Page 20 of Watched

Blade chuckles. “Don’t act like you give a fuck about me, Aaron. At least I’ll have a scar Alexa can drool over.”

Dad pinches the bridge of his nose, a clear signal he’s getting a headache.

“Thank you,” I whisper as he moves toward the door. Ignoring me, he opens it, allowing the officer in.

I’m sure he’s proud I had those people removed, but disappointment radiates from him—I didn’t come to him to have the matter of their deaths handled sooner.

Our father wears the front of a clean, entrepreneurial man who took over his father’s small construction company and turned it into a worldwide empire, but he has connections the likes of which the world has never seen. When you build a building to someone’s desired ‘specifications,’ such as a hidden room not included in the plans, people owe you favours. He’ll need to call in a few for this.

Chapter eleven

ROME

Unlocking my garage door, I throw my bag to the floor and kick off my shoes. Two games we’ve lost in a row. This one was completely my fault. We were 5-6, and I had a clean shot at goal.

I missed. Completely missed.

I haven’t heard from the stalker since his brother threatened to kill me two weeks ago. I’ve been training, shooting sponsor commercials, and travelling to two away games, but Rain’s ensured to keep me on my toes. Different bouquets of flowers are delivered every four days, each note the same two words: I’m sorry.

I’ve taken the enormous bouquets across the road to Mrs Parker. I enjoy seeing her face light up when I give on the new ones to the seventy-year-old. Her husband passed a year ago, and he brought her flowers every Friday. The Friday after his funeral, I brought her daisies and carried on his tradition. I kick the ball around with their granddaughter occasionally. Six-year-old Isla will come running over and knock profusely until I open the door, then take my hand and drag me across the street.

Between Rain, the flowers, training, games, and my parents, I’m exhausted, and it’s become apparent in my shitty performance.

Taking a bottle of water and an electrolyte drink from the fridge beside me, I move across the dark room and trudge upstairs. The sweet strawberry taste lingers on my tongue as I place the drinks on my side table in the dark, throw my phone to my bed, and pull my t-shirt over my head.

Stepping into the bathroom, I flick on the light and stare in the mirror. Dark circles have formed under my eyes from the lack of sleep, and training yesterday confirmed I’ve lost two kilograms in the past two weeks because of stress.

A heavy sigh falls from my lips as I drop the material and remove the rest of my clothes. The grey tile chills my sore feet as I flick off the light and move into the open shower across the room.

I don’t deserve any light.

Finding the knobs in the dark, I gasp through the cold water pummelling my face, letting the chill stab my skin until it begins to warm. My overworked, tired muscles release their strain, and I breathe out a sigh of relief.

My dick decides to go the opposite of relaxed and stands. Try as I might to ignore it, it’s throbbing and aching. I rest my forehead against my left hand on the wall, take the thick muscle in the other, and begin stroking.

I usually fuck Connor a day or so after games to relieve the extra tension, and now, I can’t do that.

Tightening my grip, I stroke harder. My just loosened muscles tense again as I chase the orgasm. A moan shakes my throat, and I fist my hand against the wall, stepping a little wider, working the full length harder and faster.

“Fuuuck,” I moan as water glides past my temples and over my cheeks. Pleasure shoots through me, quaking my body as I spill into my hand and the tile.

Within a second of the pleasure dissipating, my stomach knots. I shake my head and begin tapping the wall to locate the inbuilt shelf, snatching the body wash and wash cloth to scrub myself.

Running the towel over my hair to rid some of the water, I wrap it around my waist and move through my dark bedroom toward my floor lamp beside the curtain.

“Fuck, baby. That was hot.”

My heart leaps, and I jump. Reaching out a shaking hand, I tap the stand. The dull glow illuminates Rain sat on my bed, a white button down strangling his arms and black trousers loose against his toned thighs.

“Fucking perfect,” he groans.

I scan the bed for my phone. Gone… Great.

He leans back on his hands, cocking his head with that goddamn smirk. “Brains are interesting, baby. When someone is distracted, they become less observant. I was sitting at your dining table, and you walked straight past. I bought you door handles that require either a fingerprint or code to unlock. I also got you a new camera with higher resolution, and one for your backyard, considering you back onto an empty lot.”

“What kind of shit are you into?”

His smirk morphs into a grin. “You want to know my kinks already?”