by R.S. Grey
Wrong.
“Why don’t you say what you’re really mad about,” I continued.
The game was a diversion. Brie wanted Cassie gone, but she wasn’t being honest about her motive. She didn’t give a fuck about propriety; she was upset that Cassie was here for another reason…something she’d rather keep secret. I smirked, knowing full well what she was trying to keep hidden.
“Is this what you’re so desperate for, Brie?” I asked, my breath skimming her bare neck as I leaned forward. I was nearly brushing my lips across her skin, but I held off, gauging her reaction. “Is it my attention you crave?” I reached forward and gripped her lower back to bring her stomach flush with mine. I wanted her to feel my hardness, feel how real this situation was. Her hands reached out to grip my chest, trying to put a barrier between us, but I wouldn’t let her.
“Do you want me to touch you like I was going to touch her?” I was an inch away from her lips when she slid her tongue out to wet them.
I smiled, pleased with how much I was affecting her. “You’re not mad that I brought a woman back here, Brie. You’re mad that it wasn’t you.”
She practically snarled at the accusation. She reared back and pushed me away as hard as she could, but I barely budged.
“You’re an asshole,” she said, deflecting the accusation.
“And you’re a child having a tantrum. Get out of my house.”
She turned and whipped open the front door. The thick wood would have slammed straight into me had I not stepped out of the way in time. I watched her walk back to the guesthouse, sparks flying off her. She loved teasing and testing me, but she couldn’t handle the consequences. She thought she could keep nipping at me and I wouldn’t bite back.
After this morning in my kitchen, I’d assumed she was harmless, naive, but she’d pushed too far. She’d assumed too much. I’d needed a night with Cassie. I’d needed to blow off steam, sink my cock into a woman, grip her hair in my hands, and fuck her hard. Brie had ruined that and now, I wasn’t just going to bite back. I was going to draw blood.
Chapter Thirteen
Brie
Shrill, loud BANGS were the first thing I heard the next morning. They rang out downstairs like fireworks exploding in the sky and they broke me out of my REM cycle with a jolt.
“Jeez! What is that?”
“What’s going on?” Molly asked, jerking awake in the top bunk.
I wiped the sleep from my eyes and pushed off my bed just as the crashes started again, this time even louder. I pressed my hands to my ears, trying to dull the sound, but it didn’t help.
“WAKE UP!”
Erik.
“You have five minutes to get dressed and get down here!” His voice boomed through the house, forcing a shiver down my spine.
Molly jumped off the bunk and started tossing clothes out of her suitcase.
“You coming?” she asked, turning to glance at me over her shoulder.
I’d been standing by, immobile, processing the fact that Erik was in our house, yelling. The night before, I’d assumed he would kiss me. His body was on mine, pushing me up against the door with enough force to make my toes curl. I’d tried to hide how turned on I was, but he knew. The bastard definitely knew.
“FOUR MINUTES,” he yelled.
I inhaled a deep breath and followed suit, reaching for a clean leotard and a matching black top and shorts. I brushed my teeth quickly and threw my hair in a braid.
“So I guess he didn’t appreciate the jokes last night?” Molly asked, coming up to stand beside me so she could reach for her own toothbrush.
I avoided her eyes in the mirror and didn’t offer a reply. The girls had asked me what had happened when I’d returned from Erik’s, but I’d ignored their questions and locked myself away upstairs. I’d tried hard to go to sleep, to forget how hard he’d felt against me, how badly I wanted to taste him, but the harder I fought against the memories of him, the more they corrupted my mind. Residual adrenaline and desire had swirled through me all night, and it wasn’t until 2:00 AM that I was finally able to drift to sleep. Now, glancing down at my phone on the bathroom sink, I realized it was only 4:30 AM. No wonder I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.
Lexi and June were already downstairs when I took the stairs two at a time. Erik was standing in front of them with pots scattered around his feet and when I glanced up to meet his eyes, I nearly melted beneath the heated gaze. I wanted to look away, to cower, but I lingered there, trying to find even a sliver of the emotion I’d seen the night before. He’d wanted me against that door. I’d felt his desire burning between us, but now, in the kitchen, he wasn’t just furious—he was indifferent. His cold eyes swept past me as he shouted up the stairs.
“Molly! Rosie! Hurry up!”
He wore a gray Henley shirt that stretched tight over his broad chest and shoulders. I focused on his arms, on the thick muscles corded beneath his shirt. He was so much bigger than me, tall and broad, and realizing that sent an icy chill running down my spine.
“If Rosie and Molly aren’t down here in the next minute, it’s an extra mile,” he said with a calm, dark tone.
“ROSIE. MOLLY,” Lexi yelled back over her shoulder. “Get down here already!”
“We’re coming!” Rosie called out from the top of the stairs.
They made it downstairs just before the minute was up, and when all five of us stood shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen, he swept his gaze over us, landing on me with a small smile.
“Who knows how far the gym is from here?”
My stomach tightened.
“Five or six miles?” Rosie offered with a fragile tone.
“Eight.” He turned and headed for the door. “Let’s go.”
Our Jeep was sitting out in front of the house, but he passed it and directed us down the dark gravel drive. The moon painted his yard in eerie light and I suddenly wished for the sun, thinking maybe he wouldn’t seem quite so intimidating in the light of day.
“Apparently I haven’t given you all nearly enough work to occupy your time. As of today, that changes.” He turned and pointed down the deserted road. “Run.”
He wanted us to run all the way to the gym? The sun was nowhere near rising; we’d be running in the dark.
“Are you serious?” Lexi asked with a laugh. “I don’t even know how to get there. We’ll get lost in the middle of the woods or something.”
He swept his arm back around and pointed at the road. “Run.”
Fuck him. He wanted to punish us for ruining his booty call the night before? Fine. This wasn’t punishment anyway; this was a morning stroll.
I walked ahead of the group and stopped a few feet in front of him. I could smell his body wash as I stretched out my calves, making a real show of it. “Do we need to get there it in a certain amount of time or—”
His blue eyes pierced mine. “Don’t test me right now.”
I offered a shaky smirk that I hoped looked more confident than it felt.
“Yes, sir. I just want to make sure I run fast enough for you.”
He leaned forward, invading my space. He’d taken the time to shave and I found myself wishing he hadn’t. His jaw was a weakness of mine, so sharp I preferred when it was softened with stubble. Without facial hair, his face was too handsome, too smooth and inviting. His jaw sat in perfect complement to his high cheekbones and though I knew he’d slap my hand away, I was tempted to run my finger along the edge and feel its smoothness in the moonlight.
I was pissing him off; I knew it and I couldn’t stop. He had been right the night before—I did like his attention on me, even if he was about to rip my head off. I thought he’d say something—he looked like he was on the verge—but instead, he shook his head and brushed past me like I meant nothing, less than nothing.
My skin was on fire and my heart was pounding against my chest so hard it hurt, but I straightened my back and set off down the gravel drive. The girls could join me if they wanted. I had a v
ague understanding of how to get to the gym and a whole hell of a lot of energy to burn.
I ran for the first ten minutes before I heard footsteps behind me on the dark road. The sun was creeping up enough over the horizon and once our eyes adjusted, it wasn’t so hard to see. I followed the road, took deep breaths, and ran.
No one said a word the first few miles; I think we were all too stunned by the change in Erik. We’d pushed him too far, but he deserved it. Or so I kept telling myself.
“What the hell did you guys do last night?” June shouted from behind me.
I was setting the pace for the group and I didn’t have to turn around to feel her glaring at the back of my head.
“Nothing,” Molly answered.
June snorted. “So then why am I running down a dark road at 5 in the morning? This is bullshit.”
“You know what’s bullshit,” I said, whipping around so quickly Molly ran straight into my chest. We gripped onto each other’s shoulders to steady one another and then I turned to June. “It’s bullshit that you think you’re too good for this team.”
Her eyes widened in shock, but it didn’t last long. She stepped up until the toes of our tennis shoes hit. “I’m sorry I don’t want to help you get into our coach’s pants! I have more important shit to do than hang out with any of you.”
I groaned. “You don’t eat with us. You don’t talk to us. When we get to Rio it’s supposed to be us against the world.”
She shook her head, eyes glossing over with fury. “No. It’s me against the world. Now get out of my way.”
With a burst of speed, she pushed through me so hard I fell back against the pavement. Loose gravel ripped into my palms as I caught myself and I hissed at the sharp sting of pain.
“Oh hell no,” Lexi said, reaching for June, but she was too fast. She’d already started sprinting away, heading for the gym without us.
Rosie rushed forward to help me to my feet. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and brushed my hands against my tank top. My palms stung and when I flipped them over, there were a few drops of blood, but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t dealt with before.
“She’s the worst,” Molly said, reaching back to wipe the loose gravel from my shorts.
“I actually feel sorry for her,” I said, staring off toward where she was running in the distance. “These next couple weeks are going to be nearly impossible and if she wants to go it alone, I’m not going to stop her.”
By the time we arrived at the gym, I was exhausted, bloody, and sweating through my clothes. I wanted to go back home, shower, and go back to sleep, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Erik stood outside the gym doors, waiting for us to arrive, further proving how far I was from the safety of my bed.
“June beat you all by five minutes.”
“Because she attacked Brie,” Lexi muttered under her breath as she brushed past him and pulled open the gym door. I moved to follow after her, but Erik reached out and gripped my arm to stop me. I glanced down, shocked to find that his hand nearly eclipsed my bicep, so powerful he could have ripped me apart if he wanted to. Hell, it feels like he’s already started.
The girls went inside, but he wouldn’t let me budge. I stared past his shoulder, ignoring his gaze and the feel of his hand on my arm. I knew he could feel my pulse jumping against his palm, but at least he’d assume the heavy rhythm was from my run and not from his proximity.
“If you’re going to ask why she attacked me,” I said, taking a step back so he finally released me. “Just save your—”
He laughed then, a dark, sinister sound that chilled my blood. “I don’t care.”
I inhaled a shaky breath, waiting for his next words.
“This isn’t about June. This is about you and me.”
I locked my jaw and fisted my hands, ready to fight.
“The next time you pull a stunt like you did last night, you’ll get a one-way ticket back to Texas.”
He leaned in close like he was getting ready to tell me a secret.
“I’m going to say this once, but I want you to think about it every time you feel like fucking with me.” His lips were inches away from mine as he continued. “You’re replaceable. Do you understand? There are a million gymnasts who would cut their right arm off to be a member of this team.”
I pressed my lips together, trying hard to act as if his words meant nothing.
“You aren’t special, Brie, so stop acting like it.”
His words had the same effect as a knife to my heart. You aren’t special.
I was fuming, sweaty, angry, and ready to attack him. Instead, I forced a slow-spreading smirk. “We both know that’s an empty threat. I led trials in three out of four events. I’m not trying to brag, it’s just the truth. If you get rid of me, the committee would let you know in a heartbeat who the real replaceable one is.”
He stood there as I brushed past him and walked into the gym. I ripped off my tank top and shorts. The rest of my team was already stretching out on the floor, guzzling from water bottles and stretching out tired muscles. June sat on the opposite side of the floor with headphones in. I resisted the urge to say something to her as I took a seat next to Molly.
She passed me her water and nudged my shoulder. “What was that all about?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. He just wanted to know how we’d managed.”
Lexi smirked. “I’m sure that was it.”
I barely managed two sips of water before Erik descended on the floor behind us.
“We’re not done yet,” he said, kicking an empty water bottle aside. “Stand up and get in line.”
Not a single one of us argued with him and for the next two hours, he led us through the hardest workout of my life. Handstand pushups, burpees, skin-the-cats, and more sit-ups than I’d ever done before. I thought my limbs would fall off, but I never acted like I was close to giving up; I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.
We were in the middle of a set of pushups when his shoes cut into my line of sight.
“Keep counting,” he said, crouching low in front of me and casting my body in his shadow.
“Twelve,” we said in unison, bending our elbows and lowering our chests to the ground.
We pushed back up to a plank position and his hand hit my neck. I jumped, surprised by the touch, but I continued, trying to act as if he didn’t scare me. A string of goose bumps bloomed across my skin as he dragged his palm lower, resting it between my shoulder blades. My leotard left me exposed there and his palm felt good, warm and solid against my skin.
“For the past few days, I’ve been trying in vain to earn this team’s respect,” he said, holding his hand steady on my back.
We bent down for another pushup and counted the number aloud.
“But if you won’t give me your respect freely, then instead, I’ll just take it.”
As soon as his words hit me, the force of his hand on my back increased. He pushed down with the weight of his entire body, keeping me from pushing back up to a plank position. I struggled beneath him, straining and groaning with the effort, but try as I might, I couldn’t win against him.
“Do you feel how hard it is to resist me?”
I gritted my teeth, searching for some residual pool of strength, but he pushed down harder, making it nearly impossible for me to move. Maybe I could have finished the pushup on another day, but we’d already been at it for hours and my arms were shaking, threatening to give out.
“Ugghhh!” I groaned as I collapsed on the floor. My lungs gulped in air and my eyes pinched closed. I stayed there, frozen, relishing the break.
Erik stood and walked off, and I swore I heard a light chuckle.
“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath.
He stopped dead in his tracks, turned, and glared at me on the ground.
“Since Brie didn’t finish that round, we’ll all repeat it. From the top.”
Chapter Fourteen
Erik
&n
bsp; Brie Watson’s meteoric rise to gymnastics elite has taken the world by surprise. Watson is by far the least experienced—the other four members of the women’s Olympic team have been competing at the highest level for half a decade—however, she just might be the most formidable. She’s earned gold at the World Gymnastics Competition three years in a row, and when the Olympic games begin next month in Rio, she’ll have a chance to write the next chapter of her inspiring Cinderella story.
Watson’s path to success was never an easy one. Raised by a single mother, she has been no stranger to hardship. Her mother, Monica, worked long hours at several jobs to make ends meet and ensure that Watson could continue to train in the sport. The hard work of both Watson women eventually paid off after Brie qualified for her first World Gymnastics meet in 2013. Faced with the prospect of bankrupting the small family to finance the cost of attending, the eventual world champion nearly pulled out. But when a friend close to the family set up a Kickstarter page online, Watson’s tightknit gymnastics community pulled together to fund her path to the world championships.
Much of her success can be attributed to her coach Igor Bortnik at Elite Gymnastics in Austin, Texas. He saw “an indomitable spirit” in young Watson and pushed her to consider making gymnastics a full-time aspect of her life—
I was in the middle of reading the article about Brie when my phone vibrated on the table beside my laptop. I reached to silence it, then paused when I saw my mother’s number flash across the screen.
I inhaled a deep breath and answered it, bracing myself for the worst.
“Hi Mom.”
“No. It’s me.”
My father.
Bastard.
“Thought you were in the hospital?” I asked, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. Even half a country away, his voice geared me up for a fight.