Hayden reached behind his head and pulled off his shirt. He rolled it into a ball and chucked it in with the rest of his stuff. It took everything in me to keep my jaw from dropping to the floor, but that didn’t mean I didn’t give him a good once over, openly gawking at his body.
“I’ll be honest...I’m petrified.”
“That’s totally normal. You’ll get past it in a couple of weeks once you’re comfortable.” He slapped his door shut. “Want a tip?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t talk back. Do what your coaches tell you. Don’t show them you’re scared. Don’t hesitate. They don’t want to hear excuses. Show them you’re confident and want to be here, that you can handle what they give you and have what it takes. Basically, just agree and nod and that will take you far. They know what they’re talking about. I’ve been through a handful of coaches at this gym, and these are by far the best.” He paused, then said something I needed to remember. “And most importantly, there will be days when you’ll want to quit because you can’t take any more. Those days will come and they’ll come often. Just don’t give up, because the reward will be worth it in the end.”
I took in Hayden’s words with a serious nod. He cupped my shoulder with compassion and said, “Good luck,” then pulled the door to the gym open and stepped inside.
Looking through the window, there was only
one girl out there, and I thought it was Reagan, but I wasn’t sure since I met her for only a split second the other day. I watched as she landed a front handspring double twisting front layout into a punch front tuck, her arms out in a T landing to balance herself, but she pulled to the right and took a large step.
“What are you waiting for?”
A deep, baritone voice startled me from behind. I jumped, looking over my shoulder as my heart raced. My hand flew to my neck. Where had he come from?
“What?” I stammered.
Konstantin tilted his head to the side, his face expressionless. “I thought you were a gymnast, not a spectator. My time is valuable. Get in the gym now or leave.”
I pulled back, my mind reeling from his unexpected nasty tone. My jaw hung open, silently moving up and down. I struggled with words, trying to find the right response. The way his eyes bore into mine made him unapproachable...And intimidating.
“Where...Where do I put my things?”
He gave me a look that said I should know where my stuff went. He hadn’t assigned me a locker, but I had a feeling mentioning that wouldn’t be good, so I didn’t bring it up.
“Okay,” I responded quietly. “Where to after that?”
“This is just like any other gym, Adrianna,” he said with a bite, rolling the R in my name. “Let this be a lesson learned after today. After you come in, you place your things in a locker, and you get your ass into the gym quickly. I do not care where you start, as long as your feet are on the blue floor every morning by six thirty and you are coming to me. Yeah?”
With wide eyes and parted lips, I nodded at his dick attitude. Coach marched off and I quickly did as he said as my knees shook. Jesus. He acted as if I was late, which I wasn’t, he just hadn’t explained what to do once I arrived.
I stripped out of my hot pink, Juicy Couture two-piece zip-up and pants set and rolled it up, shoving it into a metal locker. I’d stick it in my bag later, the last thing I wanted to do was make him wait any longer. I threw my long burgundy hair into a messy ponytail and made my way toward the gym.
Swallowing back the lump in my throat, I pushed my shoulders back, stepped into the gym and walked over to where the women’s team was. Coach stared me down, tracking my every footstep. His gaze made me feel two inches tall and insecure.
I chewed the inside of my lip as our eyes locked. His black short-sleeved shirt hugged his muscular biceps. His arms were firmly crossed in front of his chest, muscles perfectly rounded, and his stance spoke of authority. He tracked me all the way across the gym. Heads turned my way in the middle of their stretching, so I quickly tiptoed to the floor. I’d have to let Alfred know we needed to get here a little earlier tomorrow to avoid these uncomfortable stares, just in case. No one liked being the center of attention, so I needed to make sure I’d slip in quieter and unseen.
Legs spread out, I leaned forward and lay on the floor, my arms and legs parallel to each other. I expelled a breath and closed my eyes, rejoicing in what my body was doing. I loved the way my muscles pulled tight and then loosened like they were just waking up. It hurt and felt good all at the same time. Flexing and pointing helped my shins, and I pushed my legs as wide as they could go by scooting up to stretch out my groin.
I was lost in the feeling when I felt the spring floor dip as someone came up next to me and grabbed my ankle, lifting my leg.
“What the...” I mumbled under my breath. I sat up and looked over my shoulder. I almost said fuck, but I caught myself. Coach knelt so close to my face I noticed how incredible his eyes really were. A brilliant green, the color of fresh basil and lime interwoven with each other pulled me in. Mesmerizingly beautiful, and when his hand moved to the crease of my hip and thigh, I drew in a breath.
His fingers dug into my skin where my leotard met my bikini line and he carefully rotated my leg so my knee faced up.
“Back down,” Coach ordered. I had no idea what he planned, so I listened and laid my chest flat on the floor, which ended up being a good thing. I didn’t want to get caught staring into his eyes.
Or think about where his hand currently was.
Slowly, he lifted my leg and pressed down on my back so I couldn’t move. A little grunt left my lips as he stretched out my hips.
“Toes pointed, knees up, Adrianna,” he said, like I was an idiot. Maybe the arrogance in his tone was a Russian thing.
Coach slowly pulled my foot up so it was slightly higher than my back. I felt the burning stretch in my groin grow as he raised it. Unwillingly, my body tried to sit up at this tense position to ease the strain, but Coach just pressed harder on my back, not allowing me to move. I held my breath, my fingers spreading wide on the carpet and my stomach flexed. His forearm dug into my back as he leaned over and pressed me down. This shit hurt. I thought my groin was about to be ripped out, even my butt felt like the muscles were being pulled to their max.