RAVEN
I’m still wearing Foster’s jacket when we get to our hotel in Cortina. I swear I can smell faint traces of what must be his scent. Coffee, I think, but something else, too. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it makes me feel warm, the notes reminiscent of something spiced. Even though it calms something in me, it’s not enough to make me forget my epic failure.
Foster and I are silent as the door to our suite closes behind us with a resounding click. We’re sharing a room again, but this time it’s a two-bedroom suite, so we’ll each have our own space. It’s a step up from our apartment in Milan. Since my competitions are over, and I’m not competing in Cortina, we can’t stay in the athletic housing, so Coach booked this place for us. It’s nice. But right now it feels too small.
Foster opens his mouth like he’s going to say something. I shake my head and silently hold up a hand. I’m certain if he says anything to me right now, I’ll sink straight into the earth. The area between my legs is wet and unsatisfiedafter our encounter on the train, and my cheeks still burn with the embarrassment of his rejection.
As if failing at the Olympics wasn’t enough.
Walking straight past him, I slip into one of the bedrooms and shut the door, sinking against the wood the moment it’s closed. Head dropped, shoulders curled, the scent from Foster’s jacket surrounds me. Even though it’s faint, it has me clenching my thighs. I frantically strip off the garment. If I keep it on, I may do something stupid like rushing back out there, getting on my knees, and begging for his cock.
The coat lands in a heap on the bed, and I snag my phone before running into the bathroom, shutting that door, too, like it will help keep me from being a horny, desperate mess.
My fingers are dialing before I really know what I’m doing. I just know I need to talk to my best friend. Three rings later, the call connects, and Sadie’s face fills my screen.
“Bitch, it’s about time I heard from you.” She’s outside, at the barn if the horse walking next to her is any indication. “You’ve got great timing. I just got off Monticello and could use a distraction from my horrid training session. You’ll never believe what my trainer did this time. That man is—What’s wrong?” Sadie must have finally been able to see me on her screen when she walked into some shade. My distress is probably written all over my face.
“Sadie!” I hiss, continuing in a whisper. “I think I like my bodyguard.”
She laughs. “Well yeah, duh. He’s pretty hot.”
Jealousy hits me, but I force it down. I know shedoesn’t mean it like that. “No. I think Ilike himlike him. Like, I want to sleep with him like him.”
That has my best friend perking up. She hands the bay gelding she was leading off to a groom and slips into a tack room, presumably to have some privacy. I hope so at least.
“Okay, so what’s stopping you?” she asks as she sits on something, leaning against the wood-paneled wall behind her.
“I can’t fuck my bodyguard!” I hiss again. “Also keep your voice down. I don't want him to hear me.”
She scoffs. “Why the fuck not? Is there some Olympic rule saying you can’t?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore even if there is,” I murmur under my breath.
Sadie's face softens. “I’m sorry, Raven. I saw the highlights from your program earlier. Do you want to talk about it?”
That is the very last thing I want to talk about. “He fingered me on the train!” I blurt out.
My best friend's eyes go wide and a wicked smile turns up her lips.
“Well, kinda,” I add, before she gets any crazy ideas. “I mean, his finger was, uh, under my panties but, uh, he didn’t like…put it in,if you know what I mean.”
“You mean he didn’t fingerblast you until you couldn’t see straight? Shame,” Sadie muses.
My cheeks flame with heat. “I wanted him to. But he pulled back when he heard people outside the train car and then ran away.”
“In the train car?! Ooh, I didn’t know you had an exhibitionist side, Raven.”
“Sadie!” Why did I call her again? This is not helping.
“Okay, okay,” Sadie concedes, getting her amusement under control. “Did you come?” I shake my head. “Did you bring your vibrator?” Another shake. She sighs. “Listen, I think you need to get laid. Or at least eaten out. You know there are crazy parties during the Olympics. Go find a hot alpha or three, even a sexy beta, and let off some steam.”
I shake my head yet again. “Foster would never let me go to a party.”
Her eyebrows shoot sky high, a look of incredulity on her face. “He wouldn’tletyou? First of all, you’re a grown ass woman, and you aren’t gonna let him tell you what you can and can’t do. Second of all, ditch him.”
“What?”
“Ditch him. If he won’t give you what you need, find someone who will. Sneak out. Go let loose. Have some alcohol. You’ve had a hell of a day. Well, a hell of a few months really. You deserve to experience the fun things, too, Raven. Not just what your coach, or publicist, orFosterthink you should do.”
