Rory Holt is the best swimmer on the team at State U. and he knows it. Swimming is his life, and if Rory hopes to attain his dreams of Olympic gold one day, he can’t let anything distract him. Every morning finds him practicing at the campus fitness center, and every afternoon he blows his teammates away with his speed and finesse in the water. The new semester brings with it new tryouts, including the bright, up-and-coming Chase Cohen. Chase is sexy and sure of himself, both in and out of the pool, and seems determined to catch Rory’s eye. Rory doesn’t want to share the podium with anyone else, and he doesn’t like hearing his coach say Chase might even be better than he is when he already knows he’s the best. Chase’s attentions are annoying at first, but the more he persists, the harder Rory finds it to ignore him. Soon Rory can’t deny the growing attraction he feels towards his new teammate. But when that attraction costs him his top spot on the leaderboard, Rory is pissed. Is Chase after Rory’s position on the team, or Rory himself?

Playing the Field: Getting Wet

When Chase reaches the wall, he surfaces briefly and grabs the lip of the gutter, his whole body already angling back to launch into the lane again. But he sees Rory sitting on the side and stops, gripping the gutter tightly with both hands as he leans back in the water. “Calling it quits already?” he teases. The words are gasped, ragged. He’s obviously winded.


Rory runs a damp hand through his dry hair, pushing it back from his forehead so it stands up in spikes. “Already? In case you didn’t notice, I won.”


With a grin, Chase peels off his goggles and tosses them onto the concrete, narrowly missing Rory’s leg. “I let you win.”


Rory bats the goggles away. “Bullshit.”


Chapter 11