Page 45 of Going for Gold (Sweet Cravings 3)

"What? No. Not even close. In fact, that's the exact opposite of what I was going to ask."

"Oh my God." Tim's eyes widened and he took a step back from me. "You want me to kill him because his monstrous penis is too powerful for mankind to handle? I think that's a little extreme."

"Never mind. I was going to tell you to not mention this to anyone to save you from endless teasing at the hands of Alex, but I can see that you're too far gone to help. Just don't mention my name when you tell people about this. And anyway, what are you doing showering before practice?"

"I always shower before practice. A gentlemen always presents himself..."

"Okay, whatever. Just hurry up and get ready so we can finish practice early and catch some of the girls' volleyball match. Or should I just tell Kristen you were too busy checking out dudes in the shower so we had to start practice late?"

Chapter 19

Tuesday

Alina

We crushed Serbia in the first game. I was sitting on the bench gulping down water when Kristen nudged me in the ribs.

"They're here."

I turned around to see where she was looking. Bryce, Tim, and Alex were squeezing their way past some other spectators. Bryce smiled and winked at me as soon as he caught me staring. Tim blew Kristen a kiss and Alex slapped his hand, clearly embarrassed by what Tim was doing.

But I didn't dwell on what Tim and Alex were doing, because my gaze was stuck on Bryce. He was still sporting his workout clothes. He had this sweaty V down the middle of his T-shirt that made me gulp. Some of his hair was sticking to his forehead. It was someho

w sexy and adorable at the same time.

I had dreamed about him all night. I wasn't sure if Kristen had gotten in my head or if I was a lot kinkier than I had originally thought, because I had dreamed about being with Bryce in the village square. Or at least, near it. He had pulled me down an alley in the village square, pressed my back up against the wall, and kissed me like he had during Operation Red Rip. Only this time, I was encouraging him to go farther. His hand slowly traced up my thigh while his other hand unzipped my dress.

The ref blowing the whistle drew me out of my daydream.

I squeezed my thighs together.

"You okay?" Kristen asked.

"Mhm." I'm just ridiculously horny. I took one last long sip of my water and got in the circle that my team had formed.

"Two more games like that first one, and we're going to the semi-finals," Coach Hammond said. "Stay focused and let's get this done."

The ref blew the whistle again and I ran onto the court. I looked back over at Bryce. He was waiving a poster in the air. It read, "I Dig Alina - Go Team USA." Tim was holding one that said, "Kristen Loves Juggling Balls - Go Team USA."

Bryce digs me.

Kristen laughed in front of me. She turned around. "Tim is really trying to get that devil's threesome going."

"Pay attention," I said and gestured to the other side of the net. I smiled to myself and looked at the girl that was about to serve for Serbia. I thought I might be nervous with Bryce watching me. Instead, it made me play even better. I wanted to impress him. I wanted to forget about Chris, win gold, and win over Bryce. It was just like Kristen had said. I could have it all.

The hitter on the other side spiked it hard. I dove to the left and bumped it perfectly to our setter. I was on fire.

***

The crowd went wild as Kristen landed the final spike on Serbia's side. I joined the hug in the middle of the volleyball court. We were soon surrounded by all the members on our bench too, laughing, crying, and screaming. We're heading to the semi-finals!

After shaking hands with the other team, Kristen and I rushed toward the exit. I wanted to see Bryce. All I could think about was kissing him. I wanted to jump into his arms. Him bringing that sign and cheering me on was such a sweet thing to do. I just hoped he was going to kiss me back. Kristen seemed just as eager to see Tim, even though she would never admit it.

"Is that Chris?" Kristen asked, stopping in front of a row of bleachers. I almost ran into her as she abruptly stopped in the middle of the crowd exiting the stadium.

I turned toward where she was looking. Chris was standing on the stairs talking to some tan brunette girl with big breasts. She was a Gabriela Santos wannabe. He was holding a bouquet of flowers and smiling at her.

If I hadn't been about to go meet up with Bryce, I probably would have burst into tears. Chris had seriously come to my game to give some random girl flowers? What an asshole. He never brought me flowers. He said they were a waste of money because they died so fast. Apparently this girl was worth the wasted money. Chris leaned in and whispered something in her ear. The girl laughed and touched his bicep.

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