Chapter 5 #2
Hoping to sneak out of his room so she didn’t have to deal with her suddenly riotous emotions, Ember shifted until her feet were on the floor. She started to stand—and froze again as Craig’s eyes popped open and he stared at her from across the room.
“What time is it?” he asked groggily.
“Early. I’m so sorry I fell asleep in your bed. I’m going to go back to my room, so you can get some decent sleep.”
Craig yawned and sat up. He stretched, and Ember heard one of his bones crack. “Sleep okay?” he asked.
Surprised, Ember could only nod. “Yeah. Great, actually.”
“Good.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up? I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“You were out. I figured you needed the sleep if you didn’t hear me come in.
You compete today, and I thought if I woke you up, you’d be embarrassed and it would take you forever to fall back asleep in your room, because you’d be thinking too much about how I felt, finding you asleep in my bed. So I decided to let you rest.”
Ember opened her mouth to say something, but shut it again because she didn’t know how to respond to that. He was right on the money. Hell, she was embarrassed now, but if she’d gone back to her room last night, she would’ve done just as he said. Overthought what had happened.
Craig shifted around until he was sitting and his back was against the wall. He lifted one leg and rested his arm on his knee. Even though he was all the way across the room, sitting in the dark with him felt intimate.
“You excited about today?” he asked.
“Yes and no,” Ember said honestly. The darkness, and Craig himself, encouraged her honesty.
She knew he wouldn’t judge her. “Being an Olympian was always my parents’ dream.
They pushed me hard when I was a teenager, and even harder after I graduated from high school.
They sacrificed a lot for me to have the best coaches and be in the best programs. But I feel as if I’ve missed so much in the last ten years.
My entire existence has been about working out and putting on a show for the outside world.
I’m ready to get this over with and move on with my life. ”
“You aren’t going to keep competing for the next Olympics?” Craig asked.
Ember wrinkled her nose. “Lord, no. I know that’s what everyone wants me to do, but it’s not what I want.”
“Then don’t.”
His response was succinct, but it felt so good to have someone on her side.
“On the other hand, it’s finally sunk in that I’m at the Olympics.
There are only thirty-five women in the world who’re here in my sport.
I’ve worked my ass off, even if it was with my mom and dad prodding and browbeating me to get here.
I’m excited to see what I can do. Am I the best?
I don’t know. But I’m kinda pumped to find out. ”
“You’re gonna kick ass,” Craig said quietly.
“Thanks.”
“What time do the bouts start this morning?” he asked.
“Ten. The projected end of the rounds is around four. Of course, there’s time between matches for resting and refueling. Nobody fences for six hours straight. There’s a lot of administrative stuff and moving people around that happens.”
“When do you have your first match?”
“I think around twelve-thirty or so.”
“You truly don’t mind me watching?”
“Of course not. I’d…I’d like that.”
“Great. I’ll be there then.”
“Craig?”
“Yeah, Em?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. Not sure how to articulate what she was thinking.
Craig pushed himself off the floor and approached.
He sat on the mattress next to her. He wasn’t touching her, but he was damn close.
His hair was mussed and sticking up in little bunches on his head and she could see the scruff of a beard on his face.
He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed… and it was sexy as hell.
“You impress me,” he said.
Ember blinked. “Why?” she blurted.
He smiled, and the white of his teeth seemed bright in the dim light from the bathroom in the otherwise dark room.
“You’ve got an amazingly positive attitude.
Other people might be bitter about being pressured into doing something they didn’t really want to do.
I can’t pretend to know anything about your life growing up, but the woman sitting in front of me right now is someone I admire a hell of a lot. ”
“Thanks,” Ember whispered. Most of the time she didn’t feel as if she was someone anyone should look up to.
She hadn’t found a cure for cancer, hadn’t done anything noteworthy.
She was blessed with good genes and was pretty enough, was lucky enough to be born into a wealthy family so she didn’t have to overcome poverty on top of everything else, and her parents had some connections in Hollywood who had helped launch her popularity.
But hearing Craig say he was impressed with her felt really good.
“Come on, I’m sure you have stuff you need to do this morning. Stay relaxed, don’t let anyone’s death stare rattle you, and do what you’ve trained your entire life to do. Okay?”
“Okay,” Ember agreed.
Craig stood and held out his hand. Ember took hold and he pulled her upright. Without conscious thought, Ember stepped into his personal space. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a long, heartfelt hug. His arms immediately came around her and held her tightly.
They stood like that for a long moment. “I slept really good last night,” she told him.
“I’m glad.”
“The linens smelled like you.” Ember winced as soon as the words were out of her mouth. God, she was an idiot. She felt more than heard him chuckle.
“And now they smell like you. I have a feeling I’m gonna like that a hell of a lot myself.”
Ember pulled back, but didn’t drop her arms from around him. They stared into each other’s eyes. “What’s happening here?” she whispered.
“Magic,” Craig responded softly. Then he lifted a hand and ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. He fingered one of her curls briefly, then smiled. “Come on, let’s get you back to your room.”
Ember nodded and let him take hold of her hand and pull her toward the door. She slipped on the flip-flops she’d taken off the night before by the entrance. Craig walked her all the way down the hall to her room and waited patiently as she put her key card in the slot and pushed the door open.
She heard people stirring in nearby rooms and looked up at Craig.
“Good luck today,” he said softly.
“Thanks.”
He stared at her for a beat, then quietly muttered, “Fuck it,” and leaned down.
Ember was more than ready for this, and she went up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway. Their lips met, and she felt tingles all the way down to her toes.
Ember had been kissed before, but this was different. More intense.
Craig didn’t mess around either. His tongue sought entrance to her mouth and she immediately acquiesced, letting him in.
She wasn’t thinking about morning breath, or that she hadn’t tamed her hair, or the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra and was in sweats and a T-shirt.
All she could think about was how cherished this man made her feel.
He wasn’t kissing her for the cameras or because she was famous.
They were simply a man and woman who were testing out the sparks that had been flying between them since the moment they’d met.
He pulled back way before she was ready, and Ember licked her lips, tasting him there. She held onto his biceps and stared up at him, suddenly nervous.
Craig leaned down once more and kissed her forehead before he took a step away from her. Ember shivered as she lost his body heat.
“Kick some ass today, Em. I have faith in you.”
She nodded. “I will. Thanks. You be safe too. If any terrorists are around, don’t run into a bullet, okay?”
He smirked. “I won’t. I’ll see you after you compete. Don’t leave the dorm today until your escorts get here.”
“I won’t,” she echoed.
“I think Trigger was supposed to tell Nick, Aiden, and Leila that you guys would all be taken over to the venue together, but if you see them, make sure they don’t decide to take off on their own.”
Ember was impressed that he seemed to be very worried about all their safety. Not just hers…or the athletes of the more popular sports. “Okay.”
“It’s gonna be fine. Your job is to concentrate on competing. Let me worry about your safety.”
Ember nodded again. “Thanks again for letting me steal your bed.”
“Anytime.”
The word was innocent enough, but it was the look in his eyes that had Ember’s heart rate increasing.
Craig took a step back. Then another. As if he couldn’t bear to look away from her.
Ember felt giddy. Happy. Excited. And it wasn’t because she’d be competing in the Olympic Games today. Not entirely.
“See you later,” she said lamely.
Craig smiled. “Later.” He gave her a small chin lift, then finally turned and headed for his room once more.
Ember shut her own door and leaned against it and closed her eyes. Her lips were drawn up in a small smile and she reached up to touch them. She could still feel his lips on her own.
It was insane to start something with the handsome special forces soldier, especially when they lived in different states and had such different lives. But she couldn’t deny they had a connection.
Smiling, she headed for the bathroom. She had a long day in front of her.
Competing, more pictures to take for social media, a few interviews…
but at the end of the day, she’d get to spend more time with Craig.
It was surprising to admit she was looking forward to seeing him almost more than competing.