Maybe he wanted to send a message or reestablish boundaries, so I wouldn’t get any ideas that he was interested in me in any capacity outside of the pool. And maybe I was pissed that he’d unearthed a side of me I wasn’t equipped to deal with.
Round and round, we went in a furious circle until a loud whistle broke through the frenzy. Someone pulled us apart and dragged me to the side. I flung my arm to free myself, then sucked in a deep breath and glanced up at our irate coach standing over us with his arms crossed and a pissed-off expression on his mug.
“My office now. Both of you.”
Fuck.
Five minutes later I sat, with a towel wrapped around my waist, next to Gabe while Coach Burton screamed bloody murder at me for my outrageously immature behavior. Spit flew from his mouth as he paced the length of his desk and back again like a fire and brimstone preacher at a Sunday service. And yes, his vitriol was directed primarily at me. Team captains didn’t attack new members. Period. I owed Gabe and my entire squad an apology, and I owed my coach an explanation.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Coach asked, throwing his arms in the air and glowering at me.
I bit the inside of my cheek and swallowed my pride. “I wasn’t thinking. I apologize, sir.”
“Apologize to Chadwick now and at your next opportunity, apologize to the team.”
I bit into my cheek until I tasted blood before turning to Gabe. “I apologize.”
Gabe didn’t bother looking at me, which of course pissed me off even more. But I held my tongue as Coach continued.
“You can finish off practice with laps. I’m benching you for the game tomorrow too, Vaughn.”
“What?” I jumped from my chair and gaped at him like a fish out of water. “You need me.”
“I do, but I also need you to act like a leader. Don’t argue. You’ll be back on rotation next week…if you can control your temper. Oh, and one more thing. You two are about to become best friends. Starting tomorrow, you’re partners in every fucking drill in that damn pool and roomies for every away tournament on the roster.” Coach pointed meaningfully at the door. “Out.”
My stomach turned so fast I was afraid I might vomit. I knew if I opened my mouth, there was a good chance I’d say something I’d regret. So I secured my towel around my waist as I stood and gave Coach a curt nod of acknowledgment before heading to the locker room.
My hands trembled as I fumbled with the combination on my lock. I was pretty sure I’d never been this angry in my life. The worst part was knowing I only had myself to blame. Gabe made me crazy. But I’d behaved like an ass and once again, I’d given him the upper hand. Fuck, I was an idiot. I flung open the metal locker door and shoved my towel inside. I couldn’t deal with this shit now. A hundred or more laps might help. I reached for my goggles and was about to turn around when I sensed someone behind me.
“I’m sorry, Der.”
I slammed the locker door, bolted the lock, and glared at Gabe. “Fuck you. You got what you wanted, you fucking coward. You want to pretend nothing happened? Fine, nothing happened. Thank you for reminding me that I hate your fucking guts.”
“You don’t hate me,” Gabe said softly. “Look, I was just following your lead. I thought you wanted to forget about—”
“Oh, trust me, I do. Stay the hell away from me.”
He moved in front of me and blocked my exit. “Hey, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“Which part? The kiss, humping in my bathroom, or pissing me off to make sure I’d get cut from another game?”
“All of it. Especially the kiss.”
I furrowed my brow. “Especially? It’s been a couple of weeks, but don’t lie to me. I know you liked it as much as I did, and you knew exactly what you were doing.”
“Of course I did.” Gabe moved into my space, then cocked his head and squinted. “So you liked it.”
We stood inches apart, wearing matching black Speedos and nothing else, engaged in a weird standoff I didn’t quite understand. Tension rolled between us in a fierce wave that made it difficult to breathe.
“Yes. I liked it,” I huffed in exasperation. “But it just occurred to me that you kissed me and my ex that night. Did you do that on purpose? Is this some fucked up game where you—”
Gabe pounced so fast, my head almost hit the wall. He pulled me against him before my shoulder hit my locker and then crashed his mouth over mine.
This wasn’t a kiss. It was an angry fusion meant to establish dominance and control. And yeah, to shut me up. I didn’t push him away. But I didn’t back down either. I grabbed his face, tilted my chin, and thrust my tongue into his mouth. We groaned in unison as our chests collided. His skin was cool to the touch. I wouldn’t have thought I’d want to be any closer, but the second Gabe moved his hand to my ass and molded himself against me, I changed my mind. And when he softened the pressure on my lips and glided his tongue alongside mine, the manic power play became a passionate kiss.