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

Once dry, Ben showed his guest the rest of the spacious home he had set up with Adam Stoker. Tom Alan noticed there were still some photos of Adam around the house. A sexy, shirtless shot of him in the pool with the dog sat on the fireplace next to a little stuffed shrimp. Not the hors d’oeuvres variety, but a toy that looked oddly out of place in the modern, manly décor. Maybe Adam is gone, and Ben keeps the picture for the dog.The dog did look good in it. The shrimp? Tom Alan had no clue.


There were a few more pictures here and there throughout the place and—oddly, to Tom Alan—more than a couple more shrimp items as well. Ben and Adam looked happy in the photographs, though in one Adam looked maybe a little bit sick? A coat still hung by the kitchen door that looked way too big to be Ben’s, and there were two robes on the hook behind the bathroom door. Tom Alan wondered, wherever Adam was, if he was coming back.


Chapter 30