Chapter Five - Sebastian
I DON’T KNOW why I let her get to me. There is no logical reason for Thalia being able to get under my skin the way she does. I do think she is going to be the death of me.
I thought I was awake before everyone else this morning, but instead, I found Thalia in the kitchen wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt that wasn’t quite big enough to cover her red lace panties. It left very little to the imagination as she danced to the music from her headphones while working on her laptop.
Her long legs caught my attention, and I stared far longer than I should have. I couldn’t help it. It was early enough that I couldn’t immediately curb my intrusive thoughts of how they would feel wrapped around my waist, or how it would feel to push them apart as I bring her to the brink over and over again until little Lia was begging for release.
As soon as I have these thoughts, I start to feel guilty because she’s Owen’s sister. My dick hasn’t gotten that message yet. Thalia’s always been my weakness.
I didn’t know if I should say anything because whenever I open my mouth around Thalia, I end up fighting with her. Part of that is self-preservation because Thalia’s words hurt differently than others. I think it’s because she means them, and I care what she thinks, regardless of whether or not I should.
So instead, I said nothing. I walked straight past her, keeping my eyes locked on the front door because I don’t have time for a distraction. That’s all Thalia is: a distraction.
Life is a game to her.
She doesn’t need school. Thalia does it to appease her parents, as she’s made so evident in the past. National magazines were using her photographs despite how young she was. She doesn’t need any of this. I’m surprised she came back at all.
I don’t need the degree if I’m honest, but I want one to fall back on. Football is unreliable enough to dream for an entire career. One bad injury, and I’m done. I need to use all of my college eligibility before I declare for the draft.
But Thalia is a distraction I need to get out of my head. Owen did me no favors when he asked if she could live with us. What was I supposed to say? No?
I refocus on the turf beneath my feet, and the humidity is already causing beads of sweat to drip down my neck, soaking the shirt I’m wearing under all my gear. Fuck, I should have gone somewhere cold for school.
“Ready, set, hut!” My hands are ready for the snap, and I immediately shift a few steps back. I scan the field for Owen, who I know should be far enough down by now. Pulling my arm back, I’m ready to release for a long pass when I’m knocked to the ground by a brutal sack I never saw coming.
I can feel my bones rattle inside my body, regardless of the protective gear I’m wearing. I know this one is going to leave a hell of a bruise. This is partially my fault because I should have seen him get past our offensive line. They should have been covering me. This is supposed to be fucking practice, so I didn’t think a hit today would knock me flat on my ass.
“Adams, what the hell do you think you’re doing hitting him that hard in practice?” Coach yells from the sideline as I push myself off the ground.
“Coach, I—” Cody tries to defend himself, and I pull my helmet off to catch my breath, feeling a warm breeze across my face.
“It was my fault,” I yell back. “I took too long making the pass. If he can do it to me, he can do it to the other team.” I say matter of factly, and Cody looks at me gratefully.
Coach stares at me for a hard minute before shaking his head. “Get it together, Walker. We need you on point this weekend.”
I nod in acknowledgment, putting my helmet back on. By the lingering ache, something will bruise, but at least I didn’t land on my shoulder. That would be a fucking disaster for any shot I have of going pro, and at the risk of sounding like Owen…I have a pretty good one. If this season goes how we all want it to, I have a hell of a shot at being a first-round draft pick.
“Let’s go again, same play! Try not to let our QB get killed this time!” Coach yells, his booming voice echoing over the field.
I lock my focus in, not allowing any thoughts of Thalia to creep past the wall I’ve put up. Coach is right. I need to be on point this weekend.
On the way to the locker room, Cody grabs my shoulder to get my attention. “You know I didn’t mean to hit you that hard, right?”
I crack an easy smile at him. “I almost wish you’d hit me harder. Do that to the other side in our game, and all’s forgiven.”
He breathes a sigh of relief, and I end up at my locker next to Owen’s. I’m ready to shower and take an ice bath in the athletic training room. I despise how cold those fuckers are, but they do help with the soreness.
“You okay?” Owen asks, casting a side glance at me, and I nod.
“Fine. I’ve taken worse hits.”
“You usually don’t get hit, especially in practice. What happened?”
Your sister not wearing pants happened.I ignore him, peeling off my drenched shirt to toss it in my locker. “I wasn’t paying attention. I’m fine, dude.” It’s not convincing enough, but Owen knows better than to press me. “You picked your piece of shit up earlier, right?”
“If you’re referring to my beautiful truck, I did. She’s not a piece of shit,” he defends hotly, grabbing the towel off his hook.
“I hope she doesn’t break down on the side of the road again.”
“You sound like Thalia. She hates the damn thing too.” Owen grimaces before shaking his head. I can tell by the look on his face he wants to say something about her, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. “Look, Bash, I know she fucked up with the party, but could you at least try to give her a chance? Lia said she apologized, and you blew her off. I don’t know what the hell happened between the two of you sophomore year, but you used to get along. For my sake, it’d be nice if you didn’t hate her.”
“I don’t hate her,” I say simply. It’s true, and I wish I did because everything would be so much easier if I could. “When she stops acting like a child, I’ll stop treating her like one.”
It’s not that simple.
There’s so much he doesn’t know.
It sucks that he looks disappointed in me, but it’s the best I can do without tossing a grenade into our friendship. “I’m assuming you’re going to the trainer after this? That’s why you asked about my truck?”
I nod shortly, and Owen smiles. “Enjoy your ice bath from hell.”
~
It’s late when I get home, much later than I expected, especially with how early I have to be up. My back aches, and I know I should ice it again before sleeping. Coach wanted to go over our playbook again, and then we got on the topic of the draft.
It’s a fucking relief to open the door to find the apartment in complete darkness. I don’t want to chance running into Thalia again. She fucks with my head enough as it is.
There’s an abundance of ice packs in the freezer for the very reason I’m looking for one right now. It’s not my first bruise, nor will it be my last. I pull my shirt off and set it on the counter.
Whoever said you can’t put ice on bare skin has never been hurt. I lean forward on the counter, resting my head on the cool granite as I reach the awkward angle to hit the correct spot.
Coach C told me tonight that there will be scouts at this game. I know I’m entering the draft once the season is over, but other guys on the team need this chance. I want everyone to do the best they can.
No pressure or anything.
At least the course load this week will be nonexistent. Syllabus week is for those who don’t have the hope of becoming a professional athlete. I’m sure Thalia’s at one of the frat houses tonight with Vera. At least Blake seems to be reasonable about school.
I like her, and she seems to get Thalia. Maybe Blake can get through to her in a way Owen can’t. Or maybe…Thalia did grow up when she was over there.
“Bash?”
Thalia’s soft voice echoes through the kitchen, and I jerk my head to look at her, praying that she’s more decent than she was this morning. Her blonde hair falls in soft waves over her shoulders, and she’s only wearing—just fucking kill me—a sports bra and sleep shorts that leave nothing to the imagination. Clearly, we need to discuss what’s appropriate to wear outside our rooms.
I bite back my groan, forcing my eyes to stay on her face. “What, Thalia?”
She chews her bottom lip and crosses her arms over her chest. “It’s late. Did you just get home?”
I pull the ice pack away to set it on the counter. I’m not contorting myself into an uncomfortable position in front of her. It’s like Thalia can sense weakness, and I need any advantage I can get. “Do you ever wear clothes?”
“I do, and I am wearing clothes. You always seem to be awake and out here when I’m not wearing more clothes. It’s hot in here; I forgot how miserable the humidity can be in fall.” Her mouth tilts upward into a smile. “Do you?” Thalia asks, motioning to my bare chest.
“Why are you awake?” I ignore her playful remark, trying to maintain distance between us.
“I have trouble sleeping. I usually only get a few hours a night, and I’m up sporadically.”
“I wondered if you’d be out partying with your friends,” I admit. Thalia recoils visibly at my words, doing exactly what I thought it would.
“Contrary to your belief, those days are behind me. I’m not the same person I was when I left. I, um—” She pauses, catching sight of the ice pack. “Are you okay?”
I shrug, regretting it almost immediately at the tightness of my muscles. The ice bath I endured earlier hasn’t done what it usually does for me. “I’m sore. I got hit at practice, but I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
And then, before I can register what’s happening, Thalia is right behind me, resting her small hands on my skin. I suck in a sharp breath as she presses her fingers into all the right spots. “You don’t need to do that.” Please don’t stop. Please.
“You’re really tight,” she murmurs, and I can’t help groaning when she hits a particularly sore spot.
“Like a virgin,” I joke, trying to take my mind off what she’s wearing. Wrong joke to do that. My cock is already stiff from just looking at her.
“Or an asshole,” Thalia replies quickly. It’s ridiculous that it makes me smile because it’s the insult she seems to favor with me. I looked up what connard meant after she called me it twice, and it didn’t shock me when my translation app came up with the word asshole. “I thought the QB wasn’t supposed to get hit at practice.”
“We’re not. I didn’t see Cody slip past. My mistake,” I choke out, struggling to keep my control.
Her hands feel like magic, loosening the knots in my back, some I didn’t even know were there. They brush over where I’m sure the worst of the bruise is, and I inhale sharply, my hands gripping the counter tightly.
The warmth of her hands is replaced by the chill of the ice pack, causing me to jerk unexpectedly. “Sorry, I should have warned you,” Thalia murmurs. “Good thing there’s a few days before your game.”
Silence falls over us, and I shift to brace myself on the counter with my forearms.
Thalia’s fingers trace over a sensitive patch of skin on the small of my back. “When did you get this?”
“A few months ago,” I answer vaguely, not ready to share anything else about that.It opens the door to Mimi, and I need more time before broaching that topic with Thalia. She hasn’t asked, so it’s safe to assume that Owen or her parents haven’t mentioned everything going on with Mimi to Lia.
I’ve never known Thalia to be at a loss for words, but she traces over the word gingerly. It feels electric having her touch me. Keeping my breathing even, Thalia sets the ice pack down once more before exploring my back again.
I can’t believe I’m letting her do this. I shouldn’t. She’s a distraction, but her hands are magic. I’m pudding in them. I’d do anything she wanted if she asked me right now.
If Owen walked out here right now, what would he think finding me and his sister half-naked together? Not together, but it’d raise some questions I don’t have answers to, especially since my cock is harder than steel right now.
Dammit, Chris. Why did you have to move in with your girlfriend?
“I need to get some sleep, and so do you. I have an early morning,” I say, moving to the side, away from her touch, attempting to stay behind the counter to keep Lia from seeing my erection. “Thank you,” I add as an afterthought. Thalia didn’t have to offer to help me, but she did.
It’s easier when we’re arguing and fighting. Thalia catching me in a vulnerable state will not help me dislike her, especially when she helps me. I need to dislike her because the alternative isn’t an option.
She nods and moves to put the ice pack back in the freezer. “You’re probably right.”
I quickly grab my shirt, retreating toward the hall when she says something I never expected her to say. “Sebastian, I was wrong. I’m sorry. You’re not a dumb jock, and I don’t think you’re stupid.”
I don’t have it in me tonight to have this conversation. What Thalia said that day bothered me for more reasons than I care to admit, reopening scars I’ve worked diligently to forget.
“Goodnight, Lia. Try wearing more clothes.” For my sake, because I think it might kill me one of these days. Thalia is still a force of nature, threatening to wreak havoc on my sanity.
She grins. “No promises.”
I smile genuinely over my shoulder.Her face shifts in surprise, taken aback by the kind expression on my face. I try not to let that detail bother me, but it’s all I can picture in my head for the rest of the night.