Chapter 8
CECILY
The house was quiet, but sleep wouldn’t come. My body wouldn’t let it.
My parents had gone to bed hours ago, and the only sound was the low hum of the ceiling fan spinning above my bed. I lay on my back in the dark, staring at the shadows on the ceiling, trying not to think about how my lips still felt swollen and sensitive from Ares’s kisses.
Every time I licked them, I tasted him again, even though it had been a few hours since he dropped me off at home after our date.
My skin still tingled where his hands had gripped my hips in the car, and there was this restless, aching heat between my thighs that refused to settle no matter how many times I pressed my legs together.
I rolled out of bed and tried to distract myself.
I grabbed my training notebook from the desk and flipped through the pages, reviewing my notes from this morning’s session.
But the words blurred. All I could see was the way Ares had looked at me when he ended our makeout session after making me come.
A sensual shiver raced down my spine at the memory, and I closed the notebook.
I wanted more, and that scared me a little because I’d never felt like this before.
Hoping to distract myself in a different way, I tried stretching instead, rolling out my shoulders and hamstrings on the floor beside my bed. The familiar movements usually grounded me. Tonight they only made the unfamiliar ache worse. I finally gave up and crawled back under the covers.
I tried to focus on my goal—making the Olympic team.
I wanted to hit the water with my team this time.
I’d been in the group of final contenders, but my name hadn’t been on that roster when the announcement was made.
The feeling of being almost good enough had stuck with me, fueling my determination to become the artistic swimmer the selection committee chose first for the next cycle.
After the team returned and the head coach told me to rebuild and come back stronger, I’d taken that to heart. Being so close yet so far away had fueled me to give my training everything I had.
In the water, I controlled every precise line of my body. But with Ares, I had no willpower. He shattered every rule I’d built for myself and tempted me to throw away years of discipline.
I rolled onto my side, pressing my thighs together against a fresh wave of heat.
Just go to sleep, Cecily.
But even as my eyes finally drifted shut, all I could think about was his promise that there would be no going back when he took me. Which bled into my dreams.
His hands gripped my hips, pulling me down harder as I straddled him.
“That’s it, baby,” Ares growled against my mouth, his voice rough with need. “Ride me. Let me feel how wet you are for me.”
I rocked faster, gasping as he thrust up, filling me over and over again. “So close.”
His blue eyes burned with need. “Come for me.”
I jolted awake with a sharp gasp, my heart pounding and my body on fire. My thighs were clenched tight, and I was embarrassingly slick between them.
It would have been a problem if Ares had interfered with my sleep as much as he did with my focus when I was awake.
I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes and groaned. One steamy make-out session, and now my subconscious was fully on board with betraying me.
Routine was what I needed to get back on track. Forcing myself out of bed, I moved through my usual stretches, then downed a full bottle of water before changing.
The drive to the training facility was quiet, and I kept my mind on the upcoming session. By the time I hit the water, I at least looked like I was locked in.
Even distracted, I hit every mark. On the outside, I was exactly what Coach expected.
“Great job on the rotations today, Hayes,” Coach called after the second run. “Stephanie, you’re early on the transition again. Sync with Cecily.”
“Yes, Coach,” Stephanie answered, treading water beside me. She shot me a quick grin. “You’re on fire this morning. That lift felt perfect.”
“Thanks.” I flashed her a smile even as Ares’s deep voice echoed in my head again, saying that he was going to take all of me.
When the coach called out, “Let’s go again,” I blinked and refocused.
We ran the routine again, and I stayed technically flawless, but it took more effort than usual.
Every time my body moved through the water, I remembered the hard press of Ares’s chest against mine.
Every breath I controlled brought back the memory of his groan when I rocked against him.
My mind had been trained for years to stay focused, but I couldn’t stop my thoughts from drifting.
“Last one!” Coach shouted. “Full out. Make it count.”
I pushed everything else away and gave the routine everything I had.
When we surfaced, Coach was actually smiling. “Much better. That’s the standard I want to see every day.”
I sucked in air, my arms burning as a feeling of satisfaction settled over me. No matter how much Ares was getting under my skin, I could still do this. If another shot at the Olympics came, I wouldn’t hesitate to take it. Not even for my dream man.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur of swim lessons and practice sessions. I stayed focused and pushed through the fatigue, but a low buzz hummed under my skin the entire time. By the time I pulled into my driveway that evening, I still felt wired in a way I couldn’t quite shake.
I’d barely stepped out of my car when the deep rumble of a motorcycle filled the quiet street. I knew who it was before I even turned around.
Ares rolled up to the curb on his bike, looking ridiculously hot. After pulling off his helmet and killing the engine, his blue eyes locked on me.
He twisted around to pull a spare helmet from the saddlebag and held it out to me with a smirk. “Grab a jacket and put on better shoes, baby. We’re going for a ride.”
I took a few steps toward him before I realized what I was doing. “I just got home. I’m not sure I’m up for—”
“Want you on the back of my bike.”
I bit my lip, fighting a losing battle. The pull toward him was too strong, especially when he said stuff like that.
With a soft sigh and a smile I couldn’t hide, I closed the distance between us and took the helmet from his hand. “Okay, just a short ride.”
His smirk deepened, like he’d known I’d cave the second I saw him. Which was fair since that was exactly what I’d done. But after I grabbed a jacket and changed my shoes, I climbed onto the motorcycle behind him and pressed against his broad back. And I was happy about my decision.
The ride was everything I had craved since I started crushing on Ares.
With my arms wrapped tight around Ares’s waist, the bike roared down the winding roads outside Crossbend. The vibration of the engine hummed between my thighs, and every time he leaned into a turn, I felt the solid flex of his muscles.
I wanted to hold on like this forever, with my cheek against his shoulder while I breathed him in, letting the rest of the world disappear in a blur. For the first time in years, the constant pressure of training felt far away.
But the thought that I should tell him wouldn’t leave me alone. Maybe if he knew I would likely need to leave for California soon, he’d pull back before either of us got hurt.
Except I was already half in love with him. Maybe more.
By the time he pulled into my driveway and killed the engine, I’d talked myself out of saying anything. I yearned to be close to him, and I might lose my chance if I pushed him off until after the Olympics. Twenty months was a long time to ask a man to wait.
And Ares wasn’t just any guy. Women probably threw themselves at him all the time. He had too many other options to wait for me.
So I decided to trust myself to keep the eye on the prize while I went for what I wanted.
Climbing off the bike on shaky legs, I handed him the helmet while Ares took his off too, hanging both from the handlebars. Before I could step back, he caught my wrist, tugged me forward, and kissed me.
One hand slid into my hair while the other gripped my hip like he wanted to pull me onto his lap right there on the bike. I melted into him, whimpering softly as his tongue stroked against mine. He kissed me like he was barely holding himself back.
When he finally pulled away, we were both breathing hard.
“Get inside. Right now. Before I say fuck waiting until you’re ready.”
Feeling dazed, I nodded and forced myself to walk toward the door on unsteady legs. I didn’t look back until I was safely inside.
Through the front window, I watched him fire up the bike and pull onto the street. My heart was still racing as I leaned my forehead against the cool glass.
He wasn’t supposed to get in my head. Now I wasn’t sure he’d ever get out.