“I’m ready,” I call over to Riela.
She returns to the set, looking relieved when she sees me through the lens. “Yes! Much better. This is perfect, Genevieve. Keep that up.”
I am in control.
CHAPTER 5
Brown eyes dance
Above the cliffs
Of solitary bliss
Just one kiss
Would be enough
To dismiss
Violent waves
The secrets he craves
In time
If he were mine
Maybe I’d find
The lonely tears
I force away
Are okay
OLIVER
I wanted to get an early start on training today. Genevieve has an hour and a half to spare this afternoon, and there’s no way I’m losing a single second with her. The short texts and surface greetings aren’t cutting it, not when I can tell something isn’t right in her head. I’m worried, but I can’t exactly blame her for blowing off my concerns. We barely know each other, and how deep can we go in a quick text exchange anyway? I need her in my arms, to be cemented in her awareness.
Carlos couldn’t meet me until nine this morning, so I start warmups on my own at eight. I promise him I won’t do anything crazy until he arrives, and after some Carlos-approved isometric warmups, I pound the elliptical at only mildly dangerous levels. Of course, as my mind takes off, so does my pace when I lose track of the numbers. Maybe I end up pushing harder than he’d like, and by the time he arrives, I’m drenched in sweat and breathing hard.
“What happened to a mild warmup?” he mutters as I wind down and wipe my face with my shirt.
“It’s nothing. In fact, I’m feeling great. I think we should try some plyometrics. Box jumps or maybe even—”
“Not a chance.”
“But—”
“Ollie, I love you, dude, but no.”
I glare at him. “I’m ready, Carlos. Enough with the elliptical and balancing shit.”
He crosses his arms, brows furrowing. “Oh? You’re ready? Really? Is that what you call what happened on the ice at that meet-and-greet the other day?”
I clench my jaw and avert my gaze. “That was…”
“Don’t lie to me, kid. You were hurting. You needed some tiny pop-tart to help you up. You’re lucky the guys didn’t see that.”
Believe me, I had no such luck. A road-trip and slight time change didn’t stop the barrage of messages from my teammates when the footage aired. Most along the lines of: Dude, I would’ve jacked up my knee too for a piece of Genevieve Fox.
“I didn’t need her,” I lie. “And don’t call her that. Her name is Genevieve.”
His stance relaxes into surprised humor. “Is it now?”
I roll my eyes and step down from the elliptical. “Are we doing therapy or what?”
“You in a hurry or something?”
“Maybe. I have to cut out around noon.”
He studies me again, and I shrug through a few gulps of water.
“Is that so?”
“Quit asking questions. I don’t grill you about your off-ice activities.”
“I don’t have off-ice activities,” he says with a smirk. “You’re my world right now, mon amour.”
I roll my eyes and drop to the leg press. “Your accent sucks, you know.”
“And yours is adorable.”
“Don’t you dare hug me,” I warn, pointing at him.
He laughs and adjusts the weight for me. “Seriously, Ollie. I saw your face just now. I don’t know what you’ve got going on with that girl, but be careful. You’re a good kid and I’ve been in this business a long time. Girls like that will eat nice kids like you for breakfast.”
“She’s not like that,” I grunt through a leg extension.
“No? You think we didn’t notice how she pounced on you after the meet-and-greet? Like moths to a flame. They love athletes, kid. The rush and excitement. You satisfy some caveman craving in them.”
I let the machine slam down in a loud crash. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
He lifts his hands, unaffected by my venom. “Look, I get it. I’ve seen it a thousand times. Mostly it’s harmless since you guys are just looking for a good time too, but you’re different, Ollie. Saw it the first day you walked into that locker room. Hey, it’s a compliment. You’ve got substance. You also have an incredibly bright future and enough of a setback with your knee right now. I don’t want to see anything else drag you down. Those Hollywood flakes bring drama at a nuclear level, and I know how much you hate drama. I also know how badly you want this.” He waves his hand around the weight room. “You really want to allow a distraction like Genevieve Fox into your life with everything you’re already dealing with?”
I glare straight ahead as I push through another set of reps, and Carlos makes a wise choice to stay quiet this time. I do hate drama. I also hate nosy, know-it-all physical therapists trying to decide what’s best for me. My knee, maybe. My heart—he can’t begin to sort out. He knows nothing about me other than my stats and physiology, same as everyone else in my world. Besides, he didn’t see the pain in her eyes that day in the pool. That wasn’t a girl intent on using me for a good time. That was a woman who was deeply hurting and desperate for a lifeline.
“You’re upset,” he sighs out. “I’m sorry for that, but not for saying what I did. You don’t believe me? Ask Sandy. He’ll tell you plenty of stories. Hell, half of them are his own before he settled down with Kelsie.”
I ignore him, breathing through another string of reps. Press. Release. Press. Release.
Crash.
“I see how hard you work, Oliver. I know what you’re about. But I promise you, if you pursue this woman, your knee will be the least of your problems.”
The guard at Genevieve’s community security checkpoint was expecting me and lets me through without an issue. I get buzzed through her private gate and park further from the mansion this time, surprised to see another car already in the circular driveway. A driver waves from inside when I duck to inspect through the windshield. I return a stiff wave and keep walking. Is she coming or going? Is someone else here? She said we only have an hour and a half, and I bristle at the thought of sharing her with another visitor.
I’ve barely ascended the steps when the door swings open and she rushes toward me. Laughing, I catch her small body and hold on as she buries her face in my chest.
“Hello to you, too,” I say softly against her hair. Her arms tighten around me, and now I really want to get her alone and sort out what’s going on.
She murmurs something that sounds strangely close to “I missed you” but I’m not sure I was supposed to hear it. This greeting is so different from the first time I visited her home. So honest and uninhibited. It warms me and stings at the same time. God, she must be lonely.
“Are you hungry?” she asks, pulling back just enough to search my face. “Lana just made sushi. Were you training this morning?”
I nod. “I’ve been up since five.”