn’t know that she was probably freaking out.

  She’d just come from dry humping me and sucking my dick like a champ. I wouldn’t want to meet the parents after that, either.

  Zoe smiled, and I hoped my parents didn’t notice how it wavered a little as she walked over to stand next to me.

  “Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Zoe. Zoe, these are my parents. Delilah and Jared Vaughn.”

  Zoe held out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  My parents shook her hand while studying her, then they moved their gazes to me.