Chapter 23 Koby
Koby
February – Preseason Testing - Phillip Island
Rayna and I step into the hotel lobby hand-in-hand, and I chuckle. I’m transported back a year ago, walking into this same hotel lobby. What a change a year can make.
“What are you giggling at?” Rayna’s radiant smile blinds me.
“Do you remember the first day back on track last year? Coming back here?”
“How could I forget?! Poor Mabel. What a first day! At least now I double-check everyone’s room reservations with the hotels ad nauseam. Riley came in and saved the day there. I remember you did very little.”
“You know why?…”
Walking into the hotel lobby in front of Riley, I watch Rayna march across the floor with an unknown honey-brown haired woman steering her luggage manically behind her.
They talk to the concierge, and it’s clear it’s not going well.
“Oh, I met her this morning!” I hear Riley behind me. “Infraction32’s new PR Director, Mabel.”
He brushes past me, heading over, and my feet are planted.
I can’t move and bridge the gap closer to Rayna.
We started hanging out here and there again the last few seasons, but the season break made me miss her.
I avoided her on track all day, and I just had to make it up to my hotel room and could tick today off as a successful first day back.
But the presentation of an issue has me stilled.
She is looking down at her phone, fingers tapping and scrolling the screen. Riley’s voice talking to Mabel causes Rayna’s eyes to break from her phone. They talk among themselves. I’m too far away to hear them, but her hand raises up along with her eyebrow.
My legs decide to work and I fall in by Riley’s side, smiling at them.
“Koby! Any chance you have any spare rooms amongst your team no one has checked in as yet?” Rayna asks me, and I pull out my phone to check.
Scrolling through my phone as they continue to chat, I’m not really paying attention. Lost in the cadence of Rayna’s voice. Firm, yet kind.
“Thanks, Rayna,” Mabel replies. Rayna smiles at her and catches my eye as she heads back towards the restaurant, drawing me along with her.
“Hungry, Rookie?” she asks me.
“Yeah. Mind if I join you?” I beat her to the question I know she’ll ask me.
“I would love that.”
We take a seat in the hotel’s restaurant and order meals and drinks.
“Aria has been looking into expanding the team on the enduro side,” I comment over dinner with Rayna.
Her kind eyes look over at me as she finishes her mouthful. “That’s fantastic news. She’s put in a huge effort with the project.”
“Yeah, she really has. I’m so proud of her.”
“You should be. Both you and Courtney raised a hell of a kid.”
She places down her cutlery and takes a swig of her wine. I ache to reach over and hold her hand across the table. Take it and feel her skin under my lips. Feel the warmth radiating through me from her touch.
“She has definitely put the effort in and elevated the team and brand in ways I couldn’t have imagine.”
I’m trying to keep a cohesive level of conversation with her, but she is making it hard to focus. Or my damn mind and heart keep racing.
“ …I was mesmerised by you. I always am.”
“And here I thought you were just being the strong, silent type at the reception desk.” She leans over and kisses my cheek. I ache to snap my hand to her chin and claim her mouth. Make her dizzy and unsatisfied with just a kiss. But I’ll save that for when we get upstairs.
She takes the lead and checks us in. We opted to book double rooms for the season so we can still have our space if needed but not risk not being able to get hotel rooms together. We don’t need to be roaming the hallways, sneaking into each other’s rooms late at night.
She leads the way into the hotel room. I hand over her bag and wheel her larger luggage to her room. Checking the time, I’m glad we are here early.
“I have a surprise for you,” I announce.
She follows me into her room and looks at me suspiciously.
“Grab some swimmers and meet me out there when you’re done.” Pointing out the room.
“I didn’t bring any swimmers,” she replies, disappointed.
“Might want to check your bag.”
She lifts her larger luggage onto the bed and unzips it. There are some swimmers shoved in, courtesy of me.
Raising it up to inspect, her eyes grow wide.
“Oh, no, no, no. I’m not wearing a two-piece in public.
I don’t even know why I have been holding onto this set in my drawer.
” She chucks it back into her luggage. Then changes her mind and picks them up to throw them into the small, empty garbage bin in her room.
I retrieve it from the bin. “When’s the last time you tried it on?”
She shakes her head. “Years.”
“Indulge me?” I dangle it in front of her, giving her my most innocent of faces.
She contemplates and abides with an eye-roll. “Fine.” Reaching for them.
I keep a hold of them and look firming into her eyes. “Here though.”
“You want me to undress and put them on here. In front of you?” Her breath catches.
“I do.” A wicked smile splashes across my face.
A blush creeps across her face before she pulls on the material, and I let them go. “Fine. No touching, though.” She challenges, standing a little taller.
I nod in reply and stay standing.
Rayna places the swimmers back in her luggage and lifts her t-shirt off, revealing her plain black bra.
She reaches around and unhooks it, pulling the straps off her shoulders and down her arms. She pushes down the waistband of her pants, and I watch them pool to the floor, followed by her panties as she steps out of them.
I’m breathless as I gaze at her. I long to reach out and take her in my arms. Ravish her. But ground rules are ground rules.
She puts the two-piece on, and I continue to be enthralled with her beauty.
I exhale in an attempt to steady myself.
“See. I look horrendous!” She walks to the mirror in the room and inspects herself.
“The fuck you do,” I reply and stalk to her. I know she said no touching, but fuck that. My arms wrap around her and slam my lips against hers. Hungry and desperate.
Hands roaming all over her bare skin, pulling on the bikini material to draw her closer to me. Her hands grip my sides. Reluctant to break away, but I do anyway.
Rayna sighs, “Okay. Not that bad.”
“Definitely nowhere near bad. Now throw something over that gorgeous body of yours and let’s get out of here before I cancel everything so I can fuck you until midnight.”
“Such a reasonable hour,” she teases as she breezes past me and grabs a dress to put on. Going into my room, I grab my boardshorts from my luggage and meet her by the door to head down to get a cab.
Reaching our destination after an hour, it’s better than I could even imagine.
A day spa hidden away along the coastline. Incorporating both natural and man-made features.
“Wow, this is amazing,” Rayna remarks as we descend the stairs into a natural grotto.
“Fleur was telling me about it at the end of the season. Had to check it out.”
“She’s fast becoming a local and finding out about all the secret spots,” she jokes.
While the grotto is naturally formed, we find ourselves able to prop ourselves on smoothed rocks. Feeling the warm current surround us. Soothing us.
“Surprised it is quiet. Would think a spot like this would have been a topic of choice through the paddock.” Rayna looks around.
It takes all my concentration to stop admiring her body, lying down just below the water’s surface. Mentioning no one is in here starts to give me all sorts of ideas.
“I’m sure we are just early.”
The splashing of someone else approaching snaps me out of those thoughts.
“How is no one else down here?” Riley, my rider, bounds down the final step, through the entry, then stops dead in his tracks.
“Oops, sorry to ruin the tranquillity, Kobs and Rayz!”
“You’re all good, man,” I reply.
He grimaces and gives a little wave. Mabel appears behind him. “I’m so sorry. What an imp, right?” She slaps his arm. “We can leave.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s lovely to see you both. Stay and relax. How was your break?” Rayna asks.
Riley and Mabel run through their summer break. Christmas with Riley’s family, motocross days that turn into a week because they had so much fun. Same stuff I did when I was racing. It’s nice to hear some things haven’t changed.