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

“Of everything.” Nobuo Tsuchino took a beat. “I do not, however, want you filled with regret, with doubt or questioning. You must not feel as if you have not explored, that you have left a part of you unfulfilled. That is not fair to you or to Erika.”


Otousan’sdecrees could be as confusing as artistic arm movements. Was he telling Tom Alan to, um, bang Milo Fisher—or some other guy—before marrying his daughter? “I don’t understand,” he admitted. “What do you want me to do?”


Tom Alan knew he could fight off sexual attraction, lust—he’d gotten damned good at it—but if he developed emotional feelings for Milo, which already seemed possible, that could be a lot harder.


“Tom Alan,” Tsuchino said. “You must cut your pathway through your own meadow. Though it will eventually cross paths with that created by another, your first few steps must be where no one else has trod.”


“Is that an ancient Chinese proverb?” Tom Alan asked softly, sorrowfully, confused.


Chapter 12