by Kaia Knight
She began to head towards her room as she put the last of the dishes away and glanced over her shoulder. “Well, I’d best get to bed. I have an early practice tomorrow. Thanks again for dinner, Cristiano.”
“What time is your practice?”
“Five thirty…my coaches are criminals.”
He laughed huskily. “Well, I have soccer practice at six in the athletic complex, want to ride together? I was going to leave a little early anyways since I don’t know my way around.”
She hesitated. Between her tender feet and aching muscles, she didn’t have the energy to protest. “Actually…that would be great, I don’t have a car yet. Thank you!”
“See you in the morning. Sleep well, Kai.”
Why does every sentence have to sound like seduction? She fell into bed and set her alarm in disgust at the early hour. Sinking into the sheets, she dreamed of deep blue eyes and a floating bed.
The car ride with Cristiano was quiet. When he dropped her off, he rolled down the window and called after her, “Meet you back here at seven!”
She waved gratefully and grabbed the plastic bag that she had stuffed her swimsuit and change of clothes in. Turning towards the aquatics entrance, she caught Gabriel looking her way as he walked towards the large glass doors. He held the door behind him wordlessly, waiting for her to catch up.
“Thanks, Coach!” She gave him a tentative smile, trying to gauge his expression as she approached him.
When she passed through the doorway, Gabriel faced Kailani and his words tumbled out in agitation. “Last night you said you would be running to practice. Who was that guy you were with?”
“Rule number two. We don’t talk about things outside of swimming, remember?” She held back a smile as she headed into the locker room, which was empty except for Samantha. He sounds jealous.
Plopping her bag on the bench, she pulled out her gear with enthusiasm. Today, she had come prepared. She had her old black tights that she had cut the feet from. She would wear them under her bathing suit; no more cheeks hanging out, no more worries about her bikini line. She tugged them on in satisfaction.
Samantha eyed her as she shimmied into her bathing suit. “What are those for?”
“We used to train with these on my old team. They slow you down by adding drag, so that way on race day when you take them off, you feel a lot faster. Plus, it means I can skip on shaving every day.”
Samantha snorted. “I could get behind that. I usually wouldn’t care around you girls, but... you know… Coach Gabe.” Her eyes crinkled and she worked her tangle of curly red hair into a bun. She pulled on her swimming cap, which immediately split in half in protest.
“Shoot,” Samantha muttered, holding the torn latex in each hand. “That was my only cap.”
“Here!” Kailani reached in her bag and tossed Samantha a spare cap. “Us thick-haired girls need silicone caps to hold in the crazy.”
She laughed and met Kailani’s gaze. “Nothing can hold in my crazy. Thanks, girl!”
Confidence bloomed in Kailani as they chatted and strode onto the pool deck together.
Kenzie was already standing in front of the fast lane and raised an eyebrow when Kailani joined their circle. “Swimming at 5:30, ballet recital at 6?” A few of the girls around them chuckled.
Kailani gave a half smile and bent her knees in a plié. She pretended that nothing had happened the day before as she stepped up to the edge of the pool, dropping her gear. The girls behind her were still snickering. Have fun keeping up.
Jumping into lane one with a splash that made the girls shriek, she pushed off the wall and threw herself into the set. She felt smooth and strong, surging through the water gracefully. As she reached the opposite side, Kailani flipped, pushing off the wall and kicking to the surface with the powerful ease of repetition. The laps slipped by as she swam in a trancelike state. She let go of her control and allowed her instincts to take over. As Kailani sprinted through her final freestyle set, her shoulder suddenly seized and she faltered, coming to a halt in the middle of the pool as she treaded water by kicking in place.
Coach Steve noticed and walked along the deck towards the middle of the pool, disgustingly cheerful for the early hour. “Hey champ! Tight muscle?”
“Yeah, it’s this spot right here that’s messing up with my rotation.” She swam to the wall with a limping stroke.
“Here, hop on out, let’s get that looked at.”
She climbed out of the pool and walked towards Coach Steve, rolling her shoulder gingerly. He took her hand, inspecting her shoulder as he bent her arm and extended it upwards in a series of small motions with deft professionalism.
“Hmm,” he said, “It seems like there’s some tension, maybe a knot back here?” He gently prodded the muscle above her shoulder blade, and she hissed in response. “Yep! We found it,” he laughed. He gestured to the athletic bench along the wall with the whiteboards and patted it twice. “Here, lay down so we can get that knot worked out. Gabriel!” he called. When Kailani looked at him sharply, he said, “Coach Gabriel can take care of it while I get the rest of the team started on the final set.”
“Oh no, it’s okay—” she protested, pushing up from the table. “I’ll just keep swimming.”
“Nonsense! Better to take care of it before it gets worse.” He said dismissively as Gabriel walked over. “Gabe, she has a knot restricting her movement here.” He kneaded the tender spot on her back, and she clenched her teeth. “Could you take over while I run the girls on the next set?”
Gabriel looked as hesitant as she felt. “Uh, sure...”
Not wanting to draw any scrutiny to their tension, Kailani laid back down, trying not to feel self-conscious. Her head faced the wall, so she couldn’t tell if the girls watched them. She imagined their eyerolls and tensed up. Gabriel began gently rubbing around her shoulder blade.
“Relax.” He commanded. “I did this yesterday for another swimmer, and you were probably too busy swimming to notice.” That did calm her down, and she relaxed into the table, taking a deep breath. He leaned closer, kneading the knot with his thumb in circles at the source of the tightness. She expelled air sharply, acutely aware of Gabriel’s proximity and his warm, strong hands. I shouldn’t be enjoying this so much.
When Gabriel’s hands disappeared, her heart sank, only for his elbow to meet her back, pinpointing the pressure with unbearable force. Kailani hissed in pain, arching her back as an involuntary groan escaped her. The tension finally began to dissolve as his elbow dug in deeper, loosening up the knot. He gradually eased up, gently rubbing her back with broad, deep strokes. She felt a coil of pleasure grow, as if his kneading thumbs were connected to the rest of her body, her thighs unconsciously clenching together.
She felt him lean in closer, and there was a smile in his voice as he murmured, “Rule number four, no touching.”
His hands lingered and slowed, trailing across her muscles as if reluctant to leave her body. She sighed as his touch slid away, and she pushed herself upright. Kailani glanced at the girls still swimming, as if they could hear what was playing on her mind.
She cleared her throat. “Wow. That’s so much better, thank you!” She rotated her arm freely and reached back to feel the pleasantly aching area. She would probably have a bruise later.
“Anytime,” Gabriel said, his eyes blazing. He turned and walked towards the edge of the pool, nodding at the girls who just finished a set. Kailani wobbled back towards the water to finish her last round of sprints, electrified by his touch.
After practice, Kailani walked into the locker room to find her canvas backpack sitting on the bench closest to the group showers, as if it had been there all along. She deliberately ignored it, sweeping past the bench towards one of the private shower stalls with a curtain. The echoes of chatter came from the group showers where the rest of the team huddled.
Kailani kept her mesh gear bag with her as she pulled the plastic curtain sharply shut. I tried being nice y
esterday. And look where that got me.
Glancing at her watch, she hastened to rinse off so Cristiano would not have to wait for her. She struggled to change into her clothes in the cramped stall before heading to the main locker area.
There was an uneasy silence hanging over the locker room as Kailani pulled a brush through her long hair in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Kailani clenched her jaw as she debated whether to leave the bag or grab it nonchalantly as she left. She caught the tail end of whispers: “…not noticed yet?” and “Someone should say…”
Kailani gathered her things and shoved them in her mesh bag and started walking towards the benches, still undecided.
Samantha was standing with the bag in an outstretched hand. “Here, this is yours.” Her voice had a nervous edge to it, and she glanced at the girls around her who looked on in silence.
Kailani narrowed her eyes. Samantha seems nice, but where was she yesterday? Probably giggling with the rest of the team from afar.
Anger rippled through her, and she lifted her chin. “Oh, are you guys done using it? If you’re that desperate for clothes, you can just keep it.”
“What? No, I—” Samantha sputtered and pushed the bag towards Kailani.
The stares surrounding Kailani bore into her, the pressure closing in as they waited for her response. She felt the familiar itch to escape, and adrenaline pulsed through her. Kailani grabbed her bag from Samantha and strode out of the locker room. Exiting the building, Kailani took a deep breath and noticed her hands were shaking. Cristiano’s car was waiting at the curb and she hastened towards it in relief.
“Hey!” Her falsely bright tone was clipped as she slid into the passenger seat. “How was your first practice?” His hair was damp and the car was filled with the scent of overly masculine body wash.
She didn’t hear his answer as Kenzie and Lisa stalked in front of the car, crossing into the parking lot as they shot dark looks at Kailani.
“Friends of yours?” Cristiano asked. His gaze followed their retreat as they tossed their hair, their hips swinging as they walked.
She looked out the passenger window. “Something like that.” If I even had a shot at being friends before, I definitely blew it today.
Chapter 10
Gabriel
Gabriel pulled into the driveway, eager to see his brother’s truck parked in front of the garage. He hadn’t had the chance to talk to Eli since before yesterday’s practice. I need to tell somebody about this before I explode. He shoved open the door to Eli’s room. Eli was a snoring, massive mound under the covers.
“Eli!” he shook the heavy, sleeping form.
His younger brother dragged the covers over his head and groaned. Gabriel nudged him again.
“Dude, wake up!”
“Ugh. It’s early,” Eli groaned. “Go away.”
“It’s important! It’s about Kai.”
Eli spoke into the mattress, his voice muffled. “Is she here?”
“No. But we have a problem. At practice last night, she showed up. As a swimmer. On MY team. I. Am. Her. COACH.” He plopped onto the bed, the mattress sagging around him.
“So what? It’s not like you knew about it. No harm, no foul.”
“Not exactly. Remember the transfer student from Hawaii I told you about, the one that Dad swore was our ticket to nationals?”
Eli threw back the covers. “That’s her?”
“The very same."
Eli smacked his hand against his forehead. “With a name like Kailani, of course she’s from Hawaii. How did you not know?”
Heat jumped to Gabriel’s face. “She said her name was Kai! And if you remember, I was a little preoccupied when Dad worked out the details. I wasn’t even supposed to coach this season.”
“I know, I didn’t mean anything by it. This is crazy. And you guys kissed, right?”
“Yep. Twice.”
Eli whistled then looked sharply at Gabriel. “Does Dad know?”
“Well…not about us. Yet. But Walt told him he saw you dropping her off the other day, and when I was visiting her, they thought my truck was yours.” He sighed. “So, if Dad asks, that was you.”
“So, you want me to pretend to date her? Happy to.” Eli grinned again.
Can’t he take anything seriously? “No, man! Dad even said she was off limits for you. His exact words were ‘hands off my swimmer’.”
Eli shook his head. “Fine, fine. But what are you going to do?”
Gabriel sighed. “I have to keep coaching. It’s all I have right now.”
“But isn’t she your dream girl?” Eli lifted a brow, his tone was teasing but his eyes showed the question was genuine.
“Maybe, but she has bigger dreams than me.” Gabriel said firmly. “I’m not messing up her future for this.”
“And what about your dreams? When are you going to do what you want? Do you really enjoy tiptoeing behind Dad, always doing what he asks of you? Are you waiting for him to finally tell you he’s proud?” He spat out the word proud like it was poison and jabbed a finger in Gabriel’s chest as the words burst out of him. “Because news flash—it’s not happening.”
Gabriel spoke through gritted teeth and slapped his brother’s hand away. “I am doing what I want. Who are you to talk?”
“This isn’t about me. What happened to that rescue diving course you were taking? Weren’t you just a few classes from graduating? And that Ironman you were training for? You were a world-class athlete. You’re just going to throw all that away?”
Gabriel opened his mouth to retort angrily, but the words caught in his throat.
Eli took a deep breath and his voice softened. “Just because Nathaniel died doesn’t mean you have to die, too.”
Nathaniel. He hadn’t heard or spoken that name in months. His hands shook. He waited for the familiar haze of anger to take over, bursting through, hot and incoherent. Instead, he felt a cool numbness slowly trickling through his body. It felt more dangerous. This was the sort of anger that a long bike ride could not solve. This was the source of the cold, calculating echo that he could not drown out as it crawled into the recesses of his mind, taking root there. It’s all your fault. You weren’t enough. You will never be enough.
Mechanically, Gabriel turned and walked out of Eli’s room, ignoring his brother calling after him. He walked back to his truck, clicked his seatbelt on and began to drive. He didn’t hear the words on the radio or register the street signs that passed in a blur; he didn’t know where he was going until he saw the sign for Lilac Ranch.
Pulling in the dusty lane towards the farmhouse, he pulled the key out of the ignition and sat motionless. What am I doing here? Minutes passed as he stared out the window, waiting for an answer to come.
It came in the form of a knock. His eyes jerked around to the dusty passenger window, where Josie cupped her hands around her eyes, peering into the tinted cab.
“Gabe? Is that you?”
Gabriel got out of the truck and walked numbly towards her. His expression must have revealed his inner turmoil because Josie’s eyes furrowed as she searched his face. “Oh, dear. Come here.” Josie pulled him into a hug that he could not help but melt into. They stood for several moments as she rubbed his back.
Finally, Gabriel took a deep, steadying breath and leaned back. Josie squeezed his shoulder. “Here, come with me. I have some of your favorite scones left from this morning, and I’m starting some lemon bars now.” She beckoned him to follow her, and the sweet, warm blanket of familiarity drew him in. But he could not stop his head from turning towards the inn, the magnetic pull that had drawn him to Lilac Ranch in the first place.
Josie chatted about Walt and the farm, giving Gabriel a chance to thaw out. She continued, “And our new interns are just lovely. Kailani is a sweetheart, always dropping by to chat and share some tea.” She shook her head, smiling as she passed Gabriel a plate laden with biscuits and honey.
Gabriel struggled to sound impartial. “Uh,
yeah, Kailani is actually one of the swimmers on my team. She seems nice. Is she getting along well with the other intern?”
“Oh, yes! He’s a charming young man. Very devoted to his family’s business. He said he wanted to learn everything he could about running a bakery from me,” she said primly as she zested a lemon. “He’s from Brazil. Very handsome, I might add.”
“He? You have a guy rooming with Kailani?”
She drew herself up taller. “Well, no dear, it’s an inn. They’re not roommates by any means! Locking doors, separate bathrooms, only the kitchen is communal.” But she had a doubtful look on her face, as if considering it for the first time.
Charming, handsome Brazilian? Gabriel finished his biscuit, chewing without tasting as he rose to head out. “Thanks for the scones, Josie.”
“Where are you going?” Josie put her hands on her hips, looking at him in concern.
He flashed what he hoped was a convincing smile. “I have some errands to run but couldn’t resist stopping here on the way.” That brought the twinkle back to her eyes, and she pulled him in for a hug before returning to the oven.
Gabriel headed out the front door, battling the emotions that warred within him. I should check out this guy, Josie’s too trusting to make a good judgement.
He went to the passenger side of his truck, grateful for an excuse to go see Kailani. He grabbed the swim cap that Samantha had taken to his office after practice. Walking up to the inn, he knocked lightly. A few moments later, a tanned face with a cocky smile answered the door without a greeting. He was a few inches shorter than Gabriel, which was accentuated as Gabriel straightened, crossing his arms.
“I’m here to see Kailani,” Gabriel said brusquely.
The young man raised his eyebrows. “And who are you?” He placed his hand on the frame of the door, flexing an enormous bicep, barring Gabriel from entering.
Gabriel’s hackles went up. “I’m her coach. Who are you?”
Suddenly, Kailani appeared at the guy’s elbow. “Oh. Hey Coach! What a surprise!” She tried to duck under his arm, but he did not move. “Cristiano, what—?”
