When The Whistle Blows

Chapter 28

Astrid

My mind hurled curses and insults at myself, while I was dragged into the bathroom.

Ryder kept a firm grip on my wrist as he moved around the bathroom, turning on lights, and doing goodness knows what.

Some deeply buried instincts wanted to panic at what was happening, but despite that, I felt safe with Ryder. Despite him about to "punish" me, whatever that means, I trusted Ryder and whatever was about to happen.

"I warned you." Ryder scolded me, and although I expected to feel his hands on me, he instead just tugged on my arm, leading me into the shower.

Alright then. Fully clothed and in the shower.

Ryder positioned me where he wanted, then brushed past me as he turned the water on.

Unlike earlier, when my body was numb to the hot and cold of the shower, I gasped when a cold stream of water washed over me.

The water sank through my nice dress shirt and jeans. Soaking my tank top, bra, shorts, underwear, and socks.

Warm hands rested on my hips as the freezing cold water rushed over me.

"Now Grapes, why are we in the shower right now?" Ryder's deep voice managed to sound kind of hot.

I kept my eyes firmly shut and mouth sealed.

Ryder chuckled. A deep, dark chuckle.

One of his hands slowly slid up my hip until it was in my hair. Wrapping around my wet locks, he slowly pulled my head back until my eyes were under the stream of water.

The water pelted down onto my closed eyelids. Cold pellets of ice water bite at my skin while Ryder slowly ran his hand up and down my hip.

"Any second. You open your eyes and talk to me and all this will go away." Ryder slowly inched my wet dress shirt and tank top up. The slight bit of exposed skin chilling at the freezing water.

Another sadistic chuckled and his hand slid up to my naval. Where it started making slow circles. The featherlight and warm touch made goosebumps ring out across my body.

His hand continued its slow circles for what felt like ever. Until he started moving more and more north. My heavy shirt dragging up along with him.

"Just open those beautiful green eyes and tell me why you're mad and we can make this shower hot." He rumbled close to me.

His finger froze for a second before he started tracing the outline of my bra. Left to right, he dragged his finger. The touch somehow driving me nuts.

His touch felt so different from those clammy, grabby hands that tormented me in high school. Slow, precise, and sweet. The complete opposite of the hurried, grimy, and unwanted hands of my old teammates.

I shivered at his touch. Or maybe from the cold water, it was hard to tell.

When his touch got slower and slower and started to feel more like torture I felt my resolve starting to crack.

"Just start talking." A torturous circle back around my naval. His hand in my hair moved my head so that I had to arch my back.

I shivered under the cold water and finally blurted. "You guys lied."

His hand moved from my stomach and went back to resting on my hip.

He squeezed my hip as he demanded, "Explain."

"You guys said you liked me, but you all have side chicks. Well, at least Bentley does. And if he's got someone else, I'm willing to bet so do the rest of you." My arms started to wrap around me as I explained. Comforting myself.