Homerun (Pro-U Book 4) Read online

  "How about a blanket, a beer and a booth? That I can help with."

  I smiled and pulled back from him before slipping into my jacket. "I'll take a beer and a booth for sure."

  "There you go. Hold tight and I'll get one for you."

  "Where's Em?" I called after him.

  "With her little sister and her aunt tonight. Why... you wanna take her spot?"

  "Fuck you too." I turned back to the crowd to find Jayce sitting beside William. His eyes were locked on me. I nodded and smiled in a friendly manner before turning to Micah and Tasha. "Hey guys. I haven't seen either of you in a few weeks."

  I gave quick hugs.

  "We've been busy trying to get ready for March Madness. It's coming up faster than I can keep up with." Tasha shook her head. "How's softball season going? You guys wrapped up your fall practice and should be playing your first game soon, right?"

  "Yep. I'm looking forward to the spring season starting up. We've been trying to practice as much as possible, but it's been a little challenging with the weather." I gave her a look. "How's your mom?"

  "She's doing all right. Hanging in there." Tasha leaned into Micah a little and glanced up at him. "This guy has been my rock."

  "That's awesome." I turned as Jacob handed me a beer.

  "To the prettiest girl in the room." He wagged his eyebrows at me.

  "Em know you say that every time you see Layla?" The sound of Jayce's voice beside me left my heart aching all over again.

  "Yep. She's well aware that if anything happens to her, it'll be Layla's shapely shoulder that I'm crying on every night." Jacob turned his wicked grin back toward me. "Of course, that wouldn't happen if she were taken."

  "Well, she's not, and at this rate, I'm not sure she ever will be." I lifted my beer in the air, quite content with talking about myself in third person.

  Jacob chuckled, but Jayce didn't. Surprise, surprise.

  Chapter 19

  Jayce

  She couldn't have looked better standing there beside me. Her long blond hair was thick and looked like silk. It took everything inside of me not to reach out, sink my fingers into it and jerk her around to show her how much I wanted her.

  "Did you get to go shopping with Aubrey?" I turned toward her, effectively cutting Jacob out of the conversation. Where I liked the guy, he was getting on my nerves with his affection for Layla.

  "Yeah. We got my dress, shoes and jewelry. She's going all out." She smiled, but I could tell it was forced.

  "Lucas called last night with our list of stuff to go get." I smiled and glanced over my shoulder to see where my sister was. I turned back to Layla, trying hard not to let on how bad it hurt to know she wasn't as interested as I was. "Let's just say that I'll be shopping for a long ass time this weekend."

  "That sucks." She lifted her beer to her lips and took a quick sip. "I'm going to order a burger. Your sister wants to split something."

  "Typical Aubrey." I moved out of the way and chided myself for responding like a dip shit. I ran my fingers through my hair, finished my beer and walked toward the pool table. There was no point in standing on the sidelines of our group, feeling like a heel. I'd play a game of pool with Will or someone else and then find a reason to get out of there. Layla didn't want me around her by the looks of things, which was cool. I could respect that, even if I didn't understand it.

  "Hey man. You're fucking things up royally." Jacob set the black ball on the table and gave me an angry glare.

  "What the fuck are you talking about?" I moved toward him, more than happy to take out some of my aggression on Layla's favorite boy toy. They had to have been together before Jacob settled down with Emily. Jacob had a hard-on for Layla a mile long.

  Friends my ass.

  "I'm talking about you hurting my girl." He poked me in the chest hard.

  "Your girl." I swatted his hand away. "I'm pretty sure you're dating a sweet cheerleader who ignores the fact that you're the biggest whore this school has ever seen."

  "Hey man, throwing punches at my past isn't going to solve your problem. If Lucas was here, he'd slap you in the back of the head, so consider this conversation me doing it for him. Layla has brought up one guy in our conversations over the last three and a half years, and she's brought him up a-fucking-lot. You know who he is?"

  "Seth Mills?"

  "No, dip shit," he growled. "You."

  "I don't need this from you, Jacob. I fucked things up with her, all right? I'm not sure how or where it went wrong, but I'm pretty sure if she was interested in me at all, she would have welcomed me into her bed."

  "Layla?" He snorted. "She's not sleeping with someone on the first date."

  "I'm not having this conversation with you." I grabbed a pool stick.

  He grabbed one too. "Yeah, you kinda are. I care about her a lot and you a little."

  I couldn't help but smile at the cocky smile on his face. He was far more Lucas’s friend than mine, but he was trying. God help him, he was trying to help me.

  "All right. Then tell me what to do, asshole. I love her and wasn't trying to get her into my bed the one night we met up in the hallway."

  "Tell me what happened."

  "Seriously?" I glanced around. "What are we, fifteen?"

  "Pretty much. Spill like you would to Lucas, or do yourself a favor and call his ass. Someone needs to set you straight. Layla is walking around like a zombie and you look like someone shoved a baseball bat up your ass. It's getting old quick." He racked the balls for our pool game and stood back up. "Spill, dude."

  "She was upset about Seth coming by. I was in a towel because I just got out of the shower. We made out in the hall, but she put a halt on it and said she wanted to wait. She mentioned something about love versus lust and said she needed to take things slow." I glanced up at the ceiling and took a shallow breath. "I tried and she wasn't interested."

  "You tried after she said to slow down?" His voice deepened a little.

  "No, mother fucker." I grabbed my pool stick and bent over. "I love her, Jacob. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. I backed off and went to my room."

  "And then?"

  "And then I gave her some space like she asked me to." I hit the white ball and exploded the triangle of balls in the middle of the table. "Solids."

  "You gave her some space how? Did you hug and kiss on her the next morning?"

  "Seriously right now?" I put my hand on my hip and gave him an incredulous look. "No. I left her alone. She wanted space, so I gave it to her."

  "Did she push at your chest and tell you she wanted space the night before or did she tell you that because it was you this stuff was happening with that she needed to take it slow?"

  "I don't know. Shit. It's foggy at this point, okay? She wanted space, and I gave it to her." Anger burned through me. Who was this guy thinking he could drill me on the details of my intimate life with Layla? It was none of his fucking business. And yet here I was, spilling it like it was.

  "She didn't want space, brother. She wanted you to treat her like a lady, not a whore."

  "I would never treat her like a whore." I set the pool stick down and shook my head. "I'm out of here. Thanks for nothing."

  "She's in love with you, Jayce. Treat that like gold, man. Save it and cherish it."

  I flipped him off and walked to the door, ignoring everyone as I pushed it open and barged out into the cold night.

  "Jayce. Wait. Are you headed out?" Layla. Of course it was Layla.

  "Yeah." I glanced back, trying hard to let my anger dissipate. She had enough shit in her life. I wasn't going to add anything to it. "Why? You need something?"

  "Aubrey was going to go over to see your parents before coming back to the apartment. I don't really want to go over there. I have a test I need to study for. Can we just take my jeep back to the apartment and she take your mustang?" The pleading look on her beautiful face left me without a choice. I'd do anything she wanted me to.

  "Yeah. Of course." I ran
my fingers through my hair and glanced back out to the street. "We don't have to leave now. I just needed some air."

  "No, I'm good leaving now. Give me your keys and I'll tell Aubrey." She walked toward me and stopped in front of me, extending her hand. "You all right?"

  "I will be." I pulled the keys out of my pocket and handed them over to her. "Just a little worked up after having a long fucking day."

  "I'll be right back and we can talk about it." She turned and jogged back toward the pub as I turned to watch her go.

  "I'd rather not," I mumbled under my breath and put my back to the restaurant. I let my head drop back and closed my eyes. I wasn't strong enough to hold up both hockey and baseball, nor was I smart enough to pass my Chemistry class. On top of all of that, I wasn't enough for the one woman I wanted in my life.

  Every step I needed to take to reach the future I wanted felt like it was turning into dust in my hands.

  "Okay. She's good with driving your mustang, and she promised to be careful." Layla moved up beside me and slid her arm into mine, pulling me toward her jeep. "You didn't have too much to drink, did you?"

  "No." I extended my hand and took the keys. "I started drinking about five hours ago and slacked off quite a bit when the sun set."

  I opened her door for her and walked around to the other side, trying to mentally coach myself to chill out just a little. Things had changed a lot between me and Layla over the last month or so, but before that, we were tight, close, good friends. No, not good friends. Best friends. I needed that back if nothing else.

  I let out a long sigh and climbed up in the truck. I was going to have to tear open my chest and spill my heart out to her. I didn't expect her to crawl in my bed or tell me that she wanted more than a friendship, but I needed to put things back together before I lost my mind. She was a huge part of my support system and one of the only reasons I survived when my sister left. I needed her.

  "It looks like it's going to start snowing again." She reached up and turned on the radio as I nodded my agreement. I was lost in my thoughts, trying like hell to figure out how to start a conversation like the one playing through my head.

  Making things more awkward for us wasn't going to help anything. I needed to reverse time and keep the line drawn in the sand where she was my closest friend and nothing else.

  "Yep. It's going to snow." Her voice sounded far away.

  I glanced over at her and nodded. "Winter's not done with us yet, right?"

  "Jayce. You okay?" She reached out and squeezed my shoulder as I pulled into the parking lot.

  "Yeah. Why?" I took a short breath as I struggled to get enough air into my lungs.

  "Jayce." She unbuckled and got on her knees in her seat, reaching out and unbuckling my seat belt too.

  "What are you doing?" I reached out and gripped the steering wheel as the cab grew dark around me. Fuck. I was in the middle of a panic attack. Fuck.

  "Just breathe. Listen to me. Breathe, okay." She pressed her hand against my chest and rubbed in big circles as she brushed her lips by my ear. "Breathe, baby. Breathe for me."

  Something about the sound of her voice caused my throat to open up a little. I sucked in air greedily as fear raced through me.

  "It's just a panic attack." She continued to rub my chest and brushed her nose slowly down my jawline. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on how good it felt to be near her again.

  She was only being nice because I couldn't catch my breath. She wasn't really interested. She needed a break. Aubrey was gone. I quit hockey like the fucking loser I was.

  "Jayce. Stop it." She crawled into my lap, straddling me as she slid her hands over my cheeks and cupped my face. "Look at me. Right now. Look at me."

  Her voice was so commanding, so familiar.

  "I'm sorry. I just started having these fucking things." I gripped her hips tightly and closed my eyes. "I don't know how to make it stop. It comes out of nowhere and I can't get enough air."

  "It's from your thoughts. Calm down and keep your eyes open. Just look at me, okay? I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

  "You promise?" I hated the neediness in my voice, but the day had been more than enough, and the night had kicked it over the edge. I was fucked up, and she seemed like the only one capable of saving me.

  What a shitty thing to put on the woman I loved.

  Chapter 20

  Layla

  The sorrow in his face ripped my heart open. He had no clue how much I loved him, how much I would sacrifice for him. I'd give up everything to be his.

  "I promise, Jayce. I'm not going anywhere." I rubbed his face softly for a few minutes as he continued to stare at me, unflinching. "Aubrey used to have these when we were in junior high. I can't tell you how many times I had to climb on top of her and calm her down."

  "I don't think she enjoyed it quite as much as I am." He closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh of pleasure.

  I leaned forward and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, pressing myself to the front of him. His erection was rock hard, which should have been a complete turn on, but I was terrified of something happening to him.

  "Tell me you're okay." I turned my face toward his and kissed the soft skin just under his neck as tears blurred my vision. "Tell me you can breathe again."

  "I'm okay." He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back softly. "I'm so sorry about upsetting you a few weeks ago. I just wanted to take our friendship to another level. I thought you did too. I'm sorry for pushing. I won't do it again."

  I sat up and wiped at my tears. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  "In the hall, Lay. Don't skirt around it. You're one of my best friends. I need you so fucking bad right now and yet I'm scared I'll upset you again."

  "When did you upset me?" I pressed my hands into his thick chest and tried hard not to undulate my hips. My mind was scattered, but my body was more than ready to welcome his for a long night of anything he wanted of me.

  He let out a soft growl and glanced up at the ceiling as the snow began to fall from the sky. I glanced out the window, trying to think through the night we stood in the hall.

  "I asked you to sleep with me, but you were right to refuse me."

  "You asked me to sleep in the bed with you but not to make love." I touched the side of his face, forcing him to look at me. "I told you that I couldn't do that. There is no way in hell I could get in your bed and lay there."

  "It was wrong of me." He shrugged and reached for the door handle. "Come on. Let's get upstairs before we get snowed into the jeep. That would be a night to remember."

  "Jayce." I pressed myself against him again, forcing him to sit back. "I wanted you that night like I've wanted you every night since I was a girl. Don't misunderstand what happened in the hall. You're the only man I want like that."

  "Then why did you want to go slow? That seems like a sweet way of saying 'fuck off' to me. Since when do you go slow in life? I just figured-"

  I couldn't let him think the thoughts that he convinced himself of. They were a horrible lie. Aubrey was right. He thought I'd rejected him.

  "You figured wrong." I pressed my lips against his and rolled my hips slowly to massage his body with mine.

  He groaned low in his chest and slid one hand up my back to grab a handful of my hair. The other hand gripped my ass tightly as he lifted up from the seat and ground against me.

  The kiss deepened as we took turns trying to outdo each other. I sucked his tongue softy and ran my fingers through his hair as he squeezed my ass and used his tight grip on my hair to keep control of the kiss.

  I finally pulled back, panting softly. "If you don't want to go slow, then I don't. I just wanted this to be more than sex. I love you. I always have."

  He slid his hand out of my hair, around my neck and down my chest, squeezing my breasts softly as I pressed into his touch and moaned, unashamed.

  "You love me?" He licked at his lips and pulled me down for another long kiss
, not letting me answer.

  Where I was terrified that he might have another panic attack, I had to trust in the fact that his were caused by the same thing that Aubrey's used to be caused by. Internally beating herself up until she couldn't find a way out of the darkness.

  "I want you, Lay." He broke the kiss, murmuring against my lips as I rocked my hips and whimpered softly.

  "Then take me. I've always been yours, you big idiot." I nipped at his lips and opened the door. "I'm not sure how many ways I could have shown it."

  He helped me out of the truck and got out himself.

  "You're going to have to spell this out tomorrow. I need to know all of these ways. I thought I was the only one with feelings between us."

  We jogged up toward the house together as the snow fell all around us. A lightness inside of me spread from my chest to my arms and legs, making it easier to breathe. I'd told him. He hadn't really told me that he loved me, but I was done. I'd manned up and finally told him. Aubrey would be proud.

  I laughed softly beside him as he fumbled with the keys. He glanced over at me with a boyish smile on his face.

  "What? You try getting it in the hole with your whole body shaking."

  "Is this a foreshadowing of our night?"

  He laughed and stood up, handing me the keys and moving back. "Have at it, beautiful."

  I bent over and quickly popped the key in the lock as his strong hands moved over my back to my hips. I pushed the door open and walked inside as electricity danced across my pleasure points. I'd wanted this night for as long as I could remember.

  "Come here." He grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward him. "I can't take things slow with you, Lay. I've loved you since I was a boy. I need to go fast and hard for a long time." He licked the side of my neck as I groaned. "I'll go slow a few years from now when you force me to, but not now. It's been a slow fucking road up to this point."

  "Don't go slow," I whispered roughly as he moved back and reached for the zipper of my jacket. He had that and my shirt off of me in a matter of seconds. I reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head before he picked me up and gripped the back of my neck, forcing me down for another long string of kisses.