Going for Gold (An Olympic Medal Romance Book 1) (4 page)

He wanted to keep kissing her. If he didn’t stop now, he was going to keep her all to himself. Pushing away from her tempting mouth was one of the hardest things he ever had to do in his entire life.

Gunnar could stay right there with her and lose himself, but he couldn’t do that. Not now. As much as he wanted to be there with her all alone, he had too much to risk by letting her consume every part of him.

He lived and breathed his sport. It made him who he was and fueled him on to be the best he could be, better than anyone else at what he did.

With regret, he stepped away from the beautiful escape of the woman in front of him. “I’ll meet you here tomorrow when you get off.”

He didn’t wait for Mia to respond before turning away from her and all she had to offer him. Looking back was not an option, because if he did he might struggle with choosing Mia over the Opening Ceremony.

Gunnar made his way to Olympic Village on his own, but he stayed in his head the entire way there. He signed in, settled into his room, and was happy for the solitude. He found out his bunkmate wasn’t arriving until his swimming event the next week, which meant he had the room all to himself. He only had a couple of free hours until he met up with his parents. They were coming to the opening ceremony, and he promised his mother he’d see them before it started and he got lost in the crowd of athletes and press that would fill the stadium when it was over.

He lay back on his bed, but he couldn’t concentrate on the Olympics or anything else. He was finally at the pinnacle of his sport, and all he could think about when he closed his eyes was Mia.

He memorized every curve of her neck, the warm skin that invited exploration. Those lips of hers teased him as she ate, and he wanted so much to see how different the stew tasted when he consumed them from her instead. When he finally kissed her, he didn’t realize how hard it would be to stop. Pulling away from her meant fighting every natural urge in his body that said she belonged to him and that he needed her. Thinking about her made him harder, and even as he tried to push the thoughts away, images of her only came crashing back.

If he had any shot at winning that gold, he needed to focus on what he had to do. Why did she have to sneak in and grab hold of him so tightly? That was one of the reasons he avoided relationship commitments like a life-sucking plague. They had the ability to take over and swallow you whole. When you were in too deep, you couldn’t get away without losing a part of yourself to the other person.

His brain was in a three-way battle with his heart and body, and none could make out how to handle Mia. She wasn’t some girl to be handled. He respected her so much more than that. He wanted to give her things that he allowed no other woman to have, and that scared him shitless.

The knock on his door had him sitting up with a rush.

“Come in,” he said.

Nate stormed through the door. “Have you seen this place, Gunnar? It’s fucking crazy.”

“Hey, Nate.” Gunnar lay back on the bed, unmoved by his teammate’s enthusiasm. At least one of them wasn’t conflicted and actually appreciated where they were. He wanted to have his mind in the game, but his busy brain wouldn’t give him any peace.

“Did you know they’re handing out free condoms to the athletes? It’s like they’re expecting us to have one big orgy or something. Literally fucking crazy.”

“Funny. Don’t you have some weights to lift or something?”

“If you saw the women living in these towers, you wouldn’t be training either. You’ll see when we walk in the opening ceremony tonight. I dare you to find an international beauty you don’t want to take home.”

I already found one
, Gunnar thought.

Nate sat on the free bed. “Where’s your roommate?”

“He comes in next week, and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t want you messing up his bed.”

“You mean you have this whole room to yourself?”

“Yep.”

“I bet you’ll have some fun times in here. It may be even better than your campus nights.”

“I’m not bringing women in here, Nate. I came here to win, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Gold in your sights already, huh? Just remember there are a few of us right there with you and ready to claim it for ours.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Gunnar said. Nate’s words pounded in him. This was the best of the best in the world. If he wasn’t careful, he could lose it before he even had the chance to feel the medal around his neck.

He needed to make a choice soon, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to have to hurt Mia when he finally made his decision. That was something he never wanted to do, but he had to think about what brought him there in the first place. Going to the Olympics was a once in a lifetime opportunity that most athletes dreamed of. Was what he had started with Mia worth risking the chance to win what he’d worked most of his life for?

“H
e actually kissed you?” Louisa stared at Mia until she shifted under her best friend’s stare down. “Not an innocent peck? A real kiss?”

“Yes, he kissed me for real. You keep asking me the same questions, but my answer isn’t changing.” Mia fiddled with the gift shop’s computer to bring up the opening ceremony. She was too busy to watch it live the night before, because the store was filled with tourists, and she never got a break. She wasn’t sure if Gunnar would be there, but she wanted to see for herself.

“I thought you said he was just a friend you wrote to.”

“He is. I mean, he was my friend. I don’t know what we are now.”

“You’re definitely not friends anymore, Mia. That’s for certain. Brazilians are friendly, but we don’t go around pushing our tongues in our friend’s mouths.”

“Louisa! You always make things sound so crude. It wasn’t like that.”

“Wasn’t it? You said he kissed you and walked away.”

“He said he’d meet me after work today.”

“Then you need to bring him tonight. I have to make sure he’s man enough for you.” Louisa stood at the counter browsing the new gift items and trying on cheap tourist rings that she had no intention of buying.

Mia was used to Louisa perusing the shop when her boss was out. Otherwise, he’d make her leave for not being a paying customer.

“Gunnar wouldn’t know what to do there,” Mia said. “He doesn’t seem like the type who would like that kind of party.”

“Funk is a part of our heritage,” Louisa said, putting a ring on each finger and holding her hand out to see how they looked. “He said he wanted to see the real Brazil. Show it to him.”

“I don’t know.”

“He’s our age, right?”

Mia shrugged. “Yes.”

“And he’s a man?”

“Of course he’s a man. What kind of question is that?”

“All I’m saying is if he’s a guy our age, he’ll love it. They know how to party, too. I hear American boys party even harder at those colleges up there. Your college athlete may be crazier than you think.”

“He’s not crazy, Louisa.”

“Anyone who chooses to go through physical pain to win a competition is loco, Mia. Crazier than rotten maracujá.”

“You don’t know him, and he’s not rotten passion fruit!”

Louisa smirked. “He’s definitely giving out some kind of passion if he’s got you defending him.”

“Well, you started it.”

“Calm down.” Louisa shook her head. “You really like him, don’t you?”

“I do. He’s just...I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Sounds like you’re in love.”

“What? No. We barely even know each other.”

“You’ve been writing to each other for more than eight years. You may not have seen each other before yesterday, but it sounds like you know each other well enough.”

Mia leaned over the counter. “He’s lying to me about something important. You don’t do that to someone you love.”

“People lie to the ones they love all the time. It’s the people they don’t love who they’re brutally honest with and don’t care about their feelings.”

“Are you saying he lied to me to protect me? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Have you ever heard of love making sense?”

Mia stilled as she thought about what she and Gunnar shared in their emails together. He’d told her so much about his family, school, and even his sport. Even though she considered what her best friend said, it didn’t make sense that he didn’t want her to know. Didn’t he think she’d be happy for him? That’s all she ever wanted since she’d known him.

They started emailing each other because their schools participated in a pen pal program to get students to connect with others in different countries. When everyone stopped writing or lost interest in talking to their assigned student, she and Gunnar continued.

There was something about writing to each other that made it possible to share their lives without the drama of everyday life. Their connection was easy and meaningful. Now that he was finally in Rio, it seemed like that simplicity melted away to reveal barriers she didn’t think would ever exist between them.

Louisa’s words weren’t lost on Mia. Even she could admit she fell in love with Gunnar years ago, but it had been a fantasy for her to believe they could ever be together. Thousands of miles separated them, and they lived completely different lives.

She was just happy she’d get to spend a few weeks with him as the Olympics went on, but happened after the games was a mystery that made her vulnerable and scared that they would never be able to talk to each other like they used to. Even now, the slight tension was hidden underneath the instant attraction.

It took a long time before the screen showed the United States athletes’ entrance. Mia leaned over to scan the multitude of people wearing similar white, blue, and red shirts with white pants.

The cameras focused on the flag bearer then scanned the team. For a few minutes, she thought he wasn’t there. When she finally caught a glimpse of him in the white polo shirt and matching pants, she couldn’t keep the sadness away.

Maybe if she’d known about it, she’d be there celebrating with him and his family at the opening ceremony, but he hadn’t told her. Instead, she had to watch him walk in the same way millions of other viewers did—from a distance. She’d missed out on sharing that special moment with him.

“I can’t believe he lied to me,” she said.

“What did he lie to you about?” Louisa asked, pulling Mia out of her intricate thoughts.

“He didn’t tell me he was competing here.”

“You mean he’s in the Olympic Games?”

Mia nodded. “See?” She pointed to the computer screen, so Louisa could see him. “He told me he was coming here to support his team and see me, but there he is walking with the other athletes. I don’t understand why he couldn’t just tell me.”

“Ask him why he didn’t tell you.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why do love-struck fools make things so difficult? That’s why I told Juan I have no time for this love foolishness.” She sighed as she took off the rings. “He wants me to call him my boyfriend now.”

“That’s not a good thing?”

“No, Mia. What happens if I agree? Next, he’s going to want me to marry him and have his children.”

“I don’t see that as a bad thing.”

“Of course you don’t. This American is the only boy you’ve ever truly had feelings for. Some men can hurt you in worse ways then lying. Just something to think about.”

Mia rested her head on her arms as Louisa perused the sunglasses with the green and yellow Brazilian colors. Maybe she was overacting. She needed to know why Gunnar was keeping one of the most important parts of his life secret from her. Before, she would have said they shared everything, but she’d been wrong about that.

Maybe he didn’t want her to be disappointed if he lost, but nothing about the man said he was a loser at anything.

Winning was embedded deep within his soul. It made him the whole being she’d grown attached to.

If he did win, what would that mean for them? Would he even make time to write to her anymore? She’d seen the lifestyle famous athletes lived in their big houses and foreign cars. She just wasn’t sure if that was the future Gunnar wanted.

Mia never thought there would be anything that would disrupt who they were to each other, but that kissed had shattered all her beliefs about their relationship.
Friends
was too simple of a word, and
lovers
was too intimate.

“What are you wearing tonight?” Louisa asked.

“I’m wearing it.”

“Tell me you’re making a bad joke I’m not getting.”

Mia examined her black shirt and jean shorts and saw nothing wrong with it. “I’m not joking. This is it.”

“Your man can’t see you in...
that
if you want to get his attention. What time is he coming here?”

“Not for a couple of hours.”

“Good. That gives me something to work with.”

Mia knew that gleam in her friend’s eyes meant trouble. She sat up and shook her finger at Louisa. “Whatever you’re planning, you need to stop it right now.”

“You’re going to thank me for this one,” Louisa said. “Both of you will definitely thank me.”

***

M
ia was unsure about the makeover Louisa had done on her as she waited outside of the closed gift shop for Gunnar. She closed early to have her friend prepare her for the night, even though she complained that nothing was wrong with her own clothes. The tight, scarlet dress was shorter than she usually liked, and she wasn’t used to the makeup that made her face feel weird. At least she wore flat dress shoes. High heels were never things she could maneuver in, and the stone streets they’d be walking on were a nightmare for fancy shoes.