Fuck.
I dropped into a squat and breathed deep, evenly, willing my hard-on to vanish.
When I'd envisaged icebergs for a full two minutes I stood, to find Miles, my workout partner, tapping his palm against his racket, testing string tension.
"Hey, Down Under. Ready to get whipped again?"
I'd never had a nickname before, one that wasn’t douchebag or prick from the lowlifes that frequented Mum's club, so I didn't mind Miles constantly ribbing me about everything from my accent to Vegemite to shrimps on the barbie.
"Big talk to compensate for a little dick perhaps, mate?" I picked up my racket and bounced it from hand to hand, taking comfort in the familiar feel of it. "Because by the amount of crap you spout, Miles my man, you must be about this big." I held up my thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
Miles guffawed. "I'm going to whip your Aussie ass good."
"Bring it on, little fella." I wiggled my drooping pinkie under his nose.
I joined in his laughter as we chose balls and headed for the court. Maybe a good hit out would clear my head. And boy, did it need to be cleared.
All I could think about was Mia. About what we'd done and what I'd like to do again. And that's what was throwing me the most. Bad enough I'd spent the entire night with her. I wanted more. More nights like last one. Laughing and teasing and feeling good about myself for the first time in forever.
I should've been glad she'd bolted when I woke. Instead, I'd acted like some needy chick, rolling over and burying my face in her pillow just so I could smell her.
Yep. I definitely needed to smash a few balls around to work off this antsy feeling that made me want to ditch Miles and go find Mia.
"What did you think of the party?" Miles paused to lace up his shoe.
"Not my scene."
Miles straightened, his smug grin grating. "Saw you leave with Mia."
I stiffened, not liking the way Miles said her name. How crazy was that? "So?"
"Be careful there, bro." Miles slapped me on the back. "Dirk may be a pretty cool guy but fuck with his daughter? He'll castrate you."
I stared at Miles as the truth detonated.
Mia was Dirk Cresswell's daughter.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
The familiar fury bubbled up at the injustice of every single thing in my life going wrong.
What made this worse? Being with Mia felt so right.
I wanted to smash something. My racket. The net. The fence. Kick and pound and belt out the frustration making my insides clench with the unfairness of it.
But I did none of those things.
No more outbursts from me, not any more. I might not regret busting that pansy-arse's nose back in Sydney, but seeing his blood on my knuckles had been a wake up call.
I couldn't let the anger beat me. So I had to beat it.
Forcing a smile that felt like my face was cracking, I gestured at the court. "Thanks for the tip, mate, but isn't it time you stopped gossiping like an old woman and let me teach you a lesson?"
"You're all talk, Down Under," Miles yelled, as he jogged to his side of the court and flipped me the bird.
I wish I was all talk. Instead, last night I'd been all action and what I'd done with Mia may have cost me my final chance at having a tennis career.
I was so screwed.
Chapter 9
MIA
"I sussed out your bad boy," Dani said, topping up her OJ. "The rumor mill is working overtime."
My heart froze. How could anyone know about last night? I'd been so careful doing the walk of shame back to my villa. No one had seen me. Had they? Shit.
Channeling disinterest, I poured more coffee. "What are people saying?"
Dani waggled her finger at me. "Uh-uh. No way am I telling you a thing 'til you spill what happened last night when you left the party."
She leaned close. "Did you do him?"
Unable to keep the smile off my face at the memory of how well I'd 'done' Kye, I shrugged and feigned nonchalance. "Maybe."
Dani squealed and slugged me on the arm. "You did! I'm so proud of you, hon."
Slathering peach jelly on my toast, I said, "I'm not telling you another thing 'til I hear these rumors."
"Fine." Dani slumped in her chair and fake pouted. "Apparently he was a wunderkind in Oz. Big things expected of him. 'Til he got into a fight with another player at their top academy, beat him to a pulp and was kicked out."
My heart sank. Kye may have given off bad boy vibes initially last night but to be that aggressive? He'd mentioned breaking his hand by smashing some dude's windshield too. Didn't bode well that he'd been expelled from his tennis academy for violence also.
Dani slipped a silver flask out of her carry all and added a dash of what I knew to be vodka to her OJ. "No one wanted to know him in Oz but your dad somehow heard about him and offered him a place here." She sipped at her vodka-pepped OJ and sighed with pleasure. "It's his last chance."