Free Going for Gold by Ivy Smoak Page B

shit Tim said. D oes
he really check everyone out in the shower? I made a mental note to stay
away from Tim in the locker room.
    "Shouldn't we get going so we aren't late to
dinner?" asked Alex.
    "Good idea," I said.
    As we walked through the gate, I glanced over at the guy that
Tim had accused of being creepy. The dude stared at me for a second and then
flicked his cigarette and ground it into the sidewalk with the heal of his
scuffed Timberland boots. There was a pile of about three dozen other cigarette
butts in the same spot. Does this guy do anything other than stand here and
smoke? He pulled out his phone, typed out a text, and walked away.
    "Alright, our Uber should be here any minute," said
Tim.
    Just as he finished his sentence, a black car with an Uber
sticker in the window pulled up.
     
     

Chapter 13
    Monday
    Alina
    "Wow, that was quick," I said.
    "It really was," agreed Bryce. "He must have
known you couldn't wait much longer to get some meat in your mouth."
    Oh my God. Why did I ever say that? I couldn't think
straight with him standing so close in that damn fitted suit. The way it
hugged his arms... I hit his arm playfully. "Just get in the
car."
    Bryce opened up the door.
    "Is there enough room?" I asked. There were five of
us and only three seats in the back of the car, so the answer was no.
    "Sure there is," said Kristen. "We can just
sit on their laps."
    "Works for me," said Bryce.
    Tim got in first, followed by Kristen. She sat on his lap way
more seductively than was appropriate.
    "What about seatbelts?" I asked.
    Kristen gave me a death stare. "I'm sure Bryce will be
happy to put his arms around you."
    I glanced sideways at Bryce to try to catch his reaction, but
he was already climbing in after Alex. There really wasn't any room to sit
besides on Bryce lap. I slowly got in, trying not to expose myself in my tiny
dress, and sat on Bryce's lap. He put his hands on my hips and the smell of his
cologne filled my nose. God, he smelled so good. His right hand left for a
second to close the door, but then immediately gravitated back to my hip.
    I swallowed hard. I was sure I wouldn't have felt what I was
feeling if there hadn't been a sex ban. There's no way his touch would send
shivers down my spine. There was no way I'd be noticing how big and strong his
hands were. I tried to shake the thoughts out of my head and stared out the
side window.
    "Where to?" asked the driver in a thick accent.
    "Carne Deliciosa," said Tim.
    The driver nodded and pulled into the street. I lurched
forward slightly, which caused Bryce's fingers to dig into my hips. It didn't
matter what I tried to tell myself. I liked the feeling of his hands on me and
I liked the feeling of his fingertips digging into my hips even better.
    His grip eased up on me, but every time we hit a bump or came
to a stop, his fingers would dig into my hips again. My body stiffened when he
started to trace small circles with his thumb along my lower back. I wasn't
sure if he was doing it absentmindedly or on purpose, but it was making my
heart race. I put my hand on the armrest on the door to steady myself. If I
wasn't careful, I'd melt into that touch.
    "Alina?" Kristen said.
    "What?" I turned away from the window.
    She was staring at me like she had been trying to get my
attention for awhile. "Do you have any guesses?"
    I cleared my throat. "Um...what are we guessing?"
    Alex laughed. "She's been trying to guess what sport the
three of us are here for. Basketball, cycling, fencing...nope, nope, and
nope."
    "Oh." I turned around to see Bryce's reaction to
those guesses.
    He was staring at me so intently with his blue eyes that it
made me gulp.
    I immediately turned back around and stared at the headrest
in front of my face. It seemed like he was doing that with his hands on
purpose. Maybe he was trying to see how I reacted to his touch, and I was
certainly reacting to it. "Do you guys play tennis?"
    "I already told Kristen that we don't play with
balls," Tim