Chapter 21
Seeing Leo for the first time after our mutual orgasm should have been a little awkward. At least, that is what I thought it’d be when I arrived at the pool for one of our last swim sessions of the summer.
“Come here.” He greeted me with ease once I stopped my bike in front of his car.
Leo pulled me into his arms and nuzzled my neck. I laughed when his breath tickled my skin. He chuckled along with me as he placed a few kisses along my collarbone.
“Are you ready to swim with no board for me today?” he whispered as if we weren’t the only two in the parking lot.
I brushed my nose against his. “I’m ready.”
“Perfect,” he approved. “I need you to do something else for me.”
“Of course.” I leaned back a little to study his face, to guess what was on his mind.
“Time me for a 400 dash.”
My hold on him slackened. “You’re supposed to be taking it slow.”
“I know, I know.” He pulled me close again. “I just need to see how far I’ve fallen behind. My coach has been riding my ass to train with a few guys down here. He thinks I’ve been with a private trainer all summer.”
“Don’t worry about that,” I insisted. “Your body needs time to recover. Healing is progress. A good coach knows that.”
He scratched his cheek, not looking like he believed me for a second. “I need to know where I stand in the water, Kira. This slower pace of life is killing me. I’ve been trying to stay calm about things all summer but with the school around the corner, life feels like it’s creeping on me.”
“I thought this summer was going great.” I frowned a little. His tone sounded off. Like he was in a rush to get somewhere.
“It was. It is,” he was quick to assure. “I love spending time with you. It’s when we’re not together and I hang out with everyone else, I’m reminded I have to get back to that elite level. The Olympic trials are around the corner. I want to make it.”
I sighed, hearing the determination in his tone. He would do this whether I was here to time him or not. “What time are you shooting for?”
He let out a heavy breath. “Forty-five seconds.”
I frowned. “You’re kidding.”
“That’s where I was at nationals.”
“When you were in peak condition,” I argued.
His jaw tightened. “I know that. But it shouldn’t matter. My physical therapist said I’m almost healed.”
“Almost?” That didn’t sound promising.
His expression fell. “I thought we were going to be partners this summer. Encouraging each other.”
“Accountability partners, Leo. Meaning, we stop one another if something is about to get out of hand.”
“One sprint? A compromise,” he tried.
I knew he wasn’t going to back down from this. So, it’d come down to which one of us was more stubborn. From the other night, I figured we were evenly matched.
If I didn’t do it, he’d just go ask someone else. He might even try joining Nate in training before the summer’s end. I didn’t want that. Not just because we wouldn’t see each other as much, but he’d work himself into a re-injury trying to keep up.
Nate’s voice in my head whispered,Not your problem.
But it was. It was because I’d been in love with this guy for five years. I wasn’t going to let him figure this stuff out on his own now. Especially not after realizing we were so much alike. He would push himself to the limit for that small taste of perfection. I knew the feeling those seconds brought and how dangerous it could get trying to reach for more.
“One sprint and you’re done.”
