Over the Fence: Lyssa Layne's Baseball Romances (59 page)

Laurel

Ashley flips the sheet in the air and I grab the other side, tucking my edge into the end of the mattress. Her eyes are fixated on me and I know she’s waiting for me to say something about Jace but I keep my mouth shut. We straighten out the comforter, still not speaking. I wait for her to hand me a pillow but inside of handing it to me nicely, like a normal person would do since I’m helping her out, she launches it at me like a hand grenade.

“Oof!” I grunt and laugh, putting the pillow in place.

She throws her head back, letting out an exasperated scream. “That’s it? You spend the night with Jace Richards and all I get is an ‘oof!’ You’re being a really shitty friend, Laurel. Remember you promised to spill all the details if you ever had sex with the baseball god? Seriously, what kind of friend are you?”

I laugh and fluff the pillow. “I’m a friend that upholds her word. We haven’t had sex.”

Ashley walks over to the window and sighs, looking over the pool. “You’re insane to not jump him anytime he’s around you. And why the hell won’t he ever take his shirt off?”

I stand behind her, resting my chin on her shoulder and admiring him from afar like she is. “Because he has his nipples pierced.”

Ashley spins around so fast I almost fall flat on my face. “He
what?!
”

I laugh and sit down on the bed. “He has his nipples pierced and these amazingly sexy tattoos up and down his ribcage and one right here.” I point to my inner arm and let out a dreamy sigh, just thinking about him makes my core excited.

She laughs and sits beside me. “Well, aren’t you two a little match made in nipple piercing heaven?”

I narrow my eyes. “You’d better keep your mouth shut.”

Ashley pretends to zip her mouth. “My lips are sealed. Are you going to take them out when you get pregnant with his baby and have to breastfeed?

“What? Come on, Ash, don’t be ridiculous!” My cheeks tinge because in my daydream of my perfect little family, there may or may not have been a picture of a baby Jace in my arms.

She throws back her hair, laughing. “I’m just saying that when you do decide to boink, just use protection because it only takes one little spermy to get pregnant.”

Her voice is too sing-songy and when I look over at her, her cheeks are radiating that familiar glow. My jaw drops and I sock her leg. “You little hussy! You’re pregnant again, aren’t you?”

Giggling like a giddy kid on Christmas morning, she nods. “I need to thank you for watching the boys that night of flashlight tag.”

“Ew, ew, ew! I did
not
need to know I was present during the procreation of baby number four.”

Even as the words come out of my mouth, I give her a hug, happy for her but at the same time knowing exactly what that means when it comes to Sam. Ashley fills in all the details of her pregnancy and then grabs my hand.

“You know this wasn’t planned, Laur, but with four kids, there’s no way we can take Sam when Jen…”

She sniffles at the thought of Jen dying. I squeeze her hand and nod. “I know and it’s fine, really. As long as Adam plays nice with his move, it shouldn’t be a problem and Grey will be thrilled to have him as his brother finally.”

Ashley wipes her tears. “And I promise they can spend the night anytime so you and Jace can get in some baby making time of your own.”

The sappiness of the moment gone, I crack up laughing and embrace my best friend, holding her tight. Ashley squeezes me and whispers, “I’m happy you finally found your prince.”

“Laurel?”

We break our embrace and I look over to see Jace in the doorway, looking tempting even though he’s still fully clothed. My cheeks flush and I hope he didn’t hear Ashley’s last comment. Pulling away from Ashley, I raise my eyebrow, wondering what’s wrong.

“Can we talk?”

I glance back at Ashley who shrugs her shoulders. “I’ll go down with Kurtis so you two can go to your place for privacy.”

After thanking her, I follow Jace nervously downstairs. Once in the yard, he takes my hand and I relax slightly. What seems like an eternity later, we’re finally in my kitchen. The door is barely closed when I spin around, unable to take the silence.

“What the hell is going on? Are you leaving?”

Jace rubs my upper arms and shakes his head. “No, babe, I told you I wasn’t going anywhere. I wanted to talk to you about Grey and New York.”

A small sense of relief comes but is replaced by the fear of losing my son. “Okay…”

“Has Adam said anything to you about Grey moving there?”

I shake my head. “He suggested he split the school year between here and there and I told him he was crazy. Ever since, he hasn’t said one word about a new custody agreement.”

“Grey mentioned something about the stepmonst—I mean, Adam’s future wife, telling her mom that Grey’s new school has to wear uniforms.”

My legs get weak and my knees buckle but Jace’s hands are on me and he holds me up. “That can’t happen, I can’t lose him, Jace.” Sobs escape from me and he holds me tightly, making me feel protected yet so empty at the same time by the thought of having Grey so far away.

“We don’t know anything yet, babe. Let’s just get a lawyer on retainer so we’re ready to roll when he strikes.”

My heart melts at his words and the way he takes ownership of my son but quickly, reality settles in. “I don’t have the money for that. It almost broke my family last time.”

The silence is deafening between us until Jace kisses my forehead. “I can take care of it. We’re not going to lose him, Laur. Grey’s not going anywhere.”

Be still my heart…how did I find this man?

CHAPTER 19

Jace

Two weeks later and still no word from Adam. Laurel’s relaxed some but neither of us are letting our guard down. Thanks to the hefty check Mr. Bill Walker had Camila give me, we have one of the best lawyers on retainer and ready to fight should the time come. It may have been dirty money but I didn’t want to take any chances with Laurel losing Grey. Speaking of, I still haven’t heard from Camila but honestly, I’m happy with life right now so while I’d love to clear my name, the hope of being reinstated into MLB isn’t my number one priority anymore.

Another win on the ball diamond and the team is celebrating with a cookout at my place. Laurel couldn’t stop gushing about how awesome the Purser house is looking and insisted on hosting the party. I’ve come to realize that I can’t say no to Laurel Darbis which is why today’s party is happening. If you ask me, I think she wanted something to busy her mind and stop playing the what-if game with Grey’s future. Either way, I don’t mind the extra time her and Grey have spent at my place.

By now, everyone’s gone except Ashley and her family. Standing at the sink, it’s just the two of us washing and drying. Ashley looks up at me with her blue eyes and blonde hair, definitely the type of woman I’d jump for in my old ways, but nowadays, I only have eyes for one brunette.

“I usually ask Laurel but it seems like you’ve stepped into the parent role, so want Grey to spend the night at my place so you two can finally do the horizontal tango?”

She bites back her laughter and I shake my head, keeping my eyes focused on the dishes I’m drying. “Laurel’s still number one in charge, I’m just trying to help out.”

“Well, you could really help her out by getting her laid.”

I laugh and look over at her. “You always this crass?”

“Like you have any room to talk,” she shoots back. “You know, the two of you would make really cute babies.”

My stomach drops and I look back at the dishes in my hands. “Yeah, well, the main focus right now is for her to keep the one she’s got.”

Ashley drops a plate back into the soapy water, splashing dirty dish water over both of us. “Look, Laurel’s not going to let anything happen to her son, that’s not how she is. She will fight to her death if she has to so you have nothing to worry about.”

“Hey, guys, need any help in here?” Laurel’s voice interrupts our conversation.

Ashley keeps her eyes on me, lifting her eyebrow and I get her point. I look over my shoulder at Laurel. “Ash wanted to know if Grey could spend the night.”

Laurel narrows her eyebrows in confusion. “Um…sure, I’ll pick him up after breakfast.”

“Oh no, take your time…sleep in.” Ashley smirks at me before she hugs Laurel and gathers the boys, leaving Laurel and me alone.

I throw the towel on the counter and lean down to kiss Laurel. “She’s really pushy, you know that, right?”

Laurel laughs against my mouth. “That’s why I love her.”

Shaking my head, I smother her lips with my own and carry her upstairs. With all the craziness of the potential custody battle, we haven’t spent hardly any time alone and I’m desperate to get my hands on that tight body of hers. Once we’re in the bedroom, it only takes a few minutes for us to be down to our skivvies and Laurel is climbing on top of me. She turns her back to me, straddling my legs and leaning forward as she squeezes my thighs. Her hips pop back and forth, grinding on my already rock hard cock. The view is fuckin’ amazing with her black, lacy thong in my face. I take a handful of her ass in each hand, squeezing it in response to the way she’s teasing my cock which now peeks out of the top of my boxer briefs.

Her hips continue to rock, driving me crazy but there’s one more thing I need to tell her. Well, actually two but the other can wait. My hands slide up her hips and hold them in place. “Laurel, I need to tell you one more thing.”

Her body freezes and I sit up, kissing her bare back. “It’s not bad, why do you always expect the worse? Turn around.”

Slowly, she turns around and I keep her legs on either side of mine. “You’re beautiful, you know that, right?”

Her hands nervously fidget with the waistband of my briefs. “Just spit it out, Jace.”

I take her hand, kissing it softly. “Well, um…my nipples aren’t the only thing pierced.”

She lifts her eyes to meet mine then they dart back to my underwear. Scooting lower on my thighs, she slowly pulls my boxer briefs down, letting my erection spring free. The sun is setting but the light shines off the balls of a barbell that rests horizontally through the glans of my penis. Laurel takes her thumb and her forefinger and runs them over the balls, making me throb even more.

She lets out a long sigh and suddenly throws back her head, closing her eyes. “Of course you’re bald. There’s no other hair on your body, why would you have any here?”

Before I can grab her, she’s out of bed and pacing the room. Totally confused as to what just happened, I reach for her hand as she walks by. “What the hell are you rambling about?”

She looks down at me, her cheeks getting that familiar flush that comes when she’s embarrassed. “You literally have no hair on your body except for your fauxhawk and your beard.”

“Yeah…I got laser hair removal. It was one of the few things I couldn’t give back. Why is that a problem?” My hands slide up the backs of her thighs, trying to calm her.

“Well, I’m not!” She glances down at her thong and shakes her head. “Why do you think I’ve made us wait so long?”

I laugh and kiss her taut tummy in front of me. “You don’t want to have sex with me because you’re not…bald down below?”

Her cheeks are now the color of a lobster and she speaks quickly. “Well, that’s not the only reason. Besides, I mean, it’s not like it’s a forest. I take pride in my personal grooming but no one’s been…down there for…well, awhile. And—”

“So what’s the other reason?” I ask, ready to get to the important part.

She drops to my thigh and takes a deep breath before looking into my eyes. “I’m afraid of falling for you.”

My pulse races and I touch her cheek. “You mean you haven’t already? Because, Laurel Darbis, I’m head over fuckin’ heels for you, sweetheart.”

She sucks in her breath and I lean in to kiss her, taking my time because I want to savor this moment, this woman, for the rest of my life.

Laurel

In the most vulnerable position, I lie back on the bed, my legs spread wide, and my stomach muscles strain as I lean on my elbows to keep an eye on Jace’s movements. His baby blues look up at me and he slips his hand over my stomach, pushing me back on the bed. Not only did he just admit that he’s falling for me but I’m about to let him shave my hooha!

“Laurel, baby, trust me. Just lay back and relax.” His voice is calm and reassuring but I’m still anxious as I close my eyes and count to ten in hopes of loosening up.

His hand lingers on my stomach while the other runs down my thigh, spreading my leg to the left. He repeats his action on the other side, spreading my leg to the right. Slowly, his fingertips graze the sensitive area of my inner thighs and I let out the breath I’m holding.

“I promise I won’t hurt you but you have to lie still.”

His lips kiss the inside of each thigh and I run my fingers through his hair, nodding and mumbling “okay.” He waits a few seconds to make sure I’m ready and then the low hum of his razor fills the silence. My body tenses up again but I try to keep my legs wide, reminding me way too much of the gyno’s office.