“I’m sorry to hear that. So, do you have a new partner? Are you looking at teaming with an Australian diver? Would that be even possible?”
Dane reached a hand toward her, hoping she’d take the hint and let him help her out of the pool. Her hand slipped into his and electricity sparked through his veins, a familiar sensation he’d experienced every time he’d touched her in Rio. He helped her out of the pool and, even though his body screamed for him to hold her close, he resisted and took a couple of steps back, before leading her over to a table and chair set.
“I’m going to switch to individual diving now.”
It took a second for Dane to recall what Brooke was talking about. “Oh right, okay. But that still doesn’t answer why you’re here. Why does changing your event mean you’ve come here looking for a coach?”
“I was invited by Susie Hamilton to come out here and work with her.”
The name didn’t mean anything to him, but if Brooke was here, then this Susie had to be pretty good for her to travel so far for a trial. “How long are you in Sydney for?”
“A six week trial period.”
“And after that?”
“Don’t know. I’ll just see how it goes.”
Dane let the thought linger. The prospect of having Brooke so close for the next six weeks wasn’t an unwelcome idea at all.
3
Brooke’s heart was still beating out of her chest as she sat across the small metal table from Dane.
If she hadn’t pinched herself while she’d been in the pool, she would have believed she’d fallen into a jet-lag-induced sleep, complete with wild dreams. How could Dane be here? How coincidental it was that he moved to Sydney at the same time she arrived for this new opportunity. Would it have made a difference to her plans to come to train with Susie if she’d known he would be here? She’d never know the answer to that question. The big question was, what would happen now?
Her body still vibrated with the feel of his hand back in hers. Memories of those hands tracing her body, his lips following the same path, assailed her mind. She breathed deeply and, over the pungent chemical fragrance of the pool, she could pick up the faint scent of musk, an aroma she always associated with Dane.
It would be so easy to move her chair and lay her head on his shoulder. Seeing a friendly face in a strange city was comforting, but also disconcerting. They’d parted in Rio with a blistering hot kiss and no promises of tomorrow. It had been all about living in the moment at the Games. A future together still wasn’t in the cards between them. She would be going back to Colorado after her six weeks were up, perhaps earlier if things didn’t work out with Susie. What was the point in staying the whole time if she couldn’t work with Susie and vice versa?
A light touch across her forehead pulled her back from her inner thoughts. Her eyes refocused on the present and she saw Dane had moved closer. His arm almost brushed hers, and her earlier thought of leaning her head on his broad shoulders rushed back.
“I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that you’re here, sitting next to me. And that I’m in Sydney, thousands of miles away from everything and everyone I know.”
She yawned. God, what she wouldn’t give to just fall asleep. Her swim had been cut short and lethargy crept over her like an ivy clinging to the side of a brick wall.
“You should try and stay awake for as long as you can, so you can adjust to the new time zone.”
Brooke directed a look at him. The kind of look her mom gave her when she’d stated the obvious as a kid. “Really, Einstein? I never would’ve guessed staying awake is the best way to acclimatize myself. It’s not like I haven’t travelled long distances before.”
She wanted to snatch the words back the moment she said them. She was going for sarcasm, but they just came out bitchy instead. “God, I’m sorry. Lack of sleep is making me grouchy. Ignore what I just said.”
“It’s okay. I was stating the obvious.” He leaned closer to her and she held herself rigid. It would be so easy to forget all the warnings firing through her that getting close to Dane again would be bad for her. Only she wanted curl up in his arms, like she’d always done after they’d made love.
“I know what will make you feel better,” he whispered in her ear.
“Coffee? Sleep?”
“Neither of those. I know you don’t like coffee, and the other is banned until it’s really dark outside.”
“What then?”
“This.” Dane stood abruptly and Brooke had no time to prepare herself for what was about to happen next. One warm, strong, muscular arm banded around her shoulder and the other slipped under her legs.
“What are you doing?” she cried as her head fell to the shoulders she’d been daydreaming about. His chest was hard and hot against her side. Despite his warmth, a shiver coursed through her.
“Something that will ensure you remain awake.”
He took two strides before she found herself in the air. This wasn’t like when she leaped off the diving board. She was in control then, now she had no control. Cool water washed over her and Dane tightened his hold on her as they sank below the surface.
The shock of being dumped in the pool took care of the lethargy as Dane pushed them upwards. Brooke took a deep breath when she could and pushed against his shoulders.
“Why did you do that?” She managed to wriggle free from his hold and make her way to the side of the pool. She grabbed hold of the concrete lip.
Dane stroked toward her, a gleam lighting his hazel eyes, highlighting the gold flecks in them, his blond hair darkened by their dunk in the water. “Helping you stay awake.”
“By trying to drown me?”
“Princess, I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Her heart skipped a beat at the nickname. He’d only used it a couple of times in Rio, remarking that she needed a regal endearment to go with her last name. She’d laughed at him, but secretly, deep down where every woman hopes and dreams for her own prince charming to turn up, that part of her glowed at the name.
She couldn’t let his sweetness detract her from the purpose of her trip. She hadn’t let his attention bug her during her competition at the Games. Or had she? Brooke had yet to watch the tape of her dives with Lulu. On competition day, she’d felt confident she’d made every twist and somersault. Made every entry into the water with the minimal amount of splash. Or so she’d thought. Evidently, the judges had seen differently and their scores had not been enough to win.
Man, how she’d wanted an Olympic medal. Any color, she wasn’t fussy. But it wasn’t meant to be. In fact, it may never be meant to be. The change from synchronized to individual wasn’t too big a jump; you were just diving by yourself. In fact it was easier, because in synchro, timing was everything. But the timing of meeting Dane again wasn’t what she needed. Her focus had to be on her diving.
Brooke tried to pull away from Dane. Not the easiest thing to do in water, especially when he seemed to tighten his hold on her. “I don’t want to be rude, but I would like to be alone now, if that’s okay.”
If her words surprised or shocked him, he didn’t let on. His arms loosened a fraction, and she took advantage of it by floating away, putting about three feet of water between them.
“What’s up, Brooke?”
She kicked her leg to keep her afloat, her emotions a jumbled mass of knots. Thoughts of Dane hadn’t been far from her mind since before she’d landed in Sydney. Now he was here and she had no idea what to think, causing her to snap at him when she didn’t mean to. “I don’t know. As I said, I’m tired and cranky and shocked at seeing you here when I didn’t expect it. I just need some space to process it all.”
“It’s a shock for me to see you, too.”
“No doubt, but you aren’t running on about four hours sleep in the last twenty four.”
The idea of taking a swim to wake up now seemed like the worst idea she’d had in a while. Although the urge to do the opposite to h
er words and crawl back over to Dane and wrap herself in his embrace battled with the sensibility of getting out of the pool, going back to her apartment and making sense of everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes.
“Fair enough,” he said quietly as he drifted into her personal space again. Boy, he was making it so hard to resist him. All she had to do was reach out—those broad, muscular shoulders called out to her to grip them, like the droplets of water clinging for dear life to his lightly bronzed skin.
She let herself sink under the water to calm her thoughts and hide her body’s reaction to his close proximity.
When she came up for air, the place where Dane had been treading water was empty, with nothing but faint ripples gliding along the water’s surface. She swiveled around and spied a recognizable back walking toward the exit.
He never did answer her question about why he was in this particular apartment complex, but she didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to work out he lived here as well. The question was, which floor did he live he on and what was the best way to avoid him?
* * *
Brooke picked up her handbag, checking for her wallet and apartment keys. Satisfied she had everything she needed, she headed toward her front door. The plan for the evening was to catch a cab and go to the nearest Chinese restaurant. Something light for her first night, then come back and crash. Her shower had revived her after her thwarted swim. Shock at seeing Dane still rushed through her. If she was one of those people who believed in fate and destiny, she would almost think all of this was meant to be.
Hooking up with Dane at the Olympics.
Lulu retiring.
The incredible offer from Susie to give her a trial run.
Dane living in the same apartment complex.
Were they coincidences or happy accidents? She had no idea. Whether she chose to grasp them was up to her. Or she could completely forget about Dane and the feelings that reignited the moment he touched her.
Man, why was she wasting her time on speculating about fate? She firmly believed she was creating her own. And that was exactly what this trip was all about—a brand new future.
With that resolve strumming through her veins, she pulled open her door and a pair of knuckles stopped millimeters from her nose.
Instinct had her stumbling backwards. “What the heck?”
“Shit, did I hit you, Brooke? I thought I’d stopped. Please tell me you’re okay.”
Dane’s words penetrated the surprise of her almost assault. “Dane? What are you doing here?”
“Dinner?” he responded sheepishly, holding up a square cardboard box.
The aroma of melted cheese and pepperoni wafted toward her. Her stomach grumbled in appreciation. Her mind, however, was yelling at her to thank him for the gesture, but politely decline, saying she had other plans.
“I asked for a gluten-free base. I know you prefer to eat gluten free foods.”
God, how could she say no to him after that? She supposed eating with Dane was a better alternative than eating alone in a restaurant.
Brooke took a couple of steps back. “Come in.”
“Are you sure? You looked like you were on your way out.”
“I was, but only to get food.”
Still, he hesitated from taking that step over the threshold into her apartment. “Come in, Dane. It’s fine. I didn’t really want to eat by myself.”
His lips stretched into the same wide grin that had sucked her into his orbit the night they’d met in Rio. Her traitorous body warmed. Desire pooled low between her thighs. Inviting him in now appeared to be a bad idea. She had to resist him. Had to remember she was only here for a short while. Did she want to pick up where they’d left off?
Brooke wasn’t sure she could handle walking away from him again. It would be safer for her and for Dane if she controlled her baser nature and put him firmly in the friend category.
Any other category wasn’t an option—no matter how tempting.
4
Gripping the pizza box a little tighter, Dane walked past Brooke, attempting to ignore the allure of her fragrance. Unfortunately, the message was delivered too late to his brain and his body reflexively breathed in, inhaling the spicy floral scent. Its aroma conjured up memories of him burying his face in her neck as he traced the line from her jaw to her delicate ear lobe with his tongue.
A shudder of arousal rippled through him and ended with his body hardening against the zipper of his jeans. His flesh ached to be released from the denim confines so he could sink into the warmth that was uniquely Brooke’s, and Brooke’s alone.
He stopped in the middle of the room and closed his eyes. Man, it was going to be hard to keep his hands to himself tonight. His dick had been trigger happy ever since he’d laid eyes on Brooke in the pool.
“Are you okay, Dane?” The softly spoken words did nothing to cool his ardor. If anything, they only increased his need.
Opening his eyes, he faced the bland beige wall of her apartment, with the layout and color the same as his. He couldn’t wait until he could get his own place, but staying in Swimming Australia’s provided accommodation would do for the time being. Even more so now with Brooke living two floors below him.
He turned back to face her with a forced smile. “I’m fine. Do you want to eat from the box or do you want to grab some plates?”
Her brows furrowed together. Okay, so he hadn’t done the best job of convincing her all was good with him. Well, he’d have to try a little harder. He could do it. He could get through a casual evening with a friend, catching up on her news. He would resist the urge to pull her into his arms and drag her to her bedroom so he could reacquaint himself with her luscious body.
Brooke tossed her purse back down on a small table and kicked off her shoes. “Let’s eat out of the box.”
“Sounds perfect to me. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
His stomach somersaulted like it did before a big race. Why was he so nervous? This was Brooke. The moment he’d seen her at the press event, he’d known he wanted to find out everything about her. What he hadn’t expected was the rush of emotions that had pummeled his body at their first touch. Those feelings had only intensified with the more time they’d spent together. They’d burned up the sheets in a way he’d never experienced with another woman. When he left Rio he’d convinced himself that what he and Brooke had shared was the infamous Olympic Hormone Hook-up. Only ever since he’d returned home, he’d been empty. Dane had put it down to packing everything up and moving away from his family. Now standing in Brooke’s small living room, he realized he’d been lying to himself.
He still wanted Brooke with the same—no, a stronger—intensity than he’d wanted her in Rio. Did her body still burn with need like it had at the Games? Could he find out with a simple touch? A soft kiss to her lips. When they’d been in the pool and he’d touched her, his body had reacted as it always had. Sexually, he didn’t think they’d have a problem picking up where they’d left off.
Did he want to go there, though? Her being here meant they were being given a second chance. Second chances were rare.
“Are you planning on standing there all evening or do you want some pizza?”
Dane never stood in the middle of someone’s living room like a stuffed dummy. He pulled himself out of his stupor and clutched at the first idea that popped into his mind.
He smiled. “It’s so unreal that you’re here.” Way to go, moron, you sound like a fan girl swooning over her idol. And he’d had his fair share of fan girls swooning over him. As a high profile athlete, not to mention an Olympic gold medalist, he’d been treated like royalty upon his return to Melbourne. He’d walked out of the terminal excited to see his family and celebrate his victory, and he’d seen the crowds. What he hadn’t expected was the huge number of girls screaming his name and holding up I love you, Dane posters.
The attention from the press had been particularly unwelcome. Six months prior
to his departure for the Games a former girlfriend, Therese, had claimed she’d had his baby. For two months he’d believed her, had done the right thing by her and the child, only to find out that she’d been lying the whole time. It had been messy and every single detail had been documented in the press. What the reporters couldn’t write about was the utter disappointment he’d experienced when the doctor announced the results of the DNA test, proving that Dane wasn’t the biological father of sweet little Daisy. With the emotional upheaval and the need to forget everything, he’d gone off the rails for a little while, before coming to his senses and throwing himself into his training. It had paid off, too. He’d won gold and beaten the famed Mitch Osborne in the process.
Don’t forget…you met Brooke.
He pushed that insidious little voice out of his mind.
Determined to keep his focus on Brooke and spending the next hour with her eating pizza, he sat down on the couch. Immediately the cushion sagged and his shoulder bumped into hers. Her hand landed on his thigh, and his muscle clenched in reaction to her touch.
“Whoa, this couch is terrible.” She chuckled before using her grip on his thigh to give her the momentum to push away and put a little distance between them. It was a small touch. Just a quick resting of his hand, but the way his blood thrummed through him, it could’ve been a kiss. How he wanted to taste her lips again.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah these apartments are set up for a quick turnover, not to appear in one of those interior design magazines.”
Brooke’s dark blonde hair swept past him as she leaned forward to grab a piece of pizza. Her finger hooked around the stringy cheese a couple of times. He bit back a groan as she popped the finger in her mouth and sucked the cheese off. Man, he’d loved it when she’d sucked him off. Her mouth was wicked.
He grabbed his own piece and took a huge bite, hoping the action of eating would get his mind out of the bedroom. Her moan of appreciation as she swallowed didn’t help his already aroused body. Dane shifted on the couch in an attempt to hide the impossible-to-hide erection he currently sported. Everything about Brooke had his hormones raging out of control.
Fighting for Love (The Elite Book 3) Page 2
