The Summer Games: Out of Bounds (35 page)

He didn’t wait for me to recover before he continued his relentless thrusts. I whimpered, sensitive and over stimulated, but Erik’s thumb brushed across my clit, barely there at first. My hips reacted on their own, lifting to meet his touch as he circled his thumb around and around.

He didn’t have to tell me to come again; he was forcing it out of me like my body was made for his touch. Our bodies slapped together, sweat making our skin slick and smooth. He was fucking me with full abandon.

He brushed across my sensitive bundle of nerves as he slid in and out of me. My brain was nearly short-circuiting, trying to cling to every wave of pleasure while Erik fucked me. His sounds were dark and carnal, long moans ripping from his chest.

My second orgasm came quicker and it was sharper, taking me to an even loftier high. I gripped the back of his neck and cried out, losing my last grip of humanity. I was wild beneath him, arching my back and biting down on his shoulder.

He yanked out of me, pumping his cock in his hand so he could come on my stomach. I could have come for a third time watching him break apart over me. His brows scrunched together, his eyes squeezed shut, and his mouth fell open with moans. It was the sexiest, most powerful thing I’d ever experienced, bringing Erik to his knees over me. He looked wracked with desire. After he’d gathered himself with two heavy inhales, he flicked his eyes open and saw me smirking up at him like I’d won.

“You’re not leaving this room,” he said as he pushed off the bed and moved to the bathroom.

“Why would I?”

“You’re good at running when you get scared,” he called from behind the closed door.

I nibbled on my bottom lip, contemplating his statement. Maybe in the past I’d pushed him away, but I had no urge to do it again.
Even if he does have an uncanny ability to piss me off.

He brought a washcloth out and ran it over my stomach before reaching for my hand and pulling me into the bathroom. We showered together, lathering each other up and lazing under the faucet, letting the water pound down our backs. I stayed close to him, keeping our skin flush. His body warmed me more than the water and I was reluctant to let him go, even when he stepped out to hand me a towel.

After I finished drying off, he led me to the sink and reached for the packet of Neosporin so he could pick up where he’d left off an hour earlier. I’d forgotten all about my knee, but if he wanted to take care of it, I wouldn’t argue. I adjusted my towel, giving him better access to my knee as he bent down in front of me. His damp hair dripped down his forehead, streaking water across his tan skin. I brushed a few strands away just as he reached forward to clutch my calf. His touch was deceptively gentle and when he glanced up and saw me watching him, I knew he could sense my suspicion.

“I’m not always the monster you make me out to be,” he noted with a sly smile.

I arched a brow in disbelief.

“Just most of the time,” I quipped.

He shook his head, amused, and stood to tug me back into the bedroom. My body was nearly asleep even before I fell onto the messy bed. I slipped under the covers and pulled them up to my chin.

“You know, there are still things we should talk about,” I whispered, though they didn’t seem so important then, and even if I tried, I knew I wouldn’t be able to recall a single thing.

“There’s plenty of time for that,” Erik assured me, drawing me in close to him. “But that discussion is for the light of day, with clear heads. When you need to clear your head, you bake, but this…
this is what I do
.”

I wanted to argue, to tell him I was leaving first thing in the morning, but then his lips were on the back of my neck and his hands were on me, and we fell into each other once more.

Chapter Forty-Two

Brie

I woke up
the next morning to the sound of Erik’s muted voice. I blinked my eyes open, trying to place him in the room, but when I rolled over, I realized he’d shut himself behind the door of the bathroom.

“Yeah, Bryce, I need you to continue to maintain the gym for a few more weeks, until I get things settled in Texas.”

What?

I scooted closer to the edge of the bed so I could hear the next part of the conversation easier.

“You’ve done a good job steering the ship while I’ve been away. I think you should start looking into hiring two new coaches to help take over my classes, but when I return to Seattle, we’ll figure out a more permanent solution.”

Permanent
.

My stomach dropped and my brain focused on that word like it was a bomb. I pushed up to sit on the edge of the bed and wiped the sleep from my eyes. It was still early—a quick glance at the clock on his bedside table proved it—but I only had a few hours before my flight. I needed to get a move on, head back to my condo to pack my things and say my goodbyes, but I sat frozen on his bed, trying to piece together what I’d just heard on the phone.

Erik was putting his assistant coach in charge of Seattle Flyers.

He wasn’t going back to Seattle.

I shook my head. Just because he was coming to Texas, didn’t mean…

The bathroom door whipped open and Erik stepped out, pausing in the doorframe when he saw me sitting on the edge of the bed. He’d showered and dressed for the day. His lips parted in a sweet smile and I focused there for a few seconds, trying to work up the nerve to meet his eyes.

“Hi,” I croaked with a dry throat. I cleared it and tried again. “Morning.”

He pushed off the doorframe and padded toward me. His body wash permeated the humid air and I inhaled deeply as he bent low to press his mouth to mine. It was a good-morning kiss, gentle and chaste, but his breath was minty fresh and his touch hinted that I could have more if I wanted it.

“You’ve been awake for a while?” I asked, peering up at him from beneath my lashes and trying hard to resist the urge to touch my face or hair. All signs were pointing to level 10 bedhead, but he’d already seen me, so there was no point in trying to convince him I ever woke up looking like a radiant goddess.

“Two hours or so.” He shrugged. “Owning a business doesn’t stop just for the Olympics. There were a few things I needed to take care of and…” He dragged his hands through his hair, moving the damp strands so I had an unhindered view of his face. He was breathtaking. “I needed to go collect your things from your condo and finish packing myself.”

My breath hitched. “You got my luggage? My stuff?”

He nodded and dropped his phone on the bedside table. “We need to leave here in an hour and I didn’t want us to be late for our flight.”

I pinched my eyes closed and shook my head. In my half-conscious state, his words weren’t making sense. Why was he talking as if he was coming with me?

“You just said ‘our flight’ instead of ‘your flight’.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes. We’re on the same one.”

“To Texas?”

He grinned, excited. “To Texas.”

I knew he was presenting a gift to me, a surprise. I could tell by the softness in his eyes and the gentle tug of his lips he assumed I would be excited by his announcement, but I couldn’t push past the panic mounting inside me. He spoke as if he was laying out plans for our breakfast, not cross-country moves.

I shook my head and stood up, starting to pace the small bedroom. “You’re coming to Texas today? For, uh…”

I turned back to him, hopeful. If he had plans there for business or something, then I could breathe again. It wouldn’t be all about me,
us
.

He sighed and propped his hands on his waist, watching me take long strides across the room.

“I’m going for a few reasons, you being the main one.”

“Holy shit.”

“Brie, sit down.”

My pace had picked up without me realizing it. I looked like the Tasmanian Devil flitting around the room at a hundred miles per hour.
Erik is coming to Texas. Erik is coming to Texas with me.

Since when?!

He gripped my shoulders and then spun me around so I was facing him. I focused on his chest, the white shirt that concealed the hard muscles, the lines and curves that seduced me so easily. They didn’t distract me then, not enough to calm the heart beating in my chest so fast I thought I would go into cardiac arrest.

“You mentioned there were things we needed to discuss last night…”

“EXACTLY!” I cut him off. “And now you’re coming to Texas?! Without even consulting me?”

His face fell and before he had the chance to mask it, I saw the sadness in his eyes. It was my fault; I’d put it there.

“Of course I’m coming to Texas,” he said with a gentle tone, bending low to level his eyes with mine. “What did you think I would do? Go back to Seattle? Did you honestly think I’d leave things the way they are between us?”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I thought…”

I thought this thing between us was too good to be true.
I thought he would leave for his flight with a quick kiss and a “thanks for everything” nudge on my chin. I thought I’d go back to Texas with a broken heart, and I thought I’d have to collect the pieces of my life alone—without Erik.

I blinked rapidly, trying to collect the tears from the corners of my eyes before they fell. He bent down to brush his knuckle across my cheek.

“You and I aren’t long-distance types. I know this is fast, but I want to be near you. We’ll figure out the logistics once we get there.”

“What about Seattle Flyers?”

“Bryce is managing everything while I’m gone.”

“And your house?”

“Locked up,” he promised.

I wanted to keep asking questions. What about his clothes? Surely he hadn’t packed enough to move across country. Where would he stay? With me and my mom?

Holy shit.

I couldn’t breathe. The more I tried, the harder it was to fill my lungs. I felt trapped.

Erik was coming to Texas.
For me
. Why did that seem so crazy? Insane even. A man had never moved across a country for me. A man had never done anything
close
to that for me.

What would happen when he arrived and we got into an argument? What would he do the first time I pissed him off—realize his mistake and hop on the first plane back home to Seattle?
Oh god
.

“
Brie.
”

I shook my head, trying to convey to him that I couldn’t hear another word. I was still trying to process the last few minutes and I felt strangely close to having a panic attack.

“I’m going to go back to my condo.”

My voice didn’t sound like my own; it was distant and hollow.

Erik’s brows tugged together. “But I have all your bags here already.”

I pinched my eyes closed and stepped back so his hands were no longer on my shoulders. It felt good to have space between us again.

“I know. I just…There’s a few things I let Lexi borrow and I need to say goodbye to the team.” My voice sounded convincing enough, and he didn’t try to stop me as I walked out into the living room. My bags were sitting at the door as promised and I picked them up on my way out of the condo. I had no clue what I was doing, but I knew I needed to take my stuff with me. I didn’t want Erik to have to worry about my things if…if I…I just wanted my bags with me.
That’s all
.

Though it was still early, the main sidewalk in the village was already packed with athletes. Everyone was lugging their suitcases and bags behind them, saying goodbye to friends and exchanging long hugs before dipping into waiting cabs. There were shouts and horns and laughter, but I navigated through the crowd with my head down and walked straight back to my condo.

I told myself I wasn’t running away from Erik. I was just going back to the condo to make sure he hadn’t overlooked anything. It seemed like a reasonable thing to do, but every foot I added between Erik and me made my stomach twist a little tighter. He’d gone out of his way to change his flight. He was prepared to change his entire life for me, and I’d just walked out of his condo without so much as a thank you.
Was that a mistake? Should I have stayed?

No!

It was ridiculous!

Absolutely insane…

The door to my condo was unlocked and my teammates were inside, bustling around and getting ready to leave. I felt relief the moment I saw them; a part of me had thought I might not see them all again before my flight.

“Brie!” Rosie exclaimed as I dropped my stuff by the door. “I thought you’d already left!”

“Brie’s here?!” Lexi yelled from her room. “Wait. Why is she here?”

I frowned and stepped past the kitchen as Lexi walked out of her room.

“You’re supposed to be with Erik,” she said, eyeing my things by the door and then glancing back to me. “I let him in earlier so he could get your stuff, and last night when you left, I texted him to make sure you were okay.”

Right. Of course.
I’d only then realized I’d left them in the middle of the closing ceremonies and had never returned home. I hadn’t thought to let them know I was okay. I’d been too consumed with…well, other things.

“So…why are you here?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“I wanted to say bye to you guys before I left.”

She nodded slowly in disbelief, but then she came close and hugged me all the same. “Oh, well, I’m glad you came back. You missed one hell of a party after the closing ceremonies. Somehow, I ended up with some Korean guy’s underwear.” She pulled back and met my eyes with a knowing grin. “But I’m sure you had some fun of your own.”

“Erik is coming to Texas with me.”

I blurted the words out as if they were a breath I’d been holding for the last thirty minutes.

She nodded with a wide grin. “Duh. I think it’s so romantic.”

I frowned. No. That wasn’t what she was supposed to say.

“Don’t you think that’s crazy?” I rasped. “He’s moving
for me.
Isn’t this the type of thing adults warn against?”

She took a step back, assessing me with furrowed brows. “It doesn’t matter what I think, Brie, but if you’re asking my opinion, I’d say you’re overthinking it. You’re young, you just won a neck-f of medals, and a great guy wants to get to know you better.”

“He’s leaving everything—his gym, his house, his life. That’s insane!”

Her brows furrowed. “No, it’s not. Think about what he has the chance to get in return. He loves you. He wants to be with you. Besides, he has family in Texas, right? It makes sense that he would want to go back with you.”

Why was no one understanding it? Why could no one see the panic in my eyes? I needed someone on my side.

“But don’t you see how terrible it will be? He and I fight all the time. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

“So you make up.” She shrugged. “It shouldn’t be a big deal for you guys—you seem to be pros at makeup sex.”

I shook my head and dragged a hand through my hair, feeling the tension building up inside me. I felt like a volcano about to erupt.

“Wait…this isn’t about?” Rosie asked, coming to stand beside Lexi. She was so small, but the way she looked at me like she was studying a specimen under a microscope made me shiver. “You’re pushing him away.
Why?
”

“No. I’m not. That’s not what this is. I just think it’s crazy that he would move to Texas for me.”

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes, trying to unravel the hidden truth behind my words.

“I think you’re sabotaging something good so you won’t get hurt…so you won’t get left behind.”

I shook my head vehemently. “That’s not the case at all.”

“Yes it is,” Lexi said with fire in her eyes. “Let Erik come to Texas with you because he loves you and wants to make you happy. Don’t spend so much time trying to figure out how you’re supposed to feel, and focus on what you
do
feel. If you are scared, you don’t have to push him away forever. Take it step by step, and if you guys aren’t happy, then you break up. It’s not the end of the world.”

No.

My stomach tightened and my heart dropped.

It
would
be the end of the world. That’s what no one understood.

I was already in love with Erik. Over the last few weeks, I’d let myself fall into the fantasy of him. I’d believed I was worthy of a man like Erik Winter and I’d fallen in love, not by choice, but because eventually I lost the fight against him. Even still, I’d always prepared myself for the end. In the last few days, I’d pushed him away, blaming it on gymnastics and my need to focus on the Olympics, but really, I’d tried to build a wall between us so that when he left, I wouldn’t be crushed by the weight of his absence. As it was now, Erik still lived in that fantasy world. He was a fling I’d had during the Olympics, a memory I could think back on like a dream once I returned to normalcy.