CHAPTER 14 JARED #5
"Enough with the sad thoughts. Let's swim, my dears. I could use a little more exercise lately!" Veyron exclaims with sudden enthusiasm, as if trying to lift his own spirits.
"We have a gym here. It's in the basement, very nicely equipped. Lots of weights," Silvio suggests kindly.
"Lifting weights? I do that too, but truthfully… I always found that boring. I prefer more interactive training. I specialize in jiu-jitsu, but I'm also pretty good at striking sports."
Mauro immediately reacts to that. He turns toward Veyron and then makes several signs toward Silvio, who smiles in amusement.
"If you need a sparring partner, you have one right here. Mauro is quite good at martial arts. He's inviting you to spar with him."
Mauro gives Veyron a slightly dark smile.
Veyron laughs and slaps the surface of the water with his hand.
"Oh, yeah, I know exactly what would happen during that sparring match.
I'd agree, but only if Jared isn't watching, because then I have a feeling it wouldn't be sparring.
It would be us beating the hell out of each other. Sorry, Jared!" And he winks at me.
Mauro makes a few more signs toward Silvio.
Silvio chuckles and then says, "Don't worry, he promises it will just be a normal, completely professional sparring session."
"Nope, don’t believe it, won’t do it, no Jared as an audience. Sorry!"
I’m about to pout, but quickly remember that I’m just a guest in this house, and insisting on joining Veyron and Mauro’s sparring session would be a bit presumptuous.
And I’ve already done plenty of things that go beyond what’s appropriate for a guest, so maybe I should rein myself in a little instead of pouting.
"No problem, I’m constantly tired anyway, so you have plenty of time to spare when I need to take a break," I say keeping it light.
"Thanks for understanding." Veyron smiles crookedly. "I already sparred with my cousin recently in front of a guy who… well, let’s say he was interested in him, and it was just too… testosterone-y! I prefer training without the alpha competition factor."
Mauro looks mildly amused, but nods.
Personally, I'm very curious to see how their sparring match will go, and I hope I’ll find some sneaky way to see at least a part of it. I’m not so eager to give up on seeing this.
Mauro is built a little more heavily than Veyron, but Veyron has a certain advantage in height.
Mauro is around 6'9", while Veyron is probably close to 6'11".
Veyron's body is lean and muscular, defined in a very sharp way, while Mauro has more pure muscle mass, with a broad chest and bulging biceps.
I suspect he might also be heavier, which can sometimes make a difference in a fight.
"Alright, boys, have fun. I hope you don’t mind me watching. In my boring life, observing two handsome men spar is definitely something I won't miss," Silvio adds with an eager chuckle.
He swims toward the edge of the pool and says, "I've had enough swimming for today, but you two can keep playing around. Just be careful!"
"I'm getting out too. I'd like to lie down. I'm tired," I say, because heat recovery has its own rules, and even this short time floating in the water has left me drained.
I swim toward the edge of the pool, but Mauro is already there. He gets out of the water in one smooth motion, which looks crazy good as the water runs down his wet, powerful shoulders. He climbs onto the edge, turns around, and reaches his hand toward me.
Of course, I don't refuse. A second later, I fly upward as Mauro pulls me out of the water effortlessly. We bump lightly into each other in the process, and I can't resist sliding my hand over the pleasantly firm, raised shapes of his biceps.
Geez… it’s becoming oddly close to some kind of obsession. I constantly want to touch him, scent him, see him. What’s wrong with me?
Only when both Veyron and Silvio get out and start watching us do I step back and clear my throat.
"I'll go change. That was nice, thanks for the swim."
"Of course, sweetheart," Silvio says. "Will you come down for dinner, or do you want Mauro to bring it to you?"
"I'll try to come down, if I don't fall asleep first."
"Don't push yourself, Jared. We don't expect you to entertain us. We know what condition you're in, so take it easy."
I grab my towel and leave the pool room, feeling Mauro's gaze following me.
He watches me intently, his eyes slightly narrowed.
I can feel his lingering attention on my ass, almost like a physical touch, and as I walk away, I allow myself to sway my hips a little.
I know I have an excellent butt, round and full, and it's always attracted looks.
I made sure to include plenty of glute-focused exercises in my workouts to keep it that way. I'm not going to hide my assets now.
When I return to my room, I'm so exhausted that I can barely manage to change into something dry, specifically one of the T-shirts Gianni left for me.
I practically collapse onto the bed, close my eyes, and drift away into sleep almost immediately.