Chapter 28

28

Coach (Emmett)

“What the hell is this?” Bodhi groaned the second I turned into the parking lot. “I thought we were going somewhere good.”

I shot him some side-eye. “If you want all of me, this is where you’ll find it.”

Fuck, I was apprehensive about this. Nervous even. I hated the feeling, having banned it from my life a long time ago. I worked hard to give zero fucks. To keep my world small. So opening it up, opening myself up, was more uncomfortable than taking a piss on an electric fence.

Can’t say I ever pissed on an electric fence, but it seemed more pleasant than this.

Bodhi’s finger pressed against the glass as he pointed to the natatorium. “This is where I’ll find all of you?”

“Maybe not all,” I amended. “I mean, I think you already got some.”

The heavy suggestion in my tone was not lost on him, and I did enjoy the way he squirmed a little in the seat and pressed his thighs together.

“Why here?” He wanted to know.

“Because this is where I spend most of my time,” I answered, shutting off the engine of the Mustang. “And because if I’m gonna give up everything… you are too.”

Alarm flashed over his features, and his blue eyes turned wary. “I didn’t agree to that.” He shook his head adamantly.

Leaning over the center console, I crowded his space. “You think you can take and not give?”

“W-what do you want?” he stammered.

“Everything.”

He whispered, “I can’t give what I don’t have.”

Something about his nervousness made me feel more sure. “Let’s start with a swim, then.”

He was still in the passenger seat when my feet hit the sidewalk, and even though it was dark, I could feel his stare through the windshield. Going around, I pulled his door open, resting my forearm on the frame. “Let’s go, Goldilocks.”

Surprisingly, he slid forward, only to be forced back with a grunt. “ Shit ,” he swore beneath his breath.

Amused, I leaned into the car, my hand brushing across his waist as I reached for the latch to his seatbelt. He stilled and stared, his absolute attention making me lean in just a little more. Oh, I loved taking over his personal space, claiming even the air he breathed. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted everything.

I did.

And then… I wanted more.

The click filled the quiet interior, and the belt slackened and slid up. I guided it back, using it as an excuse to drag my fist over his chest and up to the side of his neck.

The sound of his thick swallow filled the car and me with satisfaction. “Try again,” I told him and unfolded from the seat. “Good boy,” I murmured when he appeared on his feet.

“I won’t swim,” he blurted, defiance and fear flashing in his eyes.

I caressed his cheek, enjoying the way his lashes fluttered. “Yes. You will.” I decided and went to unlock the natatorium door. Holding it open, I glanced over my shoulder, almost challenging him to disobey.

He came forward, sweeping past me on his way inside, avoiding my stare the entire time. After locking it behind us and pocketing the keys, I turned, noting the pitch-black space. It didn’t matter how dark it was, though, because I knew the place like the back of my hand. Sometimes it felt more like a home than my townhouse.

“Stay there,” I told Bodhi and walked to the control panel for the automatic cover. The gears started moving, the cover sliding back, and I hit another button to illuminate the lights inside the pool.

Inch after inch of the deep turquoise water revealed itself, the light beams dancing through the shifting waves. A sense of calm washed over me, watching it shift and glow. It was one of my favorite things about a pool, how it was ever moving, constantly changing, yet the more it changed, the more it stayed the same.

I liked its faithful presence and felt comforted that, even in change, it remained.

I also liked night swimming, something I didn’t indulge in nearly enough. With the overhead lights off, darkness muted everything beyond the water’s edge, which gave it the feeling of a secret lagoon.

The water was so crystalline you could see down to the bottom of its ten-foot depth. I knew without checking that the temperature was cold, and I anticipated the sting it would give to the skin.

Forgoing the rest of the lights, I went back to where Bodhi waited and led him into the locker room, down the dark, still row, and into my office where I flipped on a light.

I started stripping instantly, pulling off my shirt and pants, flinging them onto my desk.

“What are you doing?” Bodhi asked.

Reaching into a locker, I pulled out a black Speedo and tossed it in his direction. He caught it reflexively and stared at it in his hand. “Suit up.”

“You seriously want to swim?”

I dropped my boxer briefs, and he let out a choked sound. Once I had on a pair of identical Speedos, I turned to face him.

His eyes turned greedy, roaming over my body as if he’d never seen it before. Made me glad I put in the work to keep myself in shape, something I did because I made my swimmers do it and I wanted to lead by example. No point in yelling about fitness and athleticism if I was going to walk around lazy.

But seeing the appreciation in Bodhi’s eyes suddenly gave me another reason to keep up with the training. Because he clearly liked what he saw.

“You used to swim? Like compete?” he asked.

“Mm.” I agreed.

“Were you any good?”

I shrugged a little. “I had potential.”

His brow furrowed, those azure eyes lifting to mine. “What happened?”

I took a step closer. “You want me to tell you?”

He nodded.

“Get in the pool.”

“You know what happens when I get in the pool, Em.”

I liked the way he just took my name and shortened it, the way he called me that without even asking if I approved.

“You haven’t been in the pool with me.”

A spark of interest lit his stare, illuminating the curiosity already on display. He wanted to, but he was afraid.

A notion I was all too familiar with.

Catching the hem of the shirt he was wearing, I tugged. He hesitated, then lifted his arms, and I pulled it free. His nipples pebbled instantly, and I squashed the urge to play with them, tossing aside the shirt and reaching for his pants. Once they were gone and he stood before me naked, I palmed his ass and pulled him flush against me.

His soft sound made my stomach flip, as did the way he lifted his face for a kiss. As I smoothed the hair back from his face, our lips met and clung, rubbing in a sensual dance.

Pulling back, I tugged the Speedos from his fist and dropped in front of him. After a moment of hesitation, he stepped in, and I dragged them up his long, lean legs to fit them over his body.

Grasping his hand, I knit our fingers together, swallowing his hand in mine. His quietness was endearing as he let me lead him out of the locker room and back to the edge of the pool.

“Sit on the deck and put your feet in,” I instructed, nudging him forward.

When his toes hit the water, his shudder was unmistakable. A look of pain tightened his face as he dropped his feet the rest of the way in until the water was up to his calves.

Pushing off the deck, I dove in, the frosty water hitting me all at once. It stunned me for a brief moment. Then that anticipated stinging sensation prickled my limbs. I glided through the dense waves, feeling as though silk were being dragged over my skin.

Reveling in the freedom, my arms cut through the water to push deeper. Bubbles escaped, filling my line of sight and floating overhead. I watched light dance across the floor and followed the shadows cast by the bobbing lane lines.

The second my fingertips touched the tiles, I flipped and pushed off, heading back to the surface, focused on the legs hanging over the ledge. The moment I broke through, I drew in a breath and shook my head, flinging icy droplets in every direction.

Chlorinated water dripped into my eyes, and I blinked it away while closing the distance between us. Bodhi’s stare never left me, even when my hand curled around his ankle, gliding up his calf.

Keeping one hand on his leg, I anchored the other on the pool edge beside his hip. “How do you feel?” I asked, the rippling of the water the only other sound.

“What was your stroke?” he asked.

“Guess.”

He half smiled, eyes dancing with orneriness. “Brah, you scream freestyle.”

Amusement bubbled in my chest. “What makes you say that, brah ?”

The half smile blossomed into a full one, and my heart skipped a beat. Yeah, that smile was my end goal. To see him wear it every day. I also knew it meant he was about to be even more of a brat.

Scoffing, he rolled his eyes. “Cocky. Bossy. Self-aware. Intense.”

I arched one eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Indubitably.”

“Such a surfer boy,” I teased.

Yeah, I could tease. And flirt. Just a little out of practice.

His white teeth shone with another smile. “There’s also those big-ass hands and long arms. Perfect for free.”

“Hmm,” I hummed. His assessment wasn’t far off.

“Probably why you hate Walsh too.”

I jolted back, water splashing with the force of my recoil. “I don’t hate Walsh!”

He grinned, clearly happy he got a reaction.

Lunging forward, I grabbed his ankle again and yanked. Shock filled his face as he slipped into the water. I caught him before his head could go under, winding my arm around him and pulling him right against me.

His body was rigid, eyes like those of a deer in headlights. His lip trembled, and he bit into it, trying to hide the reaction.

“Hey,” I murmured, and he clung to me, the blunt edges of his nails pricking my shoulders so hard I knew there’d be crescent marks later.

His nostrils flared, wild eyes catching mine.

“You’re all right.” I soothed him. “You’re okay. I got you.”

Reaching up, I collared the back of his neck with a firm grip, and his legs clamped around my waist.

“I wasn’t ready.” His words were breathless.

I pressed his back against the tile, keeping hold of him with one hand while using the other to anchor us at the side.

“Neither was I,” I confessed. With mere inches separating us, our stares fused, and the chilly air around us grew humid. “But here we are.”

“Em—”

I kissed him, and he relaxed against me, arms winding around my neck as he whimpered into my mouth. Lifting my head, I scowled at him. “I don’t hate Walsh.”

“I know,” he mused. “But it makes you super prickly that Elite looks to him as their leader. I bet you think he’s trying to take your job. Or maybe your respect.”

“I do not.” My voice was gruff. “This conversation is not why I brought you here.”

“So I shouldn’t tell you that I think the only reason they look to him the way they do is because he reminds them of you.”

Genuine surprise filled me. “What?”

He nodded. “He’s confident, bossy, self-aware. He’s good at his stroke—which happens to be freestyle like yours—but instead of making other people feel inferior, he builds them up. Offers to help them.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“I’ve spent a few weeks with my ass on the bleachers. Not much else to do but watch everyone.”

My lips curled.

“They respect Walsh because they respect you. And he can’t take your place because you’re irreplaceable.”

Caught off guard, I stared at him, but his eyes were averted, shyness blazing around him like neon lights. Pummeled, I said nothing, but, oh, I felt everything .

Bodhi was a vortex, a whirring force of nature, his energy so intense I was sucked in without recourse, without warning… without care.

Even if I could stop it—and yeah, we all know I tried—it was superfluous. A gratuitous waste of time and energy because, in the end, he owned me. What I thought was impossible now stared me in the face.

He thinks I’m irreplaceable.

Grasping his chin, I lifted his face. “Is that what you think?” I whispered, the words making me ache.

His lashes batted, and he nodded once.

My groan echoed through the natatorium, and I let go of the edge so I could grab him with both hands and smash our lips together. Chlorine tinged the kiss, drops of water slipping between us, but we didn’t pull apart. I forgot where we were and that I was the one keeping us afloat.

Still lip-locked, we dipped below the surface, gliding into the cool depths, soft waves closing around us like a cocoon. Bubbles tickled my nose, and I felt Bodhi tense. My eyes flew open and met his. We stared at each other in this underwater world. At my waist, his thighs trembled, and I disconnected our lips and pointed to the surface.

Before I could pull him up, he caught my face and pulled me back in for another kiss. The density of the water muffled my groan as his tongue swiped tentatively at my lip. I opened instantly, capturing his face and pulling him in, stroking my tongue deep into his mouth. The length of his hair floated around him like silk, brushing against my fingers, curling around my wrist. I kept kissing, forgoing oxygen, with time suspended as we floated there in the lit-from-within lagoon, this kiss held secret by the waves.

He tapped my shoulder, and I kicked toward the surface, both of us dragging in deep breaths the minute our heads cleared.

Dark-blond hair plastered to his head and cheeks. Water clung to his lashes and beaded on the tip of his nose.

“So was I right?” he asked, eyes glittering.

“I don’t think anyone else would agree that I’m irreplaceable, baby.”

His grin was fast, knocking me back. “That you swim freestyle.”

Oh. Right. Fuck . How the hell was I supposed to think about anything when he went around cracking open my heart and filling it with sweetness?

Life has been sour for so very long.

Planting my hand on his ass, I pushed him over the side of the pool, and he plopped his feet into the water, swirling them around.

“Watch,” I instructed and then took off, falling into the freestyle stroke with ease.

I’d been swimming for so long that it was almost the default for my body, and I locked into form without even thinking. I cut through the waves and then flipped at the wall to swim back. When I made it to Bodhi, I popped my head up and smiled.

“Not bad for an old guy.”

“You little shit,” I swore, leaping out of the pool to tackle him flat on his back. Our feet and legs dangled over the edge as I pinned him down.

Bodhi’s laughter rang out, the sound stopping me in my tracks. Frozen, I stared down at him, chest tight.

“What?” he asked, suddenly spooked. He turned his cheek, looking to the doors as though he expected someone had walked in.

I grabbed his face, pulling it back around—a habit I was finding I did not want to break. “Don’t look at anyone but me.”

He rolled his eyes, but I made a rough sound, fingers digging into his chin. “You’re beautiful when you laugh.”

“Then you should make me laugh more.”

God , I wanted to.

“The last man I dated died.” I vomited the words all over him, taking away the very smile I so coveted.

Silence deafened the moment as I watched Bodhi’s face fill with caution.

I pushed off him, dropping back into the water like an anvil. Closing my eyes, I let darkness claim me, let the water absorb some of my pain. And then with a push, I resurfaced, feeling his stare before I even opened my eyes.

Swiping away the water, I focused on him sitting there at the edge, feet back in the pool. His soaked hair was tucked behind his ears.

“Tell me,” he said.

And for the first time in twenty years, I shared my secret heartbreak.