Page 87 of Revolve
I’m soaked, and her tank top and panties are too, but I don’t let myself look. For long. Just seeing her here, in my shower, a place where no one else has been, leaves me raw. When her hands press against my chest, it’s almost like she tries to soothe the burn that’s been living there. Like she can see it without me telling her.
Sierra’s fingers trail down, testing the boundaries of where she can touch me. I’d let her touch me however she wants, with just one word. But that isn’t what she needs right now.
The water cascades over us, drumming softly against the tiles, but it feels distant compared to the thundering pulse in my ears. When I look at her, I can feel my heart trying to pry out of my chest.
“Why did you come find me?” she suddenly asks.
Because I’m incapable of leaving you alone, even though I probably should.“Because we’re partners.”
HOURS LATER, Ilet her change as I rummage through the fridge. The guys walk in with pizza just as Sierra emerges from my room, drowning in my shirt and sweats, the waistband rolled at least four times to fit.
Summer walks in, halting next to Kian just as Cole and Sebastianwave to Sierra and take a box to the dining table. Summer and Kian nudge each other, and I roll my eyes.
“Sierra,” they both say.
Kian’s staring at Sierra in my clothes, and Summer smiles like she’s figured it all out.
“You know, I have clothes upstairs. Let me know if you need to borrow anything,” Summer offers. Then she mouths,Tell me everything, before heading upstairs to Aiden’s room.
“I was just at your dorm,” Kian says to Sierra.
“You were?” we both ask. Why the hell was he there?
“I’m in Scarlett’s study group,” he says cryptically. “What were you two doing?”
Sierra glances at me, so I take the pizza boxes from Kian. “We were watching tapes.”
He hums in acknowledgment. “Isn’t it crazy that when I met Dylan, he’d scrape his knee in street hockey, and just lay there and cry until his mom came?”
Sierra pouts at me in fake sympathy.
“Isn’t it crazy that I met you when you still called our teachers ‘Mommy’?” I shoot back.
“Ms. Marple was hot. I meant to call her ‘Mommy.’” Kian shrugs, completely unfazed.
I nudge him out of the way and put the plates on the dining table. Summer and Aiden come downstairs too, finding their spots at the table. We’re still used to eating together ever since Eli ingrained it into us.
Sierra comes to sit beside me, and Kian sits on the opposite side of her. Even as he tells her another one of my embarrassing stories, I can only focus on her unrestrained laugh. And the fact that I’ll do anything to get her that win.
THIRTY-TWO
SIERRA
WE’VE GOT Aweek until our second competition. Lidia’s allowed us a shorter day today since Dylan and I nailed both programs without a hitch. Since we’ve hit the lifts clean in competition, she wants to push our momentum. If we’re lucky we could get into the Grand Prix final based on our Senior B competition scores.
Dylan’s been alternating between hockey and training with me, and he’s exhausted, though he’d never admit it. He jokes less, doesn’t let his hand “slip” from my waist to my ass or tease Lidia about who she’s texting. I thought he might be getting sick since after he took me home from the rink. Things have shifted since our shower. I expected him to see me as fragile now, but Dylan just meets me with steady skill and certainty.
So, when he invited me over after practice today, insisting he makes the best grilled cheese and that Ihadto eat it fresh off the pan, I couldn’t say no. From my perch on the kitchen counter, I watched him cut the sandwich diagonally, then lean back with that smug-ass grin while I devoured the whole thing.
“You can admit it was good. I won’t gloat. Promise,” Dylan says as he dries the dishes.
“I’ve had better,” I say, rolling my neck with a sigh.
“Always so damn stubborn.” Dylan glances at me. “Sore?”
“My shoulders are killing me. And I didn’t expect my ankles to still ache like this.”
“I don’t think that ever goes away.” Dylan tosses the tea towel on the counter. “How do you feel about getting wet?”
