The Running Back's Baby Read online

  “Can I ask you something?” I asked.

  “Go ahead. You can ask me anything, Zoe.”

  “Do you remember anything about your dad?”

  He looked surprised that I would ask, but then he smiled, as if he was happy that I wanted to know more about him. It made me feel a little embarrassed. We met nearly two months ago, and I knew all his game stats since he started in the pro league and the rumors about him, because I researched him before I scouted him for the Southern Eagles. Other than knowing he only had a mother, and only because our parents told us separately when they announced they were dating. When I thought about it, I really didn’t know much about him.

  “To be honest, I don’t remember much,” he started, expression turning thoughtful. “I barely even remember his name now, and Mom didn’t keep any of his pictures, because she knew when he left that he wouldn’t be returning. Of course, as a kid, I didn’t really understand that. I was six, I think? I waited, and waited, until I just stopped thinking about it.”

  “That must have been horrible.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not something I think much about. As far as I know, he could be dead now, so there’s no reason to think about him. Mom says I look a lot like him when she last saw him, though.”

  He was six when his father left him, and he was twenty-eight now. He hadn’t seen his dad in twenty two years, so it wasn’t impossible that he could have died in all that time. I was awkward with my own dad, but I couldn’t imagine him not being there.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s nothing for you to be sorry for. Anyway, I’m glad. You really enjoyed the food,” he teased.

  “Hmm?”

  He gestured at my plate, looking amused. I’d been eating while we talked, and I didn’t even realize my plate was empty until right then.

  “You don’t have to lick the plate or anything. You can have the rest. And if you’d like, I can cook for you more often.”

  That made me smile. He’d only had one helping, but since he was offering, I wasn’t going to be polite. I filled my plate with what was left, leaving him one stuffed potato. I felt a little guilty, but I really was hungry, I’d barely eaten anything the whole day, the one hot dog and ice cream I’d eaten around lunch being my only meal of the day.

  “Thanks for the offer.” Since Mom, no one had ever cooked for me. Dad had tried once when I was sick, but he’d nearly burned down the kitchen instead, and he’d never tried again. “I would like that, actually. And, now that you’ve offered, you might as well make lunch and dinner for me tomorrow. And the day after that.”

  His eyebrows jumped up. “Is that really going to be okay? If your dad ever found me here, he’d be mad, wouldn’t he?”

  I rolled my eyes. “If you were actually worried about that, you wouldn’t keep coming here even knowing the danger. You can’t keep jumping out of my window, that’s why I don’t like you coming here. But, this one time, it’s okay.”

  “Oh?”

  I hummed. “I got a call from him while you were busy in the kitchen saying he’ll be out for the whole weekend. I don’t have anything to do so I was just thinking of hanging around at home. Would you like to stay over for the weekend and keep me company?”

  The moment I asked, I paused and wondered if I’d fucked up. We slept over at each other’s places, though it was more like I’d slept over at his apartment or we found a hotel and spent the night together, but usually only if it was too late to be outside. We’d go our separate ways the next morning, and here I was just casually inviting him to spend a weekend. He might not like it.

  “If you’re busy, you don’t have to,” I said quickly. “I just thought it would be nice to have someone spend the time with, and you’re here.”

  “So you’re only asking because I’m here?” he asked, amused. “If I hadn’t come here, you wouldn’t have thought to call me over?”

  “That’s not what I meant,” I grumbled. Though, I might have thought about it, honestly. Dad asked me where I was on the nights I didn’t come home and I’d give him an excuse. I’d say that I was staying over at a friend’s, so I tried not to sleep away from home often. “If you’re going to be busy over the weekend, though, it’s not like I can’t stay by myself.”

  Howard grinned. “What are you talking about? Of course, I’m not busy. I don’t even have a job, currently, what could I possibly have to do over the weekend.”

  “Oh,” I breathed out. He usually didn’t seem all that bothered about his current state, so I didn’t really think about it, but a football player without a team was technically unemployed. “Then, what about friends? I know you’ve been away from town for a while, you have to have had friends before you left, right? You must have gone to high school around here...”

  “Well, I did go to high school here, but how long ago was that? Ten whole years. I didn’t keep in touch with any of the people I’d left behind here, and when I got kicked out of my team and came back here, none of the friends I’d made would talk to me. I don’t think there’s much point in talking to them, either, so technically, I don’t have friends. The only person I talk to is my agent.”

  “Your agent?”

  He nodded. “You met him, when I went to the office that one time to negotiate my contract? The negotiating didn’t really last long, though, your Dad kicked me out.”

  “Oh.”

  I sort of did remember someone like that. I’d only ever seen him the one time, though.

  “Anyway, I don’t have anything to do, so yeah, I’d like to stay for the weekend. Thanks for asking.”

  I was still a bit surprised that he’d agreed so readily. I guess it meant he wanted to spend more time with me when we weren’t just having sex? I didn’t know if I should be happy about it or not, but I frowned, because his expression when he said it looked strange.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked. “If you really don’t want to, it’s not like I’m going to force you. Even if you don’t have plans, you might have wanted to spend time at home alone?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing like that. If I didn’t want to spend time with you, I wouldn’t have even come here today. It’s fine, really.”

  I bit my lip so I wouldn’t ask for more, but he didn’t say that while looking at me. His head was ducked down as he slowly finished the food on his plate, and whether he noticed it or not, even with a smile on his face, his brow was furrowed, as if he was worried about something.

  Was he not going to tell me? I hesitated to ask, because I didn’t know if we were close enough to pry into each other’s business. I only asked about his dad because he brought it up first. If this was something personal, he didn’t want to tell me, I couldn’t force him to do so against his will. I didn’t want to, but I let it go as we finished dinner in silence.

  “You cooked and you barely ate anything,” I complained afterwards, the guilt returning once I’d cleared my second serving.

  “Unlike you, I actually had lunch, and I ate before I came here, so I wasn’t all that hungry, anyway. Let me just wash the dishes and I’ll go run that bath for you.”

  I went to stand as he took the dishes to the sink. “At least let me do the dishes! You’re making me feel a guilty. I’m not so lazy, or so tired, that I can’t do this much.”

  “I know, but you don’t have to,” Howard said with a chuckle. “I want to do something nice for you every once in a while, and it’s not much. Go sit down and wait.”

  I pouted as he used up all the space by the sink, nudging me away when I tried to get close to help. “You’re surprisingly bossy, Howard.”

  He sent a smirk at me. “After being with me for more than a month now, shouldn’t you know that already, Zoe?”

  My face flushed at the heated words. Yes, he was definitely bossy when it came to the bedroom. I’d come to realize it quickly after the first few times we had sex, and I was even more surprised when I didn’t really mind it. I’d had a few relationships while I was in college,
and I wasn’t a virgin when I met Howard, but sex with him was unlike anything I’d felt before. Maybe that was why I was so addicted to it.

  Crap. Now I’m turned on.

  Even though I’d just been surprised that he wanted to spend time with me without having sex, I had to admit part of it was at least my fault. I gave in every time he seduced me because I wanted it, too.

  I left him to his work while I went to sit on the couch, turning my thoughts to something else, like his strange expression from earlier. Actually, when I thought about it, him coming to my place at all was strange. He’d only been by three times, but when I told him he couldn’t keep coming over in case Dad found him here, he’d agreed with me.

  So why did he come here when Dad could have easily been the one to come home and see him at the front door?

  Dad didn’t know how close we were, but he hated Howard and he’d already warned me off from spending too much time around him, getting caught at our house would just make things more complicated for him if he really planned to sign on with the Eagles. Come to think of it, there was no way he’d know what I was doing today, and I didn’t think of it when I first saw him, but how long had he been waiting before I got back? I found him crouching beside the door and I didn’t question anything because I was in a bad mood at the time.

  For all I knew, he could have been waiting a while.

  Why would he risk coming here? Was something wrong? I was almost positive he was definitely keeping something from me, but I didn’t know what it could be. What did he want when he came here?

  I was distracted by my thoughts, so Howard surprised me when he came in and pressed a kiss to my cheek from behind.

  “I’ve been calling you. What’s got you so preoccupied?” He asked curiously, but didn’t give me a chance to reply. “I drew the bath already, so you can come in and soak.”

  He caught my hand and tugged until I stood, then pulled me around the couch and up the stairs to the bathroom. I must have been out of it for longer than I’d thought if he’d had time to get all this done. The bathroom was already steaming, the tub three quarters full. I touched my hand inside, and the water was hot, but just the right, relaxing kind of hot.

  “Thanks,” I said absently.

  I noticed Howard had his sleeves folded back, and the front of his shirt and his jeans seemed to be wet.

  “You splashed some on yourself.” I touched the wet spots on his shirt. “Come to think of it, I don’t really have a change of clothes for you, and you can’t wear Dad’s. Maybe you really shouldn’t stay over...”

  My voice drifted off, because he was showing that strange expression again, a little worried, with an edge of desperation. He hid it away quickly, but I noticed.

  “I’m not going anywhere. And since I’ll be staying the whole weekend,” he said, voice husky, taking a step closer. “I won’t need clothes the whole time.”

  Before I could think of anything to say to that, he kissed me, and I decided it wasn’t worth breaking off the kiss to speak. Howard surprised me, though. It wasn’t a simple kiss. His lips pressed hard against mine, and he nipped and licked at my lips, even as I parted them for him, and he thrust his tongue in and out of my mouth, then sucked my tongue into his mouth.

  The kiss was hot and desperate, and I let out a moan. Howard’s arms wrapped tight around my waist, but just as well, because I didn’t think my legs could hold me up steadily. I grabbed onto his arms, kissing back as best as I could, but he left me overwhelmed. When he broke the kiss, my mind was spinning. I panted, feeling the warmth between my thighs grow unbearable.

  “Howard?”

  I said his name, though it came out sounding like a moan. I would have been embarrassed if my body wasn’t so hot. I wasn’t some hormonal teenager, but around Howard, I couldn’t help feeling like one. The whole issue with him keeping something important from me was still valid, but I completely forgot it in place of other, more important things.

  “Do you mind if I join you?” he asked, nipping my ear lobe and making me tremble.

  One of his hands tugged on my top, untucking it from my skirt, then slid up my side. I groaned and attacked his clothes. We stripped each other down, our kisses growing more and more heated. With our naked bodies pressed together, I could feel his hard cock pressed against me, and I rocked my hips into him, making him growl.

  “The tub,” he muttered, pulling away from the kiss for a few seconds. “The water will get cold. Should we get in the tub?”

  I nodded absently. He’d dragged me over to the tub before I realized what was happening, and I was pulled out of the haze of lust by the feel of hot water on my skin. It burned for a second, and then it just felt good. The tub was pretty big, so it would fit the both of us getting inside. Howard pulled me in with him, sitting down and having me straddle his lap. I gasped, feeling his cock nudge at my clit in this position, and I rolled my hips.

  He growled. “If you keep moving like that, I won’t be able to last.”

  “I’ve never done this in the bath before,” I admitted.

  He kissed me, letting out a hum. “I’ve fucked you in my shower a few times, though.”

  “You know that’s not what I mean. This is going to get messy.”

  He bit down on my lip, hard enough for me to feel the sting, then pulled back and smirked. “Be as messy as you want, Zoe. I’ll clean up afterwards.”

  I felt his hands on my hips, then circling around to grab my ass cheeks as he pressed me closer to his body. He shifted beneath me, angling his hips. The head of his cock nudged at my entrance, and I slid down, taking him inside me. Howard leaned back, keeping his hold on me. I moved, rising up then sliding back down, taking him into me over and over. Howard guided my thrusts, but neither of us was in a hurry. I ground my hips against his, moaning as I pressed my forehead to his.

  Howard kissed my neck, his lips moving down to my chest. I arched my back, watching him through half lidded eyes as his lips wrapped around one of my nipples and sucked. A litany of moans and pleasureds sighs fell from my mouth, along with the sloshing of water the sound bounced off the tiles, echoing in the room. I held onto the side of the bath as I moved my hips.

  “You look beautiful like this, Zoe,” Howard murmured, placing a kiss between my breasts.

  Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and rolled my hips against his. His own arm held me by the waist, and I gasped when he rocked his hips up to meet mine. He picked up the pace, and I couldn’t help but follow. I could feel the pleasure coiling low in my abdomen. Howard’s hands tightened on my hips as he fucked me harder and faster, the water growing turbulent around us, and I cried out as my walls convulsed around his cock. I came, body shuddering in his arms, and Howard grunted into my neck as he hit climax right behind me, filling me up with his come.

  Afterwards, I slumped against him, head rested on his shoulder as I caught my breath. I saw the water that had poured onto the floor, and chuckled, but quickly cut it off in a groan when I felt his cock rubbing against my insides.

  “You better remember to clean this bathroom.”

  He chuckled, holding me tight against his chest. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget.”

  Chapter Eight

  Zoe

  I was just about to pick up my cell to call Howard, when I thought him being the one who changed our arrangement. He claimed that he wanted us to go on a date. Now, we had and we were getting close, he’d disappeared.

  Part of me was curious and wanted to know, why? The other part was pissed for falling for him. Either way, it was irritating. At first, I didn’t know what to think of it, but I decided quickly enough that I didn’t like it.

  Right after morning practice, the guys were allowed to roam the facilities and do as they pleased. They could even leave, as long as they were back in time for practice in the afternoon. Dad and the rest of the staff had gone off somewhere to discuss the morning practice and make plans for the afternoon. With him out of the way, I tried to go
ahead and talk to Howard, who was standing in for one of our missing players, but every time he noticed me getting close, he would move away. He kept doing it up until Dad showed up, and I couldn’t force the issue.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  I looked up and smiled wanly at Ted. He’d been on the team for three years, and I was there when he got drafted. I wasn’t as close to him as I was with some of the others, but he was a good guy. He showed me respect for my knowledge and passion in football, a lot more than my own dad showed me, so I liked him. Also, because he’d met me as an adult, he didn’t sometimes treat me like a kid like some of the guys.

  “Sorry, what was that?”

  “You just look a little... I don’t know, down? Did something happen?”

  I glanced around the room, and I pouted when I noticed Howard had disappeared again.

  “I’m just a little irritated, Ted, don’t worry about it. Anyway, it’s about lunch, so you guys should go eat. Because it’s the first official practice, they made quite a spread for you. I’ll go get something to eat outside.”

  “If you say so.”

  There was no way I could stick around. If Howard kept avoiding me, it would only make me even angrier. I didn’t actually plan to leave, though. They made lunch for the guys at the facility, and the staff got lunch in a separate room. Even though I technically didn’t count as staff, I usually ate with them. I didn’t feel like eating today, though, so I just grabbed some fruit and found an empty room to sit down and stew.

  What the fuck is Howard’s problem?

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and thought about texting him, but he shouldn’t have his phone on him. Then I put my phone away with a growl at myself.

  Why do I have to be the one to look for him?

  So, what if he was avoiding me? I didn’t think I’d done anything to deserve it. If he wasn’t going to explain it, then I was just going to leave it at that.

  “Ow.”

  I pressed a hand to my chest, more surprised than hurt by the sudden squeeze inside my chest. For some reason, Howard didn’t want to see me. I didn’t know, but maybe I really did do something and I just didn’t know it? If there was anything, it would have to be the weekend he spent at my place, but I didn’t remember anything.