Now, there’s only one thing that’s going to fix this—I hope…and that’s telling my dad about me and Ares.
And pray to God that I’m not too late to fix things with Ares.
I guess, if I am, then I don’t have to worry about my dad getting into Ares’s head and him dumping me.
That would be funny if it wasn’t so damn sad.
I walk up the stairs, heading to my dad’s office. Ares isn’t here today. None of the players are. After a game, they don’t come into train for a few days.
So, at least it’s giving me a chance to talk to my dad before I see Ares.
I knock on my dad’s door and push it open, popping my head around. He’s at his desk, eyes on his computer screen.
“Hey, you got a minute?” I ask him.
His eyes come to me. “Of course.”
I walk in, letting the door close behind me, and take the seat across from him.
“What’s up?” he asks, pushing his keyboard aside and folding his hands on his desk.
“I’m seeing Ares. I like him. We’re dating,” I ineloquently blurt out.
Aside from a twitch in the corner of his eye, my dad doesn’t react. There’s nothing—no annoyance or anger. Just an eye twitch.
“I didn’t lie,” I continue in the silence. “When you asked me a few weeks ago if I was seeing him…well, I did lie. I said Ares and I weren’t friends, and we were, so yeah, I lied about that, but you didn’t like me riding with him, so I didn’t want to tell you that he was my friend because…well, yeah. Anyway, now, he’s more. I like him. A lot. He’s good to me.” Not that I deserve it. “He wanted to tell you straightaway, about him and me, but I wouldn’t let him because I was worried about how you’d react, that you’d be pissed and maybe…talk him out of being with me.”
I see the first sign of reaction on his face since I started talking. His brows pull together in what looks like consternation.
“That’s what you thought? That I’d talk him out of being with you?”
I swallow down my dry throat. “Yes.”
“Jesus…” He scrubs his hands over his face. “Ari, I know it probably doesn’t seem like it…I know my past actions have given you reason not to believe this, but nothing or no one is more important than you. You’re my daughter. You have and always will come first.
“And my concerns about you and Ares came solely out of my concern for you, not that you might tarnish his reputation. My worry was that you weren’t in the right place to be starting a relationship with anyone. You’re just getting your life back together, and Ares, he’s in the public eye, which means you’ll be in the public eye if you’re together, especially with you being my daughter. It’s newsworthy, and I didn’t want you to have to deal with the added pressure.”
“Oh.” I bite the corner of my lip, chewing on it, feeling a bit stupid.
Okay, stupider than I already am.
“I’m…sorry, Ari.”
“What?” I nearly fall off my chair in shock.
My dad does not apologize. Ever.
He sighs out a breath. “I’m sorry that I made you feel that way, that you couldn’t talk to me, and that you thought that Ares’s reputation was more important to me than you.”
I fasten my hands together in my lap in front of me, staring down at them. “Well…it’s not like you’ve ever given me any reason to think different,” I say quietly.
“I know.”
That brings my head up. Have I slipped into an alternate world? One where my dad apologizes and talks to me?
“I’m just…I’m not good at this.” He moves a finger between us. “Give me eleven two-hundred-pound-plus players on a football field, and I can handle them with my eyes closed. But my daughter…I don’t know where to start. How to talk to you. And I just…I want you to know that I am sorry.”
Two apologies. Definitely twilight zone business here.
And it’s not an apology for everything he’s done wrong. But it’s a start.
I nod, acknowledging his remorse, my own words stuck in my throat, which is clogged with emotion.
“Okay…” He exhales, sitting back in his chair. “Even though I do have my concerns for you with the press, out of all my players, Ares is the one guy I would trust with you. He’s a good kid. So…I’ll notify the PR team and have them ready to handle it when the press gets wind of your relationship.”
If I have a relationship left.
“I appreciate that. But can you, uh, wait until I speak to Ares? He’s…not very happy with me at the moment.” I fidget in my chair, putting my hands under my thighs and sitting on them.
My dad frowns. “What do you mean, he’s not happy with you?”
“Well, we, uh…kind of got in a fight about it last night”—a big fight—“about keeping our relationship a secret. He wanted to tell you. I asked for more time. He got mad and walked out.”
“And that’s why you told me today.”
I bite my lip and nod.
“I’m glad you did tell me. Where is Ares today?”
I shrug. “Home, I’m guessing.”
“Okay then, I’m giving you the rest of the day off to go and see him.”
“You are?” I say, surprised.
“Well, it’s the least I can do. This is partly my fault.”
“Uh…thanks.”
“Do you need a ride into the city?”
“I can get the bus.”
He shakes his head. “I’ll drive you.”
“I appreciate that, Dad. But…I don’t think it’s a good idea for us both to go see him.”
My dad laughs low. “Ari, I wasn’t planning on coming to have a heart-to-heart with you and Ares. I was just going to drop you off at his place and then come back here.”
“Oh. Right. Well then, it’s a yes to the lift.” I smile.
“Thanks for the ride, Dad.” I reach for the handle to open the car door. “I guess…I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”
“Ari?”
I stop and look at him.
“Could we have dinner tomorrow night? Ares is welcome, too.”
“Okay.” I nod slowly. “I’d like that. And I’ll let you know about Ares. I guess it depends on if he accepts my apology or not.”
He smiles, his eyes softening. “He’ll accept it.”
“I hope you’re right.” Then, I do something I never do. I lean over and press a kiss to my dad’s cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dad.” Then, I climb out of his car, closing the door behind me.
I walk into Ares’s building. I give the security guard a smile and a wave, and I head into the elevator and hit the button for the eighth floor.
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to contain my nerves.
Feeling like this…really makes me want to have a drink. Something to calm my nerves.
But I don’t have that option, so I just breathe through it. In and out. I don’t have time to adopt the lotus position and focus. So, good old-fashioned deep breaths it is.
The elevator pings, and the door slides open.
I’m reminded of the time when I first came here to apologize to Ares for lying about canceling on him and to tell him that Luke was my sponsor. That’s the first time he kissed me.
And here I am again, walking to his door to apologize. Only he isn’t waiting in the doorway for me this time.
Lifting my hand, I knock on his door and then wait.
The door swings open, but it isn’t Ares who answers; it’s Missy.
“Hey.” She smiles widely, like she’s genuinely happy to see me here. “How are you doing?”
“I’m…okay, I guess,” I say with a shrug and a small smile. “Is, um…Ares around?”
“He’s upstairs on the twelfth floor. He went for a swim.” My confused look has her saying, “There’s a gym and pool up there for residents to use.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I suppose I’ll go up there and see him. Wish me luck.”
“Luck? But you won’t need it.?
?? She smiles and winks.
I’m taking that as a good sign, as she knows her brother better than anyone, and if he was through with me, I figured she’d know, right?
“Catch you later,” I tell her. Then, I turn to walk back to the elevator.
“You’re still coming to dinner tonight, right?” she asks, half-stepping out into the hallway.
I turn back to her, slowly walking backward. “I guess that depends on your brother.”
“Ari, you’re my friend. You’d be coming even if he didn’t want you there, which he totally does because the stubborn ass is crazy about you.”
Another shot of hope.
“Then, I’ll see you tonight,” I tell her on a smile.
I turn forward and walk over to the elevator. It opens as soon as I press the button. Guess it never went back down. I get in and press the button for the twelfth floor.
I exit the elevator and see the signs on the wall outside. Apparently, the gym and steam room are to the left. Pool to the right.
I follow the sign, coming to a door, and I push it open. It leads me straight into the pool area. There’s an Olympic-sized swimming pool in here. Glass windows are on either side, giving a beautiful view of the city.
And Ares is the only one in here, currently swimming a length away from me.
I kick off my heels and walk over to the pool where I wait for him to finish.
He hits the other end of the pool and stops, hand on the ledge, clearly taking a break.
I stand here, waiting for him to see me.
His head turns as he moves to return to his swim, and he finally sees me.
We hold eyes for a long beat.
I wonder if he’s going to swim over to me, but he doesn’t. He just stays there, the stubborn bastard. So, I swallow my pride and walk around the length of the pool to where he is.
I stop before him and stare down. Water droplets are clinging to his lashes and running down his face. His dark hair is slicked back with water.
God, he’s beautiful.
“Hi,” I say softly.
Hands holding the ledge, he looks up at me. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
Nice to see you, too.
“My dad gave me the rest of the day off.” I crouch down before him, putting us at eye-level. “And I’m here because you told me to call you when I’d sorted my shit out. Well, I’ve sorted my shit out. But I thought I’d come see you in person rather than call.”
“Mmhmm. Right.” He nods. “And just exactly how have you sorted your shit out?”
“I told my dad about us.”
I don’t miss the surprise that quickly flickers through his eyes. He doubted I would. But then I can’t blame him. I didn’t exactly give him a reason to have confidence in me.
There’s a long pause before he says anything. And, when he does, it’s, “Okay.”
“Okay?” I frown.
“That’s what I said.”
“And what does okay mean?”
“I’m pretty sure it has a few definitions in the dictionary—”
“You’re hilarious.”
“I do try.”
“God, you’re an ass.”
“Well, what exactly do you want me to say?”
“Oh, I don’t know!” I throw a hand in the air. “Maybe, That’s great, Ari! I know how hard that must have been for you!”
“I’m more interested in knowing why you didn’t want to tell him in the first place—and don’t give me the bullshit about him coming between us because, if you had any faith in me…in us, then you would never have thought that in the first place.”
He’s right. But it’s not that I don’t have faith in him. I don’t have faith in myself.
“I…” I blow out a breath. “After the first conversation with my dad, about me getting a lift to work with you and how he wasn’t happy at the thought of you and me…and I interpreted it to be because of you—that I would bring negative press your way—I was afraid…”
I feel tears stinging my eyes, and I bite the inside of my cheek to stop them from coming.
But it doesn’t work, and they spill anyway.
A shaky breath escapes me. “But that was my own negative thoughts about myself coming through. It wasn’t actually my dad saying it. It was me drawing the worst conclusion because that’s what I already think about myself. That I’m not good enough for you. That I’m a mess. That you’d remember all of this and all the reasons you didn’t want to be with me in the first place, and you’d…leave me.” I press my palms to my cheeks, wiping away the tears.
“You’re not a mess, Ari.”
I finally lift my eyes to him. He’s staring at me with an unnamed emotion.
“I kind of am at the moment.”
“That’s true.” He purses his lips and bobs his head in agreement.
“Ass.” I chuckle tearfully.
“Also true.” He reaches out and takes my hand. His skin is wet and cool on mine. “What did your dad say when you told him?”
“He was pretty good about it. He told me that his concern was for me. With you being high-profile and me being his daughter, the press will be interested, especially because of what happened earlier this year. And he was worried about how the press getting into my personal life again might affect me.”
“That makes sense.” He nods. “But there are ways to protect you from that.”
“He’s going to speak to PR.”
“Good.” He runs his thumb over my wrist.
“I missed you,” I tell him softly.
“I missed you, too.” He slides his hand up my arm. “I hate sleeping without you.”
“I didn’t sleep,” I confess.
“Me either.” He chuckles quietly.
“So…what now?”
“You could kiss me,” he says, a smile lifting the corner of his lip.
“That I can do.” I rest on my knees, not caring about the water getting on my legs or the hem of my skirt, and I lean down and kiss him.
He takes my face in his hands, his tongue sliding into my mouth, sending a shiver running through my body.
“So, we’re okay then?” I murmur against his lips.
“We’re more than okay.”
The next thing I know, his arms are hooking underneath my arms, and I’m being pulled forward.
Into the pool.
Fully clothed.
“Ah!” I scream as my body collides with his when I hit the water. “What the hell?” I yell at him.
He’s grinning at me—the ass.
“I wanted you close.”
“And you couldn’t have gotten out of the pool?”
“This seemed like more fun.”
“Yeah, for you.” I slap a hand to his chest, but I’m smiling.
“It’ll be fun for you, too.”
Then, he takes my mouth in a deep kiss and pushes his body forward, thrusting me backward until my back hits the pool wall.
“Hold on.” He lifts my hands up and puts them on the pool edge.
Then, he’s gone under the water, and I’m wondering what the hell he’s doing. I quickly realize when he yanks the zip on my skirt down and starts to pull it down my legs.
I wriggle, trying to stop him because, you know, we’re kind of in a public place. There might not be anyone here aside from us at the moment, but that doesn’t mean someone couldn’t walk in at any moment.
He gives my ass a hard squeeze, stopping me from moving, and he takes the advantage and pulls my skirt off.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hiss when he breaks the surface.
He cleans his face of water with one hand and then throws my skirt on the poolside with the other. “I thought that was obvious.”
He moves in close to me, grabbing my hips with his hands and yanking me close. My hands go to his chest.
“Anyone could come in.”
“So?”
“So!” My eyes nearly bug out of my head. “I don?
??t want a stranger seeing me naked.”
“You’re not naked. Yet.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Over you? Seems so. And relax, babe.” He presses a kiss to my neck. “No one comes in here during the day. The pool hardly gets used during the week, except by me.” His hands come around to my ass, hitching me up higher, just where he wants me. “I want to make up with you.”
He pushes his hips into me, his hard cock pressing right against that sweet spot, and I have to bite back a moan.
“I thought we’d already made up.” Despite my vocal reservations, I still wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.
“I want to make up properly,” he says and then kisses me.
A deep, hot, sexy kiss has me moaning into his mouth.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he groans.
It was only one night, but I missed him, too. It scares me just how much.
His hand moves down my ass, cupping me from behind. He shoves my panties aside and pushes a finger inside me.
I sigh in pleasure, my head falling back against the edge of the pool.
He hoists me higher, so my chest is out of the water. Then, he pushes my top up, yanking down the cup of my bra, and wraps his lips around my nipple, sucking hard.
A bolt of lust shoots through me. I grind my clit against his stomach, needing him.
He sucks the water off my breast, finger-fucking me.
“I want you,” I pant, not caring where we are now.
We could have an audience, and I wouldn’t stop.
I push his swim shorts down his hips, using my feet to lever them down, freeing his cock.
He kisses back up to my mouth, lowering me down to his cock. He shoves my panties aside and then thrusts up until he’s sheathed to the hilt.
My screams echo around the room.
He’s deep. So very deep inside me.
“Hush,” he admonishes throatily, teeth biting down on my bottom lip. “You will bring people in, making noise like that. Don’t make me gag you.” Mischievous eyes lift to mine, sparkling with heat and lust.
I wind my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and give it a tug. “Fuck you,” I say.
He chuckles. “There’s my dirty girl.” He pulls his cock out, and in one swift move, he slams it all the way back in.
I bite my lip to stop from screaming again.