Page 76 of Unrivaled Love
"Guess I'm still faster than you." I smirk.
"You had a head start." He squeezes my side. "Plus," He leans in closer and his breath disturbs the droplets of water on my neck. "I was distracted by your ass as you ran away."
"I use all the advantages available to me."
"Yes you do."
We're slowly spinning in the water. It's shallow enough for both of us to stand but I keep my legs wrapped around his waist instead. It makes me feel delicate and ladylike.
Bryson’s fingers dance along my spine but the stimulation isn’t enough to distract me from my racing thoughts.
Am I really naked in the lake with Bryson Svoboda?
I am, and I’m enjoying it.
Are we dating or just hooking up?
I don't think I can be casual with Bryson.
What about the fact we live across the country from one another?
He travels up to Salt Lake City for maybe one game a year. Plus my off-season is during his season so I guess I could move to D.C..
But will moving distract me from my goals?
He has his championship and I am working towards mine. I can’t afford distractions.
"I can see the questions swimming through your mind, Jo." Bryson says. Then he drags a hand up my back and nudges my head forward to kiss him.
The questions and the worry pop like bubbles as I lose myself in this kiss. When he pulls away with another nip to my lips he smiles.
"Your career comes first, I would never ask you to sacrifice that for me."
"How did you even know that's what I was worried about?"
"Because I’m worried about the same thing. This might not be easy. It might not look like the relationships our friends have. But I've known you forever, Jo, and I want to keep getting to know you for the rest of my life." He leaves a kiss on my lips and then rolls so our foreheads are pressed together and continues to melt away my doubts with his words. "I want to know the sounds you make in bed. I want to know your morning routine. I want to know what keeps you up at night. What you’re working to improve at practice. I want to know if scrambled with cheese is still your favorite way to cook eggs. Do you still sleep with socks on the night before games?"
"I do."
"I had a feeling," he smiles.
It matches my own.
"Do you still put your left skate on first?" I ask him.
"Absolutely, I do."
I smirk. I used to make fun of him for it. Even when we laced up together for figure skating classes as kids, he’d go left first. And when he left for college the year before me I missed him. I’m not ready to admit that to him but I can share something. "I, umm, do that too."
"Copycat." He tickles my side.
"Yeah, well it works." I say through the giggles. "Stop tickling me."
"Ask nicely."
"No."
He digs his fingers into my ribs a little harder so I push off of him and swim away. We splash around like we did as kids. He looks younger like this. More like the boy I used to know and not the man I find myself falling for.
