Ethan watched him go. “Nice of him to include me in that conversation. Makes me feel valued.”
I slipped my guards onto my blades. “Youarevalued.”
“Mm.” His mouth twitched. “You’re still the federation’s goldenchild, though. Everybody knows it.” He grabbed his bottle and took a long drink before continuing. “Harper might podium. Nathan and Brooke will fight like hell because apparently this is their last Olympic cycle together.” Another grin. “But this? This is your Games.”
“That’s a dangerous amount of pressure to dump on somebody before lunch.”
“You seem to be handling pressure pretty well lately.” Ethan’s tone stayed casual, but there was far too much amusement sitting underneath it. “Honestly, whatever extracurricular activity you’ve picked up this week appears to be doing wonders for your skating.”
I froze for the briefest fraction of a second. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure.”
I wiped the back of my neck with my towel and refused to look directly at him. “I think the lack of sleep has finally damaged your brain.”
Ethan laughed under his breath as I pushed away from the boards.
“Relax,” he called after me. “I’m not about to leak it to NBC.”
I stopped and turned, my pulse quickening.
Ethan met my gaze without flinching. “I’ve seen him leaving your room. More than once.”
Fuck.
My stomach plummeted. For one awful second, all I could think about was Luka. The endless appetite people seemed to have for other athletes’ private lives.
Every risk we’d spent days trying to avoid flashed through my head at once.
Ethan watched the entire reaction unfold before rolling his eyes.
“Dean. Seriously. If I was going to make this a thing, I would’ve already done it by now.”
The tension left my shoulders in a rush. I hadn’t even realized they’d tightened.
“Right.”
“Also,” Ethan added, folding his arms, “you are both terrible at being subtle.”
I groaned.
That only made him grin wider.
I waited for awkwardness
It never arrived.
“And before you lapse into panic mode, I genuinely do not care who you’re sleeping with.” He shrugged. “Your timing sucks, though.”
I frowned. “Meaning?”
“Most athletes avoid distractions before competition.” His grin returned. “You disappear for three days and come back skating like you’ve unlocked a higher spiritual plane through orgasms.”
I couldn’t hold back my laugh.
Ethan pointed at me. “Yeah. That reaction isn’t helping your case.” He tossed the towel over his shoulder again before pushing off the boards. “For what it’s worth, you look happier too.”
The comment followed me out of the rink.
