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 he realizes he isn’t going to win back his spot on the team, he hangs around the coach’s office, waiting for practice to finish. Finally Sweeney calls it a day, and as everyone files back towards the locker room, Rory waits by her door. She glances up from her clipboard to see him standing there and gives him a wry grin. “You’re dripping on my floor.”


He steps out of the doorway and back onto the concrete that edges the pool tiles. “Sorry. Look, about my time—”


“You disappointed me today,” she admits, ducking into her office to deposit the clipboard on her desk. Then she leans against the door jamb, arms crossed in front of her chest, and looks past him at the scoreboard. “I was only half-kidding when I said the new kid was better than you. I didn’t think you’d let it ruin your game.”


Great, now he has to hear it from her, too. “I didn’t—”


Chapter 16