“I know, I know…I just don’t know, though. I mean,” taking a deep breath, I exhaled and looked at the parking lot. I had so much weighing on my shoulders and despite telling Avery, it was all coming back.
“I don’t want to have these feelings for him, and call me crazy, but I don’t think he wants them for me either. But after reading that letter, it’s clear as day how he feels. It’s like we’re so aware of each other when we’re in the same room, it’s hard to ignore. He’s my damn coach. A lot of people would be hurt, and regardless of right and wrong, these aren’t flavor of the month feelings.”
“Aid, you’re only a teenager. Nothing serious would happen to you. He’s risking his life doing this.”
“I know, and I would lose gymnastics, he stands to lose much more.” I paused. “Do you think it’s all in my head?”
“No, but maybe there’s a bit of infatuation that’s driving it. Good looks, rocking body, Olympic gymnast…” she trailed off with a raised brow. “What’s not to like about that? You’d have to be blind not to be drawn to him. Even in the pictures I looked up when you first met him, I was blown away. In person? There are no words. He’s gorgeous.”
“He has to know what he’s doing and the chance he’s taking, right?” I asked.
“That’s the thing. You would think he knows…and maybe he does and maybe he just doesn’t care. Men don’t think with the right head. He knows how old you are, that’s for sure. Common sense says red flag stay away, but his dick is like, young, hot girl, right ahead!” Her back straightened and she pointed over my shoulder.
I looked around to see if anyone heard Avery’s fake British accent. “You should be a comedian with all the voices and reenactments you do. Was that from the Titanic movie?”
“Sure was,” she said proudly.
The waitress
brought out our lunches. I picked off the croutons and drizzled very little dressing on the salad. There was a lot of fat and shit in this dressing, something my thighs did not need.
Taking a bite, I chewed slowly as I thought about our conversation and my feelings toward Kova. “I’m just going to roll with the tide and see where it takes us. As long as we’re discreet, we should be okay.”
“Should, being the key word. Just be careful,” she said and I nodded. “I don’t want to see you get hurt…or him be taken away in handcuffs.”
Knock, knock, knock.
Confusion etched my tired face as I tried to figure out who would be knocking on my door at nine at night. Throwing the duvet off me, I looked down at my outfit as my feet padded across the plush carpet. Black bikini panties and a cropped, pale pink, tank top wasn’t proper attire to welcome visitors, it was rather thin and if I looked closely, I could see the outline of my breasts.
However, I wasn’t planning on answering the door. That was, until I looked through the peephole and spotted Kova.
Dear God. What the hell was he doing here? My heart pounded fiercely against my ribs before it dropped into my gut. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled and unlocked both dead bolts and pulled the door open. The cool air caressed my skin.
Kova stood with one arm propped on the ledge of the door. His face was tilted down, despair written all over him and it hit me like a ton of bricks. My heart hurt for him. He dressed in dark distressed jeans and a jet black shirt. A firm body filled his outfit out and when he picked up his head, my lips parted.
“Kova,” I whispered, staring into eyes as dark as the rainforest. “What are you doing here?”
A snarl erupted from his throat, the top of his lip lifting. He peered through his black lashes. “Is that how you always answer the door?” he asked before pushing inside.
“Yes, please do come in.” Sarcasm dripped all over my words. “For your information, this is what I wear to bed. I wasn’t expecting you, or anyone else.” I paused, and gave him a droll stare. “And this really isn’t much different than what I wear at the gym,” I responded, shutting the door and locking it.
Turning around, Kova raked a heated glance down my body, his eyes landing on my chest. I followed his gaze and noticed my nipples were hard little pebbles from the cool air. I sighed inwardly. I hated when that happened.
Clearing my throat, I crossed my arms over my chest and stood confidently. “Is there a reason you’re here?”
“We need to talk and I did not want to do it at the gym. I think you know about what.”
I nodded and walked past him to the kitchen. Kova followed closely behind. Pulling open my stainless steel refrigerator, I grabbed a bottle of Aloe water.
“Would you like one?” I asked over my shoulder, but his eyes were on my ass. Seeing that I wielded a little power over him felt good, and I smiled. I knew I shouldn’t like his eyes on me, but I secretly loved that they were, so I arched my back and naturally pushed my butt out to give him more of a view while I reached for a drink.
“No.”
Turning around, I leaned against the fridge, my knee bending for my foot to rest flat on it. I stayed quiet and waited for him to explain his presence.
“Can you put some clothes on first?”
I sputtered on the water I was drinking, the back of my hand coming up to wipe my chin. “Are you serious?” I barked out a laugh. “Again, this really is no different than what I wear at the gym every day. Not to mention, you’ve seen other parts of my body no one else does.”