by Toni Aleo
“Yeah, he’s too pretty-boyish.”
She makes a face. “Ryan? My brother? Are you sure? He’s not a pretty boy.”
“He was wearing that suit, right? And his hair was glossed over, all pretty-boy like.”
She just blinks before she snorts with laughter. “I can’t wait to tell him that you made fun of his hair—”
“No! Don’t!”
But she’s not listening to me; she’s laughing. “He hates his hair like that, but he has to wear it that way since they have to be all clean-cut and perfect when they go to school events. It’s a team thing.”
I press my lips together. “Oh.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t usually look like that. He usually looks like a regular guy.”
“Eh, he’s too Clark Kent for me.”
And boy how I wish he’d come and carry me away like my own personal Superman.
But that can’t happen.
“Oh, okay.”
I shrug, tearing apart my chicken as I watch her. She doesn’t look upset, but she looks perplexed. “Don’t be offended, please. I don’t mean that to be rude.”
She shakes her head, though her brows are still drawn together. “Oh no, it’s fine. Just I’m curious if I’ll still get to meet Moon since you’re turning him down.” I scoff as she sets me with a look. “Can you act like you dig him so I can get my introduction?”
I shake my head. “That’s not fair, and I wouldn’t lead him on.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”
I laugh. “Amelia.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she says, shaking her head. “Hmm, I gotta figure out how to get around this.”
“You aren’t mad at me?”
She pauses as she gets up. “Mad that you don’t want my brother? No, I’m actually relieved.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, Ryan doesn’t do girlfriends, and I wouldn’t want him to end up hurting you because, duh, you’re my bestie.”
I swallow past the lump that forms in my throat. He looked like a settle-down type of guy, which is why I’m running the other way. “Oh, well, I don’t do boyfriends.”
“Are you sure you can’t just sleep with him? That will get me a for-sure date with Moon.”
I hold back my laughter. If only she knew how that would never happen. “That goes above and beyond best-friend duties.”
“Shit, you’re right. Fine. I’m going to bed.”
Relief floods me. “No party?”
She shakes her head. “No way. I’m beat, and I want to be fresh for tomorrow.”
“It’s not ’cause I’m not going?”
“That too. I don’t want to go alone or face the million questions my brother will hit me with.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, he’s been texting me since I left. He really wants to meet you.”
My heart flutters. “Oh.”
She tosses her phone onto the nightstand between us, and she isn’t lying. It’s going off with messages from her “Bubba,” all asking where we are. A jolt of excitement goes through me at the thought of someone as hot as Ryan digging me, but I gotta keep my head on straight. I was told my whole life by my old coach that boys are trouble; they ruin gymnasts’ careers.
Which is why I’ve never had a boyfriend, nor do I want one.
I have to succeed.
Chapter Eight
Sofia
I’m leaning against a practice beam as Amelia goes through her routine. It’s solid. The difficulty is there, and she can land the skills, but she’s holding back. When she falls out of her triple back handspring series, she slaps her palm to the beam, and I hold up my hand to calm her down. Her face is red, her hair is a mess from where she has run her fingers through it at least ten times, and she looks like she’s on the brink of crying.
“You’re in your head.”
She shoots me an infuriated look. “Well, duh, this is a mind fuck.”
I laugh as I nod. “It is, but you’re way into your head. You think you’re gonna fall before you even give yourself a chance to finish the skill.” I go to her beam, leaning on it as she does the same moves from the other end, landing her trick on the beam in front of me. “It has to be fluid, dude. And you get so worked up that you rush it, and then you’re falling. You become Amelia Justice—hot mess express.”
She cracks a grin, and I smile before squeezing her wrist. “You know how I do this?”
“How?”
“I just do.”
“Oh my God, why don’t I just do that?” she says sarcastically, and I laugh.
“No, I don’t think about it. I just do it. I know the motions. I know what I have to do. I don’t break it down. I don’t even really think about it. I just do it.”
Her brows come in. “Oh, how wonderful it must be to be a robot.” She then starts to move like a robot, teasing me. “I am Sofia. I can’t do wrong. I move the way I am supposed to and get all tens.”
I smack her playfully as I laugh from my gut. “Shut up.”
She gives me a rueful look. “Not everyone is you. Give me something I can work with.”
“Fine. Maybe I should do to you what my coach did to me.”
She looks wary. “Which is?”
“Stand on the other beam and toss shit at you as you do your routine until you ignore everything, even your brain that is telling you to duck. He gave me a black eye once.”
She blinks as the silence stretches between us. “You do realize he was abusive, right?”
I shrug. “Yeah, but I got a ten at my first college meet.”
She thinks that over and then nods. “Hmm, maybe we should do that.”
Our laughter fills the gym. When she stretches her arms on the beam, my laughter subsides when I see a tear run down her face. “Amelia, it’s okay. You’ll get this.”
“It hasn’t always been my fucking struggle.”
“No?”
“No, and now I hate beam.”
I nod. “Well, it’s never been my favorite.”
She swallows hard. “It was my dad’s favorite.”
My heart aches for her. “Really?”
“Yeah, he loved watching me on it. He was always in the front row at every competition when he wasn’t at Ryan’s tournaments. When he was, though, my mom would FaceTime him or Skype him.” She looks down at the beam, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. I can tell she doesn’t want to cry in front of me; she probably feels weak like I do. “He hated vault. Bars and floor were okay, but when I was on beam, he said he held his breath. His heart would pound ’cause he was excited for me but also freaked the hell out.” When Amelia’s lips start to wobble, I take her wrist in my hand again, squeezing it. “He was always so proud of me.”
“He had a reason to be. Am, you’re amazing.”
Her lips quirk. “I’m not a robot like you.”
I chuckle because I know she means it as a joke. But little does she know, being a robot isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
“I think that’s why I struggle so much with it. Ya know?”
“Yeah,” I say, my voice cracking. “When my mom’s MS was diagnosed, it came out of nowhere, and it knocked me off my game, big-time. I think I fell off the beam and the bar at least once a practice.”
She narrows her eyes. “Once a practice, you poor robot.”
I smack her once more as she laughs, but another tear rolls down her beautiful face. “But really, Am, I get it. This sport is a mind fuck. Plus, it’s only been three years, right?”
She nods, her tears shining on her cheeks. “Yeah.”
“That’s still raw.”
“But I feel like I’m letting him down.”
I pull her into my arms, the best I can with the beam between us. “No way! He is cheering loudly for you in heaven, and he wants to see you do it in a meet.” I whisper in her ear, “You can do it. I know you can.”
She whimpers against my shoulder. “I can.”
“You can,” I say, squeezi
ng her. “Now, show me.”
She nods jerkily as I squeeze her biceps. She stares at the beam for a long minute, inhaling deeply before she exhales forcefully. When she looks to me, I know she is defeated. “I think I’m done for today.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but then, we aren’t the same person. I bury my feelings and push myself until I collapse or puke, sometimes both. I think Amelia might handle her feelings a bit healthier. “That’s fine with me. Wanna move to floor? We can tumble some feelings out.”
She smiles as she nods. “Yeah, can you watch my double layout? I don’t know what I’m doing with my hands.”
When she waves them in the air, I can’t help but laugh. Even when she’s sad, she’s still animated. “Duh, it’s my favorite.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a baby.”
I wave her off. “You’re not. I get it, and I think I have to admit that I like you as my best friend.”
She punches the air with a huge grin on her face. “I knew I’d make you love me.” I laugh as she leans into me. “I have bad days like this, though. Especially since I talked to my mom this morning, and she’s having—”
“Hey, so-called sister of mine!”
We both stop at the new voice, but while Amelia turns, I go still. I know who has just entered the gym, and I didn’t expect his voice to be so damn low and raspy. Demanding. Sexy.
Crap.
I turn slowly, and I realize Amelia was right when she said her brother didn’t normally dress like he had at the meet yesterday. Today, he is wearing athletic pants that are rolled at the bottom with some black Chucks. His shirt is teal and tight against his chest, the Bullies emblem on the front. He is wearing those very sexy and very naughty Clark Kent glasses, and his hair is in a ruffled mess on his head.
He is drop-dead sexy, and everything inside of me catches on fire.
Oh shit.
His eyes slowly land on me, blazing blue, and the air rushes out of me within seconds.
Holy crap.
Amelia is either ignoring her brother’s blatant gawking at me or she’s trying to save me, because she says, “What? I did nothing wrong—”
Before Amelia can finish, Ryan closes the gap between them, his hands coming to her shoulders after, like, two strides. He’s huge! “Are you hurt? Why are you crying?”
Oh hell, and he loves his sister.
Heart, be still, you stupid bastard!
She waves him off, the bag he is holding smacking against her arm. “I’m frustrated. That stupid beam.”
He shakes his head, his eyes intent on her. “Amelia, really?”
“No, really, Ry, it’s that damn beam. It’s gonna be the death of me.”
He eyes her, and the way he looks at her, so caring, so desperate to make sure she is okay, blows me away. It’s as if he doesn’t even know I’m in the room, when two seconds ago, I was all he saw.
That shouldn’t turn me on.
But it rattles me from within.
“It’s a four-inch-wide jerk. Make it your bitch.”
She grins, and I can’t fight back my own grin. That was a really nice thing to say. “Thanks, Coach.”
He squeezes her arms. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I am, promise.”
“Okay,” he says slowly, and she waves him off.
“Honestly. I am.”
He sighs. “I brought you some lunch—both of you, actually, since I’m sure you guys are hungry, and you didn’t answer my calls to tell me no.”
“Sorry. I fell asleep. We were whipped last night.”
“Understandable. You guys did fantastic,” he says, and then he looks at me. Everything around me goes still as my body tingles with jolts of crazy emotions I’ve never felt in my life.
Who the hell is this guy?
“You missed one hell of a party.”
“Yeah, I know, but eh. We wanted to get in here and work a bit, but I think the beam worked me.”
He nods, and then out of nowhere, those intense blue eyes fall on me once more. This close, I can see that he’s a giant beside me. My head goes almost all the way back to look up at him, and man, what a sight he is. I can see the dimples in his cheeks, the stubble along his jaw, and shit, the way his hair is tickling the top of his ears is sexy. I want to move his hair back, whisper things in his ear. What? Who knows why, but I want to.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen good-looking men. I don’t live under a rock, but there is something about this guy that has my gut in a knot and my heart racing.
And I don’t like that at all.
He turns to face me, and I have never felt such an irrational need to touch someone. I am a very in-control person, but staring into his blue depths, I don’t know that I can control myself.
Which is another thing I do not like.
At all.
“So,” he draws out, but I’m tongue-tied.
Why am I tongue-tied?
What is wrong with me?
He looks back to Amelia, and she sets him with a look. “I’m your so-called sister, remember?”
He rolls his eyes before looking back to me, those eyes so blue, so friendly and inviting. Problem is, the things he probably wants to invite me to, I know I can’t do. “Hey, so, yeah, sorry. My sister sucks sometimes. I’m Ryan Justice. You’re Sophie, right?”
He holds out his hand, and it’s so big, so thick, and I want to touch it. But I just look at it. He said my name wrong, but I can’t correct him. It would mean that I want him to call me by my name. That I’ll see him again. And I can’t. Looking back to him, I sense my heart in my throat, and my body is tingling. I feel as if I might combust if I touch him.
Yeah, nope.
My mom didn’t raise me to be rude, so I say, “Hey.” But that’s it before I look to Amelia. “I’m gonna go warm up.”
And then I walk away.
Before I do something I’ll regret.
Chapter Nine
Ryan
Did I just get blown off?
No.
Yes, she just blew me off.
Wait. Surely I’m imagining this.
As I watch her retreating back, I can’t help but take notice of how great it is to see her ass that is eating her teal leo, but that’s not what has my jaw dropping. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an absolutely perfect sight, but I’m pretty damn sure I’m not imagining anything. She just blew me off!
Which is absolutely unheard of.
When Amelia punches me hard in the middle of the chest, I gasp quickly before glaring at her. “Dumbass, her name is Sofia!”
Huh? “What did I say?”
“Sophie!”
“Fuck,” I complain, shaking my head. Small mistake on my part, though it’s all Sofia’s fault since I’m completely captivated by her beauty. I mean, for goodness’ sake, she’s fucking hot! I’m not dead inside; I love checking out girls in leos, but there is something about Sofia in one that leaves my mouth dry and my cock so hard it aches. She has the kind of curves I want to drive my tongue along all night long. Pretty sure Sam Hunt has a song about her, honestly.
“Oh, so I probably pissed her off? She isn’t blowing me off?”
She scoffs, but I’m too busy watching Sofia bend over. I think I may have turned into one of those assholes who stares at girls’ asses, which I thought was very disrespectful until I saw Sofia’s perfect ass. That beauty needs to be stared at. Touched, squished…
“No, she’s blowing you off.”
I snap my head toward Amelia, almost giving myself whiplash as I yell, “What?”
My voice echoes in the gym, but neither she nor Sofia seems bothered by it. My loving and supportive sister just nods, her voice low as she so nonchalantly informs me, “Oh yeah, she isn’t into you.”
My mouth parts slightly. She must be wrong. “Shut up.”
She shrugs. “No, seriously. I asked if she wanted me to introduce you two, and she said ‘eh, no.’”
Her imitation of her room
mate may be spot-on, not that I’d know since Sofia just blew me off. My jaw is still hanging open. Girls love me. I’m a cool dude, really good-looking—thanks, Mom—and I’m a hockey player. Hello, I know how to use my stick! That alone has the girls all over me. “‘Eh, no’?” I ask, repeating what Amelia said.
“Yeah, she said you were a pretty boy.”
I can only gawk at my sister. Me, a pretty boy? A grin is on Amelia’s face, and she’s looking at me like I’m a fool. She is enjoying this. What the hell? In my eighteen, almost nineteen, years with my beautiful sister, I’ve never wanted to physically punch her.
Today, that has changed.
“You’re enjoying this.”
She’s two seconds from laughing. “Immensely. It’s so refreshing to have one of my friends not want to do you or keep talking about you.”
I glare, but her grin is way too wide. “You’re fucking with me…”
She just shakes her head. “No, I’m saving face for you. She isn’t into you. I asked because you know I want to get an in with Moon and you won’t give it to me if you don’t get an in with her. I was trying to figure out a way around it, but I don’t see one. I don’t see the point since she wants nothing to do with you.”
She talks entirely too fast sometimes. “Please, don’t worry about my pride or anything.”
“What? I’m being honest.”
Well, honesty hurts. “Nothing to do with me? Really? Are you sure?”
She looks at Sofia and then back to me. “Yeah, for sure. I love you, Ryan. I wouldn’t let you go embarrassing yourself in front of her. I have to live with her. There are other fish in the sea. Not everyone wants to sleep with you, contrary to your belief.”
I look at Sofia in complete bewilderment. I thought there were sparks between us when she looked at me. I felt them, and sure, maybe she didn’t since she didn’t see me. I thought maybe she was feeling me earlier when I came in. Her pouty mouth was parted, and her breathing was elevated. I know because I was basically gawking at her, wanting to touch her, like a druggie needing a fix.
She’s so beautiful, I can’t help it.
“Are you sure?”
Amelia gives me a deadpan look. “Would I lie to you?’
