Chapter 2
Chapter Two
ERZA
I grip my cock a little tighter, looking at the way the lavender bra perfectly cups Jade’s breasts. She’s been sending me nudes and lingerie pictures for weeks outside the chatroom.
Her body is perfection, the slight curve of her stomach, that ass with enough flesh to really sink my fingers into.
It’s like her body was made for me, though I have no clue when I’m going to meet her.
The picture shifts to her wearing nothing at all, her face cropped out of the picture, though she’s kneeling and leaning back, her dripping wet pussy visible, the vibrator teasing her clit.
What I wouldn’t give to have her kneeling on my bed like that, performing for me while I come.
I brush my thumb over the head of my cock, circling it with the pre-cum before sliding back down my length.
Leaning back in the chair, I watch as the video of her using that vibrator comes on screen. She moans and grinds into the vibrator, her breath coming in short bursts the closer she gets to her orgasm.
Groaning, I keep fucking my fist, needing to get there, needing to come when she does.
“Fuck, man. If I knew you were going to be beating your fucking cock, I wouldn’t have bothered coming over.”
“Jesus fuck, Tyson. Ever heard of fucking knocking?” My blue balls are screaming at me as I grab the pillow behind me and whip it at his head.
I tuck myself back into my jeans as he cackles and drops down onto the other couch.
“Don’t know why you’re so bent out of shape. You’re the one that said I could live here.”
“Sure, and I don’t think I’ve ever regretted another decision more.” I unlink my phone from the TV and head into the kitchen, washing my hands before digging around in the fridge for the leftover pizza I know I put in there. “Where the hell is my food?”
“Might’ve eaten it last night when I got the munchies.” Tyson kicks his heels up on the coffee table and leans back, linking his arms together behind his head. “Now, want to tell me why you’re getting off to pictures of a woman you’ve never met?”
“Says the porn addict.”
“Connoisseur is the correct term, thank you very much, and I’ll have you know that I can actually get laid, unlike you. I went out last night and met this chick with this neon green hair and daddy issues.”
“Sounds like just your type.”
“Hey, it’s better than sitting in the middle of the living room and playing with your cock to images of a woman you think you know. I mean, you spend hours talking to this chick about books every week, but you’ve never met her in person. That’s more than a little weird.”
I slam the fridge shut and yank open the freezer, hauling out a box of what should be chicken nuggets. “I told you to get nuggets from the store.”
“Yeah, and I got them.” Tyson motions to the box in my hand.
“These are shaped like dinosaurs. Why the hell are my nuggets shaped like dinosaurs?” I rip open the box and grab a tray, dumping some out onto it and preheating the oven.
“Because they taste better that way.” He says it like it should be obvious. “Besides, what thirty-four-year-old man is sitting here and eating nuggets for dinner?”
“Says the adult man living in my spare bedroom, not paying rent, and apparently getting his enjoyment out of harassing and cock-blocking me.”
“Yeah, yeah. But, while you’re making your dino nuggets, let’s talk about chatroom chick.”
I lean against the counter, crossing my arms, staring at him. “Her name is Jade. You know that.”
“I know.” He smirks as he puts his feet back on the floor. “Now, you barely know this woman, and you seem to think that she’s going to be the love of your life whenever you finally meet, if you meet. Did you even ask her?”
As if a man like me would ever find love. As if I’m even worth saying the word. Hah!
“No, she’s got other things going on in her life right now.” I grab a shaker bottle and the cookies-and-cream protein powder I like, mixing up a shake.
Tyson eyes it. “You have the palate of a preschooler.”
“Jesus fuck, I’m going to kick you out and then you’re going to have to live on the street while getting your shit together.” I sip the shake, turning the nuggets when the timer goes off and sticking them back in.
Tyson rolls his eyes. “You’re not going to do that. Nobody else is willing to spar with you at the gym, and if you’re going to keep fighting for the Rinaldos, you kind of need someone there who’s willing to kick your ass.”
“And that person is you, is it?”
“Of course.” Tyson whistles as he heads down the hall into the guest room.
There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to kick his ass at practice later today.
Swinging a hard hook, I catch Tyson on the side of the head the moment his hands drop.
He stumbles back before shaking it off and getting his hands back in front of him.
He points at me with the black boxing glove. “That was a dirty hit, and you know it.”
“I wouldn’t say it was a dirty hit.” I keep light on my feet, circling around him, sweat rolling down the back of my neck. “Besides, you spent most of the afternoon bothering me.”
“I did not.” He throws a punch.
I block it before dropping my arm and trying to get in a quick hit to his gut.
He deserves it for interrupting the alone session I needed with Jade. Or at least her pictures that drive me crazy with the need to be inside her.
Air rushes out of me as pain bursts from my ribs when Tyson’s fist slams into them.
I force myself to stand up straight, fighting off the urge to bend over.
Getting inside his arm range, I duck low when he tries to punch me and fire off two hard jabs to his stomach.
Tyson groans, stumbling back before taking off the boxing gloves and tossing them to the ground. “I’m done.”
“Aw. Did you get a booboo?” I laugh as I step out of the ring and head for the locker room, my muscles screaming.
There’s nothing fun about practicing for four hours. Especially with someone who hits as hard as Tyson does. But I’m happy I have him to practice with. I need someone like him to keep me on my toes.
And with the fight coming up, I have to be here. I have to practice as hard as I can with someone who won’t pull punches or cave at the first hit or two.
The boss would have my ass if I wasn’t at my best. He’s counting on me to win the fight and make him an obscene amount of money in the process.
All I can count on is my body, my fighting skills. And I make sure I never lose.
I have already lost so much in my life. My parents, my family. My future. My dreams. Childish fantasies of love, children. A home.
Jade is the only indulgence I allow myself to a glimpse outside this life. A glimpse of all the what-ifs if life had been fair to me.
The white picket fence, two dogs shit is not in the cards for me, but a guy can still dream, right?
Even if this is all it will ever be. A dream.
Because my reality is too brutal, too painful to ever allow for someone else to share it.
It would be amazing coming home to a loving woman. And I can’t even imagine having kids. That is so far out of my reach that I don’t even dare dream about it.
Pain, fighting, that is all my life comes down to. And as much as Jade brightens my day and I wish her light could swallow me whole, I’m very much aware that the darkness within me would consume us both.
But still, I hang on to the dream.
Sucker.
Tyson jogs after me. “If you want to win the fight, you need to get out of your head.”
I turn to face him, jaw tightening. “I’m not in my head.
I’m focused. I’m right here like I’ve been trained to be, and nothing is going to stop me.
You know that. I’ll win the fight, get the boss his money, and then I’ll go back to training to be what he needs me to be, just like I do every other fight. ”
“No, I could see it in your eyes when you took the hit to the ribs. You weren’t thinking about what you were doing at all, which means you would’ve been thinking about chatroom chick since that seems to be the only other thing you do with your time.”
“I do more than just that.”
“You sit on the couch we share and jerk it.” Tyson crosses his arms over his broad chest, his dark gaze staring straight through me.
I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath, trying not to react.
Tyson may be my best friend, but there are times when I feel like I could lose my shit dealing with him. He seems to know all the right buttons to press. Every single time.
It makes him the perfect sparring partner, and a good person to talk to when I’m going through it.
But it makes him annoying as fuck when I just want to be left alone.
“Look, I have other things to do with my day, so if you’re done trying to make me punch you in the face, I have to go.” I go to step around him, but he steps into my path. “What now?”
“Take a night off from whatever the hell you’re doing and let’s go throw axes or something.”
I sigh. “The boss will kill you if you hurt yourself before a fight.”
Tyson scoffs. “He doesn’t give a shit about me. I might make him money in the fights, but it’s nothing compared to the amount you’re bringing in, and we both know it. So, if I want to go throw an ax at a wall, that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Then have at it. I have other things.”
“You know, I’d be interested in finding out what this Jade girl thinks about all the time you’re spending with your mystery woman.”
I stiffen and scrub a hand over my jaw. “Look, it’s complicated. You’ve said it a bunch of times. Jade is a woman on the other side of the internet. The woman I’m seeing is tangible.”
Tyson smirks like he’s finally getting the answers he wants out of me. “Good, so then you’re going to keep seeing the mystery woman?”
I shrug, hands tucking into my pockets. “I’m going to see who I’m going to see. Nothing is serious with either of them, and I don’t have any intention of it becoming that way. I don’t have time right now for anyone else in my life.”
“You’re not supposed to be a loner all the time either.”
I stare at him, trying to process what gave him the thought that I’m a loner.
Do I like spending time alone? Yes. Does that make me a loner? No.
Chuckling, I shake my head. “Look, it’s not like I’m lurking in the shadows and longing for human companionship. I have plenty of that. Now, I have to go meet this mystery woman as you like to call her, and then I’m going to go home.”
“At least put a towel down on the couch. I don’t want to get home and take a seat on cum couch later tonight.” Tyson calls after me as I brush past him and walk away.
Ignoring him, I head into the locker room and take a quick shower. The last thing I want to do is look like a mess when I go to see my little minx. She deserves better than me after a hard day of practice, soaked through with sweat, my entire body tense.
Fourth floor. Corner unit with an overabundance of windows.
She’s too visible from the streets, even with the sheers drawn. The silhouette of her curvy body moves with ease.
Already, I can imagine the way those little silk shorts she likes so much hug her round ass. Or the way the matching camisole rises up to show off her toned stomach. Soft and hard in all the right places. A body to die for, but one that could probably kill someone if needed.
She dances around like nobody’s watching, her long hair hanging down her back.
I wish the curtains were open. I’d be able to see the little minx so much better.
In time, she’s going to know that I’m here, but right now, I’m not ready for her. She’s not ready for me. Not yet. And I’m certainly not who she needs in her life, but it’s only going to be a matter of time before I can’t hold myself back any longer.
She’s too perfect for this world. I need to make her mine. I need her to realize that we were made for each other the way that I know it.
I just haven’t figured out the way to make that happen yet.
It’s going to take time, but perhaps the problem is distance.
She stops dancing and turns to the window, pulling the sheers to the side.
I duck back into the shadows of the tree I’m standing beneath, pulling out my phone and looking around like I’m reading a map and a little lost.
A moment later, the curtains flutter back into place.
I flick my collar up a little higher, tipping the ballcap down.
One day, my little minx. One day, we’re going to be together.
My little minx deserves the world, and that’s exactly what I’m going to give to her.
If she lets me.