As she walked away, I couldn’t help watching her go. Her ass swayed perfectly in that dress. I caught a few men staring and tried my best not to glare them down.
Deke cleared his throat beside me, and I snapped out of my trance, slipping my hands into my front pockets.
“So Davina was telling the truth,” he said.
I reluctantly swung my attention to him. “About what?”
“About you ruining Octavia’s date because you might be into her.” He put on a big grin as he bumped me with his shoulder. It looked like he wanted to point and shoutI told you so!
I refused to give him the satisfaction. Though he was right. He was so fucking right. I was very much into this woman.
With a smirk, I said, “I do not know what you are talking about,” before walking away to find the Gatorade stand.
Twenty-One
Javier
The event was a success, and I was thankful for that. Large crowds were not my thing, but they came with my career, and I often had to make sacrifices to keep it running smoothly.
It was one thing to play in a stadium, but it was another to attend events such as the one at Element, with so many people around. It didn’t feel like I had a shred of privacy with all those admiring eyes around, so when it was time to go, I was relieved.
Aleesa and Octavia had left long before I had. I could not stop looking for either of them. Of course, I would always be on the lookout for my daughter. But I kept searching for Octavia too. I did not know what it was about her that had me so drawn. Perhaps what we had done had changed things.
Perhaps it had changedme.
What I knew for a fact was that I had not gotten enough of her. I wanted more, and that felt wrong to want. But it was true. Wanting more with her was all I could think about, even during my drive home. And this wasn’t just about the sex. This was beyond lust. With her I felt a true connection. I felt a vulnerability that I had not felt in a very long time.
Along the way, my phone rang. Octavia’s name appeared on my car’s dashboard.
“Hi,” I answered. “I am just on my way. It took a little longer to—”
“Javier, I need you to get home as quickly as you can, please.” Octavia’s voice was filled with panic.
I straightened in my seat. “What do you mean? What is wrong?”
“There’s ... well, there’s someone here who shouldn’t be here. I’m driving away, but ... please hurry. I called the police, but I don’t know when they’ll show up. Oh, God.” Her breathing became erratic, blowing through my car’s speakers.
“Okay, I am coming. Hey, relax. Okay? I am on my way.” I wanted to ask her who this person was that had gotten her so worked up, but asking questions probably would have caused her more anxiety, so I kept them to myself.
“Okay,” she breathed, calming herself just a bit.
“Is Aleesa okay?”
“Yes, she’s fine.”
“Okay. Find a safe space to wait for me. I will text you when I have arrived.”
“Okay.”
I added pressure to the gas pedal. It would take me at least another twenty minutes before making it to my house. I drove fast, glad that I did not get pulled over for it.
When I made it to my street, I noticed a silver Mercedes parked at the curb near my property’s gate. A man sat on the hood of the car, dressed in ripped jeans, a button-down tan shirt, and a pair of loafers. His inked arms were folded, and when his head turned and he locked onto my vehicle, I could tell he was nothing but trouble.
Octavia said he wasn’t supposed to be around. She must have known him personally to say that. Was he one of those men she’d met on that dating app?
I parked directly across from him, sent Octavia a text, and then climbed out of my car.
The man stood up, dropping his arms and raising his chin to size me up.
