Page 35 of Ominous: Part 1
I take my phone from his hand, my fingers grazing his own, but I don’t let them linger as I avert my eyes on pretense of fiddling with my bag, putting the phone away.
“That bad, huh?” There’s a lightness to his words, so out of place with the heaviness in my chest, like someone just pulled a rug out from underneath me and I’m trying not to fall, my heart racing hard.
“I…” My tongue feels thick in my mouth. I finally drop my hands from my bag, hefting it onto my shoulders as I look up, searching his eyes for something.Anything,like I might read an explanation there, or he might offer it, as if he could read my mind.
I never asked why it took him so long to text me last night. It didn’t feel like my business. But now I’m wondering where he was. Did he get into a fight? Was he with someone else?
My own fantasies of Eli pinning me down like those boys on the mats, digging his fingers into my skin, wrapping them around my throat, hurting me,bruising me…Does he dream of the same thing? Or is it no longer a dream for him?
Feelings of inexperience, inadequacy, stupidity, they all converge on me at once until I want to run. I glance at the double glass doors leading out to the back parking lot of the athletic center.
Eli must see my look because he steps closer and pivots, blocking my view of the dark gray skies beyond the exit.
“Eden.”
I blink a few times before I look up. “It’s great,” I say, but I don’t believe my own words. Truthfully, itisgreat, but the distraction of blooming red and violet on his chest is making it very hard to think about watching his athletic prowess.
He hooks one arm at a time into his singlet, pulling the straps up on his broad shoulders. My eyes come to his throat, a strip of pale skin where his choker lay this morning. I wonder if it’s against regulations, or he just doesn’t want to give someone the chance to hurt him with it.
Hurt him.I dig my nails into my palms.
“Don’t lie to me.” His words come out even, but they feel like a warning.
I think of our conversation about honesty. But it’s just a bruise. I get them often enough. Perks of being clumsy.
I roll my shoulders back, lifting my chin, standing taller.
I’ll ask him about it later.
He has two more matches.No more than five in a single day.He told me he wanted more than the four. Just one more, to max it out.
Four seems like so many now I know what the sport entails. Even in a stalemate, he’s expending so much energy. And the bruise on his chest, it has to hurt when his opponents collide with him, right?
I realize I don’t like it. Thinking about him getting hurt. It stuns me, my own feelings, but I don’t show it. I school my features to neutrality, like I’ve seen him do dozens of times. LikeIdo.
“No, really.” I loop a strand of hair behind my ear and resist the urge to put my nails into my mouth and bite, ripping off a piece with my teeth. “Two down, two to go. You think you’re going to walk out of here undefeated?”
He doesn’t smile even though I force myself to fake one. His dark green eyes are roving over mine, a sheen of sweat beneath his lower lash line, beautiful like highlighter on his skin. “Will you stop bullshitting me if I do?” This time, after he asks the question, he smiles.
It makes it much more sinister.
“I’m not bullshitting you.” The annoyance in my tone is real. I don’t want to throw his head for a loop by telling him I saw something he’s probably trying to hide. Or is he? I don’t know, but it seems like EliAdonisAddison would not like anyone knowing he isn’t invincible.
Later.I’ll ask him later.
I hear a stark clap of hands, and we both turn, although I’m the only one who flinches. A few feet from us, the slim coach with small glasses still has his palms together as he nods toward Eli.
“Let’s go, Stunner.” His dark eyes flicker to me, but he says nothing, then turns on his heel and starts calling out other wrestlers in his charge, posted up along the hallway with water bottles in hand.
Stunner.It makes me smile a little.
“For every win I get, Eden Rain, you’re giving me an answer to any question I want to ask.” Eli takes a step back, untying the drawstring of the gym shorts he has on over his singlet, eyes still holding mine. “Anhonestanswer.” He looks proud of himself for that one. “Now get your fine ass back in here.” He jerks his head to the entrance of the gym, double doors propped open.
“Excuse me?” I feign outrage because the lust bubbling in my core with his command pisses me off.
He smiles at me, like he knows as he walks backward toward the gym. “Don’t act like you don’t like it.” His eyes rake over my body, which grows warm from his gaze. “Walk in with me. Too many dads out there checking you out.”
My skin crawls and automatically, I hurry to walk next to him. The moment he laughs, I know I just lost this game too.
