to the moment for as long as possible.
Erik made love to me on that gym floor. Though we’d never spoken the words aloud, I felt it in his movements, in the way his hips rolled into me, in the way his hands squeezed my thighs, in the way my name slipped out of his lips. There was no denying how I felt for him in that moment. In my dirtiest moment I felt as if I’d been washed clean. I was laid bare for Erik and he didn’t shy away; he drew me closer and held me tight. I was so thankful he couldn’t see my face as the tears started to spill down my cheeks.
I was in love with the enemy.
Chapter Thirty-One
Erik
There was a small bathroom in the back corner of the training facility; Brie had disappeared into it a few minutes earlier and I stood staring at the closed door, wondering what she was thinking. I’d disposed of the condom and cleaned myself up, but Brie had been quiet after I pulled out of her, mumbling about needing to clean up before locking herself behind the flimsy door. I wanted to knock and make sure she was okay, but the light flickered off and the door creaked open before I could.
She met my eye as she walked out and then glanced away, back to the row of beams behind us.
“So I think if I do a few more routines, I should be okay.”
Her voice was distant and small, nothing like the girl who’d just come apart underneath me.
“Routines?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
It was late. She should have already been back at the village.
She nodded and moved past me toward the bars.
I knew the last hour had gotten through to her, but instead of continuing to confide in me, she’d gone into the bathroom and tucked her emotions away again. She’d fixed her hair and twisted it up onto the top of her head, but she couldn’t erase the flush covering her neck and chest. There was still a red handprint on her thigh from where I’d been holding her as I came. Jesus. She couldn’t just pull away like that.
“Brie, I think we should—”
She held up her hand to stop me. “Please don’t. Not right now. I appreciate everything you said, I just…I need to work through these routines. That’s it.”
Small, fragile Brie was carrying the world on her shoulders and breaking my heart in the process.
“I don’t regret what just happened,” I said, trying to reassure her.
She nodded, once, and then turned away, indifferent. “I know. I need to get back to work.”
If I hadn’t just been buried inside her, hearing her moan and beg for me to touch her, I would have thought she despised me. This was her: hot and cold, distant when I wanted her close, impossible to resist when she wanted to be.
I didn’t try to push her to go home; she was struggling, and if she wanted to finish a few more routines, I’d let her.
She adjusted her grips and took the bars, practicing a few release moves while I stood beneath her, ready to catch her if she fell. I watched her move across the bars, tight and in control. She looked better than she had in weeks, relaxed and confident. I could have watched her up there for hours.
On her fourth routine, she gained momentum, spun faster and faster around the bar, and then released up into the air in a tight ball, completing two full turns before her feet hit the ground. No step. Perfect landing.
“Good,” I said, stepping off the mat. “You look ready.”
She brushed the chalk off her grips and nodded, no hint of a smile on her full lips.
After we gathered our things in silence, I caught a cab and guided her in first. She shoved her gym bag at her feet and pulled her jacket tighter around her, crossing her arms over her chest to keep it in place. Her gaze was focused out on the world and the deep lines marring her forehead proved how far she was from focusing on the competition the next day.
I stared down at my phone, trying to scroll through emails and give her the privacy she so desperately desired, but then her small voice filled the silent cab.
“Gold medals come with a $25,000 check. Did you know that?”
I glanced up, surprised by her voice. “Yes.”
She kept her gaze out the window. “I have six chances to place