Page 49 of Stalked By the Assistant Coach

“You run, and I’ll catch you. Cuff you to this very bed.” He pointed at the empty bed with pieces of my clothes strewn about. I licked my lips. What is wrong with me? Why does his threat make my blood warm with desire instead of freeze with fear?

“You wouldn’t,” I whispered. The back of my head tingled, and my sex started to pulse. I was uncomfortably wet.

“I would.” He had the audacity to smirk. “I’d catch you. Tie you to the bed and convince you to stay with me.”

“You think that’s possible. After all this?” I asked as I pointed at the walls of the bedroom.

“You don’t think so?” I recognized the sparkled in his blue eyes. He liked this. He liked that I finally knew his secret. He wanted to challenge me. He was looking forward to the chase. “Run,” he dared.

I took a small step away from him, just a couple of inches closer to the door without taking my eyes off him. But Red didn’t flinch. He didn’t make a move. My eyes left him, and I looked around again.

He hung out here.

Surrounded by my things.

Things he’d taken throughout the years. Pictures of me, enough of them to have a whole box or maybe more for all I knew. He watched me. How many times had I touched myself thinking about him? He’d witnessed those moments. He’d known and had been waiting for the perfect moment. He’d wanted to be the kind of man I deserved, but that didn't mean he’d been innocently waiting on the bench.

No, Redford Bridges hadn’t been waiting in the shadows. The man had been hiding in plain sight. Acting like my best friend. Making me need and rely on him.

And now that I knew this, knew the complete truth, I should have been disgusted. Terrified.

My body started to tremble and shake. I couldn’t stop. My hand moved up and rested at my neck as I breathed in deeply, trying to slow my racing heart, but no matter what I tried, nothing helped.

And it was because I wasn’t scared.

Not even a smidge afraid.

If I were normal, I’d be terrified. Right? I wouldn’t be hot under the collar of his shirt, half worried my thick glasses were going to fog up with desire. That’s when I decided. He was right. A promise was a promise. No matter what. I’d said it. I‘d vowed and meant it.

But it didn’t mean I was going to make it easy for him. Maybe I was as sick as he was because I wanted him to make good on his threat.

I lost sight of his blue gaze when I started to run.

But like usual, Red was right.

I didn’t make it to the front door of the house. I didn’t even step out onto the hallway before his strong arms banded around my waist. I screamed when he pulled me back into the room, kicking the door shut and locking it behind us.

Trapping us in his space. Then suddenly, the room went pitch black.

CHAPTER 15

RED

Plans were supposed to work out.

That’s the whole reason you fucking made them.

But it was just my luck as I was about to finish packing all her belongings into boxes to put into storage, she woke up in the middle of the night. The one and only time since I’d moved into the place I left the door open, and she’d find me.

Maybe a part of me, that sliver of me that was still sane, had done it on purpose? Maybe I wanted her to know exactly what she was signing up for when it came to me.

Either way, I’d felt her eyes on me before I’d heard her.

Somehow, I’d known she was standing behind me, and when my gaze dropped to the hardwood floors, I noticed her shadow. Her timing was perfect in a way, because I was holding the first pair of panties I’d ever swiped from her place. Everything inside of me yelled to get on my knees and beg her to forgive me.

But I didn't.

Not because I didn’t want to apologize—I would until I was blue in the face—but because I needed her to know who I was. To really see the man she had pinned her heart on. It was why I confessed about Brewer and the blackmail. Why I didn’t hold back about the cameras either.