Page 102 of Stroked by (Stroked)
“Paisley . . .” He walks toward me, flashes of remorse still in his eyes. Before he can continue with what he’s going to say, I press my fingers against his lips to still him.
“I heard what you said to Jonathan.” My voice is just above a whisper. “Thank you, Reese. Thank you for sticking up for me and believing in me. There haven’t been many people in my life who’ve believed in me, including my own family. It means a lot to me.”
Surprise registers across his face before his eyes lighten with understanding. “Of course I would believe in you, baby. You do the same for me. You cheer me on every day, why wouldn’t I do the same for you?”
I sigh heavily, the weight of my job and our relationship resting on my shoulders. “I want this, Reese, more than anything, but I also don’t want to screw up this opportunity Jonathan set up for me. He really did stick his neck out for me to get me this job.”
I can tell he hates that I care so much about Jonathan, even though the last hour hasn’t been the most pleasant of our friendship.
“So what does that mean?” he asks, searching my eyes for answers. “If you want your space, I can do that, I can give you space, Paisley. It will hurt like a motherfucker, but I will give you anything you want. You just have to tell me what it is.”
A smile tugs at my lips that morphs into a laugh. From the crease in his brow, I can tell that’s the last thing he expected for me to do.
“What’s going on?” He looks confused as hell.
“You.” I chuckle. “You have the reputation as the bad boy of the pool, you’re manly and rugged, and have this tattoo that makes women weak in the knees, but in actuality, you are the furthest thing from the image you portray. You are one giant softy.”
He captures me and kisses the tip of my nose. “I’m only a softy with you, baby. No one else.”
With a thoughtful expression, I reply, “You’re right. You’re kind of an ass to Bellini.”
“She deserves it. She has too many people vying to stick their heads up her ass, figured it would be better to ground her. That and she annoys the shit out of me.”
“Stay here tonight and hold me.”
“Does that mean you don’t want to kick me out of your life just yet?”
“Why the hell would I want to kick you out of my life? Because you got in a fight with Jonathan? You were only trying to protect me, Reese.”
“Yeah, but you kind of chose me over him. I wasn’t sure if you were regretting that decision. You two have a history, he means a lot to you, and I don’t want to get in the way of that.”
“Too late,” I joke. “Jonathan and I will figure things out. We’ve had our ups and downs. He may have said some things he’ll regret later on, but we’ll get through it once the shock of it all wears down. I also owe him an apology for putting him in a position he doesn’t deserve.” I sigh and press my hand to my forehead. “Ugh, this is so stressful. Why can’t you just be ‘available’ and not a part of my job? It would be so much easier.”
“Finding your soulmate is never easy, Paisley. The luckiest people have to work at it, because once you find that true match, you will be that much more grateful for the journey you took to find them.”
All I want to do is go all school girl on his ass, melt into his arms, and sing melodies of love and promises I intend on keeping, but I refrain. Let’s not scare the ruggedly charming man just yet with crazy, psychotic girl tendencies.
Instead, I kiss his lips softly, loving how he can be so soft, so sweet, and so thoughtful in choosing his words. “You really know how to lay on the charm. Did you go to finishing school for hot guys to learn that?”
“Three years, graduated with honors,” he jokes, not missing a beat. “You’re telling me my hard work is paying off?”
“If your goal is to make me feel all giddy inside then mission accomplished.”
He kisses the top of my head. “My goal in life is to bury my cock as hard and deep as possible into that sweet pussy of yours as much as I possibly can. Want to help me accomplish it?” Hope runs through his hazel eyes.
That’s one goal I will let him try to accomplish every day, no qualms here.
Chapter Twenty-Three
**Reese**
“Despite the bruised face you still won’t tell me how you got a few days ago, I’m impressed. You’re hitting splits I haven’t seen you swim since you were twenty. Given your age and this being your last Olympics, I’m kind of flabbergasted you’re stronger than ever.”
My coach is right. Ever since I met Paisley, it’s like she’s injected me with some kind of superhuman strength. I feel stronger, lighter, faster, and it almost seems like I’m preparing for my first Olympics.
My body feels fantastic, like it can swim another two hours, but it’s my mind that’s starting to crack, bringing fear to the forefront of my mind, playing with the mental game I’ve worked tirelessly to establish. I keep telling myself, not this Olympics, not this go around. Everything is going to pan out. I’m not going to let outside factors come into my game day prep.
But that’s easier said than done.
