13. Leo
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
My alarm begins to ring from where it's sitting on my nightstand beside me. My body begins to stir awake and I groan as I realize just how exhausted I actually am. I wouldn't mind sleeping in for an extra few hours, but I don't have a choice. Our competition is in a few days. Now is crunch time. We need to get as much time on the ice as humanly possible.
My eyelids are heavy as I try to peel them open and begin to move to turn off my alarm. My arm is pinned to the bed and I turn my head to the side as her warmth registers in my mind. Aria is laying pressed against my side, her head resting in the crook of my arm as I hold her against me with my hand wrapped around her bicep.
Fuck.
I forgot she asked me to sleep with her last night. Instead of being strong and telling her no, I caved without a second thought. There was no hesitation.
"Aria," I say softly, attempting to wiggle my arm out from under her. "We have to get up."
She stirs in her sleep, mumbling something under her breath that doesn't make sense. Hell, I don't know if she's even speaking a language or if it was just gibberish. Instead of waking up or moving away from me, she rolls onto her other side, pressing her back against me. Her ass presses against my hip and I find myself cursing under my breath. My cock has a mind of its own and instantly grows hard at the contact.
"Aria," I say a little louder, this time pushing against her back with my other hand. I need to get out of this bed or we'll be spending the rest of the fucking day right here with me buried deep inside her. "Get up."
I don't know if this is typical for her or what, but she's sleeping like the damned dead. If she wouldn't have made any movements or noises, I would have been checking to see if she was breathing. I'm a bit annoyed as I stare at her and it's such a contradiction. She looks perfect and peaceful. I want to wrap my arms around her and fall back asleep with her. My cock wants me to wake her up and slide inside her. I know neither of those are viable options and I also know what is riding on our performance. We both have to get up and go skate instead.
My alarm is still going off in the background and it feels like it’s becoming even louder. I try one last time, giving Aria a gentle shake, but even that doesn't wake her up. I let out a deep breath and finally just pull my arm out from under her, completely jostling her on the bed. Her eyelids fly open and she gives me a look of bewilderment as she abruptly sits up with me. I grab my phone and turn off the alarm.
"What the hell?"
I look at Aria over my shoulder. "Time to wake up."
"You couldn't have been a little nicer about it?" she questions me with sleep and irritation in her tone. I can see she's going to be a joy this morning.
I get up from the bed and walk over to open the curtains. As I pull them back, I half expect her to hiss at me like a vampire. Instead, she groans and squints her eyes. "Maybe if you didn't sleep like the dead and would have woken up one of the three other times I tried, it would have been a more peaceful wake-up."
"You're a dick."
She never struck me as someone who wasn't a morning person since she always seemed pleasant at the rink in the mornings. I'd never seen her when she first woke up before today, though.
I roll my eyes as I grab the clothes she had laid out last night. "And you're annoying." I toss the pile onto the bed in front of her. "Get up."
Aria huffs but doesn't say anything else as I grab my things and head into the bathroom. I take my time using the restroom and brushing my teeth before I get dressed. I pull my hoodie over my head and give myself a once-over in the mirror before opening the door again. I find Aria already dressed, wearing a pair of black skating pants and a cream-colored sweater that hangs off one shoulder. Standing in the doorway, I watch her for a moment as she finishes making the bed. I didn't ask her to do it, but I can't help but feel a sense of appreciation for her doing something as small and insignificant as that.
She fluffs the last down feather pillow and sets it in place beside the matching one. She slowly turns around to face me and lifts her arms to cross them over her chest. "Are you finally done in the bathroom?"
I smile brightly at her, stepping to the side as I wave my arm in the direction of the restroom. It isn't often that we trade roles where she's the one who is being grumpy and I'm being the bright and cheery person.
"It's all yours."
Aria walks past me and closes the door behind herself after she enters the bathroom. Leaving her to do whatever she needs in there, I move through the suite over to the small kitchen area. I open the fridge and reach inside for two water bottles for Aria and I. I pull one of the bananas from the bunch and peel it open and lean against the counter as I wait for her. When she finally emerges, she looks a little more alive than she did when she walked in there. She walks over to me and I wordlessly hand her a bottle of water. She leans forward, her chest brushing against me as she gets a banana for herself. I watch her as she peels it open and slides it between her lips. She carefully chews a mouthful of the fruit before swallowing.
"Do you always watch people?"
No, just you.
"Do you always wake up in a bad mood?" I counter, ignoring her question.
She narrows her eyes on me. "It's all dependent upon how I wake up and who I wake up with."
I can't help myself as I smile at her. She's fucking feisty and I can't help but love it when she's like this. I like when she claps back without any hesitation. Her words should sting, but they don't. She can wake up with whoever she wants to. I don't care about her past and there's no reason for me to be jealous of any man who comes after me.
I had her first.
The thought of Griffin pricks the back of my mind. It's like lighter fluid, spreading through my veins. My spine stiffens and I struggle to push the thought of him and her together from my brain.
"We should get going," she reminds me, breaking through my thoughts. "We don't want to be late."
I can't argue with her as we both finish our bananas and toss the peels into the trash can. Aria grabs her skating bag that is sitting next to mine by the front door and I follow suit. We step out into the hallway in silence, both of us wheeling our bags along with us. Aria walks over to the elevator and I step up beside her as we wait for the car to get to our floor. When the doors slide open, she steps in and I move into the space with her.
The scent of her perfume infiltrates my senses and I can't help myself as I inhale. I love the smell of her, but I loved the smell of her sleeping next to me even more. Last night, I tried to stay away from her. I went out to the damn bar and had only one drink. I sat there for God knows how long until I finally gave in and came back to the room. There was a part of me that was trying hard to avoid coming back because I needed the space. She's clouding my thoughts. I'm finding myself caring about things I normally don't give a shit about.
I shouldn't care about whether or not Aria Reed has fresh fucking towels and that her fucking pillows are fluffed.
Inviting her to stay in my room was a terrible decision. I should have just let her sleep in her own room instead.
***
The next couple of days go the same way as the first night Aria was in my room. We wake up and argue, go to the rink, and skate for hours on end, head back to the hotel room to shower, and go our separate ways after that. Aria's always back in the room before me and I make it a point to stay out until after she's asleep. If we're not in there together, there's no way I can fuck up and end up fucking her again.
It's the same each night. I find her sleeping on the damn couch and I carry her to bed, only to crawl in under the covers beside her.
We don't talk about it.
There's nothing to talk about.
The day we've been waiting for is finally upon us. I roll over in bed and see that Aria is already up and moving around. Actually, she's nowhere to be found, but the bathroom door is shut and I can see the glow of the light underneath the door. We go on the ice earlier in the day today and I'm secretly glad. I hate having to wait until late in the evening or even into the night. I would much rather get it done and over with so I don't have to feel like I'm going to die from the anxiety.
I hear something on the other side of the door and it sounds like Aria is in there throwing up. Worry washes over me and I quickly get up from bed and go knock on the door. If she's sick, that could derail everything. As fucked up as it is, unless you're in the hospital on your death bed, you have no choice but to get your shit together and skate through illness in a situation like this. This is one of the most important competitions of the year for us. This is the one that is the final determination of who competes at Worlds.
"Are you okay?" I ask Aria, keeping my voice soft as I stand on the other side of the door.
I hear the toilet flush and her moving around inside there. "I'm good."
Deciding not to push her, I linger for a moment longer as I hear the water running in the sink, followed by the sound of the shower turning on. It's not my place to probe and dig to try and figure out if she's okay. Aria's a big girl, she's been through this countless times before. That thought doesn't stop me from ducking out into the hallway. I find myself walking to the vending machines as I press the buttons for a ginger ale and a pack of crackers. It's the least I can do to help and support her if she isn't feeling well.
She's still in the shower when I get back to the room, so I patiently wait, opting to make sure all my clothing is ready to go and everything we need to take is ready. I end up lying back in bed, scrolling on my phone as I wait for Aria to come out. When she finally emerges from the bathroom, steam billows from the door and she steps out wearing nothing but a towel. Her hair is pulled back in a tight bun on the top of her head and her face is freshly washed and free of any makeup.
I slowly climb out of bed, grabbing the pack of crackers and soda as I walk over to her. I hold it out for her as she sets her makeup bag down on the vanity by the closet.
"What's this?" she asks me as she takes them from me, a quizzical look on her face as her eyes meet mine.
Suddenly, I feel fucking nervous under her gaze. What the hell? I shift my weight on my feet and shrug. "I got these in case you weren't feeling well. I thought maybe it would help?"
A slow, gentle smile creeps across her lips as she looks up at me. "Thanks, Leo. I really appreciate it," she tells me as she tears open the pack of crackers and pulls one out. "It’s my anxiety. It happens most mornings of early competitions. These always help, though."
"You're welcome." I stand awkwardly in front of her for a second, like I’ve forgotten how to speak or move or do anything normal. I'm trying really fucking hard not to look at her wearing nothing but a towel while also trying to cover my stupid boner. "I'm going to go take a shower."
Aria laughs softly and I savor the sound against my eardrums as I step into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I turn on the shower, setting the temperature of the water to as hot as it will go as I strip out of my clothes and discard them on the floor by the bathroom door. Pulling open the glass door, I step into the shower and directly into the burning spray. It's hot on my skin and rolls down my back as I close my eyes and inhale deeply. Steam still lingers in the room from Aria and it grows thicker from the heat pouring out of the showerhead.
I quickly wash my hair and body, scrubbing at my skin like I'm trying to wash away my thoughts of Aria in a towel. I've seen her naked, I've seen her in a robe, I've seen her fully clothed. It doesn't matter what she's wearing—she has my fucking attention regardless. I may never get to touch her again, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to imagine the things I would do to her if I could.
My cock is still as hard as a rock as I think about pulling down the top of her towel and watching it tumble to the ground, pooling around her feet before she takes a step toward me. Wrapping my hand around myself, I grip my length and slowly begin to stroke up and down. My eyelids fall shut and I picture her stepping into the shower with me instead. Her hair falls in waves down to the middle of her back. She steps closer, lifting her arms to wrap them around the back of my neck as she presses her body against mine.
The hot water falls down her taut body. My hand grips her waist as the other pulls her head back with a fistful of her hair. My lips find hers in a haste and I kiss her deeply before she pulls away from me. Her movements are deliberately slow and teasing as she makes her way down my torso until she's on her knees in front of me. She wraps her hand around the base of my cock and her lips around the tip. I groan, my hand gripping the back of her head as she inhales me. Her tongue feels like silk as it slides against the underside of my cock. She takes me deep in her mouth, gagging around my length as I hit the back of her throat.
She looks up at me, her eyes glistening, her lips plump and wet around the girth of my dick as she starts to bob her head. She pulls me in and out of her mouth, sucking as I begin to move my hips. She holds on to me as I begin to fuck her face, moving in tandem with her.
"Fuck, Aria," I moan, her name tumbling from my lips as I tilt my head back. Her mouth is warm and wet and I imagine this is exactly what heaven feels like.
I grip her hair even tighter as my hips buck. Warmth builds in the pit of my stomach. My balls constrict, drawing closer to my body as I get closer to coming. Aria continues to suck my cock, moving her head back and forth as she continues to stroke my length with her mouth. Her plump lips suction tighter around me and that's all it takes to send me soaring over the edge. The warmth begins to spread across my abdomen, spilling into my veins as it spreads through my body like wildfire.
Thrusting into her mouth again, my orgasm tears through me, lighting my body on fire. She keeps bobbing her head, swallowing every spurt of cum that I shoot into the back of her throat. I'm riding the ultimate high as I lift my head and open my eyes to look down at her.
Reality comes crashing down around me when I realize I'm standing in the shower alone. Aria isn't in front of me on her knees with my cock down her throat. It's my hand wrapped around my length, not her lips. Cum drips from the tip of my cock onto the tile floor and I see the rest of it across the shower wall instead of in her mouth.
I just jerked off to the thought of her while she's literally on the other side of the door. I just came, yet I feel more tension than I did before I started stroking myself.
Water streams down my face as I let out a frustrated sigh and let go of my cock.
I need to get her out of my head… and out of my bed.