Chapter 12
Maren
“What exactly is the deal with Oscar?” Sadie asks as we walk into the kitchen.
“Who knows. He has some beef with me, probably because I took his girlfriend’s job. But then he brought me coffee to work and apologized, so I actually have no idea.” I roll my eyes.
“Oh. My. God. He’s totally projecting his bullshit with his cheating girlfriend on you. Probably because he’s reminded of her every time he works with you.”
I look over at Oscar sitting on the couch scrolling on his phone, oblivious and uninterested in the party happening around him, and my heart sinks.
I’ve been such a bitch to him. He literally walked in on the love of his life, the one he thought he would build a life with, cheating on him with one of his teammates, one of the closest people to him.
Someone he trusted, only to be betrayed by both of them.
“Sadie,” I breathe out in a quiet surrender to the internal battle I’ve been fighting with Oscar Rodriguez.
“You’re a good person, Mare.” She already sees my anxiety spiraling, but it’s too late, the storm is already in motion.
He’s experienced something no one should ever have to go through, and instead of leading with compassion, I led with frustration and emotion. I probably made things worse for him, even if it was only for a second.
“Sadie, every time he walks in that studio, it’s probably filled with so many memories. It holds a past for him, an extension of his home… his world. And now it’s tainted, and I’m taking up the space that was once a sanctuary and forcing him to relive watching the rubble fall to the ground.”
“Then move the rehearsals to the field. You do some of the team work out there anyways, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll talk to Horner.” I smile and give her a long hug. “Thanks for talking through that with me. It’s a great suggestion.”
She lets out a small laugh, “We'll talk about it again before bed.”
“Thanks,” I smile. She knows me better than I know myself most days, and I’ll either talk about it one more time with her or in my head. Any decision feels daunting to me most days. I overthink it even if it feels simple and straight forward.
Sadie and I make our way back over to where Oscar is sitting and take a seat. He doesn’t say much at first, but after a few minutes, he starts playing the part of the host.
“Are you hungry? I think there are a few bowls of chips and some dips in the kitchen,” he offers.
“I’m good, do you want anything Sadie?”
“No, I’m good.” Her voice is cheery like it always is.
“Listen,” he says turning to me, “I really am sorry about the job mix up. I’ve been in a shit mood for the last few weeks, and I— I’m just having a hard time finding my footing. You were right to set boundaries at rehearsals.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I say.
“It is. You’re really good at your job. The fans love you. Actually the ratings are already higher than they ever were when Tatum was here.”
Her name visibly pains him.
“I understand,” I say before lifting my drink to my mouth. It’s the truth, I do understand.
“So, what do you like to do when you’re not working?” he asks, and his voice is sincere for the first time since I met him.
“I love to read and drink coffee. What about you? What do you like other than baseball?”
His eyes never leave me, the entire time I talk. I’ve never had someone’s attention this intensely on me in a crowded room. It makes me want to talk to him for hours.
“Honestly, when I’m not playing, I like to watch movies and relax.”
He goes to say something else, but our conversation is interrupted by someone moving between us and sitting on his lap.
It snaps me out of my trance, and I find myself swallowing, trying to remind myself he’s single and can have this redhead on his lap if he wants to.
“Who the hell is that?” Sadie asks in a hushed whisper.
“I think that’s the same girl he left with on their night out at Ruby’s, the night they ordered bottle service. She’s a little obnoxious,” I whisper back.
I roll my eyes, and to my surprise my stomach rolls as I watch her lay a kiss to his lips.
The two of them talk for a few minutes. He’s completely lost in their conversation and forgets the one we were having.
A few minutes later I notice her whisper something in his ear, and then I see him adjust his pants before they stand. He takes her by the hand and leads her towards the hallway in between the kitchen and living room.
She follows behind him, waggling her brows to who I assume is her friend, sitting on the stool at the edge of the breakfast counter separating the small rooms. The exchange makes my skin crawl.
The small apartment is full of people, more than can comfortably fit in the space, so I’m surprised when my eyes drift back to Oscar and find his eyes burning in my direction.
He’s looking at me as if he’s waiting for me to react, or stop him before he continues down the hall.
The air stills when our eyes meet, and completely leaves my lungs as he continues down the hallway, making it impossible to breathe.
My heart races, beads of sweat immediately start dripping from my temple, and my stomach recoils. Why? Beats me.
“I’ll be back. I think I’m going to be sick. It’s hot in here.” I don’t wait for Sadie’s response. I take off in the direction of the bathroom, following the same path Oscar and his flavor of the month just headed.
Shit, this was a bad idea. What if I hear them?
I stall in the hallway, and turn toward one door, and then another, before facing back towards the living room.
My body is screaming at me, waiting for my mind to make a damn decision.
Before I can choose a clear path, my hands grip the doorknob and I burst through the bathroom door Jax pointed out when we got here.
I swing the door open and turn on the light and jump back in surprise when I come face to face with Oscar, propped up on the counter opposite the door, pants down, hands tangled in the redhead’s hair, as her head bobs up and down in front of him.
It’s no mystery what is going on, even though she is blocking my view of any of the evidence. The scene unfolds in front of me as I survey the situation—seconds that seem to be moving in slow motion.
She lets out a muffled shriek of surprise at the light and his eyes flash to mine, but I don’t look away. I watch. He watches me.
“It’s fine. The lights are motion censored,” he lies.
She begins moving up and down what I can only imagine is his impressive length by the variance of her motion.
The wet, bubbling sound of sloshing spit fills the room as she quickly increases her pace.
His fist tightens around her hair, and his eyes stay locked with mine. An obvious dare to join or leave.
I do neither. I’m frozen in the doorway, the door open just enough for me to have a front row seat to their intimate moment, but not enough for anyone else to be granted access.
Heat rushes between my legs and I feel the dampening of my panties as I take in the spectacle in front of me.
He notices, his eyes drifting from mine, tracing the length of my body down to my legs, where they shift without warning, seeking any friction possible.
He bites his lower lip and resumes our staring contest.
I lick my lips instinctively, and he grins.
“Mare, you ok?” Sadie yells from the kitchen, snapping me back into reality, causing me to slam the door shut and make my way back to the kitchen.
I ignore her question.
“Jax, do you have another restroom I can use?” I ask with panic in my tone.
“Yeah, there’s one in my bedroom. Door’s at the end of the hallway,” he yells back over the crowd.
“Thanks,” I say over my shoulder as I walk toward the bedroom door. My heart is pounding. I need a moment to myself to process what just happened.
I close his bedroom door and head into the bathroom, locking the door behind me.
“What was that?” I ask myself, placing my hands on the counter and leaning in to get a better look at myself in the mirror.
I stare at my reflection for several minutes, untangling the moments as they flash through my mind.
“You liked watching him.” It’s not a question. It’s a confirmation.
I did like watching him panting and breathless, the redhead on her knees in front of him was nothing more than a prop in the setting before me.
But him, with his shirt pulled up showcasing his rippled abs, his chest heaving, and intense gaze on me drew me in deep to his trance.
Our eyes drifted together like a storm and lightning, drawn together in a way that felt dangerous and inevitable.
He liked me watching too, I could tell by the way he bit his lip, and how his eyes never left mine.
I’m startled by a knock on the door, jumping away from the mirror like it might share my quiet confession with whoever is on the other side.
I turn and reach for the doorknob only to be pushed back by the quick force of the door opening, followed by Oscar’s large frame blocking the exit as he closes the door.
His eyes are heavy with something that looks dangerously close to lust. I recognize it. I’d seen the same heat reflected in my own gaze seconds ago.
He closes in on me until my ass is pressed against the counter.
He lifts his hands to my jaw, boxing me in and lands a deep, desperate kiss to my lips. The built up tension and desire of the moment are all pooling between my legs. Then his lips part mine, his tongue slips inside, and my knees buckle. Actually fucking buckle.
The sudden loss of balance brings me back into the moment, “What the hell are you doing?” I ask, pushing him away with every ounce of strength I can muster.
He doesn’t fight me, he moves out of my space without question.
“I thought you left.” His words are breathy and full of desire.
“I don’t know what you think that was, but I’m by no means down to get sloppy seconds after some chick just finished you off in the other bathroom.” I glare at him and duck under his arm to leave the bathroom, but his hand is quickly on my wrist pulling me back toward him.
“I saw that look in your eyes, it’s the look I was waiting for before I walked away with her. When you got all hot and bothered watching us, they blared like a siren over her head.” His voice is low in my ear.
His warm breath sends chills up my spine.
“I was caught off guard,” I try to snap back, but my words are weak.
“You liked watching me have my dick sucked… and I liked watching you.” He kisses my neck, and I have to force myself to move away.
“I’m not interested in being your newest distraction. Where is she?” My tone has just the bite I was digging for.
“I sent her home.”
“You let her suck you off, and then threw her out?” I scoff and roll my eyes.
He moves in, pinning me with both hands on either side of my head, propping his hands against the door. “I couldn’t finish. Someone slammed the door and scared her. She locked the door and wanted to finish, but I couldn’t let her, and she got upset, so I told her I’d call her later.”
“You didn’t console her? Just dismissed her and sent her home?” I can tell by his face that’s not what happened. I can tell he’s having a hard time finding his words.
“I told her it wasn’t her fault. I was distracted.” He lifts my chin with the crook of his finger. “Not a lie, just not the entire truth. She never saw you there. I gave her a hug, walked her to the door.”
The idea of him touching her sends a sting deep inside.
“Well, at least you didn’t slam the door in her face.” I roll my eyes, “Do you really think that makes it better? Makes it ok to immediately bust in here and kiss me? That makes you a douchebag.”
“I don’t know, Maren. You walked into my life at the worst possible fucking time, and made me think things, feel things that I shouldn’t want to feel.
I should want to wallow in self pity, but you occupy my thoughts—all the fucking time.
You piss me off and then everyone flirts with you—and I fucking hate it.
” He spits his words like venom. “You just, you make me fucking crazy, and I act without thinking, because apparently I just want to be close to you, and I came in here and saw the light on, and I stopped thinking.”
He takes a breath, “You walked in and watched. You watched and I snapped. All logic gone.”
“I needed to pee, but someone was occupying the bathroom instead of taking their date to their bedroom a few feet away, like a gentleman.” Again I try to add bite to my words, but they come out strangled.
“Right. Keep lying to yourself, maybe you’ll start to believe it,” he says, opening the door and walking out, not even bothering to close it.
He just lets me watch him walk away, and when the door to the bedroom closes, all of the air leaves my lungs, and I sit on the floor trying to steady my racing heart.