30. Santiago #2
I didn’t miss the way Gabriel’s eyes shot to me.
Clearly, he hoped our little training would lead to something more physical.
So I wasn’t surprised by the nasty frown I’d just received.
He probably wasn’t hyped over me staying here alone with a guy as hot as Ariyan, which explained why he offered to help me close the gym just now.
Only I rejected the offer, telling him to go home.
“Are you sure?” he tried again.
“Yeah. But thanks.”
Disappointment crossed his face. “Okay… We’ll catch up some other time?”
I hated that he still loved me.
“Yeah, sure.”
Nodding to himself, he got out of the ring and grabbed his bag from the floor.
“It was nice meeting you again,” he told Ariyan.
“The pleasure was all mine, Officer. And please, come by the hotel again. I’d love to invite you for a friendly drink.”
I swore under my breath at his act, my feet tapping the floor as I anxiously waited for Gabe to get the hell out of here.
I was dying to know what Ariyan had come to give me, and the more time Gabe stole, the more impatient I became.
But after lingering for a few more seconds, he finally got his ass moving, and the moment he was out of the gym, I jumped over the ropes, landing on the floor with a loud thump.
Overly excited and with a dumb smile on, I stepped closer to Ariyan. But before I could spit out a single word, he lifted his hand in front of him.
“You reek.”
I shrugged. “Well, I just practiced for six hours straight.”
He grimaced.
“Just… wash yourself or something. You smell like a wet dog.”
That made me snort, and I brushed my hand over my jaw, trying to hide the smile.
“Fine, I’ll go wash up.”
I walked over to the locker room, surprised when he followed me there.
“Are you going to stay and watch me shower?” I asked, already starting to undress.
Staying by the entrance, he leaned against the wall, his eyes on me. “Maybe.”
Feeling cocky, I smirked, then pushed my shorts and boxer briefs down my legs, giving him a proper look at my fine ass.
“Knock yourself out.”
He grunted, then rolled his eyes.
Somehow, I couldn’t get enough of how much he despised me, and thrilled, I walked over to the communal showers.
“When are you going to tell me what’s inside that bag?” I asked before turning on the tap. Water started streaming down, its sound filling the space.
“Don’t forget to use soap,” he snarled, completely ignoring my question.
Fair enough.
He stayed quiet after that, watching me from the corner of the room while I washed up.
Was it weird that it turned me on? Probably, but there was just something in his eyes that made me go crazy, and I moved my hand slowly, soaping myself from head to toe, just like he asked, going even slower when it came down to my dick and balls.
Once done, I turned off the tap before turning to face Ariyan so my cock was on full display for him. Only he didn’t seem to care, given the blank expression on his face.
“Who is he to you?” he asked as I reached for a towel and used it to dry my face.
“Gabe?” I wrapped it around my waist as he pushed away from the wall and strode toward me.
“Yes.”
I noticed he left the bag he’d brought with him on one of the benches.
“He’s a friend.”
“He looked more than just a friend when I walked in.”
I stretched my arm and rubbed my neck. “We really just spar together. I swear it looked worse than what it was.”
He stopped in front of me, his shoes stepping in the small puddle of water that had formed beneath my feet.
“Have you fucked?”
My brows rose at his question before I coughed to clear my throat.
“Why do you care?”
His stare hardened. “Answer me.”
“Well… yeah.” I swallowed hard. “But it’s complicated.”
With his eyes staring right into my soul, he kept silent. The room became so quiet that you could hear the water dripping from the tap into the drain, and so I huffed.
“Ari—”
My words died and were replaced with a loud growl of pain after he kneed me in the balls, making me hunch over in pain. I saw stars when another hit came, again to my precious nuts, one that forced me to my knees before him.
“F-fucking shit—” I wheezed air into my lungs, fighting the tears threatening to break free as my balls felt like they were about to burst. “W-why the ball—fuck,” I whined as he clenched my hair in his fist and jerked my head back.
“You’re going to participate in an illegal fight in less than twenty-four hours from now, and there I find you grinding your dick with a damn police officer?” he hissed, his face a mask of coldness.
“I-it wasn’t like that.”
“You stupid dog.” He clenched my hair tighter in his fist, nearly ripping it from its roots. “You dare to cross me, and I’ll wipe your DNA from this earth. Am I clear?”
“He’s my fucking ex, alright?” I shouted before he ripped my scalp off.
It felt like the world had stopped for a few seconds right before he released me, and my head dropped forward.
Feeling as if my scalp were on fire, I moved my hand up and ruffled my hair.
Fucking psycho.
“Clench your jaw,” he said, and I looked up to see him pulling something from his pocket.
My eyes widened.
“Ariyan—”
“I said, clench your jaw.”
With a sigh, I did as he said, clenching my jaw while also pressing my tongue to the roof of my mouth, prepared to be hit by his knuckle-duster.
Fisting my hair again, he held my head up as I watched him prepare for the punch.
Then it came, at full blast, and the cold silver collided with my cheek, the impact making me fall to the side.
But that was it, one punch, and he was done.
Still, this one single hit was enough to make me spit blood, and I swore under my breath.
Why did I let him do this to me, and more importantly, why did I enjoy it?
With my eyes focusing on my blood that stained the wet tiles, I heard him stepping away. But not wanting it to be over so soon—
“Just admit that you love it.” I spat out blood.
“Admit that you love how alike we really are. It’s why you love torturing me, isn’t it?
Because the truth is, you just hate yourself.
” I had no idea why I said those words, especially as this was the first time I’d thought them. But suddenly, it made so much sense.
I looked up to see him staring at me, so much disdain in his cruel eyes. What was it that he hated in me this much, our past? Or the fact that I reflected the parts in him he despised?
In three long steps, he closed the distance between us, then crouched before me. I hissed when he grabbed my jaw, as it was still sore, yet I didn’t pull away when he kept me close.
“You think you and I are the same, huh?” He tilted his head, golden eyes studying me like a predator. “We’re nothing alike.” There was no space for error in his words, no empathy, just ice. “You see, you love violence. You live for it, while I am violence.”
My breath caught, and I stared at him as he let go of my jaw, only to clean the blood from the corner of my mouth.
“It’s why you can’t resist me, El Embriagado.
I’m made out of the poison you love getting drunk on.
Every time you take a sip—” He tucked a lock of wet hair behind my ear.
“—all you want is to have another one. But once you reach the bottom of the barrel, that’s when you’ll understand that all this time, you were drinking sewage.
” He huffed. “And in that moment, when all you’re left with is the stench, that’s when you’ll regret it all. ”
I’d always hated people deciding shit for me, and now was no different.
“I’ll regret nothing,” I said, pushing his hand away from my face.
His eyes darkened as a smile took over his haunted expression, an expression I’d only seen once on his face before.
“We’ll see.” He rose while I stayed on the floor. “Now, then, before I leave, I’d like us to speak about your share. Since I’m being generous, how about five percent for every win?”
My brows furrowed, and I quickly rose to my feet, not giving a damn that I stood completely naked in front of him.
“Five percent is generous?” I gawked.
“Be grateful I’m offering you anything at all, considering it’s my money at stake.”
“Yeah, and my fighting skills, asshole.”
His eyes narrowed. “Watch your mouth.”
“Or what? You’ll wash it with soap?” I tsked. “I don’t give a damn. Ten percent, or I’m out.”
His eyes dropped between us.
“You’re hard.”
“I am.”
His lips twitched, and he looked away.
“Wanna jerk me off again?”
He huffed. “I would rather have my fingers chopped off.”
Well, that just gave me an idea.
“You know what? I’m up for the five percent.”
He looked back at me, eyes narrowed. Clearly, he knew I was up to something.
“But in addition, I want to fuck you.”
“Excuse me?”
I got closer. “For every fight I win, I get to fuck you.”
“You’re a hopeless case,” he snarled when I snorted.
“I am, but I’m also a damn good boxer. So what do you say?” I held my hand between us when he glanced down at it, clear annoyance on his face. Then, after biting on his bottom lip, he finally took my hand and shook it.
“You repulse me.”
“You sure about that?” I asked, one brow raised.
He quickly dropped my hand and was already on his way out of the locker room when I called, “What’s in the bag?”
He stopped, glanced at the paper bag he’d left on the bench, and then at me.
“Find out for yourself.”
Without wasting another second, he left, and for the first time in this ongoing battle between us, I came out on top. And it felt pretty damn sweet.