As he neared the barricade where she stood, he couldn’t help but match the smile on her face. Her excitement was contagious.
“Hey, didn’t expect to see you here.” He leaned down to give her a quick hug. God, it felt good to hold her again.
“You were so amazing up there, Brady. I’ve never seen slopestyle before, but, wow, I love it. Congratulations on making the final.” Her eyes sparkled, emphasizing her enjoyment of his sport.
“Thanks. It’s fun.” He switched the board to his other arm. “Listen, I’ve got to go meet with my coach, but do you want to go grab something to eat after?”
Her slumping shoulders and dimming smile answered his question. “I would love to, but I’ve got the teams event tomorrow, and I have to go practice now. My mo—I mean, my coach wasn’t happy with me coming out here today.”
Shit. Did that mean people were watching them together and reporting back to Arielle’s mom? He didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize her Olympic experience. Play it cool and do what you planned after the kiss: keep your distance. “No worries, I understand, and it’s probably for the best. The time for fun is over. I should go back and hit the slopes, fix my errors. You probably should go practice too. Got to make the most of being at the Games. This could be our one and only chance to compete with the elite of the world. Can’t forget our end purpose, right?”
The spark in her eyes extinguished. Damn, he was being an asshole again. She’d taken time out of her busy day to come see him, and he turned around and acted like a jerk.
His hand lifted to touch her cheek, but she took a step back. He rolled his shoulders. He deserved that. Sending mixed signals never won any favors. “Thanks for coming, Ari. It’s good to see you.”
She studied him for a few seconds, and he wished he could read what was going on in her mind. Her normally expressive face was devoid of any emotion. “Yeah. Guess I’ll see you around—maybe. Bye, Brady.”
As she walked away, he became aware of the interested looks he was receiving from the fans who had surrounded Arielle. Great, now their interaction was going to play out on social media. He should’ve listened to his instincts and continued on his way to meet with his coach. The look on Arielle’s face after he brushed her off was going to remain with him for a long time.
Chapter 7
Once again, Brady found himself lurking at the ice arena, this time in one of the back rows. Today was the final day of the team event, and Arielle was performing her free-skate routine. Even though he’d known she’d been competing in her own event when he’d completed his silver medal–winning runs in slopestyle, it hadn’t stopped him from looking for her in the crowd. He’d wanted to share his excitement at winning a medal.
How stupid was that?
And he’d nearly burned that bridge with how he’d acted a couple of days ago. He had no idea how he could fix it. Lurking in the nosebleed seats of the arena wasn’t a way to achieve it. How much could he see from this far away anyway? He wanted to be up close so he could catch the expression on her face.
He spied the familiar green-and-gold uniforms of the Australian contingent coming to support the skaters. Simon, as the reigning Australian men’s skating champion, would compete later.
With measured steps, Brady made his way down to the Australians, smiling through the surprised looks on their faces when he sat down. While the rest of the world may not have known all the nuances of his and Maybelle’s partnership breakdown, most of those involved in the snow and ice sports in Australia were well aware of it. That was the downfall of a small community. At least they appeared welcoming.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’m sure Simon will be too.” Brady startled at Maybelle’s voice in his ear. Of course, she would be here to support her team, and, of course, she would sit next to him, with Bohdan beside her. That was the wonderful thing about Maybelle—she was forgiving when she had no obligation to forgive him.
“Uh-huh.” He grunted and trained his attention on the ice as numerous competitors warmed up. One skater spun past—Arielle. He’d never seen her skate, except in his dreams, and dreams were notorious for being exaggerations of real life. However, in this instance, his dreams were way off. Arielle was flawless on the ice. She’d told him he was amazing, but with the way she floated over the ice, she was the more talented skater.
“Wow,” he murmured as she came out of a dizzying spin series to go right into a jump series.
“She’s really good. What’s going on with you two?” Maybelle asked.
Brady closed his eyes. While he and Maybelle’s friendship was on the right track, he certainly didn’t want to share his thoughts about Arielle with her. He wanted to keep it private, hold it close, because the time he’d spent with Arielle was precious to him.
“We’re friends,” he responded. Hopefully, she’d take the hint that he didn’t want to delve deeper.
“With benefits?”
He choked back his surprise. “No.”
“But you wouldn’t mind?” Maybelle persisted.
“Leave him, Belle. It is not your concern.” The Russian had spoken, and Brady was grateful for his interjection.
“Excuse me, Bohdan, we may be skating partners, but you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t ask my friends.”
The tension around the couple swirled like snowflakes in a high wind. The last thing Brady wanted to be responsible for was another partnership breakdown. Time to intervene. “Thanks, Bohdan, I appreciate the support.” The other man gave him a slow nod. Brady lightly squeezed his former partner’s leg. “Belle, I don’t know what’s going on with Arielle and I, okay? After what I did, I don’t deserve your support, but thank you for it.”
Maybelle opened her mouth then closed it again, as if she’d worked out she wasn’t going to get anything else out of him. “Okay. I’m sorry if I overstepped my boundaries.”
“It’s fine, Belle. I’m glad to have your friendship back.”
“You never lost it, Brady.”
Arielle skated out to the middle of the ice, her heart pounding out of her chest. Arching her back, with one arm crossed in front of her, she curved the other softly as it extended above her head. A smile plastered on her face, she was ready. Her stomach bubbled like a pot of stew. She loved her free-dance routine and couldn’t wait to share it with the people in the arena and the millions all over the world watching on whatever electronic device they used.
Was Brady here?
No. Not now. Think about your first jump combination.
Silence descended over the arena, and the first bars of her music blasted out of the speakers. She waited for a count of eight before she glided across the firmly packed ice. Her blades dug in, and little sprays of water hit her stocking-clad calves.
She blocked everything out except the familiar melody of her music, and muscle memory took over. She flowed from jump combination to a spin one before cutting through the middle of the rink in what she called the crab move, her ankles turned out so they looked like they formed the bottom of the letter l. Switching back so that her blades were upright again, she pushed off to gain speed to enable to her to complete the complicated part of her routine—the twisting and turning across the ice leading into a double Lutz, double aerial spin combination. She completed each jump flawlessly, and she finished in the same position she started, her breath sawing in and out as relief swept through her.
I’ve done it.
It might not have been enough to get Canada the gold, but it had certainly given them a great shot at it. She waved and blew kisses to the crowd as she skated off. She accepted the hugs and kisses from her team before going to the bench to sit with her mom and wait for her scores.
“Arielle, honey, that was beautiful. Dad will be so proud of you. You do that in the singles event, and you could win gold.”
She hugged her coach. “Thanks, Mom. It felt amazing out there. I hope you’re right and I can win. And I hope Dad can make it in time for the singles.”
“He’ll be here, for sure. Now if you keep the distractions to a minimum, there’s no reason you can’t win.”
Arielle knew exactly what distractions she was talking about.
Brady.
But she’d proven to herself she could push him to the back of her mind and still perform well. She’d wanted to see him the previous evening to congratulate him on his silver, but after the awkwardness of their encounter the first day he competed, it was probably best she hadn’t succumbed to the urge.
“Here we go,” Mom murmured as she squeezed her hand.
Arielle kept a smile pasted on her face. What more could she do with a camera not three feet away from her, recording her every reaction to the scores she was about to receive?
The numbers flashed up, and she ended with a score of 149.83. The score, combined with what she’d scored in the short program, was good enough to push the Canadian team into second position over all.
“My girl, you did it. I’m so proud of you.” Her Mom enveloped her in another hug, and Arielle couldn’t do anything more than accept it. Mom usually kept the hugging and kissing to a minimum. If this display was because of the cameras watching them, Arielle didn’t care. It was nice to know she’d received her coach’s approval.
Three hours later, Arielle, with a gleaming silver medal still hanging around her neck, walked out into a gloomy South Korean afternoon. She paused; how dull it was in comparison to the brightness of the arena. She’d skated one of the best routines of her life—the sun should be shining down on her in all its glory.
She giggled at her fanciful thoughts. This was the Winter Games. It was supposed to snow so the slopes were packed with fresh powder for the competitors.
“We match now. Think we can both go one better?”
Arielle jumped, and a little squeal burst out of her, even though she recognized the voice. “Brady, don’t scare me like that.” Instead of apologizing, he laughed and swept her up in a hug. This was unexpected, but she had no plans to argue. She returned the hug. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
He set her on the ground and slung one arm around her shoulders. His free hand touched the silver medal. “Your routine was beautiful, Ari. You stole my breath the second you skated onto the ice.”
She took a step back; his close proximity was distorting her sensibilities. “What’s happening here, Brady? Not two days ago you gave me the impression you don’t want anything to do with me. Yet here you are, hugging me and saying I stole your breath away. None of this makes sense.”
He studied her, his eyes intent and serious, as a bubble of silence enveloped them. “We need to talk,” he finally said.
“Well, that would be great, but I’m about to go meet with the rest of the team to celebrate our victory.”
“Right. Yeah.” He shoved his hands in his pants pockets. “Okay. Well…”
Enough with this dance they were doing. She dropped her bag to the ground and grabbed the front of Brady’s bulky jacket. “You are so confusing,” she said and tugged him toward her, reached up on her tiptoes and slamming her lips against his. A second later, his arms closed around her, tightening the embrace.
Their lips caressed each other, and desire shot through her like fireworks blasting through the air. There were so many layers of clothes between them, but, somehow, his heat curled around her.
“I want you, so much, Ari,” he said as he broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck.
“We shouldn’t do this.” She turned her head and kissed his cheek. He was so hard to resist.
“I know. I keep telling myself to stay away, but I can’t.”
He captured her lips once again. This time, the frantic need to connect had cooled, and seduction took over. Brady’s hand slid down her back to cup her ass, lifting her, brushing his groin against hers.
How she wanted to lose herself in him. She’d never felt this way with any of the guys she’d slept with. Their kisses had been nice, but Brady’s were out of this world. Could she do it? Could she have a fling at the Olympics? How hard would it be to walk away from the emotions he stirred within her? Was she willing to risk the last four years of training for a few hours in Brady’s arms?
At this second, yes. Yes to everything.
As though he could read her mind, he released her lips and loosened his grip. “Come back to my room, Ari. Please.”
Yes hovered on the tip of her tongue. Being with Brady was what she wanted, after all. But the medal hanging around her neck signaled her obligation. She had team members who were waiting for her so they could celebrate their win.
“I can’t. I ne—”
The shutters came down on Brady’s eyes, and the lips that had been devouring hers only moments ago thinned into a straight line of disappointment. “It’s okay. I understand.” He turned to walk away, but she grabbed his arm.
“No. Stop, Brady. You didn’t give me a chance to finish what I was going to say.”
“Fine. What were you going to say?”
“My teammates are waiting for me. We’re so excited to win silver. To beat out the Chinese is a huge thing in skating; you should know that.” She paused, and he nodded his agreement. “Come with me,” she said impulsively.
“Uh, not sure that’s a great idea.”
“Look, most of the other teams will probably be there as well. Maybe you’ll get to see Maybelle.” Why she’d said that was beyond her, but if it tipped the scales in her favor, she was fine with using whatever means necessary to have him by her side.
“I spent the last couple hours sitting next to Maybelle. Believe me when I say I’ve seen plenty of her today.”
She didn’t want to know what he meant by that, but from the way he’d practically made love to her mouth, she wasn’t going to worry about anything going on between the two of them.
“Come because I want you to be with me.”
A slow smile stretched the corners of his plump lips, lighting up his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and the desire from their kisses amped up within her again. “For you, Ari, I’d do anything.”
Chapter 8
For the second time in as many hours, Arielle’s nerves were skating as she and Brady walked toward the building that housed her room. The celebration of their silver medals had been fun. Apart from the initial raised eyebrows when they’d walked in hand in hand, everyone had been friendly with Brady, asking him about his snowboarding. It had helped that some of the guys he knew from the X Games had taken part in the impromptu party.
Tina had also been there, and before she left, she whispered to Arielle that she would spend the night elsewhere in case Arielle wanted to the room to herself.
Now, here they were, mere steps away from the entrance. Her fingers involuntarily tightened around Brady’s.
“You okay, Ari?”
She wasn’t sure. One thing she did know was that she didn’t want Brady to walk away from her tonight.
“Yes. I’m good. You coming up?” she asked, heart in her mouth. What if he didn’t want to? What if he was having second thoughts and thinking it would be the worst idea on the planet to go to her room?
“Arielle.” He whispered her name reverently, as though she was his most treasured possession. “Is this what you want?”
How could he ask that? Of course it was what she wanted. Couldn’t he tell she wasn’t the type of girl who would ask guys she’d known for only a few days up to her room? Maybe that’s why he was asking, because he did know she wasn’t like the girls who would normally throw themselves at his feet.
She began to walk toward the entrance, and because she still held his hand, he had no option but to follow her.
The foyer was bright after the dimness of night. The chandelier shone brightly, bathing the cream tiled floor with a golden glow. The organizers had made sure the athletes would have no complaints about their accommodation at these Games.
In silence, they strode the short distance to the elevator. Brady reached p
ast her and pressed the “up” button. Tension seeped slowly into her muscles, like a mist creeping over the grass. By the time they’d reached her room, she was tighter than the laces on her skates. Her hand shook as she unlocked her door.
God, she was acting like a virgin, which was rather pathetic. She hadn’t been this nervous the first time she’d slept with a guy. This was one way to make sure her time with Brady wasn’t going to be memorable.
After a second attempt, she got the door unlocked and opened it. A table lamp basked the room in light. The curtains were still open, and the scene outside the window was Christmas-card perfect. Yellow lights dotted the crisp whiteness of the snow.
Warm hands landed on her shoulders as the door clicked shut. She closed her eyes and savored the sensation of Brady standing behind her.
“I’ve never wanted someone as much as I want you, Ari. You turned my head with your sexy side ponytail the day I saw you at the airport. I knew then I should stay away, but somehow, we always seem to find our way to each other’s side.”
Arielle turned around so that she was facing him, her hands resting on the front of his jacket. “Why should you have stayed away?” she asked as she crept her fingers up the material until she’d located his zipper. With a tug, she pulled it down, revealing the tight-fitting black sweater he wore. He shrugged out of his coat, and she drooled over the sight before her. His sweater accentuated the firmness of his chest. All night, she’d longed to rip it off. And, in a few moments, she hoped she’d have the opportunity.
“Because you’re too good for me. That’s why I should’ve stayed away.”
She laughed. “Oh, please, don’t paint me out to be this virtuous person. I’m not too good for you, and you’re not too good for me.”
Brady reciprocated her action, removing her own thick coat. “Oh, baby, I’m so bad for you, it’s not funny.”
“Well, I’m developing a thing for bad boys, so how about you be all bad and take me to the bedroom now?”
Fighting Their Attraction Page 6