Page 7 of In Too Deep

I reach out, wrapping my arms around her. “Thanks, Trinny. I love you all so much.”

“And we love you, sweetheart.” She squeezes me gently before pulling me toward the kitchen. “Come on, let’s get some dinner, hmm?”

I cuddle into her side as we walk. Her warmth steadies me, anchors me. She’s more of a mother to me than my own mum ever was, and tonight, that means everything.

For once, the ache in my chest feels just a little bit lighter.

CHAPTER THREE

My body jolts suddenly from side to side, pulling me awake from a deep sleep. I’m being tussled about in bed, disoriented and unable to gather my bearings, but I sense Caro’s presence. Of course, she’s the source of all the commotion.

I blink to find her bouncing up and down on the mattress, grinning like the goofball she is.

Yawning and stretching, I watch as she giggles and flops onto her knees, straddling me.

“Olympic trials start today, bitch!”

Howling, I grab her waist and pull her down to the bed beside me. We both lay on our backs, staring up at the ceiling, taking in those five words. Qualifying starts today in Adelaide and lasts for eight days. By the end of it, we could both have a ticket to the Melbourne Olympic Games—we competeforAustraliainAustralia.

“Lacy?”

I face Caro. “Yeah?”

“This could be the beginning of our futures.”

Great minds think alike.

Sighing, I glance back up to the ceiling. “Today could be the start of our journey. The day the world acknowledges our hard work.”

“We got this, don’t we?”

“Yeah, we sure as hell got this!”

“Good, let’s go then.” She leaps up from the bed, pulling me with her and out to the kitchen. There lies our fruit, with a side of egg white omelette.She’s on the game today.

“You made breakfast?”

“Well, someone was trying out for theSleeping Beautycontest this morning, so one of us had to step up,” Caro teases.

Rolling my eyes, I take my plate and smile. “Thank you.”

We eat quickly, get dressed and pack everything we need for the day’s events. Then we head off to theSA Aquatic and Leisure Centreat Oaklands Park. It’s our home base, so we have the advantage of knowing the pool inside out. It’s where we train and live when we’re not at the unit.

Walking in the centre it’s all a buzz. There are people everywhere, and as we step in further, we see Tuck talking to the one… the only… Kyle Watley! Australia’s four-time Olympic Champion! Order of Australia Medallist! Former record holder in three events, winner of five gold medals, four silver, and one bronze! This guy’s a legend, andourcoach is talking to him.

I nudge Caro. “Can you believe that?”

Caro shakes her head. “Nup. I didn’t know Kyle would be here, let alone set my knickers on fire, then douse them out with an insatiable wetness.”

“Oh my God, Caro!”

“What? He’s hot… Oh, wait, speaking of hot…” She turns her head toward a couple of guys walking past us.

They’re both smoking hot, but one grabs my attention. He’s tall with a muscular build. His brown hair is just long enough to flop slightly on top. His eyes are the most striking blue I’ve ever gazed upon. He glances at me and smirks, sending a shiver down my spine. I break out into goose bumps. His smirk is gorgeous. My heart races. My palms sweat, and my thighs buckle as my mind wanders.

Just imagine those perfect smirking lips kissing my neck.

His friend struts past and flexes his biceps in our direction. My eyebrows curve upward, and my eyes bug out. Before I drool over his friend, I turn to Caro and pull her away.

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