Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

My entire life might be different this morning, but the rituals weren’t.

I stood, reaching my arms overhead, and walked out of the locker room.

The crowd erupted in a chant: “Crews, Crews, Crews.”

I tried not to look at how many people had been packed into the aquatics center. My eyes darted to the one reserved seat I had in the entire building.

Ava smiled.

If she was here, the rest was all just noise. I didn’t need the cheers or chants. I didn’t need the TV cameras. I needed her. And our baby.

Jim walked up to me. “You’ve got this, Blaine.”

“Thanks.”

It was my gold to lose.

I adjusted my swim cap and goggles. The fans went crazy when we took our places on the blocks. I was in lane two.

I gripped the block and rocked back and forth to loosen my hamstrings. I took a deep breath.

The freestyle was mine. The gold was mine.

The buzzer sounded and I dove into the water, plunging beneath the surface with a solid start. The swimmer on my right was Swiss and the guy on my left was American. I had competed against both of them in world finals six months ago.

I kicked, propelling myself faster as I took quick breaths. I saw the wall and twisted into the turn I practiced yesterday. It was fucking flawless. I surfaced again, gaining at least a full body length on the Swiss guy.

I knew better than to look beside me. The drag would only slow me down. I focused on the wall, on my breath, on pushing the water out of my way.

I shoved off the wall again. There was only one turn left before the final lap.

It was close and I anticipated the turn, ducking with a swift motion. I pulled hard, forcing my body to move faster than it had before. I had to do this. Ava was watching.

I reached, stretching my fingertips long, and hit the wall.

I hung on the rope and looked up at the scoreboard. The times scrolled across the marquee.

Jim clapped and shouted. “Gold!”

I threw my arm in the air, pumping my fist. Ava laughed and waved from the crowd.

I had everything. A fucking incredible woman. A woman who was giving me a family.

And I had just won gold.

It was only the beginning.

Naughty Notes

I’ve always loved the Olympics. Always. Who doesn’t love two weeks when the world can come together and just play games? It’s amazing, right?

Putting my patriotism aside, the other part of it is two solid weeks of the hottest, sexiest athletes on the planet performing every day.

I started toying around with the idea of a fun series about what happens in the Olympic village. Because Rio is going to be hot, hot, hot! What do these guys do when they aren’t training? Or what happens when they win and they stick around for the rest of the games? What do they really do during their down time? I started to research what happens inside the village and I couldn’t turn off the stories that started rolling around in my head. I HAD to write this series this summer.

I wanted these books to be fun and sexy. Forget all the international politics and the zika problems. Just fantasize that somewhere in Rio an incredibly hot Australian swimmer falls head over heels for a beautiful American girl.

Let’s face it. We all need some fun, and a place to escape where zika isn’t a reality.