4. Walt
FOUR
Walt
As I leave Charlie team’s bullpen, my boots echo against the tile floor. My phone is a heavy weight in my hand, but it’s not the device—it’s the choice. The next move. Gabe’s words ring in my ears: “ She won’t say no. Not to you.”
I wish I had that same certainty. Malia’s been a puzzle, her every move calculated to keep me guessing, keep me at arm’s length. But I’m done playing on her terms. It’s time to change the game.
I pause near the exit, leaning against the wall, scrolling through our last texts. Each conversation feels like a dance, one step forward, two steps back. She laughs, she flirts, and then she pulls away like she’s scared of what happens if she gets too close.
Maybe she is, but I’m not.
The weight in my chest grows heavier, but I push past it. Enough waiting, enough second-guessing. This isn’t about patience anymore; it’s about showing her I’m all in. I open a new message and type the words before I lose my nerve.
Me: We never got to finish that date. Let me make it up to you. Dinner at my place. Tomorrow night.
I hit send before I can second-guess myself, my heart pounding in my chest as I wait for her reply. But this time, I’m not backing down. This time, I’m playing to win.
And Malia?
She’s mine.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
I stare at my phone, willing her to respond quickly, my heart thumping in my chest like a ticking clock. The screen stays frustratingly blank for what feels like an eternity before those three little dots appear, indicating she’s typing a response. I grip the phone tighter, my palms sweating with anticipation.
Malia: Sorry, can’t. Busy this weekend. My brother’s coming into town.
Busy this weekend. Her brother’s coming into town.
She has a brother?
The words flash on my screen, taunting me. I scroll back to the message, reading it again, as if somehow the meaning will change. But it doesn’t.
My jaw tightens as I shove the phone into my pocket, frustration coursing through me. She thinks she can keep me at a distance, that this game of avoidance will keep me from breaking through those walls she’s built.
She’s wrong.
I stop mid-step, my mind racing. Maybe I should let her have her space—be patient, play it cool, but then I shake my head. That’s not me. That’s not how I fight. And this?
This is a fight I’m not walking away from.
If Malia thinks she can brush me off with a simple text, she’s got another thing coming.
When I push open the door to The Guardian Grind, it’s bustling with the afternoon crowd. The rich aroma of coffee engulfs me, but I barely notice. I scan the room and zero in on Malia behind the counter. She’s laughing with a customer, her dark hair swaying with the movement, her smile bright and genuine.
This only serves to stoke the fire within me.
I stride toward the counter. My gaze locked onto hers. As I approach, her laughter fades, her eyes widening slightly as she takes in my expression.
She knows I’m not here for coffee.
“Walt,” she acknowledges, her voice steady despite the slight flush creeping up her cheeks. “What can I get for you?”
I lean against the counter, my voice low and intense. “You can start by explaining why you’re brushing me off.”
Her eyes flick to the side, checking if anyone’s listening. She leans in slightly, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “I told you, I’m busy this weekend. My brother’s coming into town.”
“And?” I challenge, my eyes boring into hers. “You can’t spare one evening for dinner? Or are you just afraid to be alone with me?”
“I’m not afraid of you.” Her eyes flash with anger and something else—something that looks a lot like desire.
I lean in closer, my voice a low rumble. “Then prove it. Have dinner with me. One evening, that’s all I’m asking.”
She bites her lip, a sign of her indecision, and it takes every ounce of self-control not to reach out and tug that lip free with my thumb. Or my teeth.
I stare at Malia, her words echoing in my ears. My frustration is reaching a boiling point.
“I can’t,” she says, her voice firm with resolution. “I have plans with my brother. It’s important.”
Something inside me snaps. I slam my hand down on the counter, the sharp sound making her jump. Before she can react, I grab her wrist, pulling her toward me. She gasps, her eyes wide with shock and a hint of fear, but I don’t stop.
I can’t.
I’ve been pushed too far, and I’m done playing games.
“What are you—?” she starts, but I cut her off, my voice a low growl.
“You and I need to have a little chat.”
I tug her toward the inventory room, her resistance is futile against my strength. Pushing open the door, I pull her inside and spin her around, pinning her against the wall. Her breath hitches as I press my body firmly against hers, one hand capturing her wrists, lifting and holding them above her head.
Her eyes blaze with defiance, but there’s no mistaking the desire simmering beneath the surface. She wants this as much as I do, even if she won’t admit it.
Leaning in, I claim her mouth with a wild, searing kiss. It’s not gentle or tender; it’s raw, primal, and filled with all the pent-up frustration and longing that’s been building for weeks.
She struggles briefly, her body tense, but as my tongue demands entry, her resistance crumbles. She kisses me back, her body melding against mine, her lips parting to grant me deeper access.
The kiss turns into an erotic dance of tongues, lips, and teeth. I nip at her lower lip, eliciting a gasp from deep within her. My tongue plunges into her mouth, exploring every inch, tasting her sweetness. Her moans are muffled against my lips as our bodies grind together, the heat between us igniting into an inferno.
Her hands, still pinned above her head, flex and strain against my grip, but I don’t let go. The sensation of her squirming only fuels the fire within me. I press harder against her, my hips grinding into hers, letting her feel the hardness of my cock—how much I want her. The kiss deepens, becoming more savage, more intense, as our bodies move in sync, driven by pure instinct and raw need.
When I finally pull away, her cheeks are flushed, her eyes glazed with desire. Her breath comes in ragged gasps, and I can feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest against mine. I take one of her hands and guide it to the bulge in my pants.
Her eyes widen as she feels the extent of my arousal.
“Feel that?” I growl, my voice low and husky. “That’s what you do to me. I’m hard and aching for you every day, every hour, and every fucking minute. I’m tired of using my fist, tired of imagining what it would feel like to be inside you. You’re mine, and it’s time to show you what that means.”
Her hand trembles slightly against my erection, but she doesn’t pull away.
I lean in, my lips brushing against her ear as I whisper, “I want to feel your tight pussy wrapped around me. I want to hear you scream my name as I fuck you from one orgasm into the next. I want to mark you, claim you, make you mine in every possible way.”
She gasps, her body trembling with shock and desire. I continue, my voice a low rumble filled with dirty promises.
“I want to redden your ass with my hand. I want to tie you up until you’re helpless and completely at my mercy. I want to hear you beg for release as I tease your clit with my tongue, finger you until you scream, and cry out in pleasure as I drive my cock deep inside of you.”
I pull back slightly, my eyes locked onto hers, burning with intensity. “I want to make you come so hard you see stars, and then I want to do it again and again until you’re completely spent and utterly mine. I want to own every inch of your body, every gasp, every moan, every scream of pleasure.”
Her breath hitches, and her eyes widen at my words. Fear flickers in her gaze, but it’s quickly overshadowed by excitement. The thrill of the unknown reflects in her dilating pupils. The promise of pleasure beyond her wildest dreams makes her cheeks flush and her lips part in a silent gasp.
Her pulse races at the base of her neck, a rapid flutter that betrays her arousal. A shiver runs down her spine, a visible ripple beneath her clothes. Her thighs squeeze together as if trying to contain the heat building between them. She’s imagining everything I promise to do to her, and her body responds in ways she can’t control.
I keep going, my voice a dark, seductive whisper. “I want to push your boundaries. I want to show you what it feels like to surrender to desire. I want to make you feel things you’ve never felt before, things you never even imagined possible.”
Her breathing grows more ragged, her body trembling violently as she listens to my words. Her nipples harden against the fabric of her shirt, two taut peaks that beg for my touch and ache for my tongue. Her hips rock toward me, seeking more contact, driven by an instinctive need for friction, for pressure, for release.
She’s not just hearing my words—she’s feeling them, deep within her core, stoking the fire burning inside her.
I lean in closer, my lips almost brushing against hers as I continue to paint a picture of the pleasure that awaits her. “I want to explore every inch of your body. I want to find all the spots that make you gasp, make you moan, make you scream in ecstasy. I want to drive you wild with desire until you’re begging for release, until you’re completely and utterly at my mercy. Until you’re mine.”
Her eyes are glazed with desire, her body aching with need.
A battle rages within her—the part of her that wants to give in, to surrender to the promise of pleasure, and the part that’s still clinging to control.
I know which side will win.
She pushes against my chest, trying to put some space between us.
“You can’t claim me like some caveman. It doesn’t work like that.” Her voice rises in defiance.
“Wrong, sweetheart.” I tighten my grip on her wrists, my body pressing firmly against hers. A dark chuckle escapes my lips, sending a shiver down her spine. “You can deny it all you want, but you crave the caveman within me. You crave the primal, raw, unyielding power that makes me who I am.”
“That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” My voice drips with raw desire. “You want to feel the power of my body against yours, the strength of my hands holding you down, the force of my passion driving into you. You want to be fucked by a man who knows how to handle a woman like you.”
I lean close, my breath hot against her ear, my voice a low rumble. “You want a man who can pin you against the wall, who can hold you in place while he ravishes your mouth, your body. You want a man who can make you feel protected and desired all at once, who can take control and make you surrender to his touch.”
Her eyes widen, and her pupils dilate with excitement and anticipation. Her breath hitches, and her body tenses against mine. I see the truth in her eyes. Her body already responds to the promise of my strength against her softness.
“I’m going to make you feel every inch of my cock and fill you with every ounce of my desire until you’re screaming my name and begging for more.”
She wants this, even if she won’t admit it.
“You belong to me. You’ve belonged to me since I laid eyes on you, and now that I’ve tasted you, I’m not letting you go.”
I pull back slightly, my eyes locked onto hers, burning with intensity. “And that’s exactly what I’m going to give you. Have dinner with your brother, but make no mistake—I’ll be waiting. When you’re done, I’m taking you to bed.”
Her eyes widen, and her pupils dilate with fear and excitement. Her heart races, beating so hard that I feel it against my chest.
My voice becomes a dark whisper filled with sinful promises. “I’m going to make you scream, make you beg, make you come so hard that you see stars. When I’m done, you’ll never want to be anywhere else but in my arms.”
I step back to give her some space but keep my eyes locked on hers. The promise of what’s to come hangs heavily in the air.
“This is happening. You and me. Tonight. So be ready because I’m not taking no for an answer.”
With that, I turn and walk out of the inventory room, leaving her breathless and flushed, her body humming with the promise of what’s to come.
I march out of the Grind, the bell above the door jingling merrily in stark contrast to the storm raging within me.
She thinks she can resist me, resist this thing between us, but I know better. I see the desire in her eyes, the way her body responds to mine. She wants me just as much as I want her.
Worked into a frenzy, I head straight for the rock wall, my body humming with restless energy. I need to climb and push myself physically since I can’t have the release I crave.
Not yet. But soon.
I strap on my harness, the familiar routine grounding me, focusing my thoughts. As I ascend, my muscles strain with the effort, but it’s a welcome distraction.
Each handhold brings me closer to the top, closer to my goal. One step at a time. One hold at a time. I won’t stop until I reach the summit. Malia will be mine tonight, and neither of us will ever be the same again.