"it's not as bad as yours." i mumble weakly.

he breathes, running a hand over his face. "is that from his hand?"

i shrug. "a bit, i suppose. most of it is from when i fell after he pushed me."

his voice raises a few decibels. "he pushed you?"

i nod as he rakes his hands through his hair. with a shake of his head grabs me, pulling me right into him. "i'm so fucking sorry, olivia."

"it's not your fault."

he lets me go. i know he doesn't want to hear that it isn't his fault. i can see it on his face, he truly believes it is. i step back while he drops his own pants and steps into the shower. he leaves the door open for me to join him and turns the water on. the roar of the shower echoes off of the tiles and the air quickly becomes heavy and hot, filling my lungs with steam. i step in and close the door behind me. seth's eyes greedily take in my body, making my breasts feel heavy and swollen. my nipples already ache for his mouth to engulf them and to distract myself i reach for body wash and squirt it into my hands. i turn away from him and work a rich lather over my stomach, rubbing slowly over the bruise on my hip.

soon, seth's hands are gliding over my skin, too, carefully avoiding my sore hip. he kisses my shoulder and my body begins to hum. teasingly, his hands skirt around my breast making my nipples harden to maximum point and begin to tingle in painful anticipation. finally, his hands slide up over my breasts, cupping them with the perfect amount of pressure. i feel like i'm in danger of melting and my breath hitches as his thumbs rub over my peaked nipples. i let my head lean back to relax against his chest.

"will darryl and your team be okay?"

his hands knead my breasts. "yeah, they'll be okay."

i turn my head. "and you?"

he presses his lips to my cheek. "i'm okay now."

i turn around, pressing the front of my body against his.

"i need you-all of you." i demand, crushing my lips to his.

he tastes bitter-sweet, like bourbon and my heart clenches. if he's had alcohol, he must be in a really bad place. seth doesn't hesitate and there's no teasing in the way his hands rub me all over. he walks me backwards and i gasp as my back presses against the cool tiles. i ignore the way my hip aches as he sandwiches me against the wall with his body. his hand runs down the length of my side and he hitches my leg around his hip. his mouth kisses my neck and his fingers slide firmly between my legs, sending a tidal wave of arousal through me. it's been so long since we've had sex and i want it now-fight or no fight. my body goes into overdrive and my nerves are hyper aware of him. his hot touch is like an electric bolt coursing through my body.

"seth." his name is a breathy sound of anticipation.

he moans, smoothing a fingertip over my clit. he gives the tiny bundle of nerves a few circles and then dips a finger into my warmth. i gasp loudly, digging my fingertips into his shoulders as he strokes me carefully from the inside. i arch against him, my eyes feeling heavy.

"so sexy." he mutters, catching my lip between his teeth.

"more." i gasp, thrusting my hips against him. i'm so wound up, so tightly coiled and i need him to relieve me. only, he takes his fingers from me. disappointment fills me and i groan in annoyance.

"have i ever told you that you're impatient?" he chuckles in my ear.

i smile and nod. "i can't help myself around you."

he reaches his hand down between us, rubbing himself over my entrance and catching me off guard. my hips press closer to him and it's like i have no control over my body, it does what it wants. he pushes inside me with a sharp intake of air, sending my pulse skittering all over the place. i wrap both my arms around his neck and his hands grab my ass, lifting me onto him and filling me completely. i lock my ankles behind him as i wrap my legs around his waist. the cold sensations of the tiles feel deliciously erotic against the warm sensations inside of me. seth pulls out until only his head is left inside and then he thrusts all the way in, forcing me to cry out. he thrust shallowly and quickly a few times before pulling almost all of the way again and then thrusts back in with a decadent groan. i squeeze him as tightly as i can as an orgasm coils in my stomach like a cobra. it has been so long since he's been inside of me and my body is reveling in the sensations.

"oh, fuck..." he growls against my flesh. "i'm not going to last long, baby."

his voice pushes me closer and closer to the edge. "harder." i manage to breathe out. "faster."

he presses me harder against the wall and sets a faster, harder pace. my arms tighten around his neck. i clench my thighs around him, tilting my pelvis. my breasts bounce as he rocks into me. i'm surprised when my orgasm tears out of me unsuspectingly and i can't keep the cries from tearing out of my mouth along with it. seth's biceps clench as he grips my hips and holds me still as he jerks unevenly inside of me, finding his own release. he holds me against the wall for a little while longer, resting his forehead against mine. my hands caress his neck and his shoulders. he closes his eyes, enjoying the attention. i slide off of him just as a knock sounds on the door and seth shields my body with his. "come in."

my cheeks burn red. if people are here... then they would've heard me.

"seth, when you're ready." darryl's voice rings throughout the bathroom, sounding strained and tired.

"i'll be down in a minute."

darryl closes the door and i bury my face in my hands, more embarrassed than i have ever been in my entire life. "i can't go out there."

he pulls my hands away from my face and i drop my gaze to the floor.

"did you enjoy yourself?"

his hands cup my face, tilting my face towards his. "did you enjoy yourself?" he asks again, emphasizing the question.

"yes."

he grins, playfully. "then that's all that matters."

i can feel delight radiating from him in waves as my cheeks grow darker.

we towel off quickly and enter the bedroom to get dressed. seth throws me a pair of black drawstring pants.

"i have clothes." i laugh, clipping a bra into place.

"trust me." he says, pulling his own pair of grey drawstring pants up, concealing his delicious nakedness. "they're really comfortable."

i throw on a white tank top and slip into seth's pants. i have to tie it really tightly so it fits, but he isn't wrong. the fabric on the inside is beyond soft, almost fluffy.

"wow, they are comfortable!"

he smiles and my heart melts. he's so handsome and it shocks me every time i see his face. how'd i get so lucky? seth's pinky finger hooks around mine and he leads me down the stairs. there's a cleaner, vacuuming the last of the glass at the bottom of the stairs. she gives us a pissed off nod and rolls her vacuum out the door, leaving seth and i alone with his team.

"i see you went ahead and redecorated the room." darryl states, leaning against the railing at the bottom of the steps.

"i may have lost control." seth replies like it's no big deal.

"in more ways than one, i see."

seth pulls me along behind him over to the long white couches. he draws me into his lap, wrapping both his arms around my waist. if i wasn't embarrassed enough, i actually feel like vomiting now. seth plants soft kisses on the back of my shoulder. no doubt he's trying to ease my nerves. unfortunately, everyone's eyes are on us... there is no easing my nerves.

"four." jackson announces, holding half a bottle of bourbon in the air. seth drank all that? "the bourbon makes it a total of four times tonight that you couldn't control yourself. four." jackson is pissed off. his green eyes are narrowed in on seth and i don't like being in between them. i really can't handle another fight tonight.

"what the fuck, seth?" darryl demands.

"don't act like fucking saints. i didn't have to go out tonight, but you dubbed me designated driver, remember?"

jackson exhales.

"and if you didn't pay for that stripper to give olivia a lap dance don wouldn't have gotten all horny and possessive. i don't regret punching that motherfucker in the face and i'd do it again right now."

silence. nobody said a word to contest seth.

"anyway," he continues. "how'd it all go down? am i out of the tournament or not?"

i can hear the bitter disappointment in his voice and i drop my gaze to seth's hands around my waist.

"no."

my head snaps to darryl and seth squeezes me in reaction to his words.

"don refuses to claim that it happened even though his team is desperately pushing for him to reconsider, but he won't budge. he must really hate you."

seth shrugs. "what about polaris? they'll have video proof."

"it may be classy, but it's still a strip joint run by pimps that'll keep their mouth shut for money. the tapes are gone."

"that's it?" i ask, eagerly. "everything is over?"

"no." darryl's brown eyes flick to his hands and then back to my face. "i can't let you come backstage anymore. it's too risky with don lurking around."

"like hell." seth snaps. "i want her in my room."

darryl steps forward, drawing himself to full height. he's standing his ground and he isn't going to budge. "what happened tonight will not happen again. do you understand how close you came to losing it all? and over some petty bullshit." he shakes his head. "what would your dad say? hm? that's why you're doing this, isn't it? for your dad?"

seth tries to slide me off him, but i hold onto his hands as tightly as i can. i turn my head as much as i can to get a look at his face. "it's okay." i tell him. "i can sit in the crowd for the next two matches. it's not a big deal."

"for the next two matches, until don is no longer in the game." jackson assures seth.

seth huffs. "fine. is that all?"

"yes. now let me check that goddamn eyebrow." i slide off seth as darryl approaches him.

he gestures for a team member to hand him a little box. darryl pulls out creams and little pieces of materials and begins working on seth's eyebrow. the whole time darryl is cursing and complaining about its position, i go find jackson who's pouring himself a big glass of bourbon in the kitchen. i take a tray of ice cubes from the freezer and hand them to him.

"thanks."

"why is darryl so pissed? it's a small cut..."

"it's on the brow though." he takes a large sip of his bourbon, spilling a little on his red shirt. "josh donskov will use that against seth. the brow is a shit place to get cut. once punch, elbow-shit-even a slap could reopen it. if it bleeds too much and leaks into the eye, they'll call the fight."

"how do we stop that from happening?"

he laughs. "we can't do anything except lather it with vaseline and hope josh's fists slide off of it. the rest is up to seth, he'll have to guard that eyebrow with his life."

panic rises in the pit of my stomach as i realize the severity of the situation-of the cut. fuck.

"wow, you look like you're going to puke." he slides his glass over to me and i pick it up, taking a large mouthful. i swallow it, clenching my teeth against the burn. "relax. he's a big boy. he knows what he's doing."

that's comforting... kind of.

"i'm sorry if i made you uncomfortable with the stripper. i meant it only as harmless fun, i swear." his green eyes flare apologetically.

"it's okay. i didn't mean to freak out, but i've never been in a strip club before let alone kissed a girl. that's more selena's thing."

his bronze eyebrows reach his hairline. shit. i hope i didn't just scare him away from her. "really?"

i gasp at him, trying to take back what i said and a huge, wide smile creeps across his face. "that's good to know. thank you."

jackson looks over my shoulder and i turn around to see seth's half naked body leaning against the doorframe. darryl sticks his head into the kitchen. "c'mon, jackson. time for bed, we have a big day tomorrow-you too, seth. i'd tell you two no sex, but everyone knows you've recently disregarded that rule."

darryl narrows his eyes at me before smiling widely. "goodnight, olivia."

i wave sheepishly at him, flushing to the tenth power. i look at seth from under my lashes and he's watching me with a little cocky, unapologetic smile, his eyes glimmering.

jackson pats me on the shoulder as he passes me and elbows seth in the ribs. seth slaps jackson on the back of the head and they exchange a manly hug. it's admiring to watch.

when everyone is gone, seth and i head upstairs.

the cool sheets engulf us, sending goosebumps over my skin. seth's arms reach out for me, pulling me in and i happily shuffle closer to him. he places light kiss on my jaw and i feel him undo the strings that are holding up my pants. he pushes down on one side of them and i lift my hips, helping him to slide them down. i kick them off and throw them to the floor. my legs brush against seth's and my pulse kicks up when i realize he's naked. he pulls me on top of him without breaking a sweat and his hands roam over my stomach and hips. i'm too aroused to feel the ache of the bruise. he nudges my shirt higher and i pull it over my head. "you need sleep." i whisper.