The Summer Games: Out of Bounds (29 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Brie

“WE’RE WORLD CHAMPIONS!”

“Lexi, you’re going to burst my eardrums,” I said, holding my hands over my ears.

“Like I care?!”

“We’re all excited,” Rosie said with a small smile, trying to contain her excitement.

It was no use.

We’d won gold for Team USA earlier that afternoon and the moment the gold medals had been placed around our necks, Lexi’s ability to attenuate the volume of her own voice disappeared. She could only scream and shout, too excited to register that the elevator was small and we all wanted to punch her.

“You’re not actually wearing that to the party, are you?” Molly said, pointing to Lexi’s chest.

She still had her gold medal wrapped around her neck. It was huge and heavy, weighing down the material on her skimpy black dress, but she looked quite content with it in place. “Absolutely! I’m always looking for more accessories, and nothing goes with black quite like
gold
.”

We were in the elevator on the way to Hudson’s party after the longest day of my life. I wanted nothing more than to fall into my bed and sleep, but they’d insisted I join them at the party. I feigned fatigue, insisting I needed sleep, but they didn’t believe that excuse for a second.

Truthfully, I wanted to see Erik.

I
needed
to see him.

All day, he’d been there, coaching from the sidelines, happy when we were happy, there to give me guidance whenever my nerves got to be too much. When we’d stood on the podium during the medal ceremony, he’d stood watching from the sidelines, as proud as ever. He’d been there, but other than a quick hug after I’d nailed my floor routine, he hadn’t touched me. It was an intentional distance. I knew he couldn’t treat me special in public, but that didn’t mean I stopped craving it.

After the applause, the pictures, the flowers, the anthem, and the tears, we stepped off the podium for even more photos. It was a never-ending process that bled into the evening and by the time we were done, Erik was gone. I’d seen him out of the corner of my eye, getting interviewed by NBC about the success of the team, but somewhere in the madness, he’d slipped out of the arena before us.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that Erik didn’t stay to head back to the village with us?” I asked as the elevator doors slid open on the fourteenth floor of our athlete complex.

Molly shrugged. “No. He probably just took the shuttle back before us.”

“He’s probably celebrating with the other coaches or something,” Lexi said.

I scowled. “Do you really think he is?”

The thought of him out with Valerie made my chest ache.

“Why do you care? You look seriously hot in that blue dress. You’re a fucking Olympic champion, and tonight, we’re going to get laid.”

Molly and Rosie shook their heads.

“Uh, I’m waiting for Duncan,” Molly said. “Remember?”

Rosie nodded. “Yeah, and I hardly even know Hudson.”

Lexi groaned. “Bores, all of you! Don’t you want to make memories now that will last a lifetime?”

Molly laughed. “I think herpes lasts a lifetime too.”

I fingered my phone in my clutch, trying to decide whether or not to text Erik. He could have contacted me, sent me a congratulatory text or something. Why hadn’t he?

“Put your phone away and get ready to party,” Lexi said, swinging her arm around my shoulders.

I forced a smile as she pushed me down the hallway after Molly and Rosie. They were counting down the condo numbers, but there was no need. The entire floor was quiet except for one condo at the far end of the hallway. Athletes trickled in and out, their voices drowned out by the loud music playing inside.

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say that’s where the party is,” Lexi said, pointing to the two drunken athletes falling to the ground outside the door.

We stepped around them as we approached.

“Should we call someone?” Rosie asked, glancing down with concern.

The two guys were rolling on their backs, laughing hysterically.

“They look fine to me,” Molly said, stepping over them.

Hudson had promised a small party, but the scene we walked into reminded me of the frat parties I’d seen in the movies. It wasn’t just the soccer and swim teams; there had to be over a hundred people crammed into the living room and kitchen, spilling out onto the balcony and surrounding bedrooms.

“Oh god,” Molly groaned. “This is going to be…”

“AMAZING,” Lexi finished, waving down a guy passing around drinks on a tray.

“What’s in these?”

He grinned, assessing Lexi with a long glance down her legs before landing back up on her medal.

“This crap isn’t for you baby, I’ll get you the good stuff.”

Gag me
.

I pushed her past him, waving away a drink.

“Don’t accept a drink from a stranger. Even if these people are athletes, that doesn’t make them angels.”

No. One quick glance around the room—over the guys playing beer bong, the couples on the dance floor, the group taking shots near the kitchen, and the squeals coming from the bedrooms—showed we definitely weren’t among angels.

“Rosie!”

A loud voice boomed over the crowd and we turned to see Hudson pushing his way through to get to us.

“You made it.” He beamed, glancing over us quickly before landing back on Rosie.

The boy is infatuated.

Rosie offered him a small wave and he stepped forward, bending low to place a quick kiss on her cheek. The gesture nearly burst my heart open. He was confident enough to lean forward and kiss her in front of all of us. He wasn’t playing games with her. He liked her, he invited her to a party, and now he was about to spend the next few hours getting to know her. The simplicity of it nearly made my head spin.

What would it be like to walk into a party and have Erik seek me out, bend low, and kiss me in front of everybody? The idea nearly made me laugh. It was based 100% in delusion.

“Do you want to dance?” he asked, tilting his head toward the dance floor.

A new song had just started to play and I strained my ears to hear it over the crowd—“Ride” by Twenty One Pilots.

“I love this song,” I said, offering Rosie an encouraging smile.

She nodded, he took her hand, and they were off.

“Our little Rosie is growing up!” Lexi said, wiping a fake tear from her cheek.

I laughed and shook my head, watching as Hudson and Rosie took the dance floor. It took me a few seconds to realize how jealous of her I was. I wanted Erik to take me out onto the dance floor and smile down at me like Hudson was smiling at her. I wanted Erik’s attention on me, not because he was trying to assess my next move, but because he couldn’t look away.

From the first day I’d met Erik, we’d been at war. If we weren’t throwing knives, we were falling into each other’s arms. I knew we’d never have that simple kind of love, the kind of choreographed affection Noah had bored me with. Erik and I were too much alike in our volatility. We’d drive each other insane on a daily basis. The bickering, the fighting, the day-to-day battles would never disappear, but we could call a truce on the war we were waging. One of us could surrender, lay down our arms, and admit that this thing between us wasn’t just for fun and wasn’t supposed to end after Rio.

“Brie, you want a drink?” Lexi asked, tugging on my arm to get my attention.

I shook my head and waved her off.

I’d known from the beginning I was physically attracted to Erik—there wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t find him physically attractive—but it was more than that. I enjoyed sparring with him. I knew to keep my enemy close, but I didn’t know I’d end up enjoying his company and his time. When we weren’t together, I was thinking about him. When we were together, I was focused on him. In the month and a half I’d known him, he’d taken root inside of me so deeply I couldn’t see past the idea of
us
.

I pulled my phone out of my purse and scrolled through the contacts.

“Hey.” A male voice caught my attention.

I glanced up and locked eyes with Owen, the soccer player I’d met at the seven deadly sins club.

I had my phone gripped in my hand, my thumb hovering over Erik’s name, ready to hit call.

“Are you here with friends?” he asked, scanning around me.

Molly and Lexi had wandered off to find drinks and Rosie was still on the dance floor. I looked lost standing there alone.

I pointed to Rosie with Hudson. “Yeah, they’ve just abandoned me.” I laughed.

He nodded and smiled, running a hand over his short blond hair.

“Lucky for me then.”

My spine stiffened as he ran his gaze down my legs. I tugged at the hem of my dress and offered a tight smile. “Right.”

“You wanna dance?” he asked, angling his head back to center of the room.

“Actually, Owen, you’re really nice, and I don’t want to lead you on. I’m kind of seeing someone.”

His brow arched.

“Really? Is he invisible? Because I don’t see him here.”

My stomach rolled. “Yeah, well…”

“That kid who was in the club the other day?”

Who? Oh, Noah.

“No,” I said, taking a step back.

His smile twisted into something sinister.

“Well whoever he is, he probably isn’t keeping you happy if you’re coming to a party alone looking like that…” He stepped closer and ran his hand down my arm, eliciting goose bumps I tried to cover with my hand.

I shook my head, ready to shove him away from me, but then I caught sight of Lexi and Molly behind him.

“Guys!” I said with obvious distress. “There you are!”

His hand dropped from my arm and he twisted around to take in my two friends. Lexi nodded in greeting, but I shook my head. “Owen was actually just leaving.”

Molly frowned, confused.

“Good seeing you again,” I said with a fake smile, all but pushing him away from the group.

He snorted and turned away, knowing he wouldn’t get anywhere.

“He was cute,” Molly said, watching him walk away.

I scrunched my nose. “Not one of the good ones. Believe me.”

“Are you sure you don’t want a sip?” Lexi said, holding her drink out to me. We had a day off before individual all-around finals, but I still wasn’t in the mood. I needed to call Erik and I wanted my full mental faculties for our conversation.

“Actually, I’m going to head to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a second.”

I sidled through the party, careful to keep watch of Owen. He was on the other side of the room by the time I slipped into the bathroom, locked the door, and called Erik.

It rang four times before he picked up.

“Brie?”

His deep voice sent a shiver down my spine.

“Where are you?” I asked, glancing up at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were dilated. My cheeks were flushed. I spun away and stared at the wall, waiting for him to answer.

“At my condo—”

“Could you come pick me up? I want to talk to you.”

“Can it wait six days?”

In six days, the Olympics will be over.

I crossed my arm over my chest, protecting myself from him. “No. I think we should talk now.”

My heart was pounding in my chest with such intensity I was sure he could hear it through the phone.

“Are you at the athlete complex?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes. Meet me outside, by the U.S. flag.”

I inhaled his words, biting down my smile.

He was coming for me.

After I slid my phone back into my purse, I turned to the mirror and dabbed on a bit of lipstick, fluffed my hair, and checked to make sure there wasn’t any mascara under my eyes. My dress was tight, the sweetheart neckline accentuating my small frame, and I smiled confidently as I left the bathroom.

Molly and Lexi were right where I left them and though they weren’t happy when I told them I was heading out, neither of them tried to stop me. I guessed they could sense how little I wanted to be there.

The elevator was empty when the doors slid closed and the silence in the space amplified my nerves. My hand shook as I leaned forward and pressed the button for the ground floor. I pressed my other hand to my stomach, trying to get ahold of myself, but my heart was really to blame. It wouldn’t slow down. The elevator descended slowly and my nerves grew, multiplying until I could hardly breathe.

I clenched my fists by my sides as I strolled through the lobby, pausing briefly when I caught sight of Erik through the glass doors. He was leaning against the side of a cab, staring up at my building. He looked ready for war: mussed up sex hair and a dark scowl marring his handsome features. His dark jeans stretched across his long legs and his arms were crossed over his black shirt.