Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40297 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40297 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Her breath caught softly, and I leaned closer.
“But when I take you…” My fingers tightened slightly against her skin. “I’m gonna take all of you, Cecily. And there won’t be any going back.”
8
CECILY
The house was quiet, but sleep wouldn’t come. My body wouldn’t let it.
My parents had gone to bed hours ago, and the only sound was the low hum of the ceiling fan spinning above my bed. I lay on my back in the dark, staring at the shadows on the ceiling, trying not to think about how my lips still felt swollen and sensitive from Ares’s kisses.
Every time I licked them, I tasted him again, even though it had been a few hours since he dropped me off at home after our date. My skin still tingled where his hands had gripped my hips in the car, and there was this restless, aching heat between my thighs that refused to settle no matter how many times I pressed my legs together.
I rolled out of bed and tried to distract myself. I grabbed my training notebook from the desk and flipped through the pages, reviewing my notes from this morning’s session. But the words blurred. All I could see was the way Ares had looked at me when he ended our makeout session after making me come.
A sensual shiver raced down my spine at the memory, and I closed the notebook.
I wanted more, and that scared me a little because I’d never felt like this before.
Hoping to distract myself in a different way, I tried stretching instead, rolling out my shoulders and hamstrings on the floor beside my bed. The familiar movements usually grounded me. Tonight they only made the unfamiliar ache worse. I finally gave up and crawled back under the covers.
I tried to focus on my goal—making the Olympic team. I wanted to hit the water with my team this time. I’d been in the group of final contenders, but my name hadn’t been on that roster when the announcement was made. The feeling of being almost good enough had stuck with me, fueling my determination to become the artistic swimmer the selection committee chose first for the next cycle.
After the team returned and the head coach told me to rebuild and come back stronger, I’d taken that to heart. Being so close yet so far away had fueled me to give my training everything I had.
In the water, I controlled every precise line of my body. But with Ares, I had no willpower. He shattered every rule I’d built for myself and tempted me to throw away years of discipline.
I rolled onto my side, pressing my thighs together against a fresh wave of heat.
Just go to sleep, Cecily.
But even as my eyes finally drifted shut, all I could think about was his promise that there would be no going back when he took me. Which bled into my dreams.
His hands gripped my hips, pulling me down harder as I straddled him.
“That’s it, baby,” Ares growled against my mouth, his voice rough with need. “Ride me. Let me feel how wet you are for me.”
I rocked faster, gasping as he thrust up, filling me over and over again. “So close.”
His blue eyes burned with need. “Come for me.”
I jolted awake with a sharp gasp, my heart pounding and my body on fire. My thighs were clenched tight, and I was embarrassingly slick between them.
It would have been a problem if Ares had interfered with my sleep as much as he did with my focus when I was awake.
I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes and groaned. One steamy make-out session, and now my subconscious was fully on board with betraying me.
Routine was what I needed to get back on track. Forcing myself out of bed, I moved through my usual stretches, then downed a full bottle of water before changing.
The drive to the training facility was quiet, and I kept my mind on the upcoming session. By the time I hit the water, I at least looked like I was locked in.
Even distracted, I hit every mark. On the outside, I was exactly what Coach expected.
“Great job on the rotations today, Hayes,” Coach called after the second run. “Stephanie, you’re early on the transition again. Sync with Cecily.”
“Yes, Coach,” Stephanie answered, treading water beside me. She shot me a quick grin. “You’re on fire this morning. That lift felt perfect.”
“Thanks.” I flashed her a smile even as Ares’s deep voice echoed in my head again, saying that he was going to take all of me.
When the coach called out, “Let’s go again,” I blinked and refocused.
We ran the routine again, and I stayed technically flawless, but it took more effort than usual. Every time my body moved through the water, I remembered the hard press of Ares’s chest against mine. Every breath I controlled brought back the memory of his groan when I rocked against him. My mind had been trained for years to stay focused, but I couldn’t stop my thoughts from drifting.