Love Untouched (Unexpected) (28 page)

“I just saw you on TV and I thought you were still in China?” Unless someone had invented a teleporting machine, there was no way he could be here right now.

He replied, “That’s a delayed feed. I asked Ava to help me set it up with the news stations here so you could see it when you arrived. The minute I heard you left your hotel, I followed you shortly after. I couldn’t see you right away, no matter how much I wanted to, because the IOC asked to meet with me. They reinstated my medals quickly because your brother...” At the mention of my brother, I felt cold and sweaty because he was also hurting and I had no idea where he was. Kieran interrupted my wandering thoughts of Milo. “He admitted to everything, gave them all the evidence, and left no room for doubt that he did it. Usually investigations last a long time, but I’m guessing the committee had everything they needed as proof. I don’t know what Milo did or what he said to them, I talked to him briefly and he just told me that he was really sorry and that he’ll be away for a while. “

My eyes started to get wet from what Kieran was telling me. My brother made a mistake but he was still a good man. I gestured for Kieran to come inside but he shook his head, ‘no’.

“You hurt me, Kieran,” I stated. When he asked me to leave, it took a lot for me not to beg him to ask me to stay.

His tone filled with remorse and his face filled with so much love, he professed, “Brynn, I am standing here before you, asking you to forgive me for my insensitive actions...” I nodded and reached out to caress his face, stalling his words, his hand covered mine and he continued, “I know it’s not your fault. You had no knowledge of what he did. And, even if you did...” He stopped, his expression light and filled with tenderness. “I would have forgiven you. You bring me peace, Brynn. You’ve claimed a piece of my heart that’s
never been touched
. I said that I loved a girl once. I did. And, I never fought for her because it was a different kind of love. One that I could give up, and know that I’d be okay losing, especially if that meant she found someone else to be happy with.”

I had a strong feeling he was talking about Sedona. When I looked back at the interactions between Sedona and Kieran, I knew without a doubt that he loved her only as a friend.

His hands wrapped around my head, and he whispered, “I will never be okay if you find your happiness with someone else. I won’t be able to sit back if I saw you with another guy,” His fists clenched around my head, and his voice hardened. “You are mine, Brynn. Mine. I will fight for you. Always.”

In his arms, I felt the love that I have given him completely and utterly reciprocated. With his words, I knew that he meant everything that he said. And in his eyes, which were looking hopefully at me, I understood what it was like to hand over your heart and be secure that it would not be returned
broken
.

Smiling at him, my eyes telling him that I felt every word and every meaningful gesture, I commended him. “For a man with few words... you sure know how to make a big impression, Stone.”

He gave a small rumble of laughter, and then he kissed me. I melted in his mouth, molded myself against his body, and that had him picking me up in his strong and muscular arms, as if I was weightless, and closing the door behind us. His eyes alight with the promise that he loved me completely, with everything that he had. And I, a girl who would fight for him through hell and high water, was counting on him to make good on that promise. But at that moment, we had important matters to take care off—like him taking his clothes off, him undressing me, and worshipping my body, which I was all in for. After all, it wasn’t every day that a girl made love to a World Champion, many times over.

Six something months later…

Traveling was much more pleasurable, though still not easier, when you were with the girl that you loved, and in the company of friends.

For the past few months, Brynn had been accompanying me to media-related events to which I had committed myself, though they were still few and far between. Ever since Ava helped me pull off that grand gesture for Brynn, she had opened my eyes, and twisted my fingers, to making my name a platform to bring swimming into the forefront, and at the same time, use it to help people become aware of the plight of children who were suffering, and in need. I knew I still wasn’t a media darling, but for some reason, the swimming world has embraced the charities that I championed, and they have given their full support. Leif has even attended a few events with me. International swim competitors have also launched their own local programs and charities to support.

Now, Brynn and I were here in New York to attend the fund-raiser for childhood cancer. She could not go to every event with me since she worked at the hospital, but I always let her know a month in advance on where I was planning to go so she could coordinate her schedule. She loved to travel. She was a much more enthusiastic traveler than I was. We have been to Australia, Johannesburg, and Italy. I groaned each time we had to travel overseas because it meant that I would be stuck on a plane for hours. She made it all better by playing games with me on the computer, kissing me whenever she felt like it, which was constantly, and groping me under the blankets when she thought I was drifting off to sleep. I had to stop her wandering hands and fingers from descending a few times, because I was going to make a mess right then and there. Brynn just shrugged it off, “You make a mess, we can just clean it up.” She was easy like that. Easy in a way where she didn’t fuss about the smallest things.

Everything was great between us. If there was one thing I wished for, it would be that her brother would come to terms with the fact that Brynn and I were together and inseparable now. Milo apologized to me after what he did at the World Championships, but he was still in the negative about my involvement with his sister. It weighed heavily on Brynn that she and her brother had a strained relationship, when they used to be so close. Brynn tried to reach out a couple of times, but Milo was in a dark place. After they banned him from swimming, the last thing I heard of him was that he was in Vegas.

I tried my best to help Brynn out by just being there for her as she was with me. If I had a bad practice, she would climb up on my lap and sort me out. If I needed a good beating in the head, she was not afraid to give it to me. Gearing up for the Olympics, which were in a few months, I had the option to move my training back to San Francisco. The renovation on my old training grounds were complete, and was being heralded as one of the premier swimming centers in the U.S. I discussed it with my coach, fully aware and prepared to stand firm with my decision to stay in Arizona. My litany of explanation was fruitless because after I had enumerated all the cons of moving to San Francisco, coach just looked at me and said, “You can tell me every single reason that there is on why you don’t want to go back to San Francisco. I’ll let you know one thing, or one person, that’s at the center of it— Brynn.”

That shut me up. He was right. Brynn was my command center, the electronic beep that started me up, and
the heat that lit me, her incandescent glow never dimming.
Before her, I viewed my life as eight lanes. Now, there was only one lane that mattered. The one that led to her heart.

During one of our heart-to-heart conversations, she asked why I never told Ace I loved her in a different way. She was pretty smart so she caught on quickly that I was talking about Ace when we had that huge fight, and I talked about only knowing love once before, and at such a young age. My answer was plain and simple. “I loved Ace. I still do, but now it’s the same love that she feels towards me. A long time ago, I may have loved her differently. Maybe it was puppy love or a childhood crush, I’ll never know. I didn’t tell her because she needed me as a friend, as a brother, and by the time I thought it was okay to let her know, she liked that idiot Brennan.” I gave Brynn a short recap of the drama between Brennan, Ace, and Zander. “You know, now that I think about it, I am happy that I never told Ace because maybe it would have changed the dynamics of our friendship, and we’d be in a different situation now. She’s happy with Zander, and now she has Sofia. As for me, I have this wonderful girl who is busy making my body her own, so I have no complaints.” Brynn’s hands were massaging my chest while I was talking and she was making me hot.

“Again?” She rolled her eyes in a mock complaint.

“How many times do I have to tell you?” I raised my eyebrows and gave her an innocent look. “You have to be prepared to meet my needs...”

Her hands trekked lower, followed by her body, I felt myself get harder, and when her mouth was in line with my erection, she blew a hot breath on it, and whispered, “I think being a world champion has made this even bigger. Imagine what it will be like when you become an Olympic champion?”

Oh, I loved this girl.

“Babe,” Zander whispered against my left ear, “Did I tell you how hot you look tonight?”

I leaned on his arms. We were sitting way too close to each other at this public gala, but that was the only distance that Zander tolerated. “Yes you did.” I smiled. “Many times.”

“I can’t wait to take this dress off of you later.”

Goosebumps started forming on my arms and neck. My man put all those thoughts in my head so that by the time we got to our hotel— sometimes the limo but tonight we had Brynn and Kieran with us so that would be a no-no—I would be helpless, ready and willing to do whatever it took for him to be inside me.

Now was the best time to remind him. “Babe, remember your mom’s with us.” Haven was with Sofia at the hotel right now. When Zander and I attended social functions, Haven traveled with us to watch Sofia for a few hours. Our baby girl was 16 months and 3 days old, an endless bundle of energy that had us scrambling to catch things that got in her way, as she waddled and walked, and grabbed and knocked over unfamiliar and familiar objects. I had warned Zander that she might grow up to become a football player like her daddy, but he bristled at that, and said, “Good. At least she will be able to throw a perfect spiral and beat the crap out of the guys who try to get close to her.” Just the mention of boys courting and vying for our daughter’s affections one day made him growl. Oh my poor baby girl, if I wasn’t here, her dad would most likely have her home-schooled and locked up in a tower like Rapunzel.

Zander’s signature grin came into view. “I already took care of Mom. I reserved a suite for her on the top floor so it’s just you and me, babe.”

“Well, we also have Sofia...,” I reasoned, knowing that Zander had already made a plan A to Z when it came to his desire for me. I didn’t expect any less; he was creative and coming up with strategies was his forte. After all, he was one of NFA’s top quarterbacks.

His hands laced with mine under the seat, while he muttered, “She’s gonna be exhausted when we get home. She’ll be snoring her little nose and mouth away by the time this shindig ends so don’t you try to get away from this, woman.”

I rolled my eyes. As if. I gave him a quick kiss and then Damien, a wide receiver for the NFA, approached our table and struck up a conversation with Zander.

I sipped on my champagne and my gaze landed on Kieran and Brynn, who were sitting at another table. We wanted to be all seated together but Zander decided to come at the last minute, depending on the time his game ended. We had no choice but to sit in the last available seats, separated from Kieran and Brynn. As often as he could, Zander made sure that we attended charity events to benefit and advocate for childhood cancer research. Kieran was busy whispering into Brynn’s ears and I saw a flash of color spread over Brynn’s face. She looked exquisite in her peach chiffon dress that we, along with Sofia and Haven, had shopped for this afternoon, while Kieran and Zander hung out with other athletes that they’ve become friends with. I was happy for Kieran and Brynn. They were truly right for each other. I’ve never seen my best friend look at a woman the way he looked at Brynn. As if she was so precious to him, he could not even take his eyes off her for a minute.