Chapter 223: Whenever You Need Me To

A quiet stillness had settled over the estate as the late-night hours crawled in. The wild energy of the victory celebration had finally wound down, and one by one, the tired girls had drifted off to their rooms to sleep.

Except for May.

I walked quietly into the dimly lit living room and saw her sitting alone on the large leather sectional, her knees pulled up slightly as she stared out the floor-to-ceiling glass window at the moonlit grounds. She was wearing an oversized, loose graphic tee and soft gray shorts, her hair falling loosely around her shoulders without her usual tight athletic ponytail.

She looked completely relaxed—so different from the tense, burdened girl from just a few days ago.

I padded softly across the room and sat down beside her on the couch.

The moment she felt the cushion sink beneath my weight, May didn’t hesitate. She uncurled her legs and drew herself close to me, sliding her arms around my torso and resting her head snugly against my chest. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight against my side as she let out a long, content sigh that warm-breathed against my collarbone.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked softly, resting my chin atop her head and gently tracing slow circles on her arm.

“No… but for the first time in forever, it’s not because of the noise,” May murmured, her voice laced with a soft, cozy drowsiness. She tightened her hug slightly, her fingers lacing into the fabric of my shirt. “My head is completely quiet, Ethan. I was just sitting here… realizing how lucky I am. If you hadn’t cornered me today, if you hadn’t refused to let me run away… I’d still be drowning in my own head.”

She tilted her face up to look at me, her dark eyes reflecting the faint ambient moonlight, completely bare and full of undeniable love.

“Thank you,” she whispered, a small, genuine smile curling her lips. “For not giving up on me.”

I gave her a reassuring smile, gently squeezing her hand. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

May hesitated for a split second, her cheeks tinting a soft, vulnerable pink. “My feet are just kind of numb from pushing off the blocks so hard,” she mumbled, looking down at them. “We rushed out of the lab before Tiana could run the standard post-run recovery protocol, and now they’re completely throbbing.”

“Well, we can’t have our record-breaking star hobbling around tomorrow,” I replied smoothly. “I might not be a professional sports physical therapist, but let me see. I’ll do my best to work out some of that tension.”

May’s eyes widened in surprise, a breath catching in her throat. She looked at me, caught between her usual stubborn independence and the sheer relief of being taken care of. “Really? You’re going to massage my feet?”

“Of course,” I said gently.

Without waiting for her to argue or protest, I shifted slightly on the plush sectional, carefully lifting her legs and resting them across my lap. May let out a quiet, shaky breath, her muscles instantly going loose as I began to gently massage the tight, overworked arches of her feet, easing out the lingering stress from the brutal 9.11-second sprint.

A soft, utterly contented sigh slipped past her lips, her eyes drifting half-closed as she melted back against the cushions. All the remaining tension drained right out of her body, leaving her completely relaxed in my hands.

May let out a soft, delighted hum, resting her head back against the cushions as the tension melted out of her arches.

“Okay, hold on,” she giggled softly, a teasing spark returning to her dark eyes. “Did you take lessons online or something? Because you’re actually way too good at this…”

Before I could even answer, she tilted her head with a mischievous little smirk, deliberately trying to push my buttons. “Or wait… do you just have a low-key foot fetish that you’ve been hiding from everyone?”

“Is that so?” I murmured, a slow smirk spreading across my face.

Instead of taking the bait, I let my hand slide up from her ankle, tracing my fingers gently up the side of her calf. May’s breath caught instantly in her throat, her teasing smile vanishing into a sharp gasp.

Before she could process the shift, I moved swiftly, shifting my body over hers on the plush leather couch and pinning her wrists gently beside her head. The sudden proximity hit her like a wave—her eyes went wide, a gorgeous blush rushing up her cheeks from her neck to her temples, leaving her completely breathless and unable to form a single word.

“Who’s pushing whose buttons now, track star?” I whispered, leaning down until our noses nearly brushed.

May swallowed hard, her pulse visibly fluttering in her throat. Her eyes flicked down to my lips and back to my eyes, completely dazed and powerless under my gaze. The tough, sharp-tongued athlete had dissolved into a flushed, heart-struck maiden, her chest rising and falling in shallow hitches.

After a few heartbeats of heavy, flirtatious silence, I let out a low chuckle, releasing her wrists and sitting back up to finish working out the last bit of tightness in her feet.

May slowly sat up, bringing her knees to her chest as she hugged a couch cushion tightly to hide her glowing, burning face. She looked at me with a soft, deeply affectionate gaze, her voice coming out unusually gentle and sweet.

“Ethan…” she whispered, tracing a line on the cushion. “If… if my feet get numb again after a heavy training day… will you massage them for me next time too?”

I paused, looking up at her with a warm smile, and reached over to softly tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Whenever you need me to, May. Always.”

May let out a sweet, contented sigh, leaning her head against my shoulder as we sank into the quiet warmth of the midnight living room.

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