Chapter 4
CECILY
Ihad talked myself out of dinner at least twenty times since this morning.
The timing was horrible. I’d thought about Ares too much while I was at my training camp.
Although he was the only man I could picture myself with, getting involved with him while I needed to focus on making the Olympic team was a bad idea.
I needed to text Ares and cancel before I let myself get any more tangled up in him. But every time I pulled out my phone, I couldn’t bring myself to actually type out the message to him. Now time was running out, and I couldn’t send that text from the pool with a bunch of kids.
When Tommy’s parents asked me to oversee six kids in the water for his third birthday party, it’d sounded like fun. But somehow, our hour in the pool was more tiring than a lesson would’ve been.
“Okay, everyone, kick your legs like you’re making the biggest splash we’ve ever seen,” I called, treading water in the shallow end with six little bodies surrounding me.
Laughter rang in the air as tiny legs flailed in every direction.
I adjusted Tommy’s floatie, smiling as the kids floated on their backs, my mind already drifting back to Ares.
I needed to stay locked in on my training regimen.
The next Olympic cycle was only twenty-one months away, and I couldn’t afford any distractions.
Not after I’d come so close to making the team last time.
Especially not six-foot-six, bearded, quietly intense ones whose texts tempted me to forget about my dream of winning gold.
I had just finished swimming a lap with Tommy trailing behind me as he held my calves when the air around me changed.
My skin prickled, and the tiny hairs on my arms stood up. I didn’t even have to look to know he was there, but I did anyway.
Ares leaned against the chain-link fence separating the pool deck from the spectator area, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His striking blue eyes were locked directly on me.
I was an athlete with a super low resting heart rate, but my pulse spiked so hard that I nearly lost my rhythm with the kids. Heat rushed through my body, tightening my nipples against the thin fabric of my swimsuit.
I tore my gaze away and forced my focus back to the kids. “Let’s play tag next. Tommy, you’re it first since you’re the birthday boy.”
My voice stayed calm, and my hands didn’t shake. I made sure Tommy and his little friends had lots of fun, refusing to let Ares disrupt what I was doing, even if he’d already shattered my concentration.
He stayed right there the entire time, watching me. As though he had every right to stare at me. I knew if I wanted to cancel, I would have to do it face-to-face.
Our hour in the pool finally came to an end, and the shallow end exploded into chaos when I blew the whistle I used during lessons. Tommy’s parents had only invited students from his swim class because they hadn’t wanted to worry about a bunch of kids from his preschool who didn’t know how to swim.
Then they hired me to keep the six boys and girls happy while they were in the water, since they were all used to being in here with me. Luckily, the timing had worked perfectly with my training camp since I’d gotten back into town last night.
Parents crowded the edge of the pool, calling names and waving towels while kids squealed and splashed one last time. I herded my little group out, offering hugs and high-fives, then grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my waist.
I kept my head down and started walking toward the locker room, planning to slip right past him without a word. But I should have known I wouldn’t make it.
Ares walked over to the gate, his gaze tracking my every step. There was no avoiding him.
“Tyre!” A tiny voice screamed in pure delight.
Kylan broke away from his dad and bolted straight toward Ares. A low, rumbling laugh rolled out of the sexy biker, the sound doing dangerous things to my insides.
He caught the boy easily, lifting him high and tossing him gently before catching him again. “Look at you, little man.”
Kylan stretched his arms wide, secure in Ares’s muscular hold. “Big splash.”
“Yup, and now you’re getting me all wet,” Ares teased as he settled the giggling child against his chest.
Seeing the intimidating man handle a child with such gentleness, my ovaries basically exploded on the spot.
Kane walked up, smirking as he glanced between Ares and me. The look on his face made me blush, embarrassed that the Redline Kings president had so easily figured out something was going on between his treasurer and me.
“Come on, buddy.” Kane reached for his son. “Let’s let Tyre handle his business.”
He shot Ares a knowing grin, took the still-laughing boy, and disappeared toward the table where the drinks and birthday cake were set up without another word.
The noise of the pool faded into the background. Ares’s blue eyes locked on mine, and my pulse hammered so hard I was sure he could see it in my throat.
I opened my mouth, trying to find some reasonable excuse to shut this down before it went any further. But he closed the distance between us, and my thoughts scattered.
“You didn’t call me.”
“I just got back last night, and I needed a little time to—” The rest of my words caught in my throat, so I had to start again.
“I was actually going to text you about tonight.” I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth as I gathered the courage to go through with canceling our date.
“I don’t think dinner’s a good idea. We should just forget about each other. ”
He closed the remaining distance between us in two long strides, his hand settling on my waist. I was distracted by the heat from his palm through the towel wrapped around me and didn’t notice he was backing me up against the chain-link fence until it pressed against my back.
I was trapped between cold steel and the man of my dreams.
“Yeah.” His thumb brushed slowly over my hip. “We’re not doing that.”
My breath hitched, and a rush of warmth flooded between my thighs. I wasn’t sure if I should be irritated or thrilled that my usual control of my body disappeared with him so close.
The satisfied gleam in his eyes made it clear he hadn’t missed my reaction. “You’re coming to dinner, and you’re going to stop pretending you don’t want this just as much as I do.”
I tried to think straight, but it was impossible. The questions in my head were all jumbled together. Worries about what would happen if I got another shot at the Olympics. If I gave in, I could end up with a broken heart I’d never recover from. And my distress could destroy my chances at the gold.
But Ares didn’t give me time to spiral. He lifted his hand from my hip to interlace our fingers and tug me even closer. “If seven doesn’t work for you, I’ll pick you up whenever you want.”
As I stared up at him, weighing my options, his gaze drifted over my shoulder, and his expression darkened.
I turned my head just enough to see two college-age guys standing near the snack stand, staring openly at me in my swimsuit.
Their gazes lingered on my legs and chest without shame, and my reaction to the masculine appreciation in their eyes was the complete opposite of what I felt when Ares looked at me.
My skin crawled, and I tugged the towel a little higher.
Ares’s other palm pressed against my lower back, pulling me flush against his hard body. Then he kissed me, and there was nothing gentle about it.
His lips pressed against mine, hot and demanding. I gasped, and he took advantage, his tongue sweeping in to tangle with mine.
One of his hands slid up my back, fingers threading into my damp braid, tilting my head exactly how he wanted it. Then he deepened the kiss until my knees went weak.
Heat coursed through my veins, and I clutched at his shirt without meaning to, a tiny helpless sound escaping my throat as he devoured me. My nipples tightened painfully against my damp swimsuit, and my core clenched with pure need.
I forgot about the people who might be watching, my world narrowing to only Ares. His taste, and the way he held me like I already belonged to him.
When he finally pulled back, I was dizzy. My lips felt like they were swollen, and they tingled. His eyes were dark with satisfaction, and there was a smug curve to the corner of his mouth.
He leaned in close, his lips brushing my ear. “Seven o’clock, baby. Don’t make me come find you.”
Then he stepped back, released me, and walked away like he hadn’t just destroyed every defense I’d tried to build.
I stood there on shaky legs, staring after his broad back as he headed for the parking lot. My fingers touched my lips, still feeling the pressure of his kiss. It had been everything I’d fantasized about. And I knew I was in so much trouble because I didn’t think I had the strength to resist him.