He cocks his head to the side at that, appraising me from top to bottom. His gaze causes a prickly feeling to break out on my spine. “Some of us are doing this for fun,” he says. “Do you know what that means? F-U-N?”
The glint in his eyes tells me his idea of fun would involve the two of us and a significant lack of clothing. For a moment, the mental image of Aiden King not wearing his speedo admittedly makes my heart beat faster. But then I remind myself that Aiden is an ass. If he and I ever did sleep together, if being the operative word here, I have no doubt that he’d only be thinking of himself. There’s no way it’d be a fun experience for both of us.
At least, that’s what I tell myself to cool down. I cross my arms and give Aiden a sassy look. “My idea of fun is winning. Something you clearly don’t give a shit about.”
“Oh, I want to win, Maya.” Aiden takes a step forward, and now we’re inches from each other. He’s looking at me with darkness behind his eyes. It’s a look I’ve always felt him give me from far away, but never seen up close. “It’s why I don’t fuck you right here and now, Maya. Because if I did, there’s no way you’d have enough energy to win tomorrow. Let alone walk.” His sexy half-grin slides back on his face, and it leaves me completely speechless.
Holy shit, where did that come from? I mean, we’ve been bantering like this since I joined the team, but he’s never outright said he wants to fuck me. Though, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about sleeping with Aiden once or twice.
Or maybe three times.
My stomach does a backflip, making my palms sweaty and my heart beat irregularly. Jesus, that heat in my chest better not be a blush coming on. It takes all my energy just to remember how to breathe correctly.
“Lucky for you, I’m thinking of the team, like the great captain that I am.” Aiden flashes me that self-satisfied smile that makes all the other ladies’ panties wet.
Luckily, I’m already wet.
With nothing to say, I spin around and dive into the water with as big a splash as I can make, severely hoping he didn’t notice my nipples harden under my one piece.
Chapter Two
Aiden
I watch as Maya swims away, admiring the sweet curve of her ass as she ducks under the water and kicks herself as far from me as she can get. I notice the edge of a fin-shaped tattoo peeking out from the left cheek of her bathing suit just before she’s submerged. That damn mystery tattoo has been driving me crazy ever since I first saw it. Is it a dolphin? A shark? A mermaid? Maya speeds down the lane like a freaking jet ski, and I find it amazing how such a cute, curvy woman can be so fast in the water.
She reaches the other side of the lane, popping up for air. When Maya sees me watching her, she gives me the finger, then ducks back underwater. I can’t help but chuckle because, God, do I love pushing her buttons. I get such a kick egging her on. She thinks too much, talks too fast, and cares way too much about winning.
Me? Shit, I love winning as much as the next guy, but it doesn’t override my ability to have a good time.
Maya, on the other hand. I’m not sure she’s ever had a good time. Especially considering the way her body responded to my not-so-subtle comment earlier about fucking her right here on the pool deck. I loved seeing her nipples stand to attention at the thought of being with me. She’s as attracted to me as I am to her, she just hasn’t admitted it yet.
But soon she’ll have no choice but to give in because after we win Districts tomorrow, Maya and I are going to celebrate in a post-competition heat of our own.
Chapter Three
Maya
SLAP! SNAP! FWOP!
The sounds of swimming caps and goggles slapping into place around me fill the echoing indoor pool. Schools from all over the district have gathered here at Tempt University to compete in the second-round Districts qualifiers. The familiar smell of chlorine fills my nostrils, and a cacophony of noises bounce around the indoor pool as my competitors gear up for the next heat.
I love the competitive atmosphere.
I shove my tightly-wound, curly brown hair beneath my swim cap and let it snap shut, all while eyeing the girl in the rightmost lane. Her name is Gabby S. (at least, that’s what the scoreboard always says), and as far as I’m concerned, she’s the only competition here.
Gabby and I are the fastest two swimmers on our teams. We consistently finish within a tenth of a second of each other, and under normal circumstances, beating her would be the only thing on my mind.
But today is not normal circumstances because Aiden freaking King is swimming around in my brain, and I can’t drown him out for the life of me.
Coach Miller beckons me to join her and my teammates in our traditional pre-competition huddle. I give Gabby one last intimidation stare before ducking into the circle with my team. I hope she bought my faux confidence because I sure as hell didn’t.
“Alright, guys, this is it.” Coach Miller takes her place in the circle right next to Aiden, who flashes her his signature smile, and it makes me want to gag. “I am so proud of you, all of you.” She says that last part staring right at Aiden, but he’s staring right at me.
Aiden’s gaze ignites a whirlwind of butterflies in my stomach, the likes of which I’ve never once come close to on a competition day.
What a jerk.
I don’t even hear the rest of Coach’s pep talk, I’m so worked up inside. Who does Aiden think he is? No so-called “team leader” would ever get into their teammates’ heads the day before a big race. God, he is such an ass. I grit my teeth and avert my gaze, determined to shake him from my thoughts.
But just when I decide it’s time to focus on Coach Miller’s pep talk, she’s done talking. She initiates our cheesy team handshake, and I realize I didn’t hear anything she said. We pile our hands atop each other, and Aiden makes sure to place his just above mine. My heart rate spikes despite myself (what are we, middle schoolers?). Instead of coming out of the huddle with a confident, determined mindset, I’m feeling pissed, hormonal, and entirely out of my element.
“Alright, let’s do this!” Aiden slaps his hands together and steps onto the block while the rest of us get into position in line behind him. Kamila takes her stance as our backup next to Coach Miller, and I set my goggles, silently wondering if I’ll be able to save the team today. But the way my mind wanders at the sight of Aiden in a speedo makes me start to doubt that I can.
Shake it off, Maya.
I give myself a mental slap across the face, deciding the best way to get through this is to focus on speed and imagine myself zipping through the water like a bullet. I keep repeating that image of me shooting through the water until I’m convinced there’s no other way to swim. I take my place in line with the rest of the Tempt U. team, eagerly awaiting that first whistle, the signal to drop all other thoughts and focus solely on the race at hand.
After what feels like an eternity of waiting in this nerve-filled atmosphere, the whistle blows, and Aiden dives into the water with perfect form. Usually, I’d be silently cursing him, wishing I didn’t have to watch him suck so badly before I get to jump in and save the day, but all I can focus on is the way his body moves in the water.
Aiden’s dive is so smooth it all plays like slow motion in my eyes as if he’s swimming through syrup. I’m totally mesmerized by his muscles, the way his body commands the water around him. Suddenly I’m picturing the two of us together, our bodies entangled—
“GO, MAYA!”
What?! I snap out of my little daydream to find my entire team yelling at me to JUMP!
Fuck!
I haul myself into the water and swim my heart out, pumping my arms and legs like a goddamn machine.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.
The words play on repeat in my mind as my body switches into automatic mode. My muscles are on fire, I’m full of adrenaline, and I honestly don’t even know if I’m breathing right now. Never the religious type, I find myself praying to God that I’m fast enough
to make up for both Aiden and myself. Who knows how many seconds I cost us with my little moment on the block?
I shove the worrisome thoughts to the side (like, what the hell was I thinking? And why did it involve Aiden?!), and before I know it, I’m seconds away from finishing my leg of the relay. I stretch my arm out and tap the wall, quick to jump out and whip my head toward the lanes behind me. I watch in terror as the lead I was hoping to create is nowhere to be seen.
“Shit,” I mutter. Aiden steps beside me just then, and I fully expect him to say something snarky, but he doesn’t. Instead, we watch the rest of the race intently until George touches the tile, and the times are thrown on the big screen.
My heart sinks.
From across the pool, Gabby S. gives me a cocky smirk and turns to her team. I run a hand over my face.
Three-tenths of a second. Gabby S. beat me by three-tenths of a second.
“WE DID IT!” A heavy hand slaps my shoulder as a chorus of happy screeching erupts from my teammates.
“We’re going to States!” Amanda gives me a jumping hug.
Sure, I’m relieved we were able to pull off a win (by one second flat, no less), but the only thing I can think about is how pissed I am at myself for letting Gabby S. beat me by a shred of a second.
All because I let Aiden get in my head in the first place.
While my team celebrates at the edge of the pool, I yank my cap off and throw it on the ground, ignoring their puzzled stares as I stomp toward the locker room.
Chapter Four
Aiden
“Screw showering,” Kamila says, waving Maya’s temper tantrum away, “let’s go straight to Positano’s for some celebratory pizza and beer!”
The rest of our teammates burst into laughter and enthusiastically agree. While everyone pulls their pants on over their suits and grab their bags, I glance toward the locker room after Maya.
“You coming with, King?” Miller looks at me expectantly.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you guys there.”
“Oh, that’s right,” George says. “The great Aiden King can’t go anywhere with cap hair. He has to make sure he looks like a winner first.” The girls giggle at that.
I take my cap off and run my hand through it dramatically, giving them a smile as I say, “I always look like a winner.” They burst into another fit of laughter.
“Alright, see you there,” Coach Miller waves goodbye and leads the team outside as I head toward the locker room.
As much as I love pushing her buttons, I hate when Maya is this upset. We won, for Christ’s sake, so why the hell is she pissed?
I shake my head at the image of that sassy woman stomping off like a sore loser. Whatever’s got her swimsuit in a twist, I’m going to find out.
* * *
I round the tiled walls to the entrance of the men and women’s locker rooms, cautiously peeking into the women’s side to see if there’s much commotion. But even before I look, I know there’s no one in there except for Maya. Tempt. U students prefer attending the hockey and football games, which are usually scheduled at the same time as our meets, and the visiting swim teams aren’t allowed to use our locker room anyway.
Therefore, it’s just Maya and me.
I slip inside, head past the lockers, and approach the hall of showers. Steam spills from the top of the center stall, and the sound of the water shooting out like a jet stream fills the somewhat small space.
“Maya?”
No response. Maya’s shower is on full blast. I do that too, sometimes, after a loss. As much as Maya likes to think I don’t care about winning, I do. I’m just not a sore loser or so goddamn intense about winning that I act like a child if it isn’t by a considerable margin.
I step up to her shower curtain. The scent of vanilla shampoo intoxicates my head for a moment, and just when I’m about to call Maya’s name again, the water stops running. Before I can get a word out, the shower curtain rips open with a forceful WHOOSH.
Maya steps forward, just inches from me, with her towel wrapped around her torso and her bag of shower goodies hanging from her arm. The thin layer of water covering her body makes her tan skin glisten, and her cheeks are flush from the heat. Her tightly wrapped towel squeezes her breasts together, and the thin fabric accentuates her curves, driving me entirely speechless.
She screams at the sight of me and slips on the sudsy ground.
Chapter Five
Maya
Just as I finish melting all thoughts of Aiden with a scalding hot shower, the sonofabitch shows up to witness me scream like a banshee and slip on the floor.
He catches me just before I hit the ground with his muscular arms, snatching me and pulling me into his torso. I grab onto him, breathing heavily from shock. His body is hard, powerful, warm, filling my recently emptied head with a slew of confusing emotions toward him.
I look up. His face is inches from mine, and Jesus, his lips look soft. They look like the kind of lips that are totally kissable…
“You okay?” Aiden’s voice brings me back to the present.
Oh yeah, what the fuck is he doing in here in the first place?
“No, I’m not okay!” I slap him and wriggle from his grip. “This is the women’s locker room. Unless you’ve been hiding a huge secret, I think you should leave.” I cross my arms and give him a warning look, knowing all too well that his tight-ass speedo couldn’t hide anything if it tried. Aiden King is a full-blown man, alright. And by the looks of it, he’s getting turned on right now.
Oh boy.
Nonononono. This is not good.
I push past him, muttering obscenities to myself.
“Maya, I came to see if you’re alright.” Aiden’s deep voice follows me to the lockers, his feet shuffling on the ground.
“I was doing just fine until you so rudely interrupted my post-race cool down.” I pull open my locker and hang my stuff on the hook inside. I withdraw a pair of flip flops and step onto them like I usually do after a locker-room shower before I change. The automatic motion carries a sense of familiarity that feels hugely at odds with the large, attractive man standing just a few feet away.
Half of me wants to slap Aiden and tell him to get the hell out, while the other half wants to watch his erection grow at the sight of me changing. Ugh, what have I become? I bite the inside of my lip.
“Stop lying and tell me what’s wrong,” Aiden says, crossing his arms and leaning casually against the lockers as if he owns the place. His cockiness drives me mad.
“What’s wrong is you’re in my locker room, and I need to change.”
“Yeah, you’re right. You do need to change, Maya.”
I scoff. “Excuse me?”
He steps toward me, leaning to talk down to me just a bit. “You need to change your attitude. Loosen up, for God’s sake. We just won Districts, you should be celebrating with the rest of the team instead of sulking alone like a sore loser.”
“We might as well have lost with how shitty we swam out there,” I spit. “We could be faster, we could be so much better if you put even a fraction of the amount of effort you put into your hair into your game.”
He smirks at that. “You noticed?”
I roll my eyes. “What I noticed is where we could improve. And it always seems to center around you, Aiden.”
He shakes his head at me, a slight grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You’re so fucking intense, Maya.” The light in his eyes dances with anticipation. “We won. All of us. We’re going to States next week, and unless you get a better attitude, I have half a mind to tell you to quit the team.”
I burst out laughing. It’s an ugly sound. A hackle, a snort. Who does he think he is? “Quit the team?” I say, hand on hip. “If I wasn’t on this team, we would never have gotten this far. The only reason we won today is because I’m fast as fuck. I am constantly making up for the time you lose us.”
He steps forward, and now we’re only a foot apart. “That’s not what I
saw today.” Aiden raises his eyebrow in a challenge.
“And what did you see today?”
“I saw you hesitate on the platform and cost us five seconds.”
I bite my tongue. He’s got me there.
“What were you thinking about up there, Maya?” His eyes lazily take me in from top to bottom. We’re so close to each other now, I can see the muscles in his jaw ticking. He’s leaning down to look at me, and I wonder what my boobs look like to him up there. His shoulders are broad, and his abs are gorgeous. I revel in the presence of his classic swimmer’s body. Unlike his clearly visible muscles, mine are protected by a thin layer of blubber that only adds to my curves.
“Care to share?” he asks, his breath tussling the already half-dried little curl on my forehead.
I part my lips. Aiden leans forward.
“I was thinking…” My voice sounds dry and hoarse. I lick my lips. There’s no way I’m going to tell him I had been imagining his lips on mine. His hands caressing my every curve. His body pressed against mine, kind of like how we are right now…
“Yeah?” His voice is a low growl, a bewitching sound that pulls me dangerously close to giving in to him...
Fuck it. He’s right. We won, and I deserve to celebrate.
“I was thinking that I want you to fuck me, Aiden.”
Chapter Six
Aiden
Before I can even register what Maya said, we’re on each other as tightly as the one-piece I love to see suction-cupped to her body.
Our lips meet with a searing intensity that shoots fire straight to my cock. Maya may be tiny, but she’s as feisty as she is fast. I know I don’t have to worry about hurting her when I slam her up against the lockers and grab her breast aggressively. She lets out a moan.
Tempt University: Year One: A College Romance Collection Page 2