Love and Other Games (25 page)

"Everything else was already done, and the pages had been reserved for my story. They went to production as soon as I emailed it an hour ago. Lia, please, read the article. I promise—"

"Oh, no," she stood up. "You don't get to make promises. Your words mean nothing to me."

She might as well have stabbed him in the heart. His words had been everything to him for years – his livelihood, of course, but also his integrity, his purpose, his pride. He'd ignored everything else in search of them. Until he'd met her.

"Please go." Her voice cracked with the threat of tears.

"Lia, please. Let me explain."

"Go!" She pointed at the door.

A few heads turned in their direction.

"I will," he said. "If you promise me you'll read my article. Tonight."

She slumped back down into the couch. "Of course I'll read it."

"Good," he said, turning around and taking his first step outside. She'd understand when she read it. She'd know everything that was in his heart, because he'd put all of it into the article.

"I have to know what the entire world is going to be saying about me tomorrow."

Though her words stung, he kept walking away, propelled on by the hope that she'd forgive him after she knew the truth – the whole truth.

Milonas skis with the weight of her entire world on her shoulders, which is why she's able to fly so high.

Lia had arrived hours before her time to compete so that she could check out her competitors and mentally prepare. But all she could think about was that damn article. So now she hid in an empty locker room, staring at a blank beige wall. The silence did nothing to drown out the words scrolling through her brain. How had Brandon been able to write truths about Lia she hadn't even been aware of?

Mercifully, Del had denied all interview requests for the morning. While Lia'd been up late into last night talking to reporters, Del had been up late into the night talking to sponsors. All she had to focus on today was getting on that podium and her family would never have to worry about losing their farm. But that was easier said than done when Brandon's words had set up residence in her mind.

She began skiing to honor a grandmother whose passion was stolen from her, but continues skiing to save her family from the same fate.

As soon as
Moment Magazine
's digital subscribers had received the article, the media attention around her had exploded. While it was everything she'd never wanted, it was definitely what she'd needed. Del's voicemail inbox had reached its capacity before the sun had come up. Lia planned to stay in this small, quiet room for the next four hours, waiting for her name to be called on the slopes. She'd even got dressed in her ski suit, hoping it would help get her mind in gear for the competition – but all that had done was make her uncomfortably warm in the heated locker room. Now she sat on the floor against a wall in a tank top and tights, her head in her hands. She needed to get Brandon James – and his article – out of her head.

"You're a hard woman to find."

No, it couldn't be. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She was in a women's-only locker room behind three levels of Olympic staff determined to keep anyone but female athletes out. But she raised her head and her eyes confirmed what her ears had suspected.

Brandon James stood in the doorway. He'd ditched his regular suit and leather satchel for a track suit and duffel bag. It was a good look on him, she thought. The emotions the sight of him sent tumbling through her contradicted and wrestled with each other. She wanted to kiss him and punch him at the same time.

As if he sensed her mixed feelings, he took a tentative step into the room.

"How did you find me?" Lia asked.

He attempted his trademark lascivious grin, but it fell short, tinged with worry and regret. "My indefinable charm?"

Lia's lips pursed and she leveled her gaze at him.

He dropped the charming act. Lia noticed that his eyes had dark circles underneath. "Del helped."

"Traitor," Lia mumbled.

"To be fair, she only stepped in when I almost got arrested."

Lia raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to tell me that story some time."

A slow smile spread across Brandon's face, brightening slowly like the huge lights surrounding the slopes at twilight.

He placed his duffel on one of the long wooden benches. "I brought you something."

Lia eyed the bag warily. Brandon stayed where he was, looking like he could wait for eternity. Groaning, she stood up and shuffled over to the bag. She unzipped the flap and flipped it open. Nestled in a bed of crumpled newspapers, lay the torch. The torch! How had she forgotten about it?

She picked it up. It was heavier than she remembered. Her heart swelled in her chest, restricting her breathing. Tears stung her eyes. "I can't believe, after everything that's happened, you still brought this to me."

Brandon stepped over the bench to stand in front of her. He took her head in his hands and tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him. His blue eyes swirled with a heavy mixture of hope and torment. "And I can't believe, after everything that's happened, you still doubt how much I care about you."

Lia couldn't find the words to convey her doubt. She shook her head.

"You read the article?" Brandon asked.

She blinked slowly, then nodded. She wouldn't tell him it was all she'd been able to think about all night and all day.

He plucked the torch from her hands and placed it back in the duffel. "Then you know everything. Every word was true."

"You said I was beautiful, strong, inspiring, generous … " Recalling some of the things he'd said about her, tears filled her eyes.

He laughed. "Yeah, well I only had five pages."

How could she tell him that the doubt she felt wasn't about him, but about herself? "I don't deserve it."

At that, Brandon wrapped his arms around her waist. Being so close to him felt incredibly right. She slid her arms under his and snaked her arms to his back. She turned her head to the side and laid her head on his chest, breathing deeply. The smell of him sparked spicy memories of two nights before.

"True." He kissed her hair. "You deserve so much more – you deserve perfection, everything. But all I can offer you is me, if you'll have me."

Her heart exploded in her chest. She hadn't admitted to herself how much she liked this man, how much she thought about him and craved his touch.

He put a finger on her chin, raising her face toward his, and lowered his head. His full lips brushed hers with the slightest touch. It wasn't a kiss so much as a request for permission. Blood rushing in her ears, Lia looped one arm around his neck and raised onto her tiptoes.

"Take me," she whispered against his lips.

Abandoning every ounce of tentativeness, Brandon covered her mouth with his. One arm tightened around her waist, pulling her off the ground. His other hand dug into her hair. Never in her life had she been so overwhelmed by a man. The movement of his lips against hers, the sweep of his tongue, the way his fingers dug into her skin – it was all-consuming.

A growl low in his throat, Brandon hooked an arm under each thigh and lifted her up. He strode to the back of the room and sat her on a vanity. Leaning forward, his hips pushed her legs apart and pressed into the cradle of her thighs. Heat flashed across her nerves as his lips pressed hard against her neck. She tilted her head back, lavishing in the waves of pleasure rolling across her skin. He trailed kisses down her neck as he lifted her shirt with his hands until air rushed across her bare stomach.

He stopped and threw a glance at the door. "Should we really be doing this in here?"

Probably not, but she didn't care. "Don't you dare stop."

His smirk kindled delicious heat between her legs. He yanked her shirt over her head and cupped each breast in a hand. The smirk only disappeared when he closed his mouth over her taut nipple. His teeth grazed against the sensitive flesh. She whimpered. Decadently lavishing his mouth's attention on her breasts, he tugged her tights over her hips and down to her knees. Her panties had gone with the tights, but she barely noticed the cold tile counter top below her. His tongue circled her other nipple before he nipped lightly at it. She moaned.

When he stopped suddenly, she looked down at him. Passion had made his eyes bright and clear.

"You like my mouth on you," he said. Lia couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement.

"Infinitely," she responded.

That had been the correct response.

Brandon kneeled in front of her, smiling. Suddenly, Lia became completely aware of her nakedness, while Brandon had remained clothed. He slowly leaned forward, his breath tickling the skin of her thigh. He planted a kiss on her hipbone. Her skin danced with the need to be closer to him. Moving at a glacial pace, he trailed his tongue down, following the crease between her leg and her torso. She ached for him.

Finally, his mouth locked on to her. The hot tip of his tongue stroked her clit. She cried out. Her eyes fell shut as her entire being focused on the movement of his tongue. Her breath quickened. Her pulse pounded in her ears.

His arm scooped around her ass and tugged her closer to the edge – even as his tongue drove her closer to the edge of ecstasy. She gripped the sharp edge of the tile and held on for dear life. She hadn't realized it, but he'd only been teasing her until now. He intensified his efforts, building up a storm of sensation inside her. The feeling became almost unbearable. She rocked her hips against his mouth.

He thrust a finger inside her and she fell apart. Her entire body bucked at the release. Blazing pleasure washed through her and she fell back against the mirror of the vanity, body sagging.

Brandon stared up at her with a dangerous, self-satisfied grin.

"What are you looking at?" she said, teasing.

Brandon responded without hesitation. "The most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

He stood slowly, fingertips grazing her shins and coming to rest on her knees. Pulling her close to him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her until her breathing slowed. She clung to him, not wanting to leave the warm cocoon of his arms.

He lowered her gently to the ground, grabbed her tank top from the vanity and handed it to her.

She looked at it and swallowed. "Are you … um … done?"

One corner of his mouth tilted up and he let his eyes roam down her body. "Not in the slightest. But you still have to compete today and if I do everything I want to do to you right now, you won't be able to walk straight, much less land a triple-twisting triple somersault."

She couldn't stop the disappointment that played across her face. He laughed and kissed her hard on the mouth. "Tonight, I promise." His hands brushed across her shoulders and down her arms to take her hands. "And tomorrow. And the next day." He punctuated each sentence with a kiss on her palm.

She nodded, squeezing his hands.

"I have another surprise for you, too," he said. "But that will also have to wait until after you compete."

Lia wondered what else he could possibly have for her. He'd already given her so much. As she redressed, he removed the torch from his bag and brought it to where her gear was piled by the door. "Don't forget this."

She stared at the object in his hand. That's all it was. An object. It didn't have any magical powers. "I think it's already brought me all the good luck in the world," she said, smiling at Brandon. "I don't need it anymore. Why don't you go put it somewhere in the Village and meet me after my runs?"

"Lia, you know I'm not allowed in the Village." His voice was light, teasing.

She laughed. "And when has that ever stopped you?"

He walked quickly to her and kissed her cheek. "Good luck. I'll be with Del after you're done."

"Don't get arrested," she called after him as he rounded the corner out of sight.

Brandon watched with pride as Lia soared through the air with effortless grace. She completed her third twisting somersault with more than enough time to straighten out before the landing. The crowd – much bigger than the Olympic Committee had expected – erupted in shouts. Brandon shouted right along with them, cheering with an exuberant Del next to him.

Both runs had been flawless. The judges seemed to agree with Brandon's assessment. Her scores flashed on the screen and her name shot to the top of the leader board. It was mathematically impossible for any of the remaining competitors to catch her. Evangelia Milonas was a gold medalist. Within seconds, Del's phone rang.

Lia waved to the fans, smiling and blowing kisses at those who called her name. He was so proud of her – and more than a little proud of himself. He'd taught her those moves, after all. She bent over and unlatched her skis from her boots, picked up the two long planks, and ran to him. Her face was flush with excitement and she was breathing hard.

A grin stretched across her face and her eyes shone.

"Congratulations," Brandon said.

She jumped up on the fence keeping the spectators back and kissed him on the mouth. Cameras flashed all around them, but Brandon didn't care anymore. He did care about certain other people who might see, though.

He pulled away and she frowned at him, but his smile didn't waver. "Remember I told you I had you a surprise?"

She nodded, her frown melting away. He moved to the side and was nearly knocked over by three rambunctious boys. Lia's mother and father followed closely behind, smiling apologetically at Brandon.

Lia squealed and nearly knocked over the fence trying to get across it. It wasn't an easy task in the heavy snowsuit. Brandon helped her over, then backed away.

All six members of the Milonas family started jabbering in Greek. The
Moment Magazine
photographer had been snapping pictures the entire time, but other news outlets were becoming aware of the situation and nearly blinded the group with their flashes.

Lia stared at him. "How?" she said.