Chapter 18
Sloan:
Have a great game. I’ll see you later.
I hearted the message, then put my phone in my locker.
“You ready to win this shit?” Julian asked as soon as I closed my locker.
“You know it. This shit is about to be a cakewalk.”
We slapped five and walked out of the locker room with the rest of the team.
Excitement rushed through my blood as we walked toward the arena.
The team we played hadn’t been too great this season, so it should be easy to beat them as long as we all stayed focused.
Knowing Sloan was watching had me hyped and ready to show off.
No other woman got me excited like Sloan.
She gave me the same feeling in high school.
I had to shake my head because I still didn’t believe I messed that up.
They say if you let something go and it comes back, then it’s yours to keep, and I was keeping Sloan.
We were at home, so the crowd was loud and on their feet when we entered the arena.
I scanned the crowd until my eyes landed on Sloan.
It wasn’t hard to find her since she sat courtside.
She was by herself, so I wanted her close.
I told her she could have brought her friend with her, but her friend couldn’t make it.
I waved at her then ran over to the team’s bench.
The other team had just finished being announced, and it was our turn. After they went through a few players, it was time for Julian.
“At number eight, small forward, Julian ‘Stone’ Whetstone!”
I clapped for Julian as he ran down and slapped hands with our teammates.
“At number thirty, point guard, Calil ‘Coop’ Cooper!”
My heart pumped in my chest as I did the same thing.
Once we were all introduced, we huddled around our coach. “All right, fellas. This should be an easy one, but that doesn’t mean getting comfortable. Go out there, and give it your all like y’all do any other time. Warriors on three!”
“One, two, three, Warriors!”
We all dispersed, with Julian, me, and three of our other teammates in the game first. Almost every game’s lineup was the same unless someone got hurt.
“Let’s do this!”
I got the ball first and dribbled it down the court. Two people guarded me. Well, at least they tried, but I faked to the left, shook one of them off, and then passed the ball to Oreo. He was wide open and made it to the hoop for a layup.
“That’s how you start a game!” I yelled as I tapped Oreo.
The other team had the ball, so we ran down the other end. As soon as their guy shot the ball, Julian knocked it out of his hand.
The crowd went wild as I got the loose ball and dribbled it down the court. When I made it to the three-point line, I did what I do best and shot it. The crowd yelled again. I looked in Sloan’s direction, and she had a big smile on her face as she clapped. I winked at her then focused on the game.
By the end of the game, we won by forty-seven. I didn’t want to talk to the press because I was anxious to get to Sloan, and I knew Clarissa would be there. I hadn’t gotten around to talking to her. It shouldn’t have been a problem, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Good game, Coop.” A couple of the guys slapped me on the back as I entered the locker room.
“And each of y’all did ya thing as well.” It wasn’t just on the coach to encourage the team but on all of us. If one person was down, we all were.
We chopped it up for a bit before I got my shit so I could meet Sloan.
She was supposed to meet me in the hallway, and we would head back to my house for the night.
I told her I would take her out, but she said she was okay with chilling at my house.
I was cool with that because I didn’t want to be out anyway.
“Hey, Calil,” I heard as soon as I left the locker room.
I looked down the hall and spotted Sloan heading my way.
I needed to get Clarissa’s ass away from me as soon as possible.
The hallway wasn’t long, so it wouldn’t take Sloan long to make it to me.
I already knew she spotted Clarissa a little too close because of how her brows furrowed.
I took a step back to put some distance between Clarissa and me.
“I’ve been meaning to reach out to you. We have to stop our arrangement. I’m into something else right now, and it’s getting serious.” I looked over at Clarissa’s shoulder and noticed Sloan had gotten closer.
Clarissa turned around and spotted Sloan. “She’s pretty.”
Sloan made her way to me and stood next to me. Her eyes darted between Clarissa and me.
“Hey, I’m Clarissa, one of the reporters. You must be special if Calil let you back here.” Clarissa stuck her hand out, and Sloan looked at it for a second before she shook it.
“Hi. I guess I am.” Sloan’s eyes bounced around like she was trying to piece something together.
“Welp, I’ll let you guys go. I’m sure Stone is still around here somewhere.” With that, Clarissa walked away.
If she were looking for Stone, I already knew what would go down, and that was perfectly fine with me. I already told him if he wanted to fuck her again, I had no problem with it. I closed the small gap between Sloan and me.
“You see me showing off out there?” I pulled her into my arms and kissed her neck.
She giggled, then wiggled herself out of my arms.
“Yeah, I did. Good game. But what was that about?”
Sloan’s tone wasn’t angry, but I could tell she felt some type of way about it. I could only imagine how guarded she was.
“Nothing at all.”
She didn’t seem to believe me, but she left it alone when I reached for her hand.
She put her hand and mine, and we walked down the hall to exit the arena.
I could tell Sloan had questions but wouldn’t make a scene.
There wouldn’t be one anyway, but I appreciated her for saving it until we were alone.
“Thanks for the ride earlier, but what am I supposed to do about clothes?” Sloan asked as we walked to the parking garage.
“Don’t worry about that. You won’t need them anyway.” I smirked. “I’m ready to shower, lay my head on your titties, and talk until we fall asleep. Does that sound good to you?”
We made it to my car, and I opened the door for Sloan.
She giggled. “Yes, that sounds perfect. I’m sure you are hungry, so I’ll make you something to eat while you shower.” She slid into the passenger seat. “Oh, and best believe we will be talking about your friend. Close the door.”
She gave me the sweetest smile.
“Yes, ma’am.” I closed the door and walked to the driver’s side.
I had no problem answering any questions about Clarissa or any other woman from my past. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from her.
I got in the car and turned to face Sloan. “You can ask me anything, and I will tell you the truth. Can we just get to the crib so I can shower and eat?”
“That’s fine because I know you need time to decompress from all the adrenaline that I’m sure is running through you.”
I leaned over the console and kissed her. “Thank you, and I promise I got you.”
Sloan put her seatbelt on and got comfortable, and I put mine on before starting the engine. My tires screeched as I pulled out of the parking spot. I couldn’t wait to get my crib because I was serious about laying on her titties.
“You fucked her.”
Sloan and I were chilling in my living room, and I had my head on her titties just as I told her I would.
“I did.” I knew it wasn’t a question, so I confirmed it for her.
“When was the last time?”
I shifted to look up into Sloan’s eyes. This wasn’t a light conversation. “Before my grandfather was sent to the hospital. I haven’t been with anyone but you since then.”
Her eyes swept over my face for a few seconds. “You sure?”
“One hundred percent.”
When we got to my house, Sloan cooked fried chicken, greens, mac and cheese, and biscuits while I was in the shower, and took time to unwind.
While we ate, we talked about the game, and she asked me about my upcoming games.
We also talked about her day and simple shit.
She also checked on the boys, and they were good.
Once we were done eating and the dishes were put in the dishwasher, we navigated to the living room with wine and music playing in the background.
“Sloan, I want us to see where this thing goes. I’m not interested in anyone else but you.”
She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I’m scared of the past happening again.”
I sat up and stared into her eyes. I grabbed both of her hands and kissed them.
“I understand, but I can assure you those days are behind me. I already know what I put you through and what your husband put you through, and I refuse to make you endure anything like that again. I just want to show you that I can love you the way you deserve. I also want to be a bonus person in the boys’ lives.
I would never try to take their father’s place, but I will always treat them like my own. ”
There was no way I could be with Sloan and not treat her kids right. That shit didn’t make sense to me when men did that. I knew their father would be in their lives, but that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be a part of theirs as well.
“Can I have some time to think about it?”
I leaned forward and kissed her lips.
“Of course you can. Take all the time you need.” I kissed her again and rested my head on her titties again. Sloan’s body and presence were a comfort for me. I had no problem giving her time to decide because I was confident of the outcome.
For the rest of the night, Sloan and I chilled on my couch until we got tired and went to bed. We didn’t even have sex, and I was okay with that. Just her being in my bed was enough for me to sleep like a baby.