Balance (Off Balance Book 1) (18 page)

Chalking up, Kova moved the spring board to the front of the low bar. “We are going to start with your mount,” he said, his eyes raking over my body from head to toe. “We are going to change it up.”

“What? Why?”

He expelled an annoyed sigh. “Adrianna, it is too early for your questions this morning. Just do as I ask and do not question everything I say. It is exhausting. Think you can handle that and just keep quiet?” When I didn’t move, he voiced, “It will help with your score. Now please just do as I say.”

Well
excuse
the fuck out of me. “Sure.”

“You are going to do a hecht mount. I will adjust the low bar so you can get used to it. We are going to do this until we nail it. The key to this mount is to pop off with your shoulders without bending your elbows. Arch your back just a tad once you release the low bar and keep those legs tight and together.”

Tight lipped, I nodded. I actually knew how to do this, but I wasn’t going to tell him. He told me to keep quiet, after all. I grinned to myself when I turned around and walked to the end of the mat, gearing up.

“The bar is low enough that you should have no issue getting over it. I will spot just in case,” he said, and I nodded.

Call me crazy, but I wanted to fuck with his head. It seemed he had little faith in me as it was, so why not?

Wiping the excess chalk from my hands onto my legs, I shook my hands out. Sprinting toward the apparatus, I jumped off the springboard, pushed off the low bar and reached for the high bar. In doing so, Coach wasn’t prepared for me to actually reach the bar the first time, so when he stepped in to spot and catch me, I plowed right into him. He stumbled, tripping over his feet and fell to the ground, his eyes going wide. I missed the bar and landed partially on his hard body, trying not to laugh. My cheeks burned and I rolled my lips into my mouth when we locked eyes.

Coach moved me off him and stood slowly, towering over me. “I am glad you find humor in this. Why did you not tell me you knew how to do the hecht mount?” he said gravely.

“You told me to just keep quiet.” I stifled a laugh, returning his words once I stood.

Rubbing a hand down his face, his jaw flexed. He looked like he was struggling between the pros and cons of strangling me.

“I have never, in all my years of training, had a smart-mouthed one like you. You think this is all fun and games.” Lowering his voice, he steadily said, “Get back over there and do it again.”

“Yes, sir!” I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Holly and Sarah snickered from the side, while Reagan gave me a death stare.

I wasn’t sure why, but I was in a playful mood this morning. However, when I turned to Coach right before going again, he most definitely was not.

Just another prime example of my mouth getting me in trouble, even when it was closed.

It was the end of the day, and I was dead exhausted. After a long session on bars, I worked beam, which was a blessing in disguise considering how much I hated it. Hardly any abuse was done to my hands. It was a nice little break until I got to vault. The pain had subsided since this morning, but I wasn’t stupid. I’d have to take care of the rips properly.

Everyone had gone home for the evening and here I was, stuck in the gym after hours, waiting on Coach for one of his “not stretching, but stretching” drills. I rolled my eyes hearing his voice inside my head saying it.

“I hope that eye roll was not for me,” Kova stated, swiftly walking past me. I had no idea where the hell he came from. The man loved to appear out of thin air.

Keeping up with his long stride, I nearly had to power walk to keep up with him. “Uh, nope. I just have some chalk in my eye.”

“Right,” he responded, drawing out the word. He knew I was lying.

When we made it into the therapy room, he flipped on the lights and got right to it.

“I think an hour in here will do, but Adrianna, I do not teach you these drills for fun. I expect to see and hear that you have been doing them. You have to trust it will help down the line.”

Hayden’s voice drifted through my mind about trusting my coach. I nodded and decided to go with the truth. “To be honest with you, I don’t feel I get the same effect doing it myself. You applied a lot of pressure and held me in the position. I can’t do that myself in the same manner you can.”

Folding his arms across his chest, Coach studied me. I hoped he saw the conviction in my eyes. While I could do the drills, what I confessed was the truth. I didn’t get the same result from doing them myself.

Kova strode over to where I was standing. He captured my gaze and stood inches from me, placing his hands on my biceps. Affection laced his voice as he said, “If you need me, all you have to do is say something. That is what I am here for, Ria.”

Heat rose to my cheeks as the intensity of his gaze thickened. Truth was, I did need him, and he clearly knew it.

His hands slowly slid down my arms to just above my elbows. My heartbeat quickened and I inhaled through my nose to steady my breathing. He gave me a gentle squeeze before releasing me, and ushered me over to the therapy table.

Even after hours of training gymnasts, I could still smell the faint scent of his spicy cologne.

“You will only set yourself back if you do not use what is readily available to you.
Me
.”

Him?

“That is what I am here for.” He cleared his throat. “What Madeline is here for. Use us, ask questions.”

I bit the inside of my lip. He was right. “I just try not to ask too many questions, you know? I like to show I can do things on my own.”

He raised a brow and countered me. “You?” A sexy grin slowly appeared on his face and my cheeks grew hot. “You love to talk back. Is it not almost the same thing as asking questions?”

I lowered my face, trying to hide my growing smile. I bobbed my head, agreeing with him. Kova slipped two fingers under my chin and raised my head so our eyes met again. His touch was thrilling and caused a rush of heat to stream through my body. My heartbeat picked up and the energy in the room grew thicker.

My lips parted as we stared into each other’s eyes, unsure what to think. This man was beyond confusing, and his touch left me with questions. Questions I had about myself and my reaction to him. Thing was, I began to like the attention he showed me, liked the touch of his hands and the way they seemed to linger on me.

“Remember to use your resources, Ria. I am sure your dad would agree with me on that.”

Yeah, I was pretty sure he didn’t want me to use my resources in the way my body wanted to at the moment. Especially not with the way I stared at my coach’s mouth.

“Why do you call me Ria and not Ana like my parents?”

He paused. “It suits you better. Ana sounds like a child’s name,
Ria.”
His thumb caressed the side of my face. “And you are no child, not to me at least.”

Kova dropped his hand and walked to the side of the table, murmuring under his breath in Russian. My heart was nearly in my throat and my eyes were huge. Never once had Kova touched me so...so...I wasn’t even sure what to call it. Adoringly. Affectionately.

“Okay, we are going to do the same drills as last time, but add in a few more that will be helpful to you. Get on your back and bring one leg to your chest. Hold it for me.”

“Yes, sir!” I replied sarcastically, which earned me a smile from him. “I’m sorry, sometimes I can’t help it.”

Kova shook his head and laughed lightly. “Never had a gymnast quite like you before,” he said. “Never a dull moment.”

My face lit up. “Why, thank you!” My reply came out in more of a grunt when he leaned in with his body. Kova used one hand to press my knee to my chest, the other on my thigh to hold me down. While I’d been joking only seconds before, the fun was over and I had to focus. Only, it was difficult to focus when all I could think about was how his fingers had been on me and the reason why he called me Ria. Not to mention, where his hands were at the present moment. Well, one hand.

On the crease of my hip and covering most of the mini shorts I had on. His large hand dug into my skin, his fingers pressing down. I wasn’t sure why, but I liked his hold on me more than I knew I should. His touch was hot and my body responded to it.

My hips began to slowly open up as Kova got close to my face. “You feel that? How your body is relaxing and releasing?”

I think he meant opening up, but I didn’t correct his English. Instead, I nodded. “I actually feel it this time.”

“Good.” He pushed a little more. “This is what we want.” Kova held the position a few more seconds and then moved over to my right side. I switched legs and got into position.

“My left side is more flexible than my right.” Just about every gymnast had one side that was more flexible than the other.

He dismissed it. “Not a problem for me.”

When he pressed into my right leg, even after hours of training, my hip was still so tight I grunted.

“Let me guess, you forgot to breathe how I taught you,” he stated more than asked, just inches from my face.

I pursed my lips. “Maybe...”

Kova shook his head, closing his eyes. “What am I going to do with you?” he said jokingly.

I liked this side of him. He was playful and easy to be around. Not edgy and tense like he was in the mornings. Maybe our time should be restricted to the evening, but I doubted I could make that happen.

Just when I thought we were going to move into another position, Kova applied a heavy amount of pressure that caused my back to bow and my knee to lift in response. My knee was nearly past my shoulder now.

A grumble escaped me and I grabbed Kova for support. My small hand couldn’t wrap around his wrist and he twitched under my touch.

“Adrianna, focus on breathing.” When I didn’t answer, he said, “Look into my eyes and focus. It does not hurt, I am not hurting you. Your muscles are just tight.” His Russian accent was strong.

I nodded fast, locking eyes with him. “Breathe in through your nose and release it slowly,” he guided me.

Kova’s thumb drew small, little circles on my inner thigh, making my stomach flutter. The touch was light, but enough for me to notice. I didn’t speak up in spite of knowing he probably shouldn’t be doing this, especially considering how close he was to my sex. He was inches, literally just inches away, and I was okay with it. I liked it. He created a perfect storm of tension and heat around us. I held my breath as his hand skimmed higher up my thigh, slowly, almost seductively, and held it there. My stomach fluttered and I didn’t know what to do other than to allow it. I couldn’t imagine my former coach being this close and touching me. The thought of it repulsed me, but with Kova, it was the complete opposite. The small therapy room began to feel like a furnace, and I knew I needed to switch the focus to something else.

“Kova?”

“Hmmm?”

“How come there’s an A in your name now? Why not Kov?” I wasn’t sure where that came from.

Kova stiffened, taking a moment to answer. “My mother always called me Kova since I was a young boy, even though it was not my given name. I never questioned why she did, but now I wish I had. She used to say it like it was an endearment and I loved it. In Russia, female last names end in—”

“Ova.”

He tilted his head to the side, interested. “You know Russian?”

“No, but I know about the language through my family’s friends.”

He nodded. “So then you know males end with Ov.”

“I do.”

Kova leaned back, his hand dancing down to my knee and gave me a very tender squeeze. “Turn onto your stomach and scoot over.”

Without questioning him, I did as he asked. He brought my hands to the side of my head and flattened them, then he climbed onto the table.

Grabbing my ankle, he made a fist and pushed it into my glute. When he lifted my ankle and pressed down, I grunted. My fingers pressed into the table and my nails turned white from the tightness in my hip. I peeked over my shoulder, trying to see his face.

“So my mother had me out of wedlock. I took her last name, but was given the male version. It is why you see my awards and titles with Kournakov instead of Kournakova. I added an A in honor of her the first chance I got.”

“Out of wedlock? Kova, no one says that.” I laughed lightly, trying to lighten the mood. “Where is your father?”

Embarrassment clouded his eyes. “I do not know. I have never met him.” Shame laced his quiet tone and I felt bad for asking.

“Oh,” was all I could say. I wasn’t sure how to respond to his admission, but I was curious to know more about the story now. I wanted to know if he was the result of a one-night stand or a boyfriend who took off after he was born, not wanting to be a dad. Or maybe he passed away when Kova was younger. My brows furrowed, my mind playing out so many alternatives as I wondered about all the different ways this story could go, but I never expected his next words.

“She was raped,” he confessed quietly, completely avoiding eye contact now.

“What?” I gasped, trying to sit up, only he pressed down harder and lifted my leg higher.