Se connecterBailey POVWe ran through the rain to the entrance and up the stairs to my apartment. I fumbled with my keys, hands shaking from the cold, and pushed the door open.The warmth inside hit us both instantly.I dropped my bag by the door and kicked off my wet shoes. Mark did the same, stepping inside carefully, looking around without saying anything."Kitchen's that way," I said, pointing. "Give me a minute."I walked to the kitchen and started the coffee maker, moving on autopilot. Mugs. Filter. Water. Simple tasks to keep my hands busy and my brain quiet.But my body was shivering. My clothes were stuck to my skin, cold and heavy. My jacket clung to my arms. My top pressed flat against my chest.I glanced down.My breath caught.The wet fabric had gone almost see-through, hugging tight against my chest. And my nipples, hard from the cold, pressed clearly through the thin material.Visible.Obviously visible.I looked up.Mark was leaning against the kitchen doorway.His eyes were not o
Bailey POVThe sky had been threatening all afternoon.Dark clouds rolled in during the last hour of practice, heavy and low, turning the air thick and humid. I kept one eye on the weather and the other on my athletes, pushing them through their final sets before the rain hit."That's it!" I shouted, blowing my whistle. "Cool down and head out. Now."The group scattered fast. Nobody wanted to get caught in what was coming.I gathered my things quickly, shoving my clipboard and stopwatch into my bag as the first fat drops of rain hit the track. By the time I reached the parking lot, it was pouring.Not drizzling.Pouring.The kind of rain that soaked you through in seconds.I ran to my SUV, yanked the door open, threw my bag across the passenger seat, and jammed the key into the ignition.Click.Nothing.I turned it again.Click. Click.Dead."No," I muttered. "No, no, no. Not today."I tried again. Same thing. The engine didn't even try to turn over. Just that flat, empty clicking so
Bailey POVThe drive to the academy the next morning felt longer than usual.My hands sat at ten and two on the steering wheel, grip tighter than it needed to be. Last night kept replaying in my head. Lola's voice. The wine. The tears. Phillip's words. And underneath all of it, like a current I couldn't switch off, the memory of Mark's thumb brushing the corner of my mouth.I swallowed hard and turned up the radio.It didn't help.Today was general practice. The full squad. Thirty athletes on the track. Drills, sprints, cool downs. A regular session like any other.Mark would be there.Obviously.He trained with the squad just like everyone else. Our private sessions didn't change that. At the academy, he was just another athlete. Another runner. Another face in the group.That's all.I'd ignore him. Focus on the other students. Keep my distance. Keep things professional.Simple.I pulled into the academy parking lot and grabbed my bag from the passenger seat.Simple, I told myself a
Bailey POVHer face had gone red with anger, jaw tight, eyes blazing."Lola, sit down.""I'm going to kill him, Bailey.""Sit down."She stood there for a few more seconds, fists clenched at her sides, breathing hard through her nose.Then she sat.Slowly."That man," she said, her voice low and shaking, "is the worst thing that ever happened to you. And I promise you, every single word he said was a lie. Every one."My eyes burned."I know," I whispered."Do you? Because the fact that you kept this in for three weeks tells me those words are still sitting in your head."I didn't answer.She leaned forward."You are beautiful, Bailey. Strong, yes. Built different, yes. But that's what makes you incredible. Any man who can't see that is blind and stupid. And Phillip was both."A tear slipped down my cheek before I could catch it.I wiped it fast."Okay," I said, clearing my throat. "That's not the only thing I need to tell you."Lola's eyebrows rose."There's more?""Remember the gig?
Bailey POVI didn't go straight home after the burger place.I drove halfway home and stopped.I sat in my car for ten minutes, parked at the side of the road, engine running, fingers tapping the steering wheel while my brain went in circles.The feeling of Mark's thumb on my lip wouldn't go away.His eyes watching me while he sucked the ketchup off his finger wouldn't go away.The way he said "good" when I told him Phillip was gone wouldn't go away.Nothing was going away.And I had nobody to talk to about any of it.I couldn't bring myself to tell Steven. My brother would ask too many questions. My other colleagues at the academy barely knew me well enough for small talk, let alone something like this.That left one person.I picked up my phone and called Lola.She answered on the second ring."If you're calling to cancel on something, I swear to God, Bailey.""Can I come over?"Silence.She knew that tone. The one I only used when things were bad."Door's open," she said.Twenty mi
Bailey POVMonday's session ran late.I didn't plan it that way. But Mark's start out of the blocks was sloppy, and I refused to let him leave until he cleaned it up.So we stayed.Long after the sun dipped below the trees and the park lights flickered on, casting everything in a soft golden glow."Again," I called out.He lined up. Ran forward. Drove hard through the first thirty meters.Better.Much better."Time?" he asked, jogging back."Four point two. That's where you need to be every time."He nodded, hands on his hips, breathing steady despite the hour of work behind him."We're done," I said, clicking off the stopwatch. "Good session."He wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt. I kept my eyes on my clipboard.Lesson learned from Saturday."You hungry?" he asked.I looked up."What?""Food, Coach. The thing humans need to survive."I gave him a flat look."I know what food is.""Then you know you need some," he said, grabbing his bag. "Burger spot two blocks from here. My
Maya POV.He was so good-looking I couldn't take my eyes off him.Really.Was a man allowed to be this hot?When I said a man, I meant a real man. Broad shoulders 'an' all.Huge muscles, strong legs, and a thick erection that seemed to be calling to me.I bathed my lashes at him, the sight so entr
Maya POV.It was 6 p.m. when I finally settled into my room.I lay on the bed gazing up at the ceiling and fuming with anger.I might have just been swindled out of 50 dollars in cash.This motel was the absolute worst!After I went over to the store, I met a lady chewing a bubble gum at the counte
Maya POV."I didn't know you were such a scaredy-cat," Mr. Jonah said as he set the test kit on the table and swabbed my thumb with a sterile gaze pad. "Press down on it to stop the bleeding.""I'm only scared of needles," I grumbled as I did as he instructed, pressing down on my finger."If you ca
Maya POV.7 p.m.on the dot, I walked into the lobby of the hotel.I looked around the place.From the outside, it looked like a normal hotel, but once my feet crossed the threshold, I had a weird feeling.This was no ordinary hotel.While outside was painted white with a nice sign: Welcome to Parad







