Balance (Off Balance 1)

“Yes, sir!” I replied sarcastically, which earned me a smile from him. “I’m sorry, sometimes I can’t help it.”

Kova shook his head and laughed lightly. “Never had a gymnast quite like you before,” he said. “Never a dull moment.”

My face lit up. “Why, thank you!” My reply came out in more of a grunt when he leaned in with his body. Kova used one hand to press my knee to my chest, the other on my thigh to hold me down. While I’d been joking only seconds before, the fun was over and I had to focus. Only, it was difficult to focus when all I could think about was how his fingers had been on me and the reason why he called me Ria. Not to mention, where his hands were at the present moment. Well, one hand.

On the crease of my hip and covering most of the mini shorts I had on. His large hand dug into my skin, his fingers pressing down. I wasn’t sure why, but I liked his hold on me more than I knew I should. His touch was hot and my body responded to it.

My hips began to slowly open up as Kova got close to my face. “You feel that? How your body is relaxing and releasing?”

I think he meant opening up, but I didn’t correct his English. Instead, I nodded. “I actually feel it this time.”

“Good.” He pushed a little more. “This is what we want.” Kova held the position a few more seconds and then moved over to my right side. I switched legs and got into position.

“My left side is more flexible than my right.” Just about every gymnast had one side that was more flexible than the other.

He dismissed it. “Not a problem for me.”

When he pressed into my right leg, even after hours of training, my hip was still so tight I grunted.

“Let me guess, you forgot to breathe how I taught you,” he stated more than asked, just inches from my face.

I pursed my lips. “Maybe...”

Kova shook his head, closing his eyes. “What am I going to do with you?” he said jokingly.

I liked this side of him. He was playful and easy to be around. Not edgy and tense like he was in the mornings. Maybe our time should be restricted to the evening, but I doubted I could make that happen.

Just when I thought we were going to move into another position, Kova applied a heavy amount of pressure that caused my back to bow and my knee to lift in response. My knee was nearly past my shoulder now.

A grumble escaped me and I grabbed Kova for support. My small hand couldn’t wrap around his wrist and he twitched under my touch.

“Adrianna, focus on breathing.” When I didn’t answer, he said, “Look into my eyes and focus. It does not hurt, I am not hurting you. Your muscles are just tight.” His Russian accent was strong.

I nodded fast, locking eyes with him. “Breathe in through your nose and release it slowly,” he guided me.

Kova’s thumb drew small, little circles on my inner thigh, making my stomach flutter. The touch was light, but enough for me to notice. I didn’t speak up in spite of knowing he probably shouldn’t be doing this, especially considering how close he was to my sex. He was inches, literally just inches away, and I was okay with it. I liked it. He created a perfect storm of tension and heat around us. I held my breath as his hand skimmed higher up my thigh, slowly, almost seductively, and held it there. My stomach fluttered and I didn’t know what to do other than to allow it. I couldn’t imagine my former coach being this close and touching me. The thought of it repulsed me, but with Kova, it was the complete opposite. The small therapy room began to feel like a furnace, and I knew I needed to switch the focus to something else.

“Kova?”

“Hmmm?”

“How come there’s an A in your name now? Why not Kov?” I wasn’t sure where that came from.

Kova stiffened, taking a moment to answer. “My mother always called me Kova since I was a young boy, even though it was not my given name. I never questioned why she did, but now I wish I had. She used to say it like it was an endearment and I loved it. In Russia, female last names end in—”

“Ova.”

He tilted his head to the side, interested. “You know Russian?”

“No, but I know about the language through my family’s friends.”

He nodded. “So then you know males end with Ov.”

“I do.”

Kova leaned back, his hand dancing down to my knee and gave me a very tender squeeze. “Turn onto your stomach and scoot over.”

Without questioning him, I did as he asked. He brought my hands to the side of my head and flattened them, then he climbed onto the table.