“I have no idea what I just agreed to,” I moaned. My muscles gripped at his fingers. How did he always find my G-spot so quickly?
He laughed. “You agreed to be happy and to let me make you come every day.”
“Oh yes,” I whimpered. “Okay.” I looked into his eyes, knowing I had no control.
My body was his and he knew how to play it perfectly.
19
Blaine
I’m not going to say I was the kind of man who planned on having a typical life. I didn’t think those things were meant for me. I worked fucking hard to get where I did. I didn’t get there by daydreaming. I got there by putting in blood, sweat, and tears.
So when Ava told me she was having my baby I could either stay that man. The man who climbed and scraped, shoving and pushing his way to the top, or I could change. In a split second, I looked in her eyes and I knew it was worth every ounce of pain and struggle to change. It was worth every world record, every gold medal, to be the kind of man she could count on. To be the kind of father our baby deserved.
“Ready?” Jim signaled me as I sat on the bench in the locker room.
I nodded. I didn’t bother to take the earbuds from my ears.
My entire life might be different this morning, but the rituals weren’t.
I stood, reaching my arms overhead, and walked out of the locker room.
The crowd erupted in a chant: “Crews, Crews, Crews.”
I tried not to look at how many people had been packed into the aquatics center. My eyes darted to the one reserved seat I had in the entire building.
Ava smiled.
If she was here, the rest was all just noise. I didn’t need the cheers or chants. I didn’t need the TV cameras. I needed her. And our baby.
Jim walked up to me. “You’ve got this, Blaine.”
“Thanks.”
It was my gold to lose.
I adjusted my swim cap and goggles. The fans went crazy when we took our places on the blocks. I was in lane two.
I gripped the block and rocked back and forth to loosen my hamstrings. I took a deep breath.
The freestyle was mine. The gold was mine.
The buzzer sounded and I dove into the water, plunging beneath the surface with a solid start. The swimmer on my right was Swiss and the guy on my left was American. I had competed against both of them in world finals six months ago.
I kicked, propelling myself faster as I took quick breaths. I saw the wall and twisted into the turn I practiced yesterday. It was fucking flawless. I surfaced again, gaining at least a full body length on the Swiss guy.
I knew better than to look beside me. The drag would only slow me down. I focused on the wall, on my breath, on pushing the water out of my way.
I shoved off the wall again. There was only one turn left before the final lap.
It was close and I anticipated the turn, ducking with a swift motion. I pulled hard, forcing my body to move faster than it had before. I had to do this. Ava was watching.
I reached, stretching my fingertips long, and hit the wall.
I hung on the rope and looked up at the scoreboard. The times scrolled across the marquee.
Jim clapped and shouted. “Gold!”