Mila flushed guiltily. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been taking a break,” she assured her coach.
“But I haven’t heard from you in days. I thought you might have been in an accident. What’s happening?”
“Nothing.” She hated lying to him, but Leonidas had put the fear into her, that she couldn’t trust anyone, even longtime friends.
“Where are you?”
“I’m—staying with a…friend.” Her eyes rushed across the room to Leonidas, who stood with his hip propped against the door, arms folded, watching her. Waiting for her to make a mistake, or helping her not to? Either way, she didn’t mind. She took more comfort from his presence than she wanted to admit.
“Which friend?”
“No one you know.”
“Then who?”
“Does it matter?”
“You’ve disappeared into thin air only months out from Internationals. Yes, it matters.”
“It’s complicated,” she said after a beat.
“Tell me you’re not getting involved with someone.”
The words sent little arrows through her body. Getting involved with someone? That was such a bland way to describe what had taken place. Her heart gave a strange lurch as she remembered the night before, her insides twisting, moist heat slicking between her legs. But it was also a reminder of the commitment she’d made, not just to herself, but to her professional team. They had all invested so much in her. She couldn’t let them down.
Her eyes met Leonidas’ and a bolt of desire burst through her. Her lips parted; his eyes dropped to them, and she felt as though he were kissing her again. She lifted shaking fingers, touching her lower lip, and at his mocking smile of understanding, she blinked away. She tried not to take her coach’s question to heart. He knew all about her mother’s story, all about the regrets that drove Mila, the determination not to repeat her mother’s mistakes and live with her regrets.
“I’m staying with a friend of a friend for the next few nights,” she said without elaborating. “The good news is, my ankle’s much better.”
“Well enough to get back to training?”
Her heart thudded. “At the end of the week.”
“Why not now?”
She bit down on her lip. While Christopher was asking a lot of questions, that wasn’t unusual. They’d been together for a long time. He’d coached her almost from the start, and she trusted him implicitly—that was mutual. In her ordinary schedule, he knew everything. That level of collaboration was necessary to achieve what she wanted.
Her eyes lifted to Leonidas’ face and her stomach fell to the floor.
Why not now?
Because of the crazed stalker who had pursued her to the ends of the earth? Sure. In part. But the real reason, that she could acknowledge only to herself, was that she wasn’t ready to leave yet. She wanted to stay here, in the Loire, with Leonidas. At his side, in his bed, unified, just for now.
“How did it go?”
He moved into the room once she’d disconnected the call. A frown marred her face, and her eyes were distant. He felt a threat brewing, a danger he couldn’t explain, and knew that staying here was costing her. That it was difficult for her to lie to her team. He understood all that, but it was necessary. Until her stalker was detained, he had to be make sure she was safe.
“Strange,” she said with a little shrug. “I have a tonne of exercises to do.”
“Dancing, like you were this morning?”
“In part.”
“Stretching?” He growled, eyes flicking over her body, remembering the sensual euphoria of pressing her body with his.
“Definitely.” The word was breathless. He grinned, arousal jerking with anticipation.
“Usually, I’d do aqua aerobics—perfectly low impact for my recovery, but given that’s not an option—,”