Watching Her: A Dark Romance (Keep Me Series Book 3)

by Angela Snyder

I've been through a lot worse, however. At least this one is easy on the eyes.

  Slowly walking towards Jackson, I ask him, "So, did you like watching me getting fucked, Jackson?"

  "Jax," he says with a nervous cough.

  "Jax," I say, tasting his nickname. As long as he uses my nickname, I suppose I can use his. "Answer the question, Jax."

  I watch his Adam's apple bob in his thick throat as he swallows hard. "Y-yes," he says, stumbling over the small word.

  Oh, I'm enjoying the power I'm exuding over him. It's like I can't stop myself. As I approach him, my fingers reach for the collar of his shirt and caress the soft material. "Did you touch yourself while you watched?" I ask him bluntly.

  He closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, the steel-gray cores are blazing hot. "Yes," he whispers.

  "Did you get off?" I ask, enunciating each word.

  He shakes his head slowly.

  "That's a shame." My fingertips trail down the buttons of his black shirt. "That's a long time to go without any kind of relief." I boldly skip down the front of his jeans and grip his large bulge. And holy shit, he's packing some heat behind that denim. "I can help you with your…big…problem," I say with a sly grin. It feels good to be in control for once, and it's quickly becoming like a drug, something I could definitely become addicted to.

  However, to my surprise and disappointment, Jackson steps away from me out of my reach. "I think you should leave, Katya," he says quickly. "I'll see you downstairs later for dinner."

  His words are cold, mechanical as he dismisses me and turns his back towards me. With no other choice but to stand there like an idiot, I walk out of his room. When he slams the door behind me, I stand there as disbelief courses through my veins.

  What the fuck is wrong with this guy? He obviously finds me attractive. He was hard as fucking steel when I touched him. And he even confessed to wanking it while he watched Pavel fucking me.

  Perhaps the fact that I blew Pavel's brains out is what turned Jax off, the nagging voice in the back of my head offers.

  But then why would he kidnap me and vow to keep me safe if he didn't want something in return? I've never met a man who didn't want me for one thing and one thing only. Men think with only one head, and it's not the one on their shoulders.

  If I can't make Jax lust for me, then I won't be able to control my fate. He's not going to keep me safe without me giving him something that he wants. Why would he?

  The truth of the matter is that I need him to fall for me. Hard. And fast.

  But I just don't know how to do that, and it's frustrating the hell out of me. Pouting, I return to my room, sit down on the bed and put my head in my hands. I need to come up with a new plan, give him something he won't be able to refuse. I just need to learn what makes him tick. And the only way to do that is to become closer to my enemy than I ever thought possible.

  Smiling, with a new purpose in mind, I take a shower and dress to kill for dinner. But when I arrive downstairs in the dining room, Jackson is nowhere to be seen.

  "He's eating in Master Lucien's room," the woman I know now as Maria tells me.

  A frown appears on my face before I quickly school my features. I sit down in the large room and eat dinner quietly by myself, suddenly missing the very man who I can't stand…but can't seem to get out of my mind.

  CHAPTER 16

  KATYA

  I CAREFULLY STYLE my hair up into a sleek ponytail and put on more makeup than necessary since I'm going to be working out in the gym this morning and probably sweating most of it off.

  When I make sure my smoky eye is just right, I flash a smile in the mirror. I have an ulterior motive — I want to look pretty in the off chance that I see Jackson today.

  When he turned me down last night, it definitely left a bruise on my ego. At first, I thought maybe he swung the other way or batted for the other team, as they say, but the fact that he was rock hard for me quickly squashed that idea.

  Is he simply not attracted to me? What the hell is his deal anyway?

  I thought I had men figured out. I've learned mostly through observation that if you throw yourselves at them, they accept whatever you're willing to give…and sometimes what you're not willing to give.

  I made mistakes in my past seducing Pavel's guards that promised to let me go. That obviously didn't work out so well in my favor. They took what they wanted, and I received more beatings in return after they told Pavel of my escape plan.

  And after I learned my lesson to not trust anyone, the guards just took what they wanted anyway without any promise of freedom or promises of anything, for that matter.

  I was a toy to all of them, including my husband. A living, breathing fuck doll.

  But Jackson doesn't strike me as a man who takes something that isn't being offered willingly. So why, when I threw myself at him, did he turn me down?

  Feeling angry and confused, I slip into my workout clothes, which consist of a black and neon pink sports bra and matching, tight-fitting yoga pants. All of the clothes in my closet are too tight for me, but I realize now they're going to work to my advantage.

  Checking myself in the bathroom mirror one last time, I leave the room and go straight to the gym. To my disappointment, Jackson is nowhere to be found.

  I thought I had his schedule pretty down pat, but he keeps changing his routine. I'll just have to try harder.

  Wraith looks up when I enter. He's wearing athletic pants and a white tank top, which showcases his massive build. He's doing curls with the biggest barbell I've ever seen in my life. His huge muscles bulge every time he lifts it, and he's barely breaking a sweat.

  Even though he's attractive in a big, beastly kind of way with a hard yet handsome face, I find myself not even feeling one-tenth of what I feel when I'm around Jackson.

  I try to tell myself that it's because I need to use Jackson to get what I want — his protection. But in the back of my mind, I don't know if that's one-hundred percent true.

  Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I put on a tight smile and walk towards Wraith. "Will you show me some self-defense moves?" I ask.

  He raises a blond brow at me and sets the weight down with a thud. "You want me to train you?"

  "Yes," I tell him. And then add, "Please." If I'm going to be thrown out on my ass in the real world after Jackson's cousin wakes up, I need to have some sort of skill developed. Might as well let this giant of a man train me. Hell, if I can outfox him, I can beat anybody.

  His blue eyes narrow at me. "If you think you can later use them against me, you're wrong, Princess."

  I grimace at him using that nickname. I'm far from a princess, like he clearly believes. Nothing about my life has been a fairy tale, and I almost want to set him straight and make him shut his big, dumb mouth.

  Wraith then says, "I'll know exactly what your next move is…always."

  A shiver runs up my spine at his words, but I stand my ground. "I'm not planning on using them against you." I'm going to need them after I get kicked off of this island, I think to myself, but I don't say it out loud.

  Wraith stares at me for a long minute before he finally says, "Let's go to the mats."

  I follow him over to the corner of the gym where large, padded wrestling mats are on the floor. He stands a few feet away from me with a smirk on his face, and I smirk right back.

  "I'm not going to go easy on you," he tells me in Russian.

  "I don't expect you to," I confess to him in our native tongue.

  CHAPTER 17

  JACKSON

  KATYA'S NOT IN her room when I check, so I go downstairs to find her. I search the kitchen, the library and every other fucking room in this ginormous house before I finally conclude she must be in the gym.

  When I open the door, I hear them before I see them.

  Grunting and groaning.

  I'm taken aback for a second. I didn't realize that Wraith was even attracted to Katya…and vice versa. And I hate to admit it, b
ut it's a hard hit to my fucking ego. Especially since Katya practically threw herself at me last night. I turned her down, ultimately, for reasons she'll never know nor understand.

  But when I round the corner to catch the two in the act, I see that Wraith and Katya are…training?

  Katya stands in a defensive pose while Wraith comes at her. He whispers instructions to her, and she takes him down easily, overpowering him and straddling his lap in victory.

  My cock jumps in my sweatpants as I watch the two of them wrestle around on the mats.

  Fuck, I'm getting hard just from watching them together.

  Wraith bucks her off of him, and they roll until he's on top of her, pinning her arms down. Their mouths are so close to touching, but I can tell this is definitely not sexual in any way…even though I secretly kind of want it to be.

  He instructs her on how to break out of his hold, and she listens intently and does exactly what he says…obeying his every command.

  My cock grows even harder. Hmm, it seems to like submissive Katya. Probably because it's the exact opposite of how she actually is — a hellcat.

  When the two of them finally take a break and stand up, her eyes immediately find me standing there. "Jackson," Katya gasps, my name slipping out of her mouth like a benediction.

  And then her eyes slowly scan down my body…and right to the tent I'm currently pitching in my fucking pants, and I almost groan in embarrassment.

  I try to hide the evidence of my arousal under my hands before jumping behind one of the elliptical machines, but it's too late. "Hey," I say stupidly, grimacing because I sound like such a tool.

  And what does Katya do?

  She looks me dead in the eye…and fucking smiles.

  "Wanna take Wraith's place?" she asks, batting her long lashes.

  Her tone and manner suggest innocence, but I know better. She knows I'm sporting a fucking boner the size of Texas, and now she's just fucking with me.

  "Nah," I say, trying to come across as nonchalantly as I possibly can. "I just came to tell you guys that…" Fuck, why didn't I think of something before I started talking?

  "Tell us what?" she asks, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side.

  "That lunch will be ready soon," I blurt out like a fucking moron.

  "It's the same time every day," she says with an overly sweet smile, "So I think we're aware of what time lunch is." And then she adds with a wink, "But it was nice of you to come tell us…that."

  "Yep," I say before quickly turning and running out of the room like my ass is on fire. I don't stop speed walking until I'm safe and secure in my bedroom. Locking the door, I rush to the bathroom and whip out my raging hard-on. I feel like a goddamn teenager again, yanking it over some girl I like, but I can't fucking help it.

  I tug and tug on that monster until I'm seeing fucking stars and groaning Katya's name. I can't get the image of her and Wraith rolling around out of my goddamn mind. I picture what the two of them would look like without clothes on and actually fucking on the mats in the gym, and it tips me right over the edge.

  I come. Hard.

  Slumping against the counter, I curse and clean up the damn mess I made while catching my breath. I haven't come that hard in a long time, and it's all because of that little vixen downstairs.

  Man, if I thought she was trouble before…then I really had no idea what trouble actually was.

  CHAPTER 18

  KATYA

  AFTER JACKSON RUSHES out of the gym, I can't help but feel giddy inside. Jackson got hard from watching Wraith and me roll around on the mats. And then I think back to that fateful night…Jackson was watching me then too. He confessed that he had been watching me and Pavel fucking in the hotel room.

  A wave of clarity comes over me, and I feel like I suddenly solved some type of riddle or puzzle.

  Jackson likes to watch.

  "You're playing with fire, Katya," Wraith croons behind me. "I hope you're prepared to get burnt."

  I glance at the giant as my grin disappears. "What do you mean by that?" I inquire with a frown.

  "Jax has never been in a relationship, so I hope you're not expecting hearts and flowers and all of that other girly shit."

  Never been in a relationship? Oh, now that's interesting. So he likes to watch….and not get involved at all? What is he, a fucking virgin? Is that why he turned me down last night?

  "I'm not expecting anything of the like," I tell Wraith. "I just need his protection, that's all," I confess. I feel like I can talk to Wraith and maybe even trust him.

  He rolls his eyes and wipes a towel over his sweaty, bare chest. At some point he had taken off his tank, and I now see the silvery scars marking his body. Old wounds…bullet wounds, knife wounds…

  I walk over to him and touch one particularly large scar. He doesn't move, doesn't flinch, but simply stares at me with those hard, unforgiving ice-blue eyes. "What happened here?" I ask gently.

  "It's hard to keep track, but I think it was a bullet."

  I frown at his words. He has so many scars that he can't even keep track of the sources behind them. That's heartbreakingly sad. "You really do live a dangerous life, don't you?"

  "I used to," he admits. "Back in Russia I worked for all the bad guys, the Bratva. I did what they asked of me. Didn't care if I lived or died."

  "And now?" I prompt.

  "Now my life is much easier. Now…I get to roll around on mats with a pretty girl," he says, and actually cracks a grin.

  I'm so taken aback by his smile that I'm stunned silent.

  "I'm gonna hit the shower," he says. He's serious again now, the smile fading before I could even really enjoy it.

  "Okay. See you later," I tell him softly. Wraith carries his scars and battle wounds around like a coat of armor and wears them with pride. I could learn a lot from him in that aspect. My scars bring me shame and take me back to a place where I couldn't defend myself.

  Shoving those horrible thoughts aside, I thrum my fingers against my legs in excitement before I head to my room to take a long soak in the bath to soothe my aching muscles.

  I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of power.

  I know Jackson's Kryptonite now, and I intend on using it against him at the earliest opportunity.

  CHAPTER 19

  JACKSON

  IT'S LATE THAT evening when I stand up from Lucien's bedside. I've been sitting here for most of the day, and there has been no change, no improvement in his condition. I'm beginning to worry that he didn't get enough oxygen to his brain and that he's going to be a fucking vegetable for the rest of his life.

  The thought of that is almost too much to bear. That coupled with the fact that there is still no news on Adeline, and I'm practically ready to tear my hair out by the root.

  I lost both of the people who matter the most to me within the timespan of a few hours. If I had known what would have transpired once I left the island, I would have stayed. I would have done everything in my power to keep them both safe.

  Feeling frustrated beyond words, I tell Lucien goodnight before leaving his room to find Katerina. Wraith has been keeping an eye on her after the little stunt she pulled in my room the other night. She had me by the balls…literally…and I've felt like a walking boner the past couple of days.

  And then when I saw her and Wraith wrestling around in the gym, I almost lost my goddamn mind. The woman is so damn infuriating…and sexy all at the same time.

  I don't know why I didn't take her up on her offer the other night. I guess because mostly I could see the apprehension behind those sad, blue eyes of hers. Her words didn't match what she obviously truly felt, and I just can't seem to figure that girl out.

  I have a feeling she's been used before and maybe even grown accustomed to it. But I don't want to use her. I want to help her. She just won't fucking let me, and she won't stop trying to manipulate me.

  Checking my phone and seeing no messages from Wraith, I walk into the
kitchen to grab a bite to eat.

  And that's when I hear it.

  Kissing…panting breaths…hushed voices.

  Slowly, I peek my head around the corner and stumble upon Katya…and Wraith? Their lips are locked in a passionate kiss as he pushes her back into the granite countertop. Her smooth, sexy leg is wrapped around his hip as she grinds herself against his body.

  Fuck me.

  I didn't even know Wraith was into Katya like that. Yesterday, on the mats, he was completely professional, training her with no sexual contact whatsoever. And now…tonight, they're gonna fuck on the kitchen counter?

  My hands curl into fists at my sides. He's supposed to be watching her, not fucking her.

  Instead of getting turned on like I normally do while watching a couple, I find myself getting more and more agitated and downright pissed off.

  How dare she come on to me and then fuck Wraith behind my goddamn back!

  She's mine, I hear myself saying in my head.

  I don't even have time to process the words before I storm into the kitchen. "What the fuck is going on?" I ask angrily.

  Wraith immediately pulls away from Katya with a look of shame on his face. And Katya…she looks like the cat that just swallowed the goddamn canary.

  Did she want to get caught?

  "Sorry, Jax," Wraith says quickly, clearing his throat and adjusting the bulge in his pants. "She came onto me. I shouldn't have..."

  Katya gives me a smirk and shrugs.

  That's it, I think to myself. Before I can stop myself, I walk over to her, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her out of the room. Her heels dig into the floor as she fights me the entire way. When we make it to the large den, she pulls out of my grip.

  "What the fuck is your game?" I demand, crowding her against the wall by placing my hands on either side of her head but not touching her.

  "Game? Who said I was playing a game, Jax?" she asks, her voice sultry.

  Frustrated, I scrub a hand down my face before placing it back on the wall. "You're fucking with my head, and I don't like it."