Chapter 96: Ninety Five

It had been a week since they got here, and things were going on as fine as they could get. It was late, and Tyler had left to go to his room about an hour ago. Raina had stayed behind to clean up the kitchen upon insistence. 

Tyler had cooked her breakfast that morning, again, and then he had also gone out to pick up something for lunch just two houses away. 

Raina stepped out of the kitchen, her bare feet making soft sounds against the wooden floor as she wandered into the dimly lit living room.

The quiet hum of the refrigerator faded behind her, replaced by the muffled silence of the house at night. She paused by the window, her fingers brushing the fabric of the heavy drapes before slowly pulling one back. Moonlight spilled through the glass, illuminating her face in a silvery glow. 

Tyler had warned her not to go near the windows, but… well, everyone knew how she was with orders. 

She peered out into the night, her gaze lifting to the sky. The stars were faint, veiled by a thin, shifting layer of clouds. A cool breeze stirred the trees outside, their branches swaying lazily under its touch. Raina’s brow furrowed as she studied the sky, the soft gray of the clouds deepening with every moment.

There was something in the air, so thick and damp, as though the heavens were holding their breath. “It feels like rain,” she murmured to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s the kind of night that promises a storm.”

Leaning her forehead against the cool glass, she closed her eyes for a moment, letting the atmosphere wash over her. There was something calming about the anticipation, the way the world seemed to pause before the first drop fell. 

The scent of rain wasn’t in the air yet, but she imagined it… the earthy, fresh aroma that always came just before the storm. A part of her longed for it, the cleansing release, the sound of it drumming against the roof. 

With a sigh, she let the curtain fall back into place.

Looking around to make sure she had gotten everything she needed to get, she started upstairs, staring down at the red carpet as she went. The place was all carpeted, from the stairs up and down the hallway that led to each room.

As she neared Tyler’s door, she started to hear strange noises coming from the inside of his room as if he was moaning and she frowned. Was he in pain? Was he having a nightmare? 

She would totally understand that, because she had been having nightmares since the shooting but she hadn’t told anyone about it. Imagine him that was formally on active duty. 

These things were hard, really, she thought to herself as she got to his door which was cracked open. 

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw when she pushed the door open a little more to look in. Tyler wasn't trapped in a nightmare like she thought, nor was he in pain as had feared. Instead, the sight before her was something far more intimate, something she could never have imagined witnessing.

There he was, lying back on the bed, his head pressed into the pillow, and his eyes squeezed tightly shut. His breathing was heavy, uneven, almost desperate. The sweatpants he was wearing earlier were now pushed halfway down his legs, leaving him exposed in a way that felt raw and personal. 

One of his hands was wrapped firmly around his length, stroking himself with a rhythm so deliberate and intense that it made her heart race. “Oh my goodness, he’s big.” She thought, her mouth dropping open for a moment, and then her tongue came out to tease her bottom lip. She watched as the other hand pressed against his balls, adding to his pleasure. His lips parted as a low, breathy groan escaped him.

"Oh, shit," he muttered, the words strained and almost broken by the pleasure he was clearly feeling.

Raina stood there frozen in the doorway, unable to move, unable to even breathe because she feared he might hear her. Her heart was thudding loudly in her chest as her eyes locked on the scene unfolding before her.

His hand moved with a practiced, twisting motion, sliding up and down the length of his arousal. The slick sound of it filled the silence of the night and room, so wet and rhythmic. Every movement seemed to drive him closer to the edge, and she just couldn't tear her gaze away.

“This isn’t proper.” She said to herself mentally. 

She knew watching was wrong; there was no excuse for this. In fact, it was probably the worst thing she had ever done in her entire life. But her body just refused to obey her conscience, her legs seeming to have a mind of their own. 

Speaking of mind, hers screamed at her to close the door, to turn away and leave, to pretend she had never seen this. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. Her  feet felt rooted to the ground, her eyes glued to him.

There was something so raw, so uninhibited about the way he touched himself. It was as if he was lost in his own world, a private moment so intense that it felt almost sacred. She had never seen anything like this before, never imagined that someone could experience so much pleasure on their own.

Heat crept up her neck and into her cheeks as she continued to watch, caught between guilt and fascination. She felt like an intruder, but at the same time, she couldn't help but be mesmerized by him. Tyler, who was usually so composed, so controlled, had completely let go, and she was witnessing a side of him that she never thought she would see.

No matter how wrong it was, she couldn't bring herself to look away. She wanted to walk in there and join him. She wanted to replace his hand with hers, to be the one to bring this pleasure to him. 

Raina couldn't look away, even if she wanted to. She was rooted in place, her heart racing and her body trembling as she watched Tyler. She needed to see how this ended. A part of her mind screamed at her to close the door and leave, to give him back his privacy, but her body wasn't listening. Her chest tightened as she leaned against the frame, unable to pull her gaze from him.

Tyler's mouth hung open, his breath coming in uneven gasps. His tongue slipped slowly across his bottom lip, almost as if he were tasting something or someone. The thought sent a shiver through her, and her stomach flipped. She wanted it to be her.

Raina felt heat pooling low in her body, her thighs pressing together instinctively as her clit throbbed in rhythm with her pounding heart. The ache building inside her was overwhelming, unlike anything she'd ever felt. She wanted him, needed him, in a way that defied logic. All sense of whether it was right or wrong to stay melted away as she stared, entranced by his every move.