Page 14 of Playing for the Dark

“Come here,” I say, reaching out for his hand. I sit up and pull him down to my lips by the back of his neck, placing a sweet kiss on him. I don’t think he expected that, but I’m hoping the kiss relays how thankful I am for all those orgasms last night.

“Thank you for showing me a good time when I had expectations that were set in hell,” I tell him, pulling away with a smile on my face.

“Anytime. I’m going to text you about dinner one night this week,” he responds while turning and walking out of the bathroom. I hear the front door shut. I let out a breath.

That was a wild night.

I need to get out and start working on my business management homework. It’s due today.

1. Limits - Unplugged - Bad Omens

Chapter 11

Zamir

Six, seven… one more, come on deeper; you bitch, eiighhhtt.

Fuck. My ass and thighs are on fire finishing my last set of squats for the day. I didn’t go too heavy since I came by myself. I could’ve asked one of the gym bros in here, but then I would need to have a conversation with them. I hate opening the door for people to ask questions and going full-on fan girl, telling me about how they almost made it to college to play. Wearing my huge noise-canceling headphones usually keeps people away. I decided to stay as far away as possible from the practice facility; I didn’t want to see dickhead today.

We have to make up eventually, but today’s not the day. I have to cool down before I speak with him again—him being Nash. I promise he doesnot want to see my demons come out to play. They’ve been at bay a little too long.

I’m in one of the fancier gyms in Vegas. I keep a membership here in case I want to dodge the practice facility. Sometimes, it gets to be too much being around my teammates every day, if not twice a day.

Walking back to the locker rooms, I stop in my fucking tracks. Ellie is on one of the lat pulldown machines—pulling some serious weight, I might add—and my eyes are drawn to that fucking ass on the edge of the seat. She has soundproof headphones on too. Maybe she’ll slide one ear off when she’s done with her set.

She, in fact, does not slide one side off; instead she just plays on her phone, not paying attention at all to her surroundings.I’m going to have to talk to her about that…Standing here like a damn creep, I finally decide to go up and tap on her shoulder. I get one tap in and she spins before I can blink, elbowing me right in the dick and balls.

I go down hard, groaning and embarrassing the shit out of myself. Fuck, that hurt. People are huddling around her, ensuring she’s fine. I’m still on the ground, getting up to my knees.

1?“Shpirt Im,you a trained killer?” I ask, coughing through the pain. I’ve been stabbed andshot multiple times, but nothing will take me out quicker than a good shot to my balls.

“What the fuck are you doing following me around?!” She looks way too shaken for this to just be from me tapping her shoulder. Who the fuck has hurt her, and why do I feel this need to protect her?

“I was just finishing up when I looked over and here you were. The devil herself delivered you, apparently. I wasn’t trying to scare you, but I fucked that up.” I let out a pained chuckle. Mainly from the awkwardness of this whole situation, but also the throbbing pain in my balls.

“You can’t sneak up on women like that!” Fuck, she’s still fuming.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to know why you gave me a fake number…” I wasn’t above going back to the bar. I had to see her again.Damn, maybe I am a stalker.No, not me; I just needed to see her again. I felt the pull to her, and I know she feels it too. She’s just fighting it a little harder.

“You couldn’t have said anything creepier? You’re for sure my fucking stalker.” Fuck, did she just say her stalker? Meaning she actively has one?

We’re in the middle of the goddamn gym, and people are looking at us like I might carry her off over my shoulder. We should go somewhere more private, but I don’t want to scare her off again.

I’m up on my feet now. “Look, I’m cutting the shit. I promise I’m not some psycho. I’m just so usedto people falling at my feet. You couldn’t have cared less, and you’re still acting like that. You’re very interesting to me, and I wanted the opportunity to get to know you.” She’s looking at me like I’ve completely lost it.

“What do you want with some random bartender that looks like me? You’re a fucking star wide receiver, for fuck’s sake.” Yes! She knows who I am. Mentally I’m fist-pumping but keeping my exterior chill as fuck.

With the most sultry voice I can pull out of my ass, I ask, “You’ve been looking me up,Shpirt Im?”

“I had to make sure you weren’t just some delusional rec league player or fantasy league bro.” She turns her head to the side as she mumbles under her breath, “You’re fucking unhinged.” I don’t think that last part was meant for me to hear, but she’s not wrong.

Ellie must decide I’m not a threat after all since she stays by my side on the way back to the locker rooms, walking at my slow pace after the ass-kicking she just inflicted on me. Thankfully, the locker rooms at this gym are all genders. “Do you really have a stalker, Ellie? That’s not good.” The demons are crawling out of me. No one is going to hurt a hair on her pretty head.

She pulls her eyebrows together. “Yeah, dumbass, why do you think I was ready to hit you? I didn’t pick up jiu-jitsu for fun.” She’s stares off again. “Though it has been a good workout.” Fuck, now all I picture is her in some skin-tight clothes, sweating and out of breath. I can’t wait to see what she can do rolling around with me.

Hearing her admission about having an actual stalker sets my nerves on edge. I’m already thinking about how I can protect her from this; I’m ready to take her safety on as a second job. She’s going to be sick of seeing me, but I will catch who’s stalking her…what am I thinking? I barely know her.

“Go out to dinner with me. It doesn’t have to be tonight but sometime this week.” I’m about to fall to my knees and beg. “Give me a chance, please.”

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