But Tabitha put her lust and attraction to me on full display. It wasn’t a shameful secret. Or dependent on how I performed in a match.

I pressed my forehead to hers as I slid my hand across her belly, then cupped her breast over her sports bra. She hissed in a breath. I swiped my thumb across her nipple and growled as it pebbled. My other hand tangled in her hair, tugging until she exposed her throat. I kissed and nipped the skin there. Nudged the strap of her top down with my nose, kept palming and squeezing her breasts as her body trembled in my arms.

The rain fell harder. My remaining clothing stuck to my skin. Our next kiss was nothing short of sloppy groping, of teeth and groans and a desperate need. Her hands on my chest were pushing. Pushing. I could feel what she wanted. There was a steady roar all around us—the rain, the thunder, the wind. I dropped back on my elbows and felt the twinge of an old break there. Tabitha fell with me, hair in thick ropes, water on her eyelashes.

She ground against my cock, and I pictured tearing her shorts off and letting her fuck me here, on the stairs, in the middle of a raging storm. Notions of safety or propriety crumbled in the face of our lust. I didn’t care if it was wrong. I didn’t care if my body hurt or if I’d have to skip training because my muscles were sore.

What if I said yes to pleasure instead of always saying no?

I pushed back up to a sitting position and pulled her tight against me. I buried my face in her hair just as a crack of lightning had us both jumping.

And then it started to pour. Pour like a flash flood was imminent. We were too stunned to move at first. Tabitha held out her hands and then burst into a peal of laughter. “Your point about it raining earlier is duly noted.”

I pushed the hair from her ear. “We need to go. Now.”

She shifted off my lap. I gripped her hands, kept her steady. The sky was terrifyingly dark. Tugging her against my side, we made our way down the slippery steps as carefully as we could. Down below, tourists ran under umbrellas. People shouted for taxis. The skyscrapers looked dull and watery.

Squinting, I wiped the rain from my eyes and fished the keys from my pocket. I reached the back of the car and practically wrenched the side door off.

I shoved Tabitha inside and followed, slamming the door shut.

Seconds ticked by as we caught our ragged breath.