On his way to realizing his Olympic dream, Tom Alan Baranowski finds himself in the midst of a dilemma. His traditional Japanese coach is insisting upon an arranged marriage between his biological daughter Erika and adopted son Tom Alan, who are partners on the ice. Tom Alan loves Erika, and his coach literally saved his life, rescuing him from an abusive home. How can he say no?<br><br>Somewhat resigned to his “not so bad” fate, everything changes when Tom Alan meets British ice dancer Milo Fisher. The spark between them is almost hot enough to melt the ice beneath their blades, and the two fall into an affair.<br><br>What about Erika? What about loyalty? What about gold? For Tom Alan, the impossible throw quadruple jump is suddenly the least difficult thing in his life.

Quadruple Flip

Sadly, as the performance went on, watching Milo made Tom Alan feel even worse about his own abilities. He had tried his best while interpreting the Tchaikovsky tune to pretend he was all white, feathery, and elegantly birdlike. He’d come off looking more like the proverbial headless chicken. He’d thrown in a few impressive jumps on the crescendos and proved himself quite limber for a hulk, managing a modified Bielman spin to end his impromptu program. But everything around the tricks, it was not what one would call pretty.


Milo’s interpretation wasn’t pretty either, but it was definitely dramatic, melodic, artistic, and, yes, arousing. Tom Alan tugged at his sweatpants.


“I think, perhaps,” Irina Mischen said, “we put you on the ice together. Milo is not much bigger than your partner back home.”


Chapter 8