Chapter 21
Twenty-One
A ll day I watched every move Kova made, the way he spoke to the girls, and how he gave them last minute pointers.
I picked up on enough to absorb and reflect on it.
I hated being near him and I loved it at the same time.
I found I craved his words, his instructions, his guidance.
He'd whisper his thoughts to me while we watched routine after routine where he—and the judges—would find errors.
I had spotted most of them, but then he'd surprise me with something I didn't catch or really put much thought into.
"Oh shit, she's screwed," I said under my breath when a competitor fell off the balance beam. A fall held an entire point deduction, which was huge and utterly devastating.
Kova slightly looked at me but kept his focus on the routine. "Not necessarily. Her routine is flawless so far."
I frowned. "A fall is never good though."
"True, but just watch and wait."
Once she finished, her score went up and it shocked me. Kova smirked like it was exactly what he expected.
"Other than the fall, she executed an absolutely perfect routine. She only lost, at most, a point and a half."
I pulled back. "Where did the other half come from if you said she had a perfect routine?"
He held his thumb and forefinger a centimeter apart. "She had a very, very slight balance check when she got back up."
Huh. I hadn't even noticed that one. "It is all about what is going on up here.
" Kova gently tapped the side of his temple and lowered his voice.
"Gymnastics is just as much mental as it is physical, and the balance beam is the only event that requires the most mental focus.
She knew her fall would cost her and that she had to get her head back in the game to come out on top. "
The next girl who competed didn't fall, but was currently behind in the standings to the one who had fallen. I looked at Kova for clarification.
"I caught four errors just from the five major skills alone. Did you?"
I'd spotted some. "I saw she bent her knees in two of them."
"Good. Those are point two each time. So now we are at point eight in deductions in just that alone.
While she stuck her dismount, she had a heavy balance check.
The bigger the wobble, the bigger the deduction.
With those two mistakes alone, she now has more deducted than the girl with the fall.
Her body posture was terrible, and her toes turned in badly.
I would say at least another point three, point four for just that.
Now imagine you are sitting as close as the judges. " He gave me a knowing look.
It was easy to forget how quickly deductions added up. And unless you had a trained eye for the sport, those mistakes were not easy to spot.
"Some judges curve the scores." He paused.
"By the way, the girl with the fall, that is Sloane Maxwell.
She is one of the top elites in the country right now.
Everyone is after her. Did you watch her eyes when she was competing?
She is a fighter that one. Falls happen to everyone.
I do not care how incredible you are, it is almost impossible to correct your center of mass when flipping over a piece of wood that is only ten centimeters wide.
In the end, it is your difficulty, but more so execution, that makes the difference.
That is why when she got back on, she rocked it.
That is why you practice until you cannot get it wrong.
You forget what is happening around you and you only focus on what you are doing at that moment and nothing else. You leave everything else at the door."
I saw Kova in a completely different light.
I was at odds with myself for wanting more of him.
I hungered for his knowledge. His uncanny ability to see what I needed to succeed and to bring out the elite gymnast in me without a second thought.
No one got me the way he did. His training was harsh at times, and he rode me hard in the gym, but it was because he had a bird's eye for precision.
I knew it from the beginning, but to see this approach made me feel different toward him.
It made me admire him more than I allowed my heart to, and that worried me.
I promised myself I would try my hardest to not look at him in that light anymore.
Promised myself I would stay away, but when Kova took the time to look me in the eyes and break it down and feed me what I needed to thrive, I found him sexy as hell.
Addicting. Kova had a potent hold over me and I wondered if he even knew his power.
A lot could be said about the man standing next to me, probably more negative than positive, but there was one thing I knew for certain—today showed he cared about my success in the sport.
He did have my best interests at heart. Kova wasn't a man who divulged much about himself, but today said more about him than he knew.
Once the meet ended, I stood awkwardly off to the side as gymnasts were congratulated on their hard work and effort. Reagan was knocked down to bronze, a tenth of a deduction separated her from placing fourth. Holly held silver. The men's team would compete after us.
The team, parents, and coaches all had dinner together—and thankfully a fast one. Now I was back in my room alone while the girls had gone to stay in a hotel near the airport with their parents. Holly offered to stay with me, but I politely declined and reminded her that I lived alone and liked it.
Today had been overwhelming and I needed the solitude more than anything to relax.
I'd been so angry with Kova for forcing me to attend the meet he so ruthlessly pulled me from. I thought it was a cruel game he was playing and didn't want any part of it.
Turns out, I was naive. Kova wasn't as despicable as I thought he was.
My heart still burned with vengeance because of what he did, but now I realized I misjudged his intentions and the fire raging inside me slowly dimmed.
I had everything packed for the early flight home tomorrow and now I had a bath running.
My goal was to clear my mind. I was insanely eager to get back in the gym with the newfound information I had.
The strange thing was, I'd already had the knowledge, but I'd seen it through a different perspective today and that changed things for me big time.
As I undressed, a light knock sounded at my door. I groaned inwardly, hoping Holly hadn't decided to come back.
Grabbing the robe hanging on the back of the door, I quickly pulled it on and tied a knot around my waist. I wasn't tall enough to look through the peep hole, so I carefully opened the door.
"Kova?" I whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"May I come in?"
My eyes narrowed at the ridiculousness of his question. I swallowed hard and clutched the robe tight to my neck.
He wants to come into my hotel room with other coaches and gymnasts around!
"I really don't think that's a good idea."
With a tilt of his head, he gave me a pleading look. "It will not take long. I promise. Just a few minutes, pozhaluysta ."
I flattened my lips and amusement lit in his eyes. He got me. I resigned and stepped aside, letting him in.
The sound of running water had Kova glancing toward the bathroom. "Do you need to turn that off?"
I ran to the bathroom and quickly turned off the water and redressed.
Stepping back into the room, I found Kova seated in one of two chairs at the round table near the window.
Lounged back like he was the king of a fortune five hundred empire, he casually spread his legs wider as he scrolled through his phone.
His dark wash jeans fit him to perfection.
The way the denim molded his thighs screamed for me to climb him like a tree.
My eyes trailed up his long-sleeved black shirt and paused on his biceps. One flex and the seams would give.
Then I noticed the ball cap…and I was done.
So simple. So easygoing. So fucking hot.
Damn this man and his sexual appeal.
A startling need to go to him and sit on his lap and just talk pulled at me.
We could talk about anything, meaningless things.
The weather. The future of the sport. I could teach him contractions or listen to him speak Russian.
This need had absolutely nothing to do with sex and everything to do with a deep connection to someone.
I didn't know why, but the urge to capture this moment hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn't the best idea, it was downright stupid, but I didn't care. I had to have him like this—natural, easy, relaxed. Like it was normal for us.
Quickly and quietly, I pulled my cell phone from my back pocket and snapped a photo of him.
Kova lifted his eyes from his phone and leisurely dragged them up and down my body without moving his head.
I felt the heat from his avid gaze roam every inch of my body.
One side of his mouth tugged up ever so slightly, and I snapped another photo as he watched.
The man looked divine in a ball cap; I could stare at him all day.
A smirk tipped the corners of his mouth as I captured another shot.
Then he bit down on his bottom lip and dragged his teeth up.
I swallowed hard and a soft exhale escaped my lips.
I managed to take one more picture before he motioned me to the chair opposite him. That stupid imaginary string pulling me toward him as I took a seat. Kova placed his phone facedown and sat up straighter, turning toward me.
"You know you probably shouldn't be here, right?"
Kova shrugged carelessly. "I am not concerned. No one will question me."
I raised a brow in skepticism. "That kind of arrogance will backfire on you one day."
"Ria, pozhaluysta," he said suggestively under his breath. "When will you learn that I make the rules?"
I feigned a groan and smiled. "What's so important that couldn't wait until Monday?"