26. Max
CHAPTER 26
MAX
T he other night, I felt it when Caine came back. I was half asleep, but unable to do anything about it. I anticipated him touching me, and taking advantage of me like he always has, using my body like I’m just there for him and not myself. The only thing I remember was his hard body pressed against mine. Him holding me almost too tightly, but I don’t think he touched me, which is a first.
By the time I woke up in the morning, he was gone. The only thing that remained was the slight smell of him on my bed. The leather mixed with a hint of the ocean that seems to cling to everyone here.
It also could have just been a dream. I didn’t have the energy to change my sheets after the activities of the evening, so maybe the lingering smell was from that. Maybe he only came back in my mind, because let’s be honest—that doesn’t sound like Caine.
My mind’s been a confusing mess since that night. How everything had unfolded between the three of us. What I wanted to happen. What I’d asked for. That’s never been me—Carson would have killed me for suggesting I wanted to be with more than one guy. For suggesting that he wasn’t enough to satisfy me.
And yet, I find myself wanting it more than ever.
What would it feel like if they both held me down and fucked me at the same time? If they used me for whatever they wanted. If they took from me. If I was allowed to just be a body to use for their pleasure.
“Got it?” Coach Adam’s voice breaks through the wild fantasy I was stuck in.
“Uh…” I can’t form any words because I did not hear any of what he said. But I’m also not going to admit that to him. “Yup.”
“Great, get into position.”
Well, fuck. I can’t exactly admit I don’t know what the position is, highlighting the fact that I wasn’t paying attention. I choose diversion and the words that come tumbling out of my mouth have me wanting to slap my hand over it.
“So, you and Drew are together?”
The look he gives me is lethal and I know I shouldn’t have said that. I open my mouth to say something else, but his sharp voice beats me to it.
“Not that it’s any concern to you, but no. So, you don’t have to think he’s cheating on me or something. Get in position.”
Fuck.
“No, that’s not why I was asking, I just?—”
“Position. I didn’t offer you extra training for a fucking gossip session, Max.”
I gulp, my heart racing at his tone and how it feels like I was just reprimanded.
The weirdest part is the thrum I’m feeling between my legs from it. What’s wrong with me?
I take a chance and drop down to my knees to guess the position for whatever he was talking about in my lust induced haze and the look he’s giving me right now proves that I’m wrong. Very wrong.
“What are you doing?”
“What you asked.” I bite back the sass, but I think he can still hear it.
“And that includes you getting on your knees? Wrong. Get up.” He’s so demanding and curt. His deep voice, the slight anger in it. I both want to stay on my knees and apologize and fight back and tell him to stop acting like I’m an idiot.
I don’t say anything, I just let him command me like he has some right to. Because for once in my life, I want to listen. The air around him demands it, and that’s probably why he’s such a good coach. He’s experienced, in control, and it boasts no argument.
And because my mind is in the gutter today, thanks to the two guys around here who refuse to leave me alone, I think about how that may translate to the bedroom. I wonder if he’s the same way. I wonder if he would say the same words to me but mean them in an entirely different way.
“Get into position.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you even want to be here today?” he snaps.
“Yes, I’m sorry, I’m just tired.” I scramble to my feet.
“I don’t have to be here helping you.”
“I know.”
“Then if you’re going to ignore me and do whatever the hell you want, you can leave.”
“I’m not.” I breathe out a tight breath to stop me from saying something I may regret just to get a rise out of him. “I’m not ignoring you. I’m just tired, but I want to be here.”
“Good. We’re going to work on your full mount. Due to your size, fully submitting an opponent bigger than you will take time, but we will get you there.”
I nod in response, biting back the need to snap back at his comment regarding my size . I know I’m short. I get it every single day, but it’s never stopped me before, and it’s not going to stop me now.
He walks me through the steps, showing me in slow motion what I’m going to do and it’s almost laughable how I’m supposed to wrangle this six foot one muscular professional to the ground and keep him there . But I don’t dare show an ounce of hesitation.
Obviously, it’s practice and he lets me do the moves as intended without doing anything to defend himself. After a couple slow practices, we work the moves at a more realistic pace, and I end up with him on the ground below me while I straddle his waist.
I know this isn’t supposed to be sexual, but my mind is my own worst enemy, especially today. So, it’s impossible not to feel the sexual undertones of the position we’re in.
Plus, the fact that I can feel him through his shorts right now isn’t helping. I don’t think he’s hard, but there’s… substantial length hiding behind the fabric. I hop off him, ready to try again before I completely lose my mind and rub up against him like a cat in heat or something.
I’ve never been this…crazed. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, and I don’t know if I like it.
We run through the move another handful of times before moving on to some kickboxing at my request. Hoping to eliminate some of the sexual tension in the air that I’m sure is because of my inability to control my raging hormones.
Except when I catch him watching me as I practice punching the bag, I see the flare of desire in his eyes. He blinks it away quickly, but it was there. It makes me think that maybe I’m not the only one feeling the tension that’s swirling around us.
The piercing noise of my phone ringing brings me out of my daze once again and before I’m able to unwrap my hands and go to it, Adam picks it up off my bag, pointing the screen toward me where I see it says Drew.
My nerves kick up and I wonder how he’s going to react, but he doesn’t show any emotion. Not even when he answers it as I step toward him.
“Hello?” His deep timbre sends a chill down my spine.
He’s quiet for a moment. I see the smallest smirk appear on his lips as he listens to whatever Drew is saying that I can’t hear.
“Yeah, she’s here. You two have plans?” Adam asks.
I tilt my head slightly, the question is mostly innocent, just a bit nosy, but there really isn’t a hint of jealousy either. I want to yell at him for the massive invasion of privacy answering my phone, but for some reason I hold back. I’m not sure what it is about him that stops me from fighting back like I do with Caine and Drew, but there’s something with him that keeps me stunned silent as I watch him have a conversation on my phone with his ex…fling? Current fling? I feel like I shouldn’t try to figure it out.
“You can come get her if you want then.” Adam shrugs and I narrow my eyes at him.
“I don’t need anyone to come get me,” I insist.
“You hear that?” Adam looks like he’s biting back a look of amusement. “Your girl is independent and doesn’t want you to come get her.”
“I’m not his girl,” I growl, and barely resist stomping my foot like a child, quickly growing sick of this game they are playing. “Give me my phone.”
Adam passes my phone to me, and I hang up without saying anything to Drew.
“That was immature,” I tell him, my only comment of rebellion of the night.
“I thought I was helping since you couldn’t get to your phone,” he answers simply, tone completely even.
“I wouldn’t have answered, so it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s rude.”
“So is answering someone’s phone for them,” I retort.
“I’ll remember that next time. We can be done so you can meet up with your boyfriend. Or is it boyfriends?”
I rear back like he slapped me. “Excuse me? What are you trying to say?”
“Nothing. Just trying to respect your time and plans.”
I fold my arms across my chest, the previous feelings I’ve had about not fighting back are gone because I’m annoyed. I’m not sure why he’s acting like this. He offered me extra training because he felt like I needed to be able to defend myself against the guys surrounding me like vultures at this fucking gym.
And now he’s pushing me toward them? How can someone be so hot and cold for absolutely no reason?
“So, we’re done for the day, then?” I ask instead of acknowledging him.
“If you want to be.”
I nod, grabbing my stuff, including my phone and before I turn to leave, I can’t help but have the last word. “Feel free to make your own plans with Drew, because he’s certainly not seeing me.”
When I get home, there’s already a figure standing across the street from my house. He’s leaning against his motorcycle, and I stop dead in my tracks, throwing my head back with a loud groan.
“What the fuck is wrong with the people in this town?!” I say to the sky.
When I look straight ahead again, I see the figure hasn’t moved.
“Caine, I know it’s you so instead of being a fucking creep in the dark just come here and do what it is you came to do,” I taunt because I’m done with all of them tonight.
I’m done with all of them, period. I came here as an escape and so far, it’s felt like anything but. I’ve been here for almost a month and have successfully gained a stalker, a man that I used to try and make the stalker angry who now won’t leave me alone, and a coach that is slut shaming me.
Great job, Max.
Caine still doesn’t move or say anything, and I decide this is the last straw for me tonight. I stomp toward him, not thinking of anything other than my anger between the gym and finding him here and I’m done.
I’m standing in front of him, and I can’t hold back anymore. “What the fuck will it take to get you to leave me alone?”
To the surprise of absolutely no one, he doesn’t say anything in response. I can see his bright light blue eyes in the moonlight, looking down at me. The black leather jacket over his black shirt and black jeans make him seem like an even darker presence than I already know he is.
“Seriously, Caine, I’m done with this game. I came here to start over. I came here for a fucking escape, and I’m done with you. Done with Drew. Done with the games. I just want to be left alone.” I’m borderline yelling and waiting for a neighbor to come out and tell us to be quiet, but I don’t care.
“What are you escaping from, killer?” he asks with an eyebrow raised and I let out a low growl, the temptation to slap him is almost unbearable.
“Right now, I’m trying to escape you.”
He lets out a low chuckle, it’s dark and ominous and I know it holds no humor. “You’ll never be able to escape me.”
“You motherfucker, I swear to God if you don’t?—”
“There a problem here?” A man’s voice cuts me off from letting loose on the annoying tower of a man in front of me.
I turn around and there’s a patrol car that somehow pulled up without me noticing. It’s the same officer from the bar—Officer Doug, or Doogie I guess—I should tell him. I should tell him everything that the man in front of me has done. The breaking in, him taking advantage of my body, and I’m about to do just that, when Caine does something out of character and I’m a little scared with how quickly he shifts.
His arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest and I try to push him away, but he’s much stronger and I’m unable to do anything.
“Nothing to worry about here, Officer, just my girl putting me in my place.”
“Not your girl,” I mumble against him, but I know my words are muffled by the fabric of his shirt.
The officer looks at us for a minute and I wonder if he’s going to take my side, but he just grunts before saying, “Keep it down.”
Caine nods and I continue to try and push him away, but he doesn’t let me go until the officer has driven away and turned the corner.
“You could’ve screamed,” Caine says, letting me go.
“It’s kind of hard to do that when you have my face shoved against your chest.”
“Right. You can have your excuses, but I know you don’t want me to leave you alone. You could’ve gotten rid of me.”
“I’ve. Tried.”
“Have you?”
“Yes!”
“Not very hard.”
I grab my head in my hands; I’m losing it. Maybe I’ve already lost it. Maybe I’m living in a nightmare. Or maybe I died and this is the hell I’ve been forced to live in for the rest of eternity.
“I’m done. Okay? Leave me alone. Let me live my life. Go find another girl to torture,” I say with finality.
He doesn’t say anything, just gives me that smug look that I want to slap away. Even as I start to walk backwards toward my house, he doesn’t say anything.
When I’m almost to the door he finally speaks, “I’ll leave you alone…until you come begging for me again.”
“Never in a million fucking years.”
He lets out that low humorless chuckle once again before swinging his leg over his bike, pulling his helmet on, and slamming the bike into gear before taking off down the street.
I don’t believe he’s going to leave me alone. Not for a second.