Chapter 4 Oliver
Oliver
The second she’s in my arms, the restless energy that’s been crawling under my skin all day snaps into razor-sharp focus. Everything else—practice, the media, the noise trying to press in—collapses until there’s only the warmth of her body and the quiet hitch of her breath.
My workout was a disaster. One of the rookies wouldn’t stop mouthing off, and the press twisted one of my postgame quotes into something it wasn’t meant to be.
I’ve been wound tight ever since this morning, and the second I saw Rina walking toward Evelyn’s office, looking poised and untouchable in that polished way she has, it all broke loose inside me.
Rina glares at me, eyes bright and dangerous even in the dim light of the equipment room.
“I need to get back to Evelyn’s office,” she says, trying to hold on to her composure. “I’m in the middle of a meeting.”
Does this woman really think I’m going to let her go?
Yeah, that’s not happening.
“I saw Hugh walk in there,” I murmur against her ear. “Trust me, it’s doubtful you’ll be missed.”
She squirms, trying to break free, but I don’t allow it.
One hand slides from the curve of her shoulder to the delicate column of her throat, fingers wrapping just enough to be possessive as my thumb traces the frantic flutter beneath her skin, stroking it.
The contact is light, intimate, and has the exact effect I was looking for.
A thin tremor slides through her body as she goes slack in my arms.
Her presence has the same kind of impact on me. She doesn’t even have to touch me for the noise in my head to lessen. Just one look from her and everything in me settles.
It’s the calm I crave and the storm I can’t escape.
Rina can swear she doesn’t want this or me, but every shiver that racks her body betrays her. Every part of her reveals the truth when we’re together.
My other hand slides down to the hem of her skirt before drifting up her thigh until my fingers find the heat of her through the thin cotton of her panties.
I bite back a groan.
It’s impossible not to make a sound when I feel the soft, slick warmth waiting for me. She shifts closer with a small, involuntary movement.
I press my mouth to the shell of her ear. “Don’t even try to tell me you weren’t dying for this. I know you, baby. I know exactly what your body craves. I also know I’m the only one who can give it to you.”
Her resistance fractures, piece by piece, like glass under heat. There’s a part of me that wants to keep her here, locked away forever.
Hidden and safe.
Mine.
The smarter part knows this is reckless and addictive in equal measure.
Christ, how the hell am I ever going to get enough of this woman?
“Oliver,” she says, my name turning into a warning. “This is dangerous.”
Instead of pushing me away, her fingers curl around my forearm, keeping me locked in place.
The door creaks open, and boots scuff against concrete.
Shit.
Chuck, the team’s equipment manager, wanders in, whistling as he rummages through a rack of pads. Instinct takes over, and I drag Rina deeper into the shadows, tucking her tight against me.
The risk of getting caught sparks through the air, turning it electric.
If someone finds out about us, she’ll lose her job before I can even explain the situation. I should let her go, but I’m wired for collision, not retreat.
She stiffens, her eyes going wide.
I lean closer. “Don’t move or make a sound, otherwise Chuck’s going to get one hell of an eyeful.”
A noise breaks from her, her chest rising and falling rapidly as I shove her panties aside and slide two fingers deep inside her heat. She clenches around them, already drenched and needy. The strangled sound she makes is barely a gasp, but it ricochets through me like a gunshot.
Chuck freezes mid-rummage, head swiveling, gaze scanning the dim room.
“Quiet,” I whisper. “Or he’ll see that I’ve got my fingers buried in this sweet little pussy. We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
I pull her closer until every inch of her body is pressed against mine. The temptation to move, to take, is like a live wire beneath my skin.
Chuck mutters something about missing gloves before turning back to the shelves. He doesn’t seem in any hurry to leave, and continues shuffling and digging through the gear. Every second that drags by feels more like an eternity.
I work my fingers inside her, as if we have all the time in the world, curling them in the way I know she likes. Her hips twitch, betraying her even as she tries to wriggle free.
“Widen your stance, baby girl,” I murmur against her temple, pressing a kiss against her warm skin. “Let me fuck you properly with my hand while Chuck is only fifteen feet away.”
When she hesitates, her body trembling with indecision, I tap her clit in warning.
With a helpless whimper, she spreads her legs.
I undo the buttons of her blouse with my other hand until it gapes open, then I slip my fingers into her bra and shove down the silky cups, allowing her breasts to spill free from their confines.
“That’s so much better, isn’t it? I’m a big believer in the ‘free the boobies’ movement.”
I tweak her nipples, tugging at them until her body jerks. She slaps a hand over her mouth as a muffled moan slips out. The sweet sound only spurs me on.
“Look at you,” I whisper, teeth grazing her skin. “Your pussy’s gripping me so tight, just begging to be filled. Good ol’ Chuck has no idea how close you are to coming all over my hand.”
Her nails press crescents in my forearms that are hard enough to sting. Every taut line of her body screams that she’s on the edge of splintering apart. And I fucking love it. Love that I can undo her with just one touch. You’d never know it from the calm, professional way she walks these halls.
“Are you ready to come for me, baby?” I whisper against the hollow of her throat. Seeing her like this shreds every ounce of my control. “I want to watch you fall apart.”
Somewhere nearby, the equipment manager curses before finding what he needs and then moving toward the exit. Even though Rina’s trying to hold back, she can’t quite manage it. Just as he steps through the door, the dam breaks, and she falls apart.
The sound that tears from her is half sob and half moan.
My other hand settles loosely around her throat, holding her to me as her body convulses against my fingers.
The door clicks shut behind Chuck as her hips jerk and she cries into her own palm, quivering so hard I feel it through bone and muscle.
I work her with the exact rhythm that will keep her flying, matching every shift of pressure and speed to the tremors racing through her. Her muscles seize around me, release, then seize again.
Each contraction is a reluctant confession she doesn’t want to give.
Rina can deny it all she wants, but her body tells me the truth.
Every single time.
When she finally collapses against me, spent and shaking, her blouse falling open, I pull my fingers free and lift them to my mouth, tasting her, claiming the proof of the pleasure I gave her.
“Mmm,” I groan. “I’ll never get enough of how creamy you get for me.”
Her dazed eyes widen right before my mouth crashes onto hers, forcing her to taste her own arousal on my tongue. She moans when I deepen the kiss. It’s a raw sound that has my cock stiffening even more as my fingers find her breasts and pluck at the stiff little buds again.
I know the exact moment the fog clouding her brain clears and fury rolls in like a tidal wave. Her whole frame trembles as she shoves at me. The anger in her eyes contradicts the way her body continues to cling to mine.
She’s fucking gorgeous like this.
All wild and righteous.
Impossibly alive.
I kiss her one last time before pulling back, every inch of me aching to take her and make her mine in a way she can’t deny.
“Oliver, we really need to talk about this.”
Talk.
The word slices through my own haze. Doesn’t she ever get tired of pretending we’re something she can reason her way out of?
God knows I do.
If she thinks for even a second that I’ll let her break this off, she’s out of her mind.
“Sorry, babe. Wish I could, but I’ve got a meeting with Coach in five.”
Her expression flickers with a mixture of sorrow and resignation before it’s quickly masked as I turn away. Leaving her here feels like I’m tearing something out by the roots, but there’s nothing else I can do.
Other than giving her more time, I don’t know how else to get through to her.
The hallway feels cold and much too bright as I step through the doorway.
The worst part is that I can still smell her on my skin. It’s a ghost of everything I shouldn’t want.
For just a second, I almost stop and swing back around.
Almost.
Instead, I force myself to keep walking. Once I’ve turned the corner, I yank my phone out of my pocket and type.
Me: So… just out of curiosity, how’d you convince Ava to give you a chance?
It takes less than ten seconds for my older brother to respond.
Hayes: What makes you think she needed convincing?
Me: Because I know you, dickhead.
Hayes: Fair enough. I made my intentions clear so she understood I wasn’t messing around.
His reply burns behind my eyes long after I pocket the phone.
Rina thinks she can make our relationship about rules and rationality as she draws lines in the sand. She’s yet to realize we blew past those lines a long time ago.
What she doesn’t get is that I’ve spent years wanting her. Ever since the first time she walked into the media room as the Railers’ new PR manager.
And now that I’ve finally had a taste of what it’s like when she comes undone in my arms?
There’s no going back.
It’s not just about desire anymore.
It’s a bone-deep need.
One that drowns out everything else until she’s the only thing left.