Page 13 of Scoring Slater
Slater smiled, and for a moment, the darkness receded, but then he lowered his gaze and opened the book and his scowl returned.
Reading was impossible in his hyper-awareness of Slater's presence. Using the book as a shield, Noah peered at Slater. The handsome profile, the way he turned the page, the line forming between his brows in concentration, the way he laid there looking so enticing… Noah forced his attention back to the story.
Several minutes later, a heavy sigh came from Slater's end of the couch. "Did they make this into a movie?"
"No."
"Damn."
Noah wanted to reach out to comfort his friend and ease the steady throbbing in his own chest. He knew that Slater had tried audiobooks, but they couldn't keep his interest or concentration. And on more than one occasion, they ended up watched the movie adaptation, Slater's back up plan. Noah had caught onto him a few months ago and had broken the rule of talking about the book beforehand so Slater would be able to join in the discussion without feeling like he was missing much. "Not getting into it?"
"There's no way I'll get through this in time. I'm on page two and I haven't understood a word of this." He shut the book and set it on the coffee table with a thud. "I'll just call in stupid on this month."
"You're not stupid."
"You never make me feel like I am, but stuff like this does. I'm no way near your genius level."
"I'm not a genius."
"Might as well be." Slater ripped his hands through his hair. Flames of frustration danced in his eyes. "You're the smartest guy on the team. I feel like your bumbling sidekick half the time."
"Hey." Noah put his book aside and moved to the same side of the sectional as Slater. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for. You're way better at remembering stats about other players in the league. You're better at reading people than I am. Better at navigating around the city too. It's like you have the layout of the roads memorized."
Slater shrugged. "I've just been here longer than you. You'll figure it out."
"I like when you drive us." Needing to soothe, Noah laid his hand on Slater's back. "Then I can just sit back and enjoy our conversation and not worry about possibly driving onto the wrong ramp or into road construction."
As he'd hoped by bringing up that memory, Slater smiled. "I still can't believe that happened. We were less than one hundred feet from coming head to head with a tractor trailer. It got the adrenaline running though. You scored three goals that night."
"And had to get the car realigned." He rolled his eyes at his mistake. "You nicely volunteered to take over the driving right after that incident, which helped me and made me feel better."
The spark had returned to Slater's blue eyes and a smirk graced his lips. "That was more for self-preservation. My life flashed before my eyes that day."
Laughing, he nudged his shoulder into Slater's side. "Stop. You did it because you're a nice guy. Well, I can be nice too. I'll help you."
Slater's brows drew together and he cocked his head to the side, as though considering the possibilities. "How?"
Noah picked up the book and opened to the first chapter. "Sit or lay back and relax. Pretend I'm telling you a story. Chapter One."
A single eyebrow quirked. "You're going to read me the whole thing?"
"Not the whole thing tonight. Just a few chapters. Let me?"
The vulnerability crossing Slater's features in the moment tugged at Noah's heart. The relief that followed, with his nod of acceptance, made Noah fall for him a little bit more. Slater stretched out and Noah shifted to give him room.
He read the lines, glancing up to watch Slater's reaction. Throughout the chapter, at any signs of confusion, he paused and then reworded the sentence or added explanations.
He kept going with chapter two, and then chapter three. Toward the end, Slater's eyes were closed and his breathing had grown deeper. Noah closed the book. He needed a moment to compose himself. Reading to Slater had been far more intimate than he'd expected. He could picture them laying together either on the couch or in bed, with Slater's head on his chest as he read aloud. That image was far more potent than any of the strongest liquors he'd ever consumed.
He stood and moved silently to his bedroom. The blanket his mother had crocheted him when he'd been traded to the team, in Bedlam blue, was at the foot of his bed. He brought it to the living room and gently draped it over Slater. Even sleeping, the man was gorgeous.
The redhead's brows drew together and then his eyes opened. He blinked a few times. Noah's breath caught in his chest. Slater sleepy and watching him brought that image of them together in bed back full-force. His body tightened and want and need ripped through him, aching and ready and desperate.
Slater pulled his arm from underneath the blanket and laid his hand on the one Noah still had on the woven strands. "Thank you for what you did tonight."
The touch of his hand spread through Noah like wildfire. He gazed at Slater. "Anytime."
Slater moved his other hand to cup Noah's jaw. The way his thumb brushed in slow strokes across the stubbled skin weakened him and woke up his cock even more. He had to touch Slater in return, and traced a fingertip over the shape of his lips. Slater remained still during the exploration, then sat up and slid his fingers into Noah's hair. "Noah… I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing, right? You feel this too?"
