9. Leo
CHAPTER NINE
Germany is beautiful. It's the middle of spring and flowers are beginning to bloom along the streets. I walk down the cobblestone road, my head looking up and down the street as I make my way back to the hotel. I love visiting here, even if I hate the process of getting here. It's where I'd like to live eventually. I've spent a lot of time traveling with this career and for some reason Germany has always been enticing to me. There's just something warm and comforting about it that makes me never want to leave.
I imagine when I retire one day, this is where I will be. I'll buy a little house on the hillside, not far from town, but far enough that I can have my own peace and quiet.
It's just a different vibe. I do like Idyll Cove. It's all I've really known in terms of my permanent residence, although I'm a little tired of the sleepy little town. I want more. I want to wake up every morning and feel like my life has more purpose. This life of traveling and competing can be tiresome and lonely. It's easy to feel like you're not really living when you're caught in the continuous cycle of hustling and busting your ass off.
I will never ever admit it out loud… but sometimes, I just want a break from it all.
But I do like winning more, so as long as I keep doing that, I'll keep living this insane life.
The hotel is less than a mile away from where I wandered off tonight. I ended up in a little German restaurant where I sat at a table by myself and had dinner. It wasn't any different than how I normally lived my life, but it circles back to being lonely. It's not easy to find a partner in life with the demanding schedule I have. I tried dating before and it didn't work out. There was one woman, Amanda, who lasted a little longer than the others. We dated exclusively for about two years before she decided she wanted more from me. She was waiting for me to propose and I am not a fan of committing to another person.
My life revolves around one huge commitment and I don't think I could commit to anything more than that.
I thought she would have been happy that we lived together, and things seemed to be good. We spent time together when we could and she had her own job that kept her busy. I was mistaken. She wasn't happy and she wasn't content. Amanda complained occasionally about me being gone. She didn't like to be alone for long, so most times she ended up staying at her sister's apartment. We had a pretty big fight when it finally came out that she wanted more and I wasn't ready to give that to her. I had to leave for another competition and when I got back home, she was gone. All of her things were out of my place and she changed her number so I couldn't even get in contact with her.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit of relief.
I didn't have to try to live up to someone else's expectations anymore. I was free to be me and to come and go like I pleased. Or like my career demanded.
After Amanda and I broke up, I kept things casual. I never went on more than three dates with a woman, although I'd end up in her bed on more occasions than that if she understood the deal. There was no room or time for relationships or commitments. I just needed someone every now and then to make me feel good and feel a little less alone.
There aren't many people on the street as I walk up to the front of the hotel. It's already getting close to midnight and my body is exhausted. The time difference really took a toll on me, especially since I wasn't able to sleep on the plane. They always made me too nervous and my anxiety was too high for me to be able to get enough rest. Aria, on the other hand, had no trouble falling asleep. After I stupidly grabbed her hand and finally let it go, she smiled at me and put her headphones back on before getting comfortable in her seat. At one point during her nap, she shifted my way and ended up with her head against my shoulder.
I didn't want to move her. She was too peaceful, her face so relaxed and her lips parted slightly as she snored softly.
She turned the other way before she woke up, so I'm certain she didn't realize she spent some of her time sleeping against me. I'm also certain she didn't notice my fingers as I instinctively brushed the hair from her face and tucked it back behind the band of her headphones. I was finding there were a lot of things I couldn't help myself with when it came to Aria Reed. Having her this close, deeply embedded in my life, was beginning to feel like more of a problem than I thought it would be.
It's getting harder to keep my guard in place and harder still to keep her out.
She's working her way under my skin and I don't like it.
The hotel lobby isn’t busy as I walk inside the doors. There are two people at the front desk and they glance up at me before returning their attention back to their phones in front of them. Their voices are hushed and low. I mind my own business as I walk past them, heading straight for the hall to the elevators. I press the up button and pull out my own phone to check my messages.
I asked Austin if he could stop by and take care of my cats while I’m out of the country. He’s not a huge fan of cats, but he reluctantly agreed. They’re both slight menaces, so I’m sure he’s having a great time cleaning up after them.
The elevator reaches the lobby and I step inside after the doors slide open. As I slide my phone back into my pocket, I pull out my room key. To reach the seventeenth floor, you have to swipe your key card. We were all given our own suites, but those floors are restricted from other guests.
It takes about a minute to get up to the seventeenth floor since the elevator doesn't stop at any other floors. I'm surprised with how quiet the hotel is right now. It's a bit shocking, but then again, it is the beginning of the week, so maybe there aren't that many people staying here, or people are already sleeping. Maybe some of them are out, I don't know. I don't know why I'm even putting this much time into thinking about what anyone is doing here.
I'm trying to keep my mind off the one thing it keeps drifting back to.
Aria fucking Reed.
And as I step off the elevator, she almost runs into me.
She lets out a loud gasp and drops the bottle of water she was holding. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She says the words a little too loudly as she tries to collect herself. She still hasn't even looked at my face, but I look at hers. Her cheeks are red with embarrassment. Her hair is pulled back in a French braid and she's wearing a robe and slippers. I have no idea if she's wearing anything under the plush, white garment, but I'm curious.
We both bend down at the same time to pick up the water bottle she had dropped. It was completely accidental as we both reached for it. My hand brushes against hers, sending a wave of electricity through my fingers. Aria gasps and instinctively jumps. I didn't realize how close I was to her until her head bumps against mine.
"Oh no," she says under her breath as we both stand up right. I have the water bottle in my hand and I go to offer it to her, ignoring the twinge of pain in my forehead from where her head hit mine. Aria rubs the back of her head momentarily as her gaze collides with mine. "Leo."
"Ari."
A wave of nervousness passes through her expression and she laughs apologetically as she takes the water bottle from me, careful to avoid her fingers coming in contact with mine again. "I'm sorry, on both counts. I didn't even realize anyone was coming off the elevator and I didn't mean to bump your head."
"Stop," I tell her as I stare down into the swirling hues of gray. Standing this close, I can pick out the small flecks of dark blue in her irises. She's fucking beautiful. "You don't have to apologize to me for anything, ever. You got that?"
She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth and nods. "It's just a habit, I guess." She pauses with a shrug. "And I kind of owe you an apology for all of that."
I shake my head at her. "I don't want any apologies from you." There's something about her doing it that doesn’t sit well with me. I don't care if she runs me over with her goddamn car. The last thing I want to hear is the regret in her voice as she profusely apologizes as if she's going to be in trouble if she doesn't.
She's under my skin. I want her out. But I don't want her to ever feel like she's small. I don't want her to ever feel as if she's beneath anyone.
Aria Reed deserves to sit upon the highest fucking pedestal.
"What were you doing?" I question her as I glance behind me at the little room she must have come from.
A smile spreads across her lips and she pulls a bag of pretzels and a chocolate bar from the pocket of her robe and shows them to me. I've seen what Aria normally eats during the day and she isn't one who seems to indulge in junk food often. "These are my guilty little pleasures. Don't tell anyone."
The corners of my mouth twitch. "We all have our secrets."
She stares up at me, shifting her weight on her feet as her eyes shimmer beneath the lights in the hallway. "We do, don't we?"
"I want to know yours."
I can't stop the words and they just fall from my lips. Any logical or irrational thoughts I once had are completely gone. I don't even possess the ability to control the things I'm saying. Aria stares back at me, her eyes widening slightly, but she recovers. Instead, a fire begins to burn deep within her irises. She tilts her head to the side, almost as if she isn't sure what to do next or how to respond.
And then she surprises me.
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."
Goddamn her. As much as I want her to play along, a part of me wishes she would have told me to fuck off or chose to not respond. Instead, she just opened a door that I know I don't have enough self-control to close.
My feet move and I close the distance between us. Aria doesn't take a step away from me. The soft hint of her perfume invades my senses and I breathe her in. Aria tucks her snacks back into her pocket as I lift my hand and run my fingertips along the seam of her plush robe that crosses over her chest. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
"Don't question me like I don't know what I want, Wells," she says in warning, straightening her spine as she lifts her chin more to look at me. I can't fight the smirk that lifts my lips. This is the side of Aria that brings me immense amusement along with frustration. She's confident and isn't going to back down from a challenge.
And I can't be the one to make her fucking bend.
"What is it you want, Aria?"
She levels her gaze on mine. "I want you to stop talking," she admits as she smiles sweetly at me. "I want you to finally collect on your debt, unless you're too afraid to do that."
A chuckle escapes me. "You think I haven't collected because I'm scared?" I shake my head as I cup the side of her face and run the pad of my thumb along her bottom lip. "I haven't collected it because I'm not sure you can handle it."
She narrows her eyes on mine and her lip moves against my finger as she talks. "You don't know me that well then, do you?" She nips at the tip of my finger, her teeth grazing my skin.
"Perhaps I don't," I muse out loud as I stare down at her. She's beautiful and I like her worked up like this. Her body deceives her, although I don't think she's actively trying to hide any reaction. Her chest rises and falls in every shallow breath she takes. "Do you think you might want to show me?"
"Show you what?" she breathes as she instinctively takes a step closer. Her body is almost flush against mine and I want to know what the fuck is under that goddamn robe. Her heat radiates from her body. Abandoning her lips, I slide my hand around the back of her head, pushing my fingers through her hair as I tilt her head back even farther. Her neck elongates and it can't be comfortable in that position as she maintains eye contact with me.
My face slowly inches closer to hers until I can feel her breath across my face. It smells faintly of chocolate and I smile. That chocolate bar in her pocket isn't the first one she’s snuck from the vending machine. My lips brush against hers but I don't kiss her. Her hands reach for my waist and she holds on to my hips in an effort to keep herself upright as I don't let up the pressure on the back of her head.
"Prove me wrong. Show me you can handle it."
"Done."
That's all I need for my mouth to end up crashing into hers. The tension between us is so goddamn thick, it swirls in the air around us, encapsulating us as I slide my tongue along the seam of her mouth. Aria doesn't hesitate and parts her lips to let me in. My tongue slides against hers, soft like silk, tasting like rich milk chocolate. Jesus Christ, she's fucking divine. Her fingers dig into my skin and I kiss her slowly, drawing out every sweep of my tongue. She doesn't rush it, instead matching my energy. She doesn't mind the slow torture. Instead, she does the same, nipping and tasting, touching and teasing.
She drives me fucking insane and she doesn't even know it.
Abruptly, I pull away from her, both of us breathless as my eyes search hers. The flames lick her irises and I want to fucking burn in her. "Your room or mine?"
"Yours. I can’t get the temperature to turn up, so it’s an icebox in my room."
Bending forward slightly, I lean close to her and hook my hands behind her thighs, sweeping her into the air. Her breath leaves her in a rush as I lift her up. My hands are under her robe and her bare skin is warm beneath my hands as she wraps her legs around the small of my back. She doesn't say anything as her hands go around the back of my neck and she holds on to me as I carry her down the hall. This isn't the first time I've ever carried her, but every other time has been on the ice. This is different and intimate. I love the way she feels in my arms, the way her slender legs feel wrapped around my body. The way her hands wrap around the nape of my neck.
My footsteps are light and it doesn't take long before we reach the door to my suite. I press her back against the door and my one hand drops away from her thigh. "Hold on to me, Ari. I need to get my key from my pocket."
"Okay," she says softly as I push my hand into my pocket and retrieve the key.
I pull her back away from the door and she holds on to me as I use one hand to unlock and push it open. My heart pounds to its own beat inside my chest, but it rattles against my rib cage. Warmth is spreading through my body like wildfire and I have a deep-seated need to be inside her. We've been toeing this line for far too long–it's time. I don't know what happens after this and I don't even care anymore. If I can just have one more taste of her, I'll have had my fill and then I can close the door on whatever the hell this is.
The tension will dissipate and we can resume life like this never happened.
As we step inside the suite and the door closes behind me, Aria's lips find mine in the darkness of the room. My feet move us across the space and I struggle to not run into or trip over anything as I carry her to the bedroom. Aria's fingers slide up my scalp, her nails raking my skin as she runs her fingers through my hair. I fucking love her like this. She's just as greedy for my touch as I am for hers.
My thighs hit the bed and I slowly lower her down onto the mattress. We don't need any of the lights on with the way the moon shines through the window. It's big and full and it casts its light across the bed and across her body. Aria's hair splays out around her head, creating the illusion of a halo. She stares up at me as I reach for the sash of her robe and pull on it. It undoes the knot and I toss it to the side as I grab the lapels of her robe and begin to push them open.
My breath catches in my throat as I find out what she’s wearing beneath that damned robe…