Not obviously.
But I feel it anyway.
The heat.The confusion.
The fact that I came here wanting control — and walked away with something else entirely.
I catch the flicker of two reporters in the lobby trading glances.No words, just the assumption written in their smirks.My chest goes tight.They already think they know my story.
I knock twice, crisp and quick, like the conversation I’m here to have.
The hallway smells like ski wax and half-dried socks, the scent of morning routines in elite athlete hotels.
The door swings open.
Lukas.Shirtless.
Toothbrush hanging from his mouth like a straw.He squints, then grins around the foam.“Well, well.”
I roll my eyes.“Don’t flatter yourself.”
He lifts his hands in surrender and backs into the room, muttering something that sounds likeI was leaving anyway.He grabs a hoodie and a phone and vanishes with Olympic speed.A toothbrush still in his mouth.Just a slight limp slowing him down.
I step inside.The door clicks shut behind me.
Thomas is folding clothes.Still damp hair curling a little over his forehead.Barefoot.Tracksuit bottoms slung low on his hips.
Sexy as hell.
He looks up.Doesn’t say anything.
Doesn’t need to.
There’s a silence between us, not uncomfortable, just charged.Like standing too close to a power line.
“I wanted to make something clear,” I begin.Sharp.Direct.Business voice, even if my legs would carry me to his bed without my consent if I did not hold them with sheer will.“So this doesn’t get… complicated.”
He quirks a brow.Keeps folding.“Okay.”
“I think we should agree on terms.”
“Terms.”A twitch of a smile.“Like a contract?”
“If that helps you take it seriously.”
“I take you very seriously,” he says.Quiet.Even.
I ignore the way my stomach flips and soldier on.“What we said yesterday.Only after wins.”
He pauses mid-fold.Nods slowly, like he’s tasting the idea.“Alright.”
That was easier than I expected.
“Good,” I say.“Then it stays controlled.Professional.No distractions.”
“You’re scared I’ll grope you in public, right?”he raises an eyebrow.
“You should be scared, too.It’s your image I care about.”
