62. Thea
62
Thea
W hen my alarm went off, I groaned. It felt like I’d only just fallen asleep. Rain spattered against the window, which made me want to pull the covers over my head.
But I needed to get to the gym. I hadn’t been paying attention to what I ate. Or working out religiously like I used to. It had also been ages since I sparred with anyone.
To my surprise, it didn’t look like Milo had shown up last night. Was he OK? I hadn’t seen him around campus for a few days, which was unusual.
I picked up my phone from the floor. There was a whole string of messages, most of them from Landon and Kyril, but some from Cassian, too.
Casshole: Library. 8PM tonight.
Casshole: Don’t test me, Thea.
Casshole: I need a good mark on this module.
My eyes rolled back in my head. He could do one. Sure, I’d make an effort to be there, but he wasn’t the boss of me, so he could fuck right off if he thought he was ordering me around.
Me: *middle finger emoji*
Me: Fine.
He read my messages but didn’t reply. I scanned the others from Landon and Kyril but they were mostly bullshit, so I chucked my phone back on the bed and headed down to the gym. With a bit of luck, the usual meatheads would still be asleep, and I could get a good workout in without being leered over.
After dropping my bag in a locker, I walked into the gym. There were a couple of guys in there lifting weights, but aside from a quick glance in my direction, they ignored me. Once I’d warmed up on a treadmill, I strapped my hands and began my usual routine.
I was so focused on hitting the bag that I didn’t notice Kyril until I stopped for a water break. He was leaning against the wall, staring at me like I was his next meal. Sweat trickled down my face and between my boobs. Our eyes connected as I took a few long swallows from my water bottle. Then my eyes slid down his torso and I spotted the new tattoo.
“You got new ink?” He pushed away from the wall and stalked toward me like a panther.
“Yeah.” The design was gorgeous. A monochrome snake entwined around a rose, with a hint of red ink on the thorns.
“It’s beautiful,” I told him, admiring the subtle shading and delicate lines. I would have loved a tattoo, but my father had made it more than clear that as a woman, I wasn’t allowed. I nearly said as much to Kyril, but doing so would reveal too much about who I really was, so I kept my mouth shut.
“You didn’t reply to my messages.” I shrugged.
“I was asleep and then I came here.” He ground his teeth at my dismissive attitude, and I felt kind of bad, but it was better to maintain some distance between us. For him as much as me.
“I was worried.” He stepped into my personal space and my heart rate quickened. The two guys over by the weights stood, chatted for a moment, and then left the room, the door swinging shut behind them.
Outside, the sky darkened even more as rain belted down, obscuring the view of the mountains. It felt like early evening, not 8 AM. No wonder the gym was empty. Everyone else must have decided to sleep in. It was a Sunday, after all.
“What did I tell you about ignoring me?” Kyril asked in a low, dangerous voice.
“That you don’t like it?” I teased, trying to lighten his mood, but it didn’t work. He moved closer, crowding me until my back pressed against the wall. My skin felt all sweaty and gross and loose strands of hair stuck to my forehead. But he didn’t seem to mind.
“No, I hate it when you ignore me, kotenok .”
He loomed over me, more than a foot taller. A sensible woman would have cringed in fear. Kyril’s size meant he was physically intimidating. Built like a truck, all hard muscle and raw masculinity.
If I was a typical girl, he could have crushed me with his pinky finger. Just as well as I wasn’t. Heh .
In a few seconds, I had him on his back, staring up at me with a mixture of surprise and arousal. He hadn’t expected me to attack, but I could tell he liked it.
But because this was Kyril, he wasn’t about to let me get the upper hand so easily. The minute I lost focus, all too easily distracted by his rock-hard abs and the rapidly thickening cock in his shorts, he’d flipped me over and pinned me to the mat.
“So my kotenok wants to fight?” he growled before licking a bead of sweat from my neck. I shivered, and not from disgust.
“I wouldn’t want to hurt you,” I taunted, using his weight against him to escape his hold. He rolled onto his back and laughed.
“OK, kotenok , get in the ring. Let’s see what other moves you have. ” He gestured at the sparring ring on the far side of the room. I grinned. This could be fun.