The Running Back's Baby Read online

  As for me, living with his mom in the same house, I definitely couldn’t put up with it for long. If anything was going to happen between Howard and me, I had to figure out a way to move from that house. But then I would have to stop playing sports agent for Dad’s sake and deal with getting a job first before I could even think of moving out.

  “My life is just completely crazy,” I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose as I felt an ache start in my head. “I know what I want to do, but I don’t know how to go about it for now, so I’m stuck in that really awkward atmosphere at home, and I don’t think Dad and Katie even notice it.”

  “Why?” Kayla asked, sipping her drink. “Your dad just got married and you have a new step mother now, but you’re all grown up. It’s not like you’ll live at home forever either, right? You won’t have to worry about it when you finally move out.”

  I groaned again. “That’s not the problem. I don’t mind that she’s my stepmom. She’s fine with me calling her Katie, and honestly, for now, she’s just a stranger I have to interact with, but that’s fine. What isn’t fine, is the fact that Howard is now my stepbrother, Kayla. You know? The guy I’ve been sleeping with for the past couple months?”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh... I don’t know how I forgot about that.”

  Kayla, of course, knew everything. As one of my closest friends, when I found out about Dad dating Katie, I’d gone to her to vent. I’d stayed away from Howard for a while at the time, because it was awkward, but somehow, things between us didn’t end back then. He and I had run into each other while I was out shopping with Kayla, and I’d briefly introduced the two of them before he talked me into going back to his apartment with him.

  I wondered if this really was where we stopped, and I felt my stomach clench at the thought. Now more than ever, that option wasn’t something that would make me happy.

  “You guys weren’t serious, were you?” Kayla asked. “You told me you just hooked up occasionally, right? So, it’s not like you’re dating. Can’t you just end it?”

  I grimaced, because no, I couldn’t just end it. I didn’t like the idea anymore, which was why I was willing to wait until Howard got his shit in order before we continued our relationship, if that was what I could call what we had. Also, hooking up ‘occasionally’ didn’t sound right, because while we didn’t meet up every day, we met up often. I definitely saw more of Howard than I did of my dad, and we lived together.

  Besides, now I had a legitimate reason not to besides my own feelings.

  “There is a problem with that, though,” I murmured. “I can’t just cut things off with Howard, least of all now. Kayla, I think I missed my period.”

  “What!”

  She was a little loud, and I stared at her with wide eyes. The music and murmurs in the room wasn’t that loud, a few people looked over, wondering about the noise, and I ducked my head down, pretending to be focused on my drink.

  “Okay, that could be a problem,” Kayla said after a moment, sounding dazed, but at least she was quiet. “Crap, Zoe, what are you going to do? If your parents find out, what will they say? Wait, are you even sure? Are you pregnant?”

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I missed my period and that’s never happened before, but I don’t know if I’m pregnant or not. I’ve been trying not to think about it since I realized, and then this whole mess happened, so I don’t think I should put it off.”

  “Of course not!” She hissed. “You can’t run away from it if you are pregnant, Zoe. You need to know right now!”

  I looked at her, startled. “Right now?”

  “Yeah! This isn’t the kind of thing you waste your time on. Actually, stop drinking that right now.” She took my cocktail from me. “The alcohol content is low in this, but you shouldn’t be having any at all if you’re not sure.”

  I blinked, then frown. “Right. I’d totally forgotten. Good thing I didn’t drink any beer, then. And I only had a few sips, so it should be fine...”

  Suddenly, though, I was worried. How could I have forgotten something so basic? It had been a while since high school, but I already knew things like drinking and smoking while pregnant were bad for the baby. Especially when I wasn’t sure yet, I shouldn’t accidentally hurt my baby just because I wanted a fucking drink!

  Kayla finished both cocktails, then paid the bartender and dragged me right back out of the bar. We walked around until we found a pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. I didn’t want to go home with it. Dad usually came home late, but Katie could be home. So, Kayla took me to her apartment.

  The test didn’t take long. I had to drink a lot of water and wait for a while before I could go to the bathroom and use the test. Kayla kept me distracted with what was going on in her own life. She didn’t have any big news like I did, but there were a lot of interesting stories from her office that I did find interesting.

  Ten minutes after I walked back out of the bathroom, I had the result. It was positive.

  “Well, damn,” Kayla said.

  I dropped onto her couch. “What am I going to do?”

  More importantly, how was I going to tell Howard about this? How would he even take it, especially with the news of our parents’ marriage?

  Chapter Eleven

  Howard

  I laid down on my bed in my apartment. There was no practice, and I had nothing to do, so I was bored. If my mood was better, I could have gone outside to look for something to do, but I just didn’t feel like it.

  How could Mom do this to me?

  My thoughts were unfair, and I knew it, but they persisted. Because I missed the dinner, I didn’t hear it at the same time as Zoe did, but Mom had called me and told me about her getting married with no warning to me, and to Ben of all people. I wished now that I’d sucked it up and gone to sit with them so I could read Zoe’s reaction to the news, or at least tried to talk to her.

  Fuck!

  This just made everything that much more complicated for me.

  Because I was taking Ben’s deal, I hadn’t had time to talk to Zoe. I didn’t want to tell her anything when I was forced to avoid her, but if I told her now, would she even accept it?

  I’d come to terms with it myself. I liked Zoe, a lot. I didn’t want to just keep fooling around, either. I’d planned, when things were safe, to tell her how I felt about her, and instead of getting back to how we were, to start over in a relationship that was a little more solid. We’d be dating for real instead of just hooking up.

  In the middle of my pity party of one, I heard my doorbell and groaned as I rolled over, pulling my pillow over my head. I didn’t want to see anyone. In the next second, though, I froze, because who would come here to see me? Ever since I got this apartment, the only person who had come here was Zoe.

  Could that be her?

  I slipped off the bed and went to the door. I couldn’t ignore it if there was a chance it could be Zoe. Maybe she was done being pissed at me or, crap, what if she’d come to tell me things were over between us?

  When I opened the door, I was surprised to find Zoe there, even though I’d already guessed it had to be her. She’d never come over before, though, without me asking her over.

  “Zoe, hey. Come in.”

  I stood aside to let her in. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  She glanced at me over her shoulder. “Am I not welcome here?”

  “You’re always welcome here, Zoe. Usually, though, I have to talk you into coming here. Don’t tell me you actually missed me?” I teased, but I was actually kind of happy.

  I walked over and wrapped my arms around her and placed a kiss on the side of her neck. She was in heels today, so she was at my height. She sighed as she leaned back against me, her hands sliding over mine. I froze for a second, because she wasn’t trying to get away, which was how this usually went, even when we were in the privacy of my apartment. Slowly, I pulled away and turned her around to face me.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked. I cou
ldn’t completely erase the ball of anxiety in my stomach.

  She must have known about our parents before I did. She hadn’t said anything to me about it, and I didn’t know how she felt about it. I couldn’t ask. I was a little afraid of what she would say.

  “Nothing wrong. It’s been a while, I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

  Her hands slid up my arms until they circled my shoulders. Dazed, I let my hands settle on her waist. It was true that it had been a while, though, the longest we’d probably gone without meeting.

  “It’s been great, being back on the team. Honestly, I forgot how much I’ve missed playing football and being on a team. The situation now is definitely better.”

  If only things between us were okay, then I could be happier.

  “I’ve wanted to talk to you, actually, so it’s good you came. I wasn’t sure you’d pick up if I called.”

  She shrugged. “Of course I would have picked up.”

  I frowned. “Zoe, you haven’t picked up any of my calls for days now.”

  She smiled. “I was angry, then. I’m not right now.”

  “Seriously, you’re scaring me. Is something going on?”

  Zoe laughed, and pecked a quick kiss on my lips. “I told you. I was angry before. It’s not like I don’t have a right to be. It’ll just take some getting used to, ignoring you every time the team has practice, because I’m always there.”

  “I’m sorry we have to do it.”

  She shrugged, pulling away. “Don’t worry about it, I’m over it. I’m glad things are working out for you with the team.”

  Zoe toed off her heels, then walked over to my couch and sat down. I watched her for a moment, then followed and sat down beside her.

  On the inside, I was still confused. Zoe wasn’t acting normal, and it worried me. She was looking around the room as if this was the first time she’d come here, and it really wasn’t. It was as if she didn’t want to meet my eyes, and her expression was odd, too, like she was trying too hard to be calm.

  This feels familiar.

  “Zoe?”

  She hummed, turning to me with a distracted smile.

  “I want to tell your dad the truth.”

  That got rid of the smile.

  “What?”

  I ran a hand through my hair, then shifted so I had one knee on the couch, and I was facing her.

  “Hear me out. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I really hate having to pretend like there isn’t anything between us just because of your dad. He can at least be reasonable, right? If we come clean with everything, then that should be fine, right?”

  Zoe gave me a flat look. “And tell him what, exactly? That you and I have been sleeping together for months?”

  I winced. Actually, I would have hoped to tell him we were dating, and we’d been together for months, but she wasn’t wrong, that was how things started between us. I just never realized I could get this serious about her, or instead of seducing her into my bed, I would have asked her out on a date and done things right. If Ben heard the real version of events, I didn’t doubt he’d kick me off the team for good and tell me not to go near his daughter again. All over again.

  “Maybe not exactly that,” I said carefully.

  Zoe sighed. “We can’t tell him, anyway. We shouldn’t.”

  My heart squeezed in my chest. “Why not?”

  “I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now, right? That our parents are married, and your mom is moving into my house?”

  “I heard. Does it bother you?” I asked tentatively.

  “This isn’t about whether or not I’m bothered about the fact that you and I are now step siblings, Howard. Have you seen our parents? Dad... I’ve never seen him this happy before. He was glowing that night at dinner when he took your mom’s hand and told me they were married already. Your mom was happy, too. If you’d been there, you would have seen it.”

  “I was there,” I confessed. “I was drunk, so I just saw you guys and left, I didn’t stick around, but Mom told me because she wanted me to help her move. I think she’ll be selling the house, so I need to go back and get rid of some of my old stuff, too.”

  “That doesn’t bother you?” She asked.

  I shrugged. “I haven’t been there in forever. Yeah, I grew up there, but it’s not like I ever planned to move back home, and Mom can live wherever she wants.”

  Zoe made a frustrated sound. “Dad married Katie because he’s so clearly in love with her, Howard. Your mom cares for my dad, too. They’re happy right now, and if they hear the news of us being together, it might just break that.”

  I felt guilty, remembering my thoughts before she came in. It wasn’t Mom’s fault that I’d fallen for Zoe. If I’d done things the way I should have, we might have come clean to our parents about us dating before they did. She deserved the right to be happy, and I didn’t want to ruin it for her, but I didn’t want to give up Zoe, either. I knew Ben would demand it if we asked, but if I was going to date her properly, there was no way to get away from her dad.

  Right behind the guilt, I felt worry. Zoe didn’t want us telling our parents anything, so what did she want to do? Stop seeing each other? Even after saying it didn’t bother her that we were, legally, now related?

  Her arms wrapped around my neck, and I was startled as she placed kisses along the length of my neck.

  “Zoe?”

  She pulled back and kissed me, before meeting my gaze. “You don’t have to be so worried. I’ve told you already, it doesn’t bother me that our parents are married. I just don’t want to upset my dad, at least not right now.”

  My relief had me feeling overwhelmed for a moment. Then she kissed me again, and I responded eagerly, wrapping my arms around her as I kissed her roughly, before slowly gentling it. Pressing a few more kisses to her face, I pulled back and rested my forehead against hers. My heart was a lot lighter now, happy.

  “Can you stay?” I asked.

  Zoe hummed, playing with the short hairs at my nape. “I can’t sleep over or anything, but I can stay for a while. It’s funny, but with two people at home now, it’s harder for me to spend time away from home. Someone actually asks where I’ve been.”

  “So, move in with me,” I offered carelessly.

  Zoe laughed. “Thanks, but no. Just because I’m here, doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you. I won’t look at you again until you stop completely ignoring me when we’re around the team. Do you really need to go that far? We can’t even be civil with each other?”

  I hummed, kissing down her neck. “If I try to talk to you, I won’t be able to hide it, how bad I want you. Would that be okay with you?”

  She hesitated. “I think some guys on the team might take offense to that as much as Dad would. Don’t worry, I already said I’m done being mad, but you deserve it.”

  I groaned, but didn’t deny it. This was a punishment, then. As long as she didn’t mean to end things, I’d endure whatever she wanted. Kissing her lips again, I walked her backwards toward the couch.

  When I first got the apartment, I’d splurged on a big, super comfortable couch that put quite the dent in my savings, but it had definitely been worth it. We stumbled into it with Zoe lying beneath me as I straddled her, kissing slowly. I surprised myself, with all I’d missed her, I wasn’t in a hurry to get Zoe’s clothes off so we could fuck. I had been thinking a lot about that last time in my car, so that was most likely why.

  I undressed her slowly

  My hands sliding down her sides to the edge of her top as I kiss my way down her neck. I moved lower to start kissing my way up her stomach as I slowly pushed the top out of the way. I kissed the spot between her breasts, then moved back to help Zoe out of the top, before I tossed it to the floor. I cupped her breasts through her bra, massaging them gently. Zoe moaned, arching her back and pushing her breasts further into my palm.

  “You’ve been wearing a lot of skirts lately,” I murmured, looking down to her hips
and thighs. I pulled one hand from her breast to push her skirt up, then parted her knees with one of mine. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  She gasped, squirming. “They’re... not for you.”

  I chuckled, tugging the cup of her bra down on both her breasts, and ducking down to lavish them with kisses. I deliberately ignored her nipples until she made a sound of impatience, hands clenching in my hair and tugging me where she wanted me. I rewarded her with a flick of my tongue on her nipple, cupping the other in my hand, squeezing a little. I wrapped my lips on her and sucked, and she groaned, tugging on my hair just a little harder until it almost hurt.

  Zoe squirmed until I stopped and pulled back. She pulled off the straps of her bra then pulled it off. She wrapped her legs around my hips as she pulled me back down and kissed me full on the lips, probing with her tongue for entrance. I opened for her and nipped her tongue, then sucked on it. Her thighs flexed around me as she lifted her hips, rubbing her sex against my crotch.

  I broke the kiss off with a gasp as my hips jerked, and she whimpered, head tilting back against the couch. I rocked my hips into her again and again, just to hear that sound some more. I knew if I worked for it, I could get her off just like this, but I wanted to do something else today. The few times I could get her into my apartment, I wouldn’t just let her leave after a quick fuck.

  “Do you want to move to the bedroom?” I asked, making my way down her chest, her stomach, ignoring the sound of annoyance she made at me pulling away.

  “Don’t you dare stop,” she growled, hands tightening on my shoulders, legs wrapping more securely around me as if to keep me there.

  I scoffed. “As if I’d stop.”

  I needed to pull back one more time, nudging until her legs released me. Her skirt was pushed up to her hips, and I tugged her panties off, Zoe lifting her legs to help, before resettling them around me. I let them wrap around my shoulders as I held her hips and leaned down.

  As if already knowing what was coming, Zoe gasped before my lips even touched her. I pressed the tip of my tongue to her clit, before licking her in a few broad swipes. I thrust my tongue inside her, groaning as I tasted her, then sucked on her clit. Zoe’s breathing had already picked up, her hip squirming as I kissed her sex with nips and bites and sucks, just like I’d kissed her mouth before. I held her hips down when she tried to buck into my face, alternating between teasing her clit with my tongue, then tongue fucking her, adding in a few sucks here and there. Zoe clearly liked it, her restlessness increasing, cries getting louder.