AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Me, too. Can you believe the opening ceremonies are tonight already?"
Amber took a long swallow of water, then laid her glass down. "When I decided to come back, four years seemed like it wasn't long enough, you know? There was so much to do. But after I finished my routine and practiced it over and over again, and then I made the team, I just wanted to perform. Suddenly, I wanted the games to get here and it seemed like the days went by so slowly."
Lisa laughed. "I know exactly how you feel. Part of me wants to soak all of this in and hope every second of these next two weeks lasts an eternity. The other part of me wants to get to it already so we can win."
She'd always loved Lisa's confidence. She didn't know if Lisa was ever nervous. If she was, it never showed. Then again, Amber was the same way. Whatever nervousness she felt she kept it bottled up inside so no one ever saw it. The minute your competition picked up on any flaw or nervousness, they'd pounce and use it against you. So outwardly, Amber was always the epitome of confidence.
"So what hot guy are you seeing tonight?" she asked Lisa.
Lisa shrugged. "Haven't decided on one yet. It depends on what parties develop after the opening ceremonies. You get to see everyone there so it's a perfect time to scout out the goodies."
Amber shook her head. "You're something, Lisa."
Lisa picked up an apple and waggled her brows. "Not the first time I've heard that."
Amber laughed. "You are so bad."
"Not the first time I've heard that, either."
Will came over. "What are you two talking about all huddled together?"
Amber looked up at Will. "We were discussing the opening ceremonies tonight."
"Oh, right. I've already got a line on some parties going on after the ceremonies."
Amber looked over at Lisa, who slanted a knowing smile at her. "Told ya."
"What did you tell her?" Will asked.
"That there'd be parties after."
"There are always parties. Lots of them."
"And no doubt you'll hit all of them?" Amber asked Lisa.
"Probably. I might drag you to all of them with me."
Amber shook her head. "Not a chance. And you shouldn't, either. Don't you have practice tomorrow?"
"Hey, I didn't say I'd be drinking. I just said I'd be partying."
Will laughed. "If anyone knows how to do that, honey, it's you."
Lisa nudged Will with her shoulder. "Spoken by a master partier himself. I'll take that as a compliment."
Amber watched the easy way that Will and Lisa interacted. She wondered if the two of them had ever hooked up. She wanted to ask Will, but she knew she'd come off as jealous and possessive, and since she had no claim on Will, it would be foolish to attach any emotion to whatever it was going on between them.
She just found him attractive and trustworthy. So why should she care if he'd ever had sex with Lisa?
Still, she was curious. So after they all split up to head back to their apartments to get ready for the night's events, she decided to satisfy that curiosity while she and Lisa were in the bathroom doing their hair.
"Did you and Will ever hook up?" she asked.
Lisa looked over at her. "No. We hung out at a lot of the same parties four years ago, but just as friends. There was never an attraction between us. I was getting busy with someone else at the time. So was he. Will became more of a big brother to me."
Relief washed over her, which was ridiculous because she had no claim on Will. "I see."
Lisa laid the flat iron on the bathroom counter, then leaned against the counter, giving her a curious look. "Would it have made a difference to you if we had?"
She thought hard about it, because she wanted to give Lisa an honest answer. "No. I like both of you. I was mainly just curious."
Lisa smiled. "Because you thought I might give you some advance intel on how good he is in the sack?"
Amber laughed. "Uh, definitely no."
"So you want to go into it blindly and be surprised?"
Amber had just finished applying mascara. She set down the wand and turned to face Amber. "Actually, I do. That's what exploration and sex with someone for the first time is all about, isn't it?"
"Mmm, definitely. All the new sensations and scents and what is he going to do, how is he going to do it? Is he going to be any good at it?"
"I imagine Will is very good at it."
Lisa laughed. "Because he's good-looking? Honey, I've known several great-looking guys whose looks don't match their skills in bed."
Amber picked up the blush. "That's disappointing."
"Tell me about it."
Now she wondered if Will would be good at sex. Despite what Lisa said, Amber had a feeling he knew what he was doing.
And she couldn't wait to find out.
ELEVEN
OPENING NIGHT CEREMONIES WERE ALWAYS THRILLING. Sure, it was a lot of standing and waiting around for your country's turn to go out, but it was also a chance to meet up with fellow countrymen you hadn't had a chance to see yet.
Will was up and ready for the moment. There was nothing like a huge arena packed with people cheering for you. That kind of momentum would carry him all the way through the games.
Tonight all the US athletes would wear matching clothes. Typically, he'd think that was stupid, but not here. Not for this. He felt that sense of cohesion tonight. They'd walk together as a united country. He'd walk with people he'd never met before, but after tonight they were all one nation. And before and after they'd cheer on all the other nations competing.
At least until he faced some of them on the ice.
They had a specific place they had to be, so he met up with Drew, Adrian and Jimmie and they walked to the arena together. They found their designated area along with their coach and other teammates. Now there wasn't much to do except wait and talk with the other US athletes.
He spotted Amber coming in with some of the other figure skaters. She wore the dark navy pants and the red, white and blue jacket just like all the other US athletes. But she stood out, her golden blond hair pulled into a high ponytail that swung back and forth when she walked. She and a young, dark-haired woman had their heads together, talking as they came into the US athlete's area. When she looked up and saw him, she smiled.
Damn if her smile didn't punch him right in the gut. It was genuine, not practiced, as if she was surprised and happy to see him. He'd noticed it every time he saw her.
Will had dated a lot, and the one thing he'd noticed often was a well-practiced smile, the kind you knew damn well a woman spent time perfecting in front of a mirror.
Amber's wasn't like that at all. It was sweet and wide and the kind of smile that reached all the way to her sparkling blue eyes. She had the kind of smile that made a guy feel like he was the only guy in her orbit.
He made his way over to her, at the same time she said something to her friend and started walking toward him. When they met in the middle, she grabbed both of his hands and squeezed them.
"I know this is my third time to do this, but it's also going to be my last time. I'm so excited I can't even breathe."
That was another thing he liked about her. She truly loved being a part of the team. She never took any of this for granted, or felt that it was her right to be here.
He felt the same way. This was such a privilege and he intended to appreciat
e every second of being here. Especially tonight. So he lifted one of Amber's hands and brought it to his mouth, pressing a kiss there.
"You ready for this?" he asked.
"So ready."
There were televisions backstage in the waiting area, so they got to watch the other nations who went before them.
"I love seeing the other countries." Amber grabbed his arm and leaned against him. "Oh, look, there's Lisa. Aren't Canada's sweaters amazing?"
"Yeah." Will grinned seeing so many guys he played with walking on the Canadian team.
"There's Tim McCaffery right behind Lisa," he said, pointing to his teammate. "He plays on the Ice."
And through it all, with every nation making their appearance, the crowds cheered and applauded.
So when it was their turn, and the US walked out in full force, Will soaked in the clapping and the roars from the audience.
Somehow Amber ended up two rows ahead of him, which was okay because he walked with the hockey team. For many of the guys this was their first time, and he soaked in the looks on their faces as they saw the size of the crowd in the arena. There was nothing like it, because it was so much bigger than anything they'd ever experienced.
"Wow," Drew said as they rounded the turn on the track. "This is crazy."
"Yeah." He remembered exactly what it had been like when he'd stepped out with the US athletes four years ago. Utter exhilaration and the drive to bring home a medal for his country.
When they finished their walk, they stayed to watch the rest of the opening ceremonies. It was always such a thrill to see everything the host country had put together. Canada had done a spectacular job and the arena was filled with color and light and feats of spectacle. Will would never forget it.
After the opening ceremonies concluded, several of them got together to decide what to do. Some were tired and heading to their rooms, while others were hitting the club or some of the parties. Hard practice was coming up starting tomorrow, so they knew after tonight they'd have to buckle down. Will knew a lot of them would enjoy one last night of going out--although no one would go too hard with the competitions looming.
Will ended up circling around with Amber, Lisa, some of the snowboarders and a few of his hockey teammates.
"Claude is having a party," Lisa said. "We have to go."
Claude was a downhill skier, and this was his third trip to the games. He was also well-known for having legendary parties. Great music, awesome liquor. Claude's parties were always lit. Will had gone to a few of them his last time at the games, one after his team had won the silver medal. He'd partied so hard he could barely get out of the bed the next day.
